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A Sense of Wonder is the fifteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1985. On first release, original pressings had to be recalled when the W. B. Yeats estate refused to allow Morrison's musical version of the poem "Crazy Jane on God" to be included, as they believed his poems should only be set to classical music. Morrison substituted "If You Only Knew" for the Yeats' recording. (Later, perhaps due to Morrison's efforts, Yeats poems would be put to rock settings on a whole album).[1]
| A Sense of Wonder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 January 2008 (reissue) | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Celtic soul | |||
| Length | 43:08 | |||
| Label | Mercury (original release) Polydor (all reissues since 1990) | |||
| Producer | Van Morrison | |||
| Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Sense of Wonder | ||||
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The 29 January 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains alternate takes of "Crazy Jane on God" and "A Sense of Wonder".[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [3] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[4] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[5] |
Track listing edit
All songs written by Van Morrison unless stated otherwise.
Side one edit
- "Tore Down a la Rimbaud" – 4:09
- "Ancient of Days" – 3:37
- "Evening Meditation" – 4:13
- "The Master's Eyes" – 4:01
- "What Would I Do" (Ray Charles) – 5:10
Side two edit
- "A Sense of Wonder" – 7:09
- "Boffyflow and Spike" – 3:06
- "If You Only Knew" (Mose Allison) – 2:56
- "Let the Slave (Incorporating the Price of Experience)" (William Blake, Adrian Mitchell, Mike Westbrook) – 5:26
- "A New Kind of Man" – 3:21
Bonus tracks (2008 CD reissue) edit
- "Crazy Jane on God" – 3:50 (Alternate take) (William Mathieu, Morrison, William Butler Yeats)
- "A Sense of Wonder" – 6:06 (Alternate take)
Personnel edit
Musicians edit
- Van Morrison – guitar, piano, vocals
- John Allair – Hammond organ
- Bob Doll – trumpet
- Tom Donlinger – drums
- Pee Wee Ellis – tenor saxophone
- David Hayes – Bass guitar
- Pauline Lazano – backing vocals
- Chris Michie – guitar
- Bianca Thornton – backing vocals
- Moving Hearts – group, performer on "A Sense of Wonder" and "Boffyflow and Spike"
Production edit
- Producer and director: Van Morrison
- Mixing: Jim Stern and Mick Glossop
- Project coordination: John Walter
- Sleeve design and art direction: Andrew Plewett
- Cover art: Torchlight, London
- Photography: Paul Cox
- Horn arrangements: Pee Wee Ellis
Charts edit
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 34 |
| American Albums Chart | 61 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 25 |
Notes edit
- ^ Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p. 246
- ^ "Van Morrison Official Website – Tours, Music, Songs". Van Morrison. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "A Sense of Wonder – Van Morrison – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Van Morrison". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (9 May 1985). "A Sense of Wonder". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 208. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
References edit
- Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074-169-X