VAN MORRISON--one of British music's few true legends--is set to release a new 15-track album, due out September 22 (Exile/Caroline).
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES--Van Morrison's 37th studio album--sees him simultaneously hand-picking a selection of rhythm and blues classics (by the likes of Bo Diddley, Mose Allison, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lightnin' Hopkins, among others) and recording a set of new self-written songs. It's an album that features raw, intimate interpretations of some of the cornerstones of rock'n'roll alongside five new numbers by one of our most consistently brilliant recording artists. A pre-order of the album is available now.
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES was produced by VAN MORRISON and recorded with an incredible team of studio collaborators including Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, Jeff Beck, Paul Jones and Jason Rebello.
"From a very early age, I connected with the blues," VAN says. "The thing about the blues is you don't dissect it--you just do it. I've never over-analysed what I do; I just do it. Music has to be about just doing it and that's the way the blues works--it's an attitude. I was lucky to have met people who were the real thing--people like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bo Diddley, Little Walter & Mose Allison. I got to hang out with them and absorb what they did. They were people with no ego whatsoever and they helped me learn a lot."
"The songs on ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES--whether I've written them or not--they're performance oriented," VAN adds. "Each song is like a story and I'm performing that story. That's been forgotten over years because people over-analyse things. I was a performer before I started writing songs and I've always felt like that's what I do."
The ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES track list is as follows:
1) Roll With the Punches (Van Morrison & Don Black)
2) Transformation (Van Morrison)
3) I Can Tell (Bo Diddley & Samuel Bernard Smith)
4) Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue (Stormy Monday--T-Bone
Walker/Lonely Avenue--Doc Pomus)
5) Goin' To Chicago (Count Basie & Jimmy Rushing)
6) Fame (Van Morrison)
7) Too Much Trouble (Van Morrison)
8) Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)
9) Ordinary People (Van Morrison)
10) How Far From God (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)
11) Teardrops From My Eyes (Rudy Toombs)
12) Automobile Blues (Lightnin' Hopkins)
13) Benediction (Mose Allison)
14) Mean Old World (Little Walter)
15) Ride On Josephine (Bo Diddley)
VAN MORRISON's U.S. and UK tour dates are as follows:
|
Date
|
Venue |
| U.S. DATES: | |
| Sun Sept 10 | Hersheypark Stadium @ "Outlaw Music Festival" |
| Thu Sept 14 | Ascend Amphitheater |
| Fri Oct 13 | The Show At Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa |
| Sat Oct 14 | The Show At Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa |
| Fri Oct 20 | Fox Theater (Oakland, CA) |
| Sat Oct 21 | Fox Theater (Oakland, CA) |
| UK DATES: | |
| Mon Nov 6 | Edinburgh Playhouse |
| Tues Nov 7 | Glasgow Royal Court |
| Sun Nov 12 | London Eventim Apollo |
| Mon Nov 13 | Birmingham Symphony Hall |
| Wed Nov 15 | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall |
| Mon Nov 20 | Cardiff St. David's Hall |
| Tues Nov 21 | Bristol Colston Hall |
| Fri Nov 24 | Torquay Princess Theatre |
| Sat Nov 25 | Plymouth Pavilions |
| Mon Dec 4 | Belfast Europa Hotel |
| Tues Dec 5 | Belfast Europa Hotel |
