It's impossible for me to be objective about Van Morrison and I'm not even gonna try. His music has meant more to me over the years than any other. This isn't my favorite Van Morrison album, Astral Weeks is, but I've chosen to review this one because I think it best represents the many facets of seventies era Van.The lesser tracks here are all pleasant Tupelo Honey style soft rock, and that ain't a bad thing, but the five star rating is based on four cuts that stand out even in the exceedingly high standard that Van has set in his thirty-plus year career. The first of these is the wonderful "Jackie Wilson Said" that finds an upbeat and jubilant Van scatting over cartwheeling horns, it should have been a massive hit. The title cut is a moving account of Van's life in the New World with the gospel overtones he uses like no other singer. This is a guy who could sing the Belfast phone book (and to the uninitiated it may sound like he is) and make it soulful and deep. Almost Independence Day returns Van to the long introspective tone poems of Astral Weeks and would be the standout cut on a great album were it not for the magnificent "Listen To The Lion". Uplifting, and heartbreaking at the same time, it lasts nearly ten minutes, and when it's over you'll want to hear it again. And then once more. It's simply the finest single song in this giant's considerable repetoire. Van confronts all his dreams, all his doubts and all of the tangled web of the celtic diaspora and emerges triumphant. Sound a little too heavy? No way. He has the gift of the true soul singer in his ability to make his soul searching his listener's as well. It's a gift, and Van Morrison gives it to anyone who wants it. And yes, that is heavy metal hero Ronnie Montrose strumming acoustic guitar behind the Man. He knows.

This album is classic Van Morrison. Van had an incredibly good run in the 60s and 70s, releasing his best five albums. These albums in chronilogical order are Astral Weeks, Moondance, His Band, Tupelo Honey and this album. All five of these albums are five star albums. This album ends that incredibly good run that few artists had. Buy all five of the mentioned albums.

Is there a more perfect album than this from the rock era? I can't think of one. This album takes you on a journey. It is the most well-rounded LP of Van Morrison's career. Whereas most of his albums choose a specific genre to mine, this is one of the few that gives you a taste of his different favorite styles: Punchy AM-radio pop-soul (Jackie Wilson Said), a fabulous, no holds barred soul-blues number (I Will Be There), a gorgeous, sentimental hippie anthem (Redwood Tree), two rewarding and never boring stretch-out/space out explorations (Listen to the Lion, Independence Day), and to top it all off, one of his most affecting major compositions, in the title track. The remastering is terrific, putting Van's still-youthful, roaring voice up front. This album has the same air of mystery as Astral Weeks, but with a more solid grounding in classic musical forms, its a mystery you can hum and tap your toes to. This was Van's artistic peak, and it's a joy.

After the astonishing first solo album "Astral Weeeks", Van Morrison's writing went through a very variable patch, where albums presented included traditional songs (Brown Eyed Girl) with more varied offerings (various tracks on Moondance and Tupelo Honey). St Dominic's Preview presents an assured hand at the end of this period, where the influence of the record industry has waned, and he has become his own man. Some small jazz influences (Jackie Wilson said) but the three sublime tracks on this LP are St Dominic's Preview, Listen to the Lion, and Independence Day. This is the peak of a journey started with "Madam George" on Astral Weeks. More assured, smoother, more approachable, voice somewhere near the widest range, great musicianship all combine into a small kind of perfection. After 25 years, in "St Dominic's Preview", the sound of the Irish immigrants approaching Ellis Island, and life in the New World is as powerful as ever.

There are three truly great songs on this album, "Listen to the Lion," "Almost Independence Day," and the title track, but what songs they are! The first two clock in at over ten minutes of some of the best music Morrison's ever recorded. Another song, "Jackie Wilson Said" would not be out of place on the soulful Morrison classic album "Moondance." Overall, this overlooked album is one of the best by an unbelivably underappreciated artist.