release date: Jan. 1974
format: 2 cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Van Morrison, Ted Templeman
label: Polydor Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK
Track highlights: Disc 1: 1. "Ain't Nothin' You Can Do" - 2. "Warm Love" - 4. "These Dreams of You" - 9. "Domino" - 10. "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Disc 2: 2. "Saint Dominic's Preview" - 4. "Listen to the Lion" - 5. "Here Comes the Night" - 6. "Gloria" - 7. "Caravan" - 8. "Cypress Avenue"
1st live album by Van Morrison originally released by Warner Bros. as a double vinyl album with a playing time above 90 mins. The album is not taken from one specific concert but is a compilation of 4 live recordings from May to Jul. 1973 held at three different locations: The Troubadour, LA., California (May 23rd); Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, SM., California (May 29th); and Rainbow Theatre, London, England (Jul. 23rd & 24th). The title comes from the 10:20 mins long version of "Cypress Hill", a fan shouts "Turn it on!", Van positively replies "It's already turned on," and seconds later shouts: "It's Too Late to Stop Now!"
The album is said to have been recorded at the time of Morison's peak and it's one of the most acclaimed live albums of popular music and it's featured on many best of lists. It's the third Van Morrison album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
I only came across this album in recent years and up until then only knew his fine 2-disc live album A Night in San Francisco from 1994, which is truly great, but this is really not an album to miss out on. I understand the critics point to the sensation that he was at the heights of his performance strengths in the early 70s, although, with Van the Man it seems he just didn't dive after that. I saw him at a concert in Denmark back on Sep. 9, 2000 where he completely blew everyone away, and from listening to his albums after the new millennium it's only amazing how he has been able to keep such standards to his ever-expanding repertoire.
I can't really tell which album I prefer of the two great live albums 'cause they both document his skills in different ways. This one serves to document his singing strengths and it showcases one great song after the other - and so does his '94 album, only that one is with emphasis on his later material.
This album is a must. Buy it, get it, put it on and put it on repeat!
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Record Collector, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]
