The Healing Game

1997 studio album by Van Morrison

The Healing Game

Studio album by

Van Morrison

Released| 4 March 1997
Recorded| 1996
Studio| Westland Studios, Dublin
Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
Genre| Folk rock
Length| 53:38
Label| Polydor
Producer| Van Morrison
Van Morrison chronology
| Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison
(1996)  | The Healing Game
(1997)  | The Philosopher's Stone
(1998)

|
|

Singles from  The Healing Game

1. "The Healing Game" b/w "Have I Told You Lately"/"Whenever God Shines His Light"/"Gloria"
Released: January 1997
2. "The Healing Game" b/w "Full Force Gale 96"/"Look at What the Good People Done"/"Celtic Spring"
Released: January 1997
3. "Rough God Goes Riding" b/w "At the End of the Day"/"The Healing Game"
Released: May 1997

The Healing Game is the twenty-sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1997 by Polydor. It reached the Top Ten in four countries, and the Top Twenty in three more. Following two overtly jazz albums, it saw Morrison adding blues and a pop sensibility.[1] It is the only album recorded after 1980 which Rolling Stone judged to be among his ten best, calling it "a clear highlight of his mid-period discography".[2]

## Recording history

[edit]

The album was recorded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996. The cover shows Morrison with Haji Ahkba.

## Songs

[edit]

The title song is about the tradition of Belfast street singing. Van Morrison told Q magazine, "People find it incredible when I tell them that people used to sing and play music in the street", adding that "there's a whole oral tradition that's disappeared." "Rough God Goes Riding" is taken from a W. B. Yeats poem "The Second Coming" with the "rough beast" from the Apocalypse, and features Leo Green's saxophone following Morrison's voice. In "Waiting Game" Morrison is "the brother of the snake", which Brian Hinton says refers to both his lost friend Jim Morrison (known for writing about "The Lizard King"), and the Garden of Eden. "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" echoes the children's book, The Wind in the Willows, and features Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes with Phil Coulter on piano. On "Burning Ground", Morrison references his childhood when jute was shipped to Belfast from India.[3]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]
NME| 3/10[5]

Music critic Greil Marcus was impressed, writing that, "[like] the rough god he sings about, Morrison is astride each incident in the music, each pause in a greater story," but advises close listening, as "often the most revealing moments —the moments that reveal the shape of a world, a point of view, an argument about life — are at the margins."[6] Reviewing the 2019 reissue, All About Jazz asserted that "Healing Game is one of most complete personal and musical statements in Van Morrison's lengthy discography." It saw the artist "revisit the jazz and rhythm and blues-inspired style that influenced his earliest work", having "assembled a killer new band"[1]

## Reissues

[edit]

The 2008 remastered version of the album contains a bonus track: "At the End of the Day", which was the a B-side of "Rough God Goes Riding", the third single of the album, which itself was listed as one of the standout tracks from Van Morrison's six album reissue series.[7] The album was reissued again in 2019 as a triple CD, with bonus material from the studio sessions and Van Morrison's performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival on 17 July 1997.[8] Disc two featured collaborations with John Lee Hooker, Carl Perkins and British skiffle star Lonnie Donegan.

## Track listing

[edit]

All songs by Van Morrison, except where noted.

| No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Rough God Goes Riding"| 6:19
2.| "Fire in the Belly"| 6:34
3.| "This Weight"| 4:37
4.| "Waiting Game"| 5:56
5.| "Piper at the Gates of Dawn"| 3:53
6.| "Burning Ground"| 5:38
7.| "It Once Was My Life"| 5:10
8.| "Sometimes We Cry"| 5:14
9.| "If You Love Me"| 5:01
10.| "The Healing Game"| 5:16

2008 reissue bonus trackNo.| Title| Length

|
|

11.| "At the End of the Day"| 4:32

### 2019 deluxe edition

[edit]

Disc one: The Original Album... PlusNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Rough God Goes Riding"| 6:19
2.| "Fire in the Belly"| 6:34
3.| "This Weight"| 4:37
4.| "Waiting Game"| 5:56
5.| "Piper at the Gates of Dawn"| 3:53
6.| "Burning Ground"| 5:38
7.| "It Once Was My Life""| 5:10
8.| "Sometimes We Cry"| 5:14
9.| "If You Love Me"| 5:01
10.| "The Healing Game"| 5:16
11.| "Look at What the Good People Done"| 5:42
12.| "At the End of the Day"| 4:30
13.| "The Healing Game" (single version)| 4:28
14.| "Full Force Gale '96"| 3:34
15.| "Saint Dominic's Preview" (live in Temple Bar, Dublin, April 1996)| 6:45

