Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankHudson
Labels are just sticky paper, but we all use them from time to time because we think they will be useful shortcuts.
Van's writing and singing on it is "British R&B" if you need a label. The musicians on the record are NYC pop/soul/R&B guys if I recall. In the mid 60s pop music and soul music are hard to separate, and for that matter it's what was thought of as rock'n'roll before we all went 33 1/3 RPM and had to consider "Rock" as the name for important music to listen to on our HiFi. "Beach Music" from what little I understand is just danceable pop/soul music played at waterfront occasions. In another context you could call Brown Eyed Girl "wedding dance music" but the music doesn't change, just the frame/occasion.
There are elements of Bob Dylan-style "Folk Rock" sneaking in there too. It was just in the zeitgeist then.
"Brown Eyed Girl" is an example of great song that "suffers" from being overplayed. As a songwriter I'd love to suffer from that terrible fate.
This Van Morrison period isn't to everyone's taste, but I happen to love it. I wish I could do justice to "Who Drove the Red Sports Car" or "The Back Room" or "He Ain't Give You None," much less "TB Sheets."
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I bought Van's first solo LP "Blowin' Your Mind" when it came out in '67...
I was only 17 at the time, but even then, I thought it was a masterpiece from the first listen...
And although I loved the breezy Pop Rock feel of "Brown Eyed Girl", the bluesy stuff was what made me wear the grooves out of the record...
"TB Sheets" gave me chills when I first heard it, and it still has the same effect even now...
Van was the Man, from the get go...