The Philosopher's Stone (album): Difference between revisions

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{{Album infobox |

{{Infobox album

Name = The Philosopher's Stone |

| Type name = [[AlbumThe (music)|Album]]Philosopher's |Stone

| type Artist = [[VanCompilation Morrisonalbum]] |

| artist Cover = [[Van Morrison]]
| cover = Van Morrison - The Philosopher's Stone (album cover).jpg |

| alt =

Background = Orange |

| Released released = [[June{{Start 16]], [[date|1998]] |6|16|df=yes}}

| recorded = 1969–1988

Recorded = [[1971]] - [[1987]]|

| Genre venue = [[Blues]], [[R & B]] |

| Length studio = 153:07 |

| genre Label = [[Blues]], =[[R&B]], [[Polydorfolk rock]], |[[jazz-funk]]

| length = {{Duration|m=153|s=07}}

Producer = [[Van Morrison]] |

| label = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]

Reviews =

| producer = [[Van Morrison]]

<li>[[All Music Guide]] (3.5/5)

| prev_title = [[The Healing Game]]

[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:7tsqoa9aiijm]</li>

| prev_year = 1997

</ul>

| next_title = [[Back on Top (Van Morrison album)|Back on Top]]

<li> [[Rolling Stone magazine|Rolling Stone]] (3.5/5)

| next_year = 1999

[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/67/albums/album/110621] </li>|

Last album = ''[[The Healing Game]]''<br />([[1997]]) |

This album = ''The Philosopher's Stone''<br />([[1998]]) |

Next album = ''[[Back on Top]]''<br />([[1999]]) |

}}

{{Album ratings

|rev1 = ''[[Allmusic]]''

|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r348640|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]</ref>

|rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''

|rev2Score = A−<ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Scherman |url=http://ew.com/article/1998/06/19/philosophers-stone |title=Entertainment Weekly review |publisher=Ew.com |date=19 June 1998 |accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref>

|rev3 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''

|rev3score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Wild |first=David |title=Van Morrison: The Philosopher's Stone |work=Album reviews |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=18 May 1998 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/67/albums/album/110621 |accessdate=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602164138/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanmorrison/albums/album/110621 |archivedate=2 June 2007 }}</ref>

}}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot-->

'''''The Philosopher's Stone''''' is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter [[Van Morrison]] released in 1998.

The songs released on this 2-CD thirty-track album were previously unreleased [[outtakes]] from 1969 to 1988. The album features twenty-five songs that had never been released, and early alternative renditions of "The Street Only Knew Your Name" from ''[[Inarticulate Speech of the Heart]]'', "[[Wonderful Remark]]" from ''[[The Best of Van Morrison]]'', "[[Real Real Gone]]" from ''[[Enlightenment (Van Morrison album)|Enlightenment]]'', "Joyous Sound" and "Flamingos Fly" from ''[[A Period of Transition]]'', and "[[Bright Side of the Road]]" from ''[[Into the Music]]''.

'''''The Philosopher's Stone''''' is a compilation [[Album_(music)|album]] by [[Ireland|Irish]] [[singer-songwriter]] [[Van Morrison]] released in [[1998 in music|1998]].

Three songs on the album were evidently intended for Morrison's unreleased 1975 album ''Mechanical Bliss''. "Twilight Zone", "Foggy Mountain Top" and "Flamingos Fly" were all mixed in 1974 just before ''Mechanical Bliss'' was due to come out.

The album features twenty-six unreleased songs, and alternative renditions of "Wonderful Remark," "Real Real Gone," "Flamingoes Fly" and "Bright Side of the Road".

==TrackOriginal Listingrelease==

''The Philosopher's Stone, Volume One'' was originally scheduled to be released in July 1996. When it was released, some of the tracks had been changed; "When I Deliver", "[[John Brown's Body]]" and "I'm Ready" were replaced by "The Street Only Knew Your Name", "Western Plains" and "Joyous Sound".<ref name="Heylin">Heylin, p 477</ref> "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were eventually released as [[B-side]]s on Morrison's 1999 single "[[Back on Top (song)|Back on Top]]".<ref>Rogan, p.606</ref>

All songs by [[Van Morrison]] unless stated otherwise

Commenting on the previously unreleased songs, Van Morrison remarked:

<blockquote>"It's hard to work out why you didn't put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn't fit...When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist."<ref name="Heylin"/></blockquote>

The Van Morrison song titled "Philosopher's Stone" does not appear on this album, but is from 1999's ''[[Back on Top (Van Morrison album)|Back On Top]]'', released one year after this album.

