|
In celebration of the life and music of
Belfast-born Morrison, who began his career with the band Them
and rose to fame as a solo artist with his 1967 hit "Brown Eyed
Girl", organisers HotPress have asked 75 Irish artists to record
videos of his songs, premiering them nightly on YouTube for the
last three weeks until Sept. 15.
In a special event on Aug. 31, performances to be broadcast
include Higgins playing 'Rave On, John Donne' alongside composer
Bill Whelan, Paul Casey & Friends featuring Terri Hooley who
will play 'In The Days Before Rock ’n’ Roll', and Mary Coughlan
who will perform 'Warm Love'.
Geldof said he had chosen the song 'I'm Tired Joey Boy'.
"That attitude that emanates from those records, that attitude
that Van still has of dislocation, of being at an angle always
to both contemporary music and society, is really interesting to
observe, as a person," Geldof said.
"But to hear it in the music is constantly interesting, which is
why he, probably uniquely amongst his contemporaries, is still
deeply relevant."
Morrison, whose album "Astral Weeks" is often cited as one of
rock music's greatest achievements, said he was surprised to
still be performing at his age, saying his successes had at
times seemed fragile. "Quite frankly, I didn't actually think
that I'd still be singing now," he said.
"In the old days, you were always told by the management
companies and everybody that it wasn't gonna last ... you didn't
really know, it was all very touch and go."
The veteran musician, who still sells out major venues with his
soulful blend of blues, jazz and Celtic music, has a reputation
for being cantankerous.
In comments on his website this week, Morrison called on music
professionals to support him in a bid to get the industry back
on its feet during the pandemic, saying socially distanced gigs
were not sustainable and concerts had to return to full capacity
audiences.
"I call on my fellow singers, musicians, writers, producers,
promoters and others in the industry to fight with me on this,"
he wrote. "Come forward, stand up, fight the pseudo-science and
speak up."
(Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by Giles Elgood)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
