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Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)
Gypsy
I Will Be There
Listen To The Lion
Saint Dominic's Preview
Redwood Tree
Almost Independence Day
Ambling into the Sixth Form Centre with Van Morrison’s 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview cradled nonchalantly under your arm immediately identified you as one cool cat. (Much more so than 1968’s Astral Weeks; everyone had a copy of that one.)
There are only seven songs on the album. Listen To The Lion and Almost Independence Day clock in at 10 minutes-plus, Morrison’s lustral intensity crackling from the grooves. A young Kevin Rowland was clearly impressed by Van’s unkempt gypsy image on the sleeve; his band Dexys Midnight Runners would later record a wildly successful version of the opening track, Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile).
Guitarist Ronnie Montrose and bassist Bill Church, both hired as session men for the album, formed Montrose with Sammy Hagar in 1973.
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Other albums released in July 1972
- Waka/Jawaka - Frank Zappa
- Chicago V - Chicago
- Son of Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson
- Full Circle - The Doors
- Long John Silver - Jefferson Airplane
- Straight Shooter - James Gang
- Never a Dull Moment - Rod Stewart
- The Slider - T. Rex
- Seven Separate Fools - Three Dog Night
- Toulouse Street - The Doobie Brothers
- The Academy in Peril - John Cale
- Feel Good - Ike & Tina Turner
- Exercises - Nazareth
- Foghat - Foghat
- Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond
- White Witch - White Witch
What they said...
"Saint Dominic’s Preview gets better as it goes along. The extended meditation, Listen to the Lion, which closes side one, is magnificent. Here, as on much of Astral Weeks, the momentum is carried forward by incantatory rhythmic strumming (Van and Ronnie Montrose). But whereas the music on Astral Weeks was augmented by strings, Listen to the Lion uses subdued backup vocals (Montrose, [Boots] Houston, and Van) to achieve the same hypnotic effect." (Rolling Stone)
"Jackie Wilson said it was reet petite," he shouts for openers, and soon has me believing that "I'm in heaven when you smile" says as much about the temporal and the eternal as anything in Yeats. "Listen to the lion," he advises later, referring to that lovely frightening beast inside each of us, and midway through the eleven-minute cut he lets the lion out, moaning and roaring and growling and stuttering in a scat extension that would do Leon Thomas proud." (Robert Christgau)
"While less thematically and sonically cohesive than Van Morrison's prior albums, Saint Dominic's Preview nonetheless hangs together on the strength of its songs, an intriguingly diverse collection which draws together the disparate threads of the singer's recent work into one sterling package. The opener, Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile), is pure R&B jubilation, while the title cut, although essentially a rewrite of Tupelo Honey, is stunning gospel-pop." (AllMusic)
What you said...
,Mike Canoe: I have always been a fan of Van Morrison at a Greatest Hits level more because of the intimidating and bewildering size of his discography than not thinking his albums were worth it. I've listened to Moondance and Astral Weeks and had a fixation with Enlightenment when it came out in 1990 but that's barely the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
Therefore, the wonderful Jackie Wilson Said, was the only song I knew going in. Turns out the rest of the album is pretty wonderful too. Daring and meditative and spiritual and rousing and all the other good adjectives out there. Morrison's voice is truly an incredible instrument, and his fellow musicians are stunning. This album displays Morrison as the "mystic" he is always proclaimed to be.
I'll be honest, I didn't really get Astral Weeks or Moondance beyond the hits. Maybe I was too young or inexperienced, but this album resonates with me on a deeply spiritual level. Truly beautiful music.
Chris Elliott: I must admit I can't remember the last time I listened to Van Morrison. I won't be starting again with this – I do remember it was a horrible, jazzy mess. Two things put me off Van Morrison: This album and seeing him live (I expected Gloria .... Or Astral Weeks).
Them were probably one of the best UK Blues bands of the period – Astral Weeks is lovely – his early solo stuff involved songs, then this and everything after I just avoid. These days, every time I think of playing Astral Weeks, I end up listening to John Martyn instead.
Robby Jackson: Listening to this album for review prompted me to listen to more of Van Morrison's catalogue. Started with Astral Weeks, then Moondance, and eventually worked my way to the live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now. After that deep dive, I have to say that listening to Van requires a specific mindset. You really have to be in a completely relaxed, laid-back mode to let it wash over you.
On Saint Dominic's Preview, you don't just hear his voice, you feel it. The incredible musical arrangements take you on a total sonic excursion. I know some reviewers in the group feel that Listen To The Lion drags or is just too long, but when you're locked into that relaxed headspace, the length doesn't matter at all – it's all part of the immersive experience. It might not be Moondance, but it stands as a phenomenal, ambitious follow-up to that era.
Philip Qvist: I remember going out for a pub lunch with my work colleagues sometime during the mid 90s (yes folks, we used to do these things not so long ago), when said establishment started playing a few Van Morrison songs. I remember Barry, one of my colleagues, turning around and saying the best of Van Morrison would be an amazing album, while an album with the rest of his songs would be amongst the worst records ever released.