==Recording dates==

Many of the recording dates on the album notes are disputed by one of Morrison's biographers, Heylin. "Really Don't Know" he claims was recorded in 1969, not 1971 as he only has details of the musicians recording with Morrison in 1969. Heylin feels that tracks from "[[Wonderful Remark]]" to "Drumshanbo Hustle" were recorded in 1972 not 1973, and that "There There Child" was recorded in 1972 not 1976. On disc two "John Henry" is shown as recorded in 1977, but Heylin argues that it was recorded two years earlier, as there are no details on Morrison recording in 1977. "Crazy Jane on God" was recorded with [[Moving Hearts]] in 1983 for the album ''[[A Sense of Wonder]]''. From the same sessions the songs "A Sense of Wonder" and "Boffyflow and Spike" were used for the album. The recording date of these songs was 1983 (as stated on the album itself) but the date on ''The Philosopher's Stone'' states "Crazy Jane on God" was recorded in 1984.<ref>Heylin, pp. 519–525</ref>

Scott Thomas in the fan magazine ''Wavelength'' noted:

<blockquote>Everything about ''The Philosopher's Stone'', from its format to its packaging to its song selection, seems designed to divorce the tracks from their historical milieu...When we open the package, there are no essays, no interviews, no archival photos — just lyrics (often incorrectly transcribed) and credits which include the year of the session.<ref name="Heylin"/></blockquote>

==Track listing==

All songs written by [[Van Morrison]] unless noted.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

;Disc one

#"Really Don't Know"&nbsp;– 3:37

#"Ordinary People"&nbsp;– 5:20

#"[[Wonderful Remark]]"&nbsp;– 8:01

#"Not Supposed to Break Down"&nbsp;– 5:24

#"Laughing in the Wind"&nbsp;– 4:10

#"Madame Joy"&nbsp;– 4:23

#"Contemplation Rose"&nbsp;– 5:15

#"Don't Worry About Tomorrow"&nbsp;– 5:20

#"Try for Sleep" (Morrison, [[John Platania]])&nbsp;– 6:05

#"Lover's Prayer"&nbsp;– 3:57

#"Drumshanbo Hustle"&nbsp;– 4:48

#"Twilight Zone"&nbsp;– 8:23

#"Foggy Mountain Top"&nbsp;– 5:27

#"Naked in the Jungle"&nbsp;– 4:36

#"There There Child" (Morrison, Platania)&nbsp;– 3:01

{{col-2}}

;Disc two

#"The Street Only Knew Your Name"&nbsp;– 6:25

#"John Henry" (Traditional)&nbsp;– 5:48

#"Western Plain" ([[Lead Belly]], [[John Lomax]])&nbsp;– 5:42

#"Joyous Sound"&nbsp;– 2:30

#"I Have Finally Come to Realize"&nbsp;– 5:09

#"Flamingoes Fly"&nbsp;– 6:28

#"Stepping Out Queen Part 2"&nbsp;– 4:26

#"[[Bright Side of the Road]]"&nbsp;– 4:02

#"Street Theory"&nbsp;– 4:54

#"[[Real Real Gone]]"&nbsp;– 3:45

#"Showbusiness"&nbsp;– 9:21

#"For Mr. Thomas" ([[Robin Williamson]])&nbsp;– 4:15

#"Crazy Jane on God" ([[W. A. Mathieu|William Mathieu]], [[William Butler Yeats]])&nbsp;– 4:05

#"Song of Being a Child" ([[Peter Handke]], Morrison)&nbsp;– 4:09

#"High Spirits" ([[Paddy Moloney]], Morrison)&nbsp;– 4:21 (recorded with [[The Chieftains]])

{{col-end}}

#"Really Don't Know" - 3:37

#"Ordinary People" - 5:20

#"Wonderful Remark" - 8:01

#"Not Supposed to Break Down" - 5:24

#"Laughing in the Wind" - 4:10

#"Madame Joy" - 4:23

#"Contemplation Rose" - 5:15

#"Don't Worry About Tomorrow" - 5:20

#"Try for Sleep" - (Morrison, [[John Platania|Platania]]) - 6:05

#"Lover's Prayer" - 3:57

#"Drumshanbo Hustle" - 4:48

#"Twilight Zone" - 8:23

#"Foggy Mountain Top" - 5:27

#"Naked in the Jungle" - 4:36

#"There There Child" - (Morrison, [[John Platania|Platania]]) - 3:01

#"The Street Only Knew Your Name" - 6:25

#"John Henry" - (Traditional) - 5:48

#"Western Plain" -([[Leadbelly]], Lomax) - 5:42

#"Joyous Sound" - 2:30

#"I Have Finally Come to Realise" - 5:09

#"Flamingos Fly" - 6:28

#"Stepping Out Queen, Pt. 2" - 4:26

#"Bright Side of the Road" - 4:02

#"Street Theory" - 4:54

#"Real Real Gone" - 3:45

#"Showbusiness" - 9:21

#"For Mr. Thomas" - ([[Robin Williamson|Williamson]]) - 4:15

#"Crazy Jane on God" - ([[Willian Mathieu|Mathieu]], [[William Butler Yeats|Yeats]]) - 4:05

