Under Review: 1964-1974, from MVD Entertainment, is a two-hour
documentary covering Van Morrison’s early works. Set primarily in the studio,
and comprised largely of interviews with journalists and critics of his work,
the piece examines the first — and most prolific — decade of Morrison’s
career, touching on his childhood in Belfast, Ireland, and covering his musical
output from his work with Them in the early ’60s up to his move to Los Angeles
in the early ’70s and ensuing three-year hiatus.
The years of 1964 through 1974 were remarkably productive ones for the multi-instrumentalist
and songwriter. In slightly more than a decade, he produced a dozen albums,
including such landmark recordings as Astral Weeks and Tupelo
Honey. In the process he also released a handful of singles that have
become pop standards: “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Moondance,” and
“Wild Night” becoming the latter day equivalent of “Autumn Leaves,”
“Take the ‘A’ Train,” or “Cherokee,” as they stand in the
jazz vernacular.
A casual fan of Morrison’s work, flipping through cable channels and stumbling
across this, already in progress, would definitely stop and watch. It’s interesting
stuff and illuminates the full spectrum of work during this period, from an
artist who is typically only remembered for his hits. Morrison was, in fact,
one of the pioneers of the “album oriented rock” format that, thanks
to FM radio, flourished in the seventies, and Under Review tends to emphasize
“Van the artist” over “Van the entertainer.” Through the
snippets of video and musical samples in the film, though, it’s hard to tell
the difference. During this era, which saw him progress through skiffle, R&B,
neo-avante garde and country rock, he always had one foot planted firmly in
each plot. As an interesting examination of Morrison’s work, this documentary
succeeds, but — like a hastily conceived Irish stew without, say, the
meat — it leaves you feeling unfulfilled; missing the main ingredient.
It’s got everything but Van. We’re given, instead, bits of a previously recorded
interview and a view of a rolling tape reel — hardly satisfying, though
it does create a certain air of mystery about the performer, intended or not.
The timeframe itself is also something of a puzzle, ending, not on the triumphant
note of St. Dominic’s Preview, but on the breakup of his legendary
Caledonia Soul Orchestra, one of the great outfits of the 1970s, and a pair
of records that were, by the critics own admission, either uncharacteristically
subdued (Veedon Fleece) or just outright sub par (Hard
Nose The Highway). While none of these recordings are “bad,”
per se, they make for something of an anticlimax. “Out like a lamb”
just doesn’t seem fitting for lion that is Van Morrison.All in all, Under
Review: 1964-1974 is great fodder for a Sunday afternoon spent channel
surfing, but seems incomplete without the man himself telling his own story
in person. Still, this documentary makes for an illuminating and interesting
piece of work.
~ Drew Todd