Of course, I knew many of his hits, such as Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl, but those comments stuck with me. For all the accolades he has received over the decades, Van Morrison has never featured on my playlist. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I started playing Saint Dominic's Preview.
And my verdict? I was quite pleasantly surprised. Jackie Wilson Said was the song that was most familiar to me, but I quite enjoyed the variety of songs on offer. Gypsy and the title track were my standout tracks. I thought Listen To The Lion was a bit too lengthy for my tastes, but I did enjoy the closing track Almost Independence Day (is it just me, or did I hear hints of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here being influenced by this track?).
I don't think this is an album that will appear on my list of Top 100 Albums, but at least I have a better appreciation of Van Morrison's music. That surely can't be a bad thing.
Adam Ranger: Not the album you would recommend to someone new to Van Morrison.
Some great songs. The pick are the title track, Jackie Wilson Says and Redwood Tree. Listen To The Lion is, at 11 minutes, probably about six minutes too long. Nice enough song, but that vocal improvisation just grates a bit, and the song goes nowhere after six minutes
Almost Independence Day is also lengthy at 10 mins, but is more listenable and lyrically more pleasing that Listen To The Lion.
Not an essential Van Morrison album for me. Not bad. But generally forgettable and rarely grabbed me the way his soul blues can when he is on fire.
John Davidson: I love some Van Morrison songs, but have never really explored his albums. I gave Astral Weeks a good old college try, as they say, but it did nothing for me. Moondance is my favourite of his songs, and having listened to it again today, the album is pretty strong too.
Saint Dominic's Preview is generally entertaining, very listenable white soul, but Listen To The Lion goes on way too long, and the scat does nothing but annoy me. Closer Almost Independence Day, on the other hand, delivers on the mood.
I'm not suddenly converted, but it's a decent album. An artist best enjoyed via compilation. 7/10.
Keith Jenkin: A great early seventies Van Morrison album that contains a mix of all his blues/rock/Celtic soul styles. Opener Jackie Wilson Said is one many will know after Dexys Midnight Runners had a hit with their cover several years later. The album really hangs on its two lengthy workouts, Listen To The Lion and Almost Independence Day, that capture him at his mystical best.
The record is also notable to hard rock followers for featuring an early production from Ted Templeman, a cameo on Lion from guitarist Ronnie Montrose, and the presence of future Montrose and Sammy Hagar band bass player Bill Church, who plays on every track. A top ten Van Morrison album for sure, and on a good day, maybe even top five.
Neil Immerz: Got this one on vinyl. A great album full of great songs.
Greg Schwepe: After hearing yet another outstanding version of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl played by a local musician while sitting outside at some winery in the warm sun when on vacation last summer, I decided to do a mini deep dive on Van Morrison’s catalogue. And somehow I missed Saint Dominic’s Preview in that little exploration, so this was a nice catch-up.
The quick down and dirty is that I bet for many, Van Morrison is an all-in or not type of artist. You either like the scat-style vocals, the whisper-to-belting-it-out vocals, or you’re going to say Morrison is just not your thing.
Saint Dominic’s Preview has a little bit of everything: rave-up horns, slinky piano, loud banging acoustic guitar (and some quiet stuff too), a bit of a kitchen sink type of album, but a kitchen sink that’s well designed, well put together, and looks great with the rest of the stuff in the kitchen (Zero points for that analogy there!).
Listen To The Lion and Almost Independence Day each meander for over 10 minutes each. Lots of vocal improvisation that works. And that's a good meander. In both cases, I just went with the flow and it wasn't until I looked at the track and saw it was over 10 minutes.
8 out of 10 on this one for me. That initial listen led immediately to another listen. This album (and a few others) showed me there’s more to Morrison’s music than Domino and Brown Eyed Girl. Did Van Morrison just bypass a lot of my favourite artists? No, but just gives me a lot more to listen to when I need a change of pace.
Peter Thomas Webb: I first discovered Van Morrison's Saint Dominic's Preview during the 1990s, when I binged Morrison's music in the cassette player of my Honda Civic on long trips. Van Morrison's legend at the time rested on three main points: the catchy but viciously overplayed single Brown Eyed Girl (1967), the mystical jazz-folk album Astral Weeks (1968), and the Caledonia soul classic Moondance (1970).
Saint Dominic’s Preview never got as much attention, but it combined the best aspects of those three earlier pillars. Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) and I Will Be There are upbeat soul tunes perfect for sunny morning driving. Listen To The Lion and Almost Independence Day were misty-eyed excursions into the musical abyss. Gypsy and Saint Dominic’s Preview were dynamic rock songs with a soulful heart.
Overall, the album lacked the hits of Moondance or the previous year’s Tupelo Honey. However, it marked the point where Morrison stopped courting mainstream success to create his own crazily painted caravan of musical bliss. Not everything Van Morrison did was as easy to grasp as Brown Eyed Girl, but his determination to remain himself in the midst of seventies-era corporate rock creep was the sign of a true artist. My rating: 8/10
Final score: 6.65 (29 votes cast, total score 193)
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