Van Morrison - The Philosopher's Stone

Van Morrison has always been a prolific artist, releasing nearly an album a year for 30 years. All the while, he had a stockpile of unreleased material in the vaults, much of which became legendary among collectors. A selection of this material was planned for inclusion in a box set, but when he realized the sheer amount of worthy material, he decided to separate the unreleased cuts and release them as the double-disc set The Philosopher's Stone. Certainly, the collection is for fans, but not just hardcore fans -- there are a number of great songs here, from "Madame Joy" and "Naked in the Jungle" to "Crazy Jane on God" and "The Street Only Knew Your Name." A full 25 of the 30 tracks on the album have never been released in any form, while the remaining five -- "Wonderful Remark," "Real Real Gone," "Flamingoes Fly," "The Street Only Knew Your Name," and "Bright Side of the Road" -- are present in alternate takes. In all, The Philosopher's Stone is a welcome addition to Van Morrison's official catalog -- some of these songs are so good, it would have been a shame if they had stayed locked in the vaults. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Annie Stocking Vocals (Background) Bernie Krause Moog Synthesizer Bianca Thornton Vocals (Background) Bill Atwood Trumpet Bill Church Guitar (Bass) Brooks Arthur Engineer Chris Lawson Mixing Chris Michie Guitar Clive Culbertson Guitar (Bass) Dahaud Elias Shaar Drums David Conroy Digital Editing David Hayes Guitar (Bass) Gary Ladinsky Engineer Gary Mallaber Drums Henry Lewy Engineer Herbie Armstrong Guitar Jack Schroer Saxophone, Horn Jackie DeShannon Vocals (Background) Jeff Labes Piano Jerome Rimson Guitar (Bass) Jim Stern Engineer John Allair Organ (Hammond), Piano John Klingberg Guitar (Bass) John Platania Guitar (Electric), Guitar Jules Broussard Horn, Flute June Boyce Vocals Lee Charlton Drums Mark Isham Flugelhorn, Trumpet Mark T. Jordan Piano Matthew Lawrence Assistant Engineer, Digital Editing Mick Cox Guitar Mick Glossop Mixing Neil Drinkwater Drums Pauline Lazano Vocals (Background) Pee Wee Ellis Saxophone Pete Wingfield Piano Peter Van Hooke Drums Ray Staff Mastering Ronnie Montrose Vocals (Background), Guitar Roy Jones Drums Smith Dobson Piano Ted Templeman Producer The Chieftains ? Toni Marcus Violin Van Morrison Guitar, Producer, Vocals, Main Performer Walter Samuel Mixing