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In a review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', [[Jay Cocks]] said "''Hymns'' focuses and redefines Morrison's themes over his long career, rather like a museum retrospective already in progress. It dips deep into autobiography, spiritual speculation and blues mythology for its themes."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974140-1,00.html|author=Jay Cocks|title=Listen to the Lion|date=1991-10-28|publisher=time.com|accessdate=2008-08-18}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's Elysa Gardner said despite overblown hymns such as "Take Me Back" and "Pagan Streams", Morrison appropriates a variety of musical styles into both joyful and poignant songs on an album that "brims with the consistent passion that continues to make Morrison fascinating".<ref name="Gardner">{{cite journal|last=Gardner|first=Elysa|date=17 October 1993|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/hymns-to-the-silence-19911017|title=Hymns to the Silence|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> [[Alec Foege]] from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' argued that its music is more eclectic than the entirety of Morrison's 1980s albums, while the lyrics prove he can reconcile his Christian faith with more worldly themes, allowing for "a refreshingly individualistic soul-searching".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Foege|first=Alec|authorlink=Alec Foege|page=106|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBDgkXRdUXYC&pg=PT107#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Hymns to the Silence|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|accessdate=4 August 2015|date=November 1991}}</ref> In ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] lamented the amount of [[filler (music)|filler]] throughout the two discs and many of the hymns, but complimented the secular songs about true love, ordinary life, and "the days before rock and roll", finding the album "more affecting than you'd figure" overall.<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=5 November 1991|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1091-91.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> It was voted the 21st best album of 1991 in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s annual [[Pazz & Jop]] critics poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres91.php|title=The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice|accessdate=4 August 2015|date=3 March 1992}}</ref>
In a review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', [[Jay Cocks]] said "''Hymns'' focuses and redefines Morrison's themes over his long career, rather like a museum retrospective already in progress. It dips deep into autobiography, spiritual speculation and blues mythology for its themes."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974140-1,00.html|author=Jay Cocks|title=Listen to the Lion|date=1991-10-28|publisher=time.com|accessdate=2008-08-18}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's Elysa Gardner said despite overblown hymns such as "Take Me Back" and "Pagan Streams", Morrison appropriates a variety of musical styles into both joyful and poignant songs on an album that "brims with the consistent passion that continues to make Morrison fascinating".<ref name="Gardner">{{cite journal|last=Gardner|first=Elysa|date=17 October 1993|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/hymns-to-the-silence-19911017|title=Hymns to the Silence|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> [[Alec Foege]] from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' argued that its music is more eclectic than the entirety of Morrison's 1980s albums, while the lyrics prove he can reconcile his Christian faith with more worldly themes, allowing for "a refreshingly individualistic soul-searching".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Foege|first=Alec|authorlink=Alec Foege|page=106|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBDgkXRdUXYC&pg=PT107#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Hymns to the Silence|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|accessdate=4 August 2015|date=November 1991}}</ref> In ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] lamented the amount of [[filler (music)|filler]] throughout the two discs and many of the hymns, but complimented the secular songs about true love, ordinary life, and "the days before rock and roll", finding the album "more affecting than you'd figure" overall.<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=5 November 1991|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1091-91.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> It was voted the 21st best album of 1991 in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s annual [[Pazz & Jop]] critics poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres91.php|title=The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice|accessdate=4 August 2015|date=3 March 1992}}</ref>


In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]]'s Michael Gallucci felt ''Hymns to the Silence'' was Morrison's best album during the 1990s, although he found it too long, essentially a "spirited rewrite" of his previous record ''Enlightenment''.<ref name="allmusic"/> [[Rob Sheffield]] was more critical in ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' (2004), deeming it a "complex and self-involved" imitation of ''[[Avalon Sunset]]'' with a few exceptional songs.<ref name="rsguide">{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|authorlink=Rob Sheffield|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=New York|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Van Morrison|pages=559-561}}</ref>
In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]]'s Michael Gallucci felt ''Hymns to the Silence'' was Morrison's best album during the 1990s, although he also found it too long and essentially a "spirited rewrite" of his previous record ''[[Enlightenment (Van Morrison album)|Enlightenment]]''.<ref name="allmusic"/> [[Rob Sheffield]] was more critical in ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' (2004), deeming it a "complex and self-involved" imitation of ''[[Avalon Sunset]]'' with a few exceptional songs.<ref name="rsguide">{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|authorlink=Rob Sheffield|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=New York|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Van Morrison|pages=559-561}}</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==

Revision as of 00:58, 5 August 2015

For the book, see Hymns to the Silence (book).
Untitled

Hymns to the Silence is the twenty-first studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1991. It peaked at No. 5 in the UK. It was his first ever studio double album.

