Discovering Beautiful Vision

Charles Dickens said: "All forces too long imprisoned, when they explode, bring destruction. Even air, water, and heat can transform into devastating forces." After navigating the seventies with agility, good spirit, and rediscovered inspiration, Van Morrison approaches the dawn of the new decade as if he had been struck on the road to Damascus. Indeed, with Common One (released in 1980), he reveals his thinking to the public, once again turning the page from Into the Music.

Beautiful Vision is the ideal sequel to this journey and showcases a new Muse, sought through the study of new subjects, increasingly esoteric and, according to critics, somewhat eccentric. In reality, the Irish singer-songwriter once again demonstrates his ability to reinvent himself, look ahead, and anticipate certain trends that would soon become accepted and shared, at least in certain artistic circles.

The public got a first taste of Morrison's renewed restlessness with Common One, an ambitious set of songs centered on the 15-minute track "Summertime in England." The album's jazz nuances and general lack of radio-friendly hooks divided listeners as well as critics of the time. Despite this, Beautiful Vision seems to be a sort of return to roots, although the ten tracks are eclectic and rather heterogeneous; overall, the album has a decidedly Celtic tone. Part of this change is intentional.

In Johnny Rogan's biography "No Surrender," Morrison stated that it's important for people to enter into the music of their own culture. "I think it can be dangerous not to validate the music from where you come from, for anyone," he concludes. From a lyrical standpoint, as acknowledged in the album's liner notes, he was heavily influenced by Alice Bailey's Glamour: A World Problem, a reflection on the cultural influences that "oppress humanity and divert the light of truth." All of this adds to one of Morrison's most musically beautiful efforts, although the contemplative atmosphere somewhat disoriented fans who hoped to rediscover the voice with which Morrison sang on his early LPs. Yet Beautiful Vision was not simply a deviation: it served as an opening statement of intent for the direction he would follow for much of the decade. Morrison's search for musical enlightenment would define much of his recorded output in the '80s, sometimes, it must be said, at the expense of certain commercial success. Courage, after all, has never been lacking in Van Morrison throughout his long and luminous musical career.

The Songs that comprise the Album

"Dweller on the Threshold" and "Aryan Mist" are based on the religious writings of Alice Bailey. Her book discusses New Age ideas of "glamour" or "mental illusions," which have formed like a blanket of fog covering the "spiritual warrior" and the "Aryan race" from the world. In this discourse, "the Dweller on the Threshold" plays a fundamental role, as does "the Angel of Presence" who leads to enlightenment. In 1982, Morrison revealed in an interview: "I've read Glamour four or five times, and each time I've drawn different things from it. Alice Bailey is saying a lot of things. It's an in-depth read. You could read it on Wednesday and pick it up on Thursday and get a completely new and different thing. I don't feel qualified to talk about what it's about, you have to read it yourself, because there's so much in it."

Beautiful Vision can be interpreted as a vision of paradise or of his girlfriend, which also influences She Gives Me Religion and Vanlose Stairway. Clinton Heylin, with whom I often sharply disagree, argues that "the songs Vanlose Stairway and She Gives Me Religion are the most captivating love songs since Veedon Fleece." Cleaning Windows speaks of Morrison's first full-time job and the last carefree days of his adolescence in the '60s. It's a metaphor for the idea that his music alters people's perception of life.

For Steve Turner, the track captures the balance between the contentment of someone doing physical work while simultaneously being able to soar high with imagination thanks to their ambitions and dreams tied to a future career in music. It conveys the feeling of a type of person who, while smoking a cigarette and eating a sandwich during a work break, has their artistic and literary aspirations in mind. It must be emphasized that this track is very important to its author, in general. The cover features conceptual artwork created by Rudy Legname. It consists of a hand reaching for a circle of clouds, containing a crescent shape, stars, and a prismatic rainbow.

The Critics on Beautiful Vision

Rolling Stone ranked it fourth in a poll of critics and readers on the "15 Worst Albums by Great Bands and Solo Artists." We can state without hesitation that the renowned magazine founded by Jann Wenner in 1967 was certainly not kind to such an important singer-songwriter. Did they ever have good reasons to be so hostile? Posterity will render the difficult judgment. Personally, I believe that this album, albeit with obvious flaws, has merits that make it enjoyable, rich with themes to discover and musically exhilarating at times.

Beautiful Vision received acclaim from critics of the time. For Robert Christgau, it's a musically cohesive album whose songs all sound distinct nonetheless, particularly "Cleaning Windows," which he said ranks among Morrison's greatest songs: "This music is purely wonderful, pleasant and with a certain aptitude for invention."

Chip Stern argues that even the less successful songs are still pleasant to listen to, by virtue of Morrison's maturation, thanks to a more disciplined and relaxed vocal style put into practice by the author.

The band is eclectic but at the same time capable of incorporating a number of styles without seeming ostentatious: "On tracks like 'Dweller on the Threshold,' an R&B groove serves as a connecting thread to Celtic folk with evident Northern European influences." Despite some structural limitations, Morrison's early '80s records possess a captivating and sincere charm, and Beautiful Vision is among the most rewarding in the catalog. From a musical and content standpoint, this path recalls Dylan's Slow Train Coming. Coincidentally, Mark Knopfler participated on guitar on both albums.

In conclusion

The writer has no intention of hiding a marked preference for this work and in general for a courageous and bold Van Morrison entering the eighties. Years of great change for songwriting and record-making, where Morrison shows talent, a bit of craftsmanship, and the usual great mastery in architecting inspired arrangements to accompany his best songs.

I also recommend recovering all the album's outtakes, particularly the two long versions of Daring Night, a title that would only be recovered later, but we'll discuss that further along in the Van Morrison Listening Guide.

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