Van Morrison - At the Movies: Soundtrack Hits (CD)

All Music Guide

Van Morrison's music has always been evocative of time, place and a range of emotions, so it's natural that many a film director has chosen his songs for soundtrack purposes. This collection of 19 Morrison recordings that have placed either prominently or subliminally in films spans his career, from his earliest sides with Them ("Gloria," used in 1983's The Outsiders, "Baby, Please Don't Go," from 1990's Wild At Heart) up through his surprising cover of (Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" for the 2006 film The Departed. While there are some leftfield choices, among them his collaboration with The Chieftains on "Irish Heartbeat," as well as "Bright Side Of The Road" (from 1997's Fever Pitch and "Someone Live You," a song from Morrison's Poetic Champions Compose album that was used in 1995's French Kiss, the collection also doubles as a passable Morrison greatest hits. "Brown Eyed Girl" finds its way in via Born On The Fourth Of July, "Have I Told You Lately?" qualifies for its appearance in One Fine Day, and "Wild Night" makes it thanks to Thelma Louise. Unfortunately, the compilers resorted several times to live versions of popular Morrison tunes rather than the studio versions that were actually used in the films. Thus, tracks classic Morrison such as "Domino," "Into The Mystic," "Moondance" (this version is previously unreleased) and "Caravan," while technically representing certain films, are also cheats.

- Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide