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Pay the Devil

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Pay the Devil

| type = Album

| artist = Van Morrison

| cover = Pdevil.jpg

| alt =

| released = 6 March 2006

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Country

| length = 45:44

| label = Lost Highway

| producer = Van Morrison

| prev_title = Magic Time

| prev_year = 2005

| next_title = Live at Austin City Limits Festival

| next_year = 2006

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Pay the Devil

| type = studio

| single1 = Playhouse

| single1date =

}}

}}

{{Album ratings

|MC = 75/100{{Cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/pay-the-devil/van-morrison|title = Pay the Devil by van Morrison| website=Metacritic }}

|rev1 = Allmusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r819860|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]

|rev2 = earvolution.com

|rev2score = (unrated){{Cite web |url=http://www.earvolution.com/2006/03/van-morrisons-pay-devil-belfast-cowboy.asp |title=earvolution.com review |access-date=6 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620203813/http://www.earvolution.com/2006/03/van-morrisons-pay-devil-belfast-cowboy.asp |archive-date=20 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}

|rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev3Score = B+[https://web.archive.org/web/20070208140100/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1169374,00.html Entertainment Weekly review]

|rev4 = The Independent

|rev4score = (unrated)[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-van-morrison--none-onestar-twostar-threestar-fourstar-fivestar-468205.html The Independent review]

|rev5 = livedaily.com

|rev5score = (unrated)[http://www.livedaily.com/news/9701.html livedaily.com review] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724072100/http://www.livedaily.com/news/9701.html |date=24 July 2008 }}

|rev6 = The Music Box

|rev6score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}[http://www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2006/vandevil.html The Music Box review]

|rev7 = No Depression

|rev7score = (unrated)[http://archives.nodepression.com/2006/03/van-morrison-pay-the-devil/ No Depression review] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008061110/http://archives.nodepression.com/2006/03/van-morrison-pay-the-devil/ |date=8 October 2011 }}

|rev8 = Rolling Stone

|rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20071001091937/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanmorrison/albums/album/9391412/review/9544347/pay_the_devil Rolling Stone review]

}}

Pay the Devil is the thirty-second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 2006 by Lost Highway. The album features twelve cover versions of American country and western tunes and three original compositions. It debuted at No. 26 on The Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 7 on Top Country Albums;{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/59069/chart-beat |title=Chart Beat:Pay per Van|magazine=billboard|date=16 March 2006|accessdate=2008-08-06}}{{cite web|url=http://countrymusic.about.com/od/charts/a/blcharts032506.htm|title=On the charts-Billboard country singles and albums|publisher=countrymusic.com|date=25 March 2006|accessdate=2008-08-06|archive-date=13 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013063251/http://countrymusic.about.com/od/charts/a/blcharts032506.htm|url-status=dead}} it was listed at No. 10 on Amazon Best of 2006 Editor's Picks in Country in December 2006.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000033231|title=Best of 2006: Editors' Pick in Country|publisher=amazon.com|accessdate=2008-08-07}}

A deluxe edition of Pay the Devil featuring a video of five of the tracks taped during the performance at the Ryman was released on 27 June 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/artist/releases/release.aspx?pid=1684&aid=248 |title=Van Morrison-Pay the Devil |publisher=losthighwayrecords.com |accessdate=2008-08-06}}{{cite web|url=http://corkuniversitypress.typepad.com/beautiful_day_40_years_of/van_morrison/|title=Beautiful Day: Van Morrison|publisher=corkuniversitypress.typepad.com|accessdate=2010-06-02|archive-date=7 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507183159/http://corkuniversitypress.typepad.com/beautiful_day_40_years_of/van_morrison/|url-status=dead}}

Songs

The songs on the album consist of twelve cover songs and three originals. The cover songs are chosen from old-time country songs recorded during the 1950s and 1960s by well-known country artists such as Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Merle Haggard and George Jones. Morrison's three originals are written and sung to blend with the classic country cover versions.