Recording and composition

The album of songs was recorded during sessions at Wool Hall Studios, Beckington, Townhouse, London and Westside Studios, London with Mick Glossop as engineer, except for the song "Take Me Back". It was recorded in 1990 at Pavilion Studios in London with Martin Hayles and Mick Glossop as engineers.[2]

The songs on the album were primarily concerning two themes, the singer's uneasy relationship with the music business and a nostalgic yearning for his youth in Belfast. "Why Must I Always Explain?" was set to the same melody as 1970s "Tupelo Honey".[3] There were two hymns. "Be Thou My Vision" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee". "Take Me Back", "On Hyndford Street" and "See Me Through Part II" were remembrances of his seemingly carefree childhood but "Hyndford Street" also referred more specifically to spiritual feelings in the words, "Feeling wondrous and lit up inside/With a sense of everlasting life". The song, "Carrying a Torch" was also included on Tom Jones's album by the same name, along with three other Morrison compositions from "Hymns to the Silence".[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Village VoiceB+[9]

In a review for Time, Jay Cocks said "Hymns focuses and redefines Morrison's themes over his long career, rather like a museum retrospective already in progress. It dips deep into autobiography, spiritual speculation and blues mythology for its themes."[10] Rolling Stone magazine's Elysa Gardner said despite overblown hymns such as "Take Me Back" and "Pagan Streams", Morrison appropriates a variety of musical styles into both joyful and poignant songs on an album that "brims with the consistent passion that continues to make Morrison fascinating".[8] Alec Foege from Spin argued that its music is more eclectic than the entirety of Morrison's 1980s albums, while the lyrics prove he can reconcile his Christian faith with more worldly themes, allowing for "a refreshingly individualistic soul-searching".[11] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau lamented the amount of filler throughout the two discs and many of the hymns, but complimented the secular songs about true love, ordinary life, and "the days before rock and roll", finding the album "more affecting than you'd figure" overall.[9] It was voted the 21st best album of 1991 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[12]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Michael Gallucci felt Hymns to the Silence was Morrison's best album during the 1990s, although he also found it too long and essentially a "spirited rewrite" of his previous record Enlightenment.[1] Rob Sheffield was more critical in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), deeming it a "complex and self-involved" imitation of Avalon Sunset with a few exceptional songs.[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Van Morrison unless noted.

Disc one

  1. "Professional Jealousy" – 3:42
  2. "I'm Not Feeling It Anymore" – 6:34
  3. "Ordinary Life" – 3:29
  4. "Some Peace of Mind" – 6:24
  5. "So Complicated" – 3:18
  6. "I Can't Stop Loving You" - (Gibson) – 3:54 (With The Chieftains)
  7. "Why Must I Always Explain?" – 3:50
  8. "Village Idiot" – 3:13
  9. "See Me Through, Pt. 2 (Just a Closer Walk with Thee)" - (Traditional) – 3:10
  10. "Take Me Back" – 9:11

Disc two

  1. "By His Grace" – 2:34
  2. "All Saints Day" – 2:28
  3. "Hymns to the Silence" – 9:42
  4. "On Hyndford Street" – 5:17
  5. "Be Thou My Vision" - (Traditional) – 3:49 (With The Chieftains)
  6. "Carrying a Torch" – 4:26
  7. "Green Mansions" – 3:38
  8. "Pagan Streams" – 3:38
  9. "Quality Street" - (Morrison, Rebennack) – 3:57
  10. "It Must Be You" – 4:08
  11. "I Need Your Kind of Loving" – 4:31

Personnel

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1991 The Billboard 200 99

Album - UK Album Chart

Year Chart Position
1991 UK Album Chart 5

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Allmusic review
  2. ^ Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 526
  3. ^ Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p 302
  4. ^ Turner, It's Too Late to Stop Now, p.170
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin. Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 0195313739.
  6. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  7. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (October 1991). "New LPs: Van Morrison Hymns to the Silence". Q. p. 98.
  8. ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (17 October 1993). "Hymns to the Silence". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (5 November 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  10. ^ Jay Cocks (28 October 1991). "Listen to the Lion". time.com. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  11. ^ Foege, Alec (November 1991). "Hymns to the Silence". Spin: 106. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  12. ^ "The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 3 March 1992. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  13. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Van Morrison". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 559–561. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

References

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