Audio CD review:
Them - Them Featuring Van Morrison

Them - Them Featuring Van Morrison

Band: Them Title: Them Featuring Van Morrison Rating: Release Date: 1990-10-25 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Gloria - Them, Morrison, Van 2: The Story of Them - Them, Morrison, Van 3: Stormy Monday - Them, Walker, T-Bone 4: Mystic Eyes - Them, Morrison, Van 5: Hey Girl - Them, Morrison, Van 6: Baby Please Don't Go - Them, Williams, Big Joe 7: Here Comes the Night - Them, Berns, Bert 8: My Lonely Sad Eyes - Them, Morrison, Van 9: Richard Cory - Them, Simon, Paul 10: It Won't Hurt (Half as Much) - Them, Berns, Bert 11: Turn on Your Love Light - Them, Malone, Deadric 12: I Put a Spell on You - Them, Hawkins, Screamin' 13: Don't Look Back - Them, Hooker, John Lee

Brawling & Bawling Out Of Belfast It may seem like sacralige & heresey but yes, something even over the early Beatles & Stones. For my money, in terms of the mid 60's British Invasion boom, Them had something their contemporaries didn't. Did any of them have this much edge so early on? In terms of raw grit these guys didn't have to reach for it or put it on. They just had it. At times, this is Punk before Punk. Pure Garage assault. Cut with that vintage Van Morrison lyricism. Ofcourse, all the Brit invaders shared the same R & B affections but another thing that set Them apart, was the fact they weren't English. They were Irish. North Irish at that. Belfast was well on its way to being a war zone. And they were not popular at home. Morrison was reputed as being a less than congenial front man (to put it lightly). And as evidenced here, he was a far more abrasive vocalist than either Jagger or even Eric Burdon at the time. Despite an ever changing line-up, Morrison was certainly ahead of the curve in the originals department. "Gloria" & "Mystic Eyes" are all the proof you need. Dark, passionate & unforgettable. "Hey Girl" & "Lonely Sad Eyes" are just as exemplary. In terms of the covers, "Here Comes The Night" is a bona fide classic. Their atmospheric take on "Stormy Monday" is a thing of rare beauty. "Richard Corey" possesses a grim bitterness, Simon's original lacks. As for their version of the old Blues standard "Baby, Please Don't Go"---its definitve. Right up there with The Animals' "House Of The Rising Sun". Same goes for their take on the lesser known, world weary, "Don't Look Back". Though both arrangements owe a great debt to the great John Lee Hooker, they're taken places here that the sparse originals only hinted at. I'd certainly recommend the 2 disc collection ("Story Of Them') over this, but sadly both are out of print at the moment. As incomplete as this is, it's a far more pocket friendly introduction. Of course, Van later went on to cut the mind bogglingly great Astral Weeks shortly after leaving the band in 1966. But here's Van Morrison like you've never heard him. Full of sass, piss & vinegar. And yes, some truely sublime, poetic moments. . Great Cd From Them I have heard it on the oldes radio stations,and its a tune that gets you singing. This Cd kicks off with a great song in Gloria. I like this rock and roll era. Another song i like here is Baby Please Dont Go. Here Comes The Night is another favorite. Great 60s band this. A mixed bag (Three of those songs are also offered on the very enjoyable original album Them Again - see my review if you like rock `n' roll!) On this album, their slow blues treatments of "The Story Of Them" by Van Morrison and "Stormy Monday" by T. Van Morrison + Them were an excellent rock `n' roll team, 1964 - 1966, as demonstrated by 8 of the songs on this anthology. Bone Walker are not very inspired. Their rendition of "Richard Cory" by Paul Simon is just plain weird. Especially good are Them's (first-ever, best-ever) lively rendition of Van Morrison's "Gloria," the jazzy "I Put A Spell On You" (also on the CD Them Again), and their slow and melodic rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Don't Look Back. ". beware The music is great but don't be confused this is not the debut LP but a greatest hits collection. Don't Listen to Howard! Buy this CD! It's this simple: if you are listening to rock music on vinyl and you're not a DJ, then you are an old geezer. Do not listen to Howard and his vinyl hype and turntable jargon! I am getting REALLY tired of all these technophobes and their turntables and other OLD technology running off at the mouth about how horrible cd's are. Honestly, where in the world would you find some "V15 Type II's and some Fisher XB7b's" even if you wanted them? No thanks Howard! Not this week. I think I'll rip a copy of this album to mp3 format and download it onto my ipod where I can enjoy it in digital bliss in the car, in the gym, on an airplane, or perhaps somewhere else that you can't take a turntable with you. On a lighter note. . . This is one hell of a cd! It features a young and hungry Van Morrison. Edgy and Raw! Totally awesome!!!. You can see a complete list of all Them discography, or go back to the Them tabs