release date: Aug. 1980
format: cd (1998 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Van Morrison
label: Polydor Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Haunts of Ancient Peace" - 2. "Summertime in England" (live) - 3. "Satisfied" - 4. "Wild Honey" - 5. "Spirit" - 6. "When Heart Is Open"
12th studio album by Van Morrison originally released on Mercury in the UK and on Warner in the US is not stylistically shaped like its great predecessor. The cover hints at its focus on sensations and a freer style, which in places comes close to new age. Morrison has always found back to a free form of composing, by some described as streams of consciousness, or: impressionistic, and here he may challenge this form further with tunes soothing of mysticism. There are elements of jazz and folk, and the result is clearly less strict compositions than one has met before on any of his albums. Also, the album contains two songs (tracks #2 & #6) of more than 15 mins playing time.
The album was generally met by negative reviews and poor sales numbers and it's his first album not to be followed by any single releases. In retrospect the album has gained much more acclaim with reviewers acknowledging its potential outside a traditional mainstream pop / rock sphere and that it contains other qualities of beauty than those normally attributed popular music albums.
Common One is really something else, even from Morrison's hands, but it's by no means a mediocre or poor album. Yes, you probably have to appreciate vocal jazz and longer more freer compositions that touch on new age in order to enjoy Common One. It doesn't contain any obvious memorable tracks and in that way it resembles the strengths of Hard Nose the Highway from 1973 where it's much about the sum of songs that is the album's real power; however, Common One is in that respect arguably a warmer and better album, imho.
Among his own albums, Morrison is said to hold this as a personal favourite.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]