Erik Hage described Morrison's version of "Till I Gain Control Again" written by Rodney Crowell: "There's a sense of fragility and defeat, and it is moving in a way that a Van Morrison song rarely moves the listener. The singer sounds utterly broken down and shaken: 'hold me now, hold me now' he unsteadily repeats 'until I gain control again'. Even Morrison's most emotional material in the past never projected such pretty frailty."Hage, (2009), p. 142

Promotion

Morrison previewed some of the Pay the Devil material at his live shows in the previous year. He promoted the new album with a seven city tour of the US in March 2006.{{cite web|url=http://archives.nodepression.com/2006/05/van-morrison-ryman-auditorium-nashville-tn/|title=Van Morrison, Ryman Auditorium|last=Mazor|first=Barry|date=7 March 2006|accessdate=2010-06-02|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706051513/http://archives.nodepression.com/2006/05/van-morrison-ryman-auditorium-nashville-tn/|archivedate=6 July 2010}} On 7 March 2006, the day of its release in the United States, Van Morrison Day was declared in Nashville by the mayor, and Morrison appeared at the historic Ryman Auditorium that evening for the first time.{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1525667/03082006/morrison_van.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117193707/http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1525667/03082006/morrison_van.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2007|title=Van Morrison offers country songs|publisher=CMT|date=8 March 2006|author=Calvin Gilbert|access-date=2008-08-06}} He continued to promote the album throughout 2006 and appeared at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on 15 September 2006 where his performance was listed as one of the top ten of the festival by Rolling Stone.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11717282/the_10_best_shows_at_austin_city_limits_| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016075548/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11717282/the_10_best_shows_at_austin_city_limits_| url-status=dead| archive-date=16 October 2007| title= 10 Best Shows at Austin City Limits | magazine= Rolling Stone| accessdate=2007-03-31}}

Track listing

  1. "There Stands the Glass" (Alize Gresham, Russ Hull, Mary Jane Shurtz) – 2:16
  2. "Half as Much" (Curley Williams) – 2:36
  3. "Things Have Gone to Pieces" (Leon Payne) – 3:11
  4. "Big Blue Diamonds" (Earl J. Carson) – 2:56
  5. "Playhouse" (Morrison) – 4:14
  6. "Your Cheatin' Heart" (Hank Williams) – 2:32
  7. "Don't You Make Me High" (Daniel Barker, Ken Harris) – 2:47
  8. "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" (Clarence Williams) – 2:22
  9. "Back Street Affair" (Billy Wallace) – 2:49
  10. "Pay the Devil" (Morrison) – 3:03
  11. "What Am I Living For?" (Art Harris, Fred Jay) – 3:57
  12. "This Has Got to Stop" (Morrison) – 4:44
  13. "Once a Day" (Bill Anderson) – 2:52
  14. "More and More" (Merle Kilgore, Webb Pierce) – 2:46
  15. "'Til I Gain Control Again" (Rodney Crowell) – 5:59

DVD track listing (Deluxe Edition)

Filmed at the Ryman Auditorium on 7 March 2006

  1. "Playhouse" (Morrison)
  2. "'Till I Gain Control Again" (Rodney Crowell)
  3. "Big Blue Diamonds" (Earl J. Carson)
  4. "This Has Got to Stop" (Morrison)
  5. "There Stands the Glass" (Alize Gresham, Russ Hull, Mary Jane Shurtz)

Personnel

Production

  • Van Morrison – Producer
  • Declan Gaffney – Mixing assistant
  • Jerome King – Assistant engineer
  • Alastair McMillan – Mixing
  • Walter Samuel – Engineer, mixing

Charts

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2006)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|26|artist=Van Morrison|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 November 2020}}
{{album chart|BillboardCountry|7|artist=Van Morrison|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 November 2020}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2006)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2006/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2006|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=19 November 2020}}

| 58

{{col-end}}

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

  • Hage, Erik (2009). The Words and Music of Van Morrison, Praeger Publishers, {{ISBN|978-0-313-35862-3}}

External links

  • [http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/artist/releases/release.aspx?pid=1684&aid=248 Lost Highway Records-audio samples] Pay the Devil

{{Van Morrison}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Van Morrison albums

Category:2006 albums

Category:Lost Highway Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Van Morrison