Poetic Champions Compose
Encyclopedia
AllMusic's review referred to it "another of the art records" that Morrison had been producing since perhaps Common One
but called it a "bit shocking" that "Morrison begins to shake off his self-conscious straitjacket here, letting a little more grit into the music, even if the record still is firmly ensconced in mid-tempos and ballads, with only Van's voice (soulful, yet not histrionic) to pull you in." The Rolling Stone reviewer commented that "Unlike other aging pop performers who respond to changing tastes by desperately, aimlessly chasing trends, Morrison has retreated toward his deliberate Celtic muse, refining past achievements and digging deeper at the edges of his inspiration."
UK Album Chart
Common One
Common One is the twelfth album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1980.It has been said to be one of his most ambitious and daring albums since Astral Weeks...
but called it a "bit shocking" that "Morrison begins to shake off his self-conscious straitjacket here, letting a little more grit into the music, even if the record still is firmly ensconced in mid-tempos and ballads, with only Van's voice (soulful, yet not histrionic) to pull you in." The Rolling Stone reviewer commented that "Unlike other aging pop performers who respond to changing tastes by desperately, aimlessly chasing trends, Morrison has retreated toward his deliberate Celtic muse, refining past achievements and digging deeper at the edges of his inspiration."
Side one
- "Spanish Steps" – 5:20
- "The Mystery" – 5:16
- "Queen of the SlipstreamQueen of the Slipstream"Queen of the Slipstream" is a romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose. It was also released as a single in the U.K...
" – 4:55 - "I Forgot That Love Existed" – 4:17
- "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless ChildSometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is a traditional Negro spiritual.The song dates back to the era of slavery in the United States when it was common practice to sell children of slaves away from their parents. An early performance of the song dates back to the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee...
" (traditionalTraditional musicTraditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
) – 4:27
Side two
- "Celtic Excavation" – 3:17
- "Someone Like YouSomeone Like You (Van Morrison song)"Someone Like You" is a popular, romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose...
" – 4:06 - "Alan Watts Blues" – 4:24
- "Give Me My Rapture" – 3:44
- "Did Ye Get Healed?Did Ye Get Healed?"Did Ye Get Healed" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose...
" – 4:06 - "Allow Me" – 3:53
Musicians
- Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
- lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Neil Drinkwater - pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Martin Drover - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - Roy Jones - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Steve Pearce - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mick Cox - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
on "I Forgot That Love Existed" & "Alan Watts Blues" - June Boyce - back-up vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Fiachra TrenchFiachra TrenchFiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench is a musician and composer from Drogheda, County Louth in Ireland....
- organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
on "Give Me My Rapture" - Richie Buckley - soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
on "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" & "The Mystery" - Kate St. John - oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
on "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" & "The Mystery"
Production
- Producer: Van Morrison
- Engineer: Mick Glossop
- Photography: Steve Rapport Direct Art Green Ink.
- Co-ordination: Sian Williams
- String and Woodwind Arrangements: Fiachra TrenchFiachra TrenchFiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench is a musician and composer from Drogheda, County Louth in Ireland....
- Synthesizer Programming: Paul Ridout
Album
Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 90 |
UK Album Chart
| Year | Chart | Position |
| 1987 | UK Album Chart | 22 |
Singles
Billboard| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Someone Like You" | Adult Contemporary | 28 |