#"Song of Being a Child" - ([[Peter Handke|Handke]], Morrison) - 4:09

#"High Spirits" - ([[Paddy Moloney|Moloney]], Morrison) - 4:21

==Personnel==

*[[Van Morrison]]&nbsp;– - [[vocal]]vocals, [[acousticSteel-string guitar|acoustic]] and [[electric guitar]], [[harmonica]], [[saxophone]]

*[[June Boyce]]&nbsp;– - [[vocal]]vocals

*[[Ronnie Montrose]]&nbsp;– guitar, [[backing vocalist|background vocals]] on "Wonderful Remark" and "Ordinary People"

*[[John Platania]] - [[acoustic guitar|acoustic]] and [[electric guitar]]s

*John Blakey, [[John Platania]], Mick Cox, [[Chris Michie]]&nbsp;– guitar

*[[Ronnie Montrose]] - [[guitar]], background [[vocals]]

*[[John Blakey]], [[Herbie Armstrong]]&nbsp;– -rhythm [[guitar]]

*[[Toni Marcus]]&nbsp;– - [[violin]]

*[[Jules Broussard]]&nbsp;– - [[flute]], [[horntenor saxophone]]s

*[["Boots" Houston]]Rolf -Houston&nbsp;– [[flute]]

*[[Jack Schroer]] -&nbsp;– [[alto saxophone|alto]], and [[hornbaritone saxophone]]s

*Collin Tilton, [[ColinPee TitonWee Ellis]]&nbsp;– -[[tenor saxophone]]

*[[Bill Atwood (musician)|Bill Atwood]]&nbsp;– trumpet

*[[Pee Wee Ellis]] - [[saxophone]]

*[[Mark Isham]]&nbsp;– - [[trumpet]], [[flugelhorn]], [[keyboards]]synthesizers

*[[John Allair]]&nbsp;– - [[piano]], [[keyboards]]organ

*[[Jeff Labes]], -[[Mark Naftalin]], Mark Jordan, [[pianoPete Wingfield]]&nbsp;– piano

*Smith Dobson&nbsp;– piano, [[electric piano]]

*[[Bernie Kraus]] - [[Moog synthesizer]]

*[[Bernie Krause]]&nbsp;– [[moog synthesizer]]

*[[John Klingberg]], [[Bill Church]], [[David Hayes (musician)]] - [[bass]]

*John Klingberg, Bill Church, [[David Hayes (musician)|David Hayes]], Jerome Rimson, [[Clive Culbertson]]&nbsp;– bass

*[[Gary Mallaber]], [[Connie Kay]] - [[drums]]

*[[Gary Mallaber]], [[Connie Kay]], Lee Charlton, Dahaud Shaar, [[Rick Shlosser]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rickshlosser.com/|title=Rick Shlosser&nbsp;– About|publisher=rickshlosser.com|accessdate=7 June 2010}}</ref> [[Peter Van Hooke]], Tony Day, Tom Donlinger, Roy Jones, [[Dave Early]]&nbsp;– drums

*[[Jackie DeShannon]], [[Judy Clay]] - background [[vocal]]s

*[[Jackie DeShannon]], [[Judy Clay]], [[Lady Bianca|Bianca Thornton]], Pauline Lazano, Annie Stocking&nbsp;– background vocals

*Neil Drinkwater&nbsp;– keyboards

*[[The Chieftains]], [[Moving Hearts]]&nbsp;– bands

==Charts==

{| class="wikitable"

'''Album''' - [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] (North America)

{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="550px"

!align="left"|Year

!align="left"|Chart

!align="left"|Position

|-

|align="left"|!Chart (1998)

!Peak<br/>position

|align="left"|The Billboard 200

|align="left"|87

|-

| UK Albums Chart{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

|align="center"|20

|-

| US ''Billboard'' 200{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

|align="center"|87

|}

==External LinkReferences==

{{Reflist}}

*[http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/production/philosophers.html Full Track Listings]

==Sources==

*[[Clinton Heylin|Heylin, Clinton]] (2003). ''Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography'', Chicago Review Press {{ISBN|1-55652-542-7}}

*[[Johnny Rogan|Rogan, Johnny]] (2006). ''[[Van Morrison: No Surrender]]'', London:Vintage Books {{ISBN|978-0-09-943183-1}}

{{Van Morrison}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philosopher's Stone}}

{{album-stub}}

[[Category:1998 compilation albums]]

[[Category:VanAlbums Morrisonproduced albums|Theby Philosopher'sVan StoneMorrison]]

[[Category:Blues compilation albums]]

[[Category:Van Morrison compilation albums]]