Disc two: Sessions and CollaborationsNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "The Healing Game" (alternate version)| 7:41
2.| "Fire in the Belly" (alternate version)| 5:25
3.| "Didn't He Ramble" (written by Hattie Bolten)| 6:11
4.| "The Healing Game" (jazz version)| 5:16
5.| "Sometimes We Cry" (full length version)| 8:23
6.| "Mule Skinner Blues" (written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughan)| 4:32
7.| "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" (written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II)| 4:29
8.| "Don't Look Back" (with John Lee Hooker; written by John Lee Hooker)| 6:42
9.| "The Healing Game" (with John Lee Hooker)| 5:09
10.| "Boppin' the Blues" (with Carl Perkins; written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin)| 3:58
11.| "Matchbox" (with Carl Perkins; written by Carl Perkins)| 4:07
12.| "Sittin' on Top of the World" (with Carl Perkins; written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon)| 3:19
13.| "My Angel" (with Carl Perkins; written by Van Morrison and Carl Perkins)| 6:08
14.| "All by Myself" (with Carl Perkins)| 3:28
15.| "Mule Skinner Blues" (with Lonnie Donegan; written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughan)| 4:34

Disc three: Live at Montreux 17 July 1997No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Rough God Goes Riding"| 5:40
2.| "Foreign Window"| 3:54
3.| "Tore Down a la Rimbaud"| 3:18
4.| "Vanlose Stairway / Trans-Euro Train"| 4:56
5.| "A Fool for You" (written by Ray Charles)| 3:17
6.| "Sometimes We Cry"| 5:31
7.| "It Once Was My Life"| 5:02
8.| "I'm Not Feeling It Anymore"| 7:24
9.| "This Weight"| 4:21
10.| "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (written by Anthony Newley)| 4:05
11.| "Fire in the Belly"| 5:59
12.| "Tupelo Honey / Why Must I Always Explain?"| 6:50
13.| "The Healing Game"| 5:51
14.| "See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune / Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) / Burning Ground" ("Thank You" written by Sly Stone)| 13:32

## Personnel

[edit]

### Musicians

[edit]

* Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
* John Lee Hooker: vocals on Don't Look Back and The Healing Game (disc 2 version)
* Carl Perkins: vocals on Boppin' the Blues, Matchbox, Sitting on Top of the World, My Angel and All by Myself
* Lonnie Donegan: vocals on Mule Skinner Blues
* Ronnie Johnson – electric guitar
* Peter O'Hanlon – dobro on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and "At the End of the Day"
* Nicky Scott – bass guitar
* Alec Dankworth – double bass
* Robin Aspland – piano
* Phil Coulter – piano on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and "At the End of the Day"
* Georgie Fame – Hammond organ, background vocals
* Pee Wee Ellis – soprano and baritone saxophones, background vocals
* Leo Green – tenor saxophone, background vocals
* Haji Ahkba – flugelhorn
* Paddy Moloney – uilleann pipes and tin whistle on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn"
* Matt Holland – trumpet, background vocals
* Brian Kennedy – background vocals
* Katie Kissoon – background vocals
* Geoff Dunn – drums, percussion
* Ralph Salmins – percussion

### Production

[edit]

* Production: Van Morrison
* Recording: Walter Samuel, Enda Walsh ("Piper at the Gates of Dawn", "At the End of the Day")
* Assistant engineering: David Slevin, Ciaran Cahill, Matthew Lawrence and Neil Douglas
* Mixing: Walter Samuel
* Technical support: David Conroy
* Mastering: Tim Young
* Art direction and design: Matt Curtis @ Abrahams Pants
* Photography: Paul Cox

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1997)  | Peak
position

|

UK Albums Chart[citation needed] | 10
US Billboard 200[citation needed] | 32

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

New Zealand (RMNZ)[9] | Gold  | 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver  | 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Colette, Doug (30 March 2019). "Van Morrison: The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
2. ^ Shteamer, Hank (8 November 2019). "Van Morrison's Essential Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
3. ^ Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p.333-336
4. ^ "The Healing Game - Van Morrison | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" - via www.allmusic.com.
5. ^ "NME.COM - VAN MORRISON - The Healing Game - 8/3/1997". NME. 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
6. ^ Marcus,When That Rough God Goes Riding, p.115
7. ^ "Catalog Reissues by Van Morrison on Blurt Online". blurt-online.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
8. ^ Shteamer, Hank (5 February 2019). "Van Morrison Details Expanded 'Healing Game' Reissue". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
9. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Van Morrison – The Healing Game". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
10. ^ "British album certifications – Van Morrison – The Healing Game". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

## References

[edit]

* Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074-169-X
* Marcus, Greil (2010). When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison, Public Affairs, ISBN 978-1-58648-821-5

## External links

[edit]

* Greil Marcus Review: The Healing Game

* v
* t
* e

Van Morrison

Them|

* The Angry Young Them
* Them Again
* The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison

Studio albums|

* Blowin' Your Mind!
* Astral Weeks
* Moondance
* His Band and the Street Choir
* Tupelo Honey
* Saint Dominic's Preview
* Hard Nose the Highway
* Veedon Fleece
* A Period of Transition
* Wavelength
* Into the Music
* Common One
* Beautiful Vision
* Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
* A Sense of Wonder
* No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
* Poetic Champions Compose
* Irish Heartbeat
* Avalon Sunset
* Enlightenment
* Hymns to the Silence
* Too Long in Exile
* Days Like This
* How Long Has This Been Going On
* Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison
* The Healing Game
* Back on Top
* You Win Again
* Down the Road
* What's Wrong with This Picture?
* Magic Time
* Pay the Devil
* Keep It Simple
* Born to Sing: No Plan B
* Duets: Re-working the Catalogue
* Keep Me Singing
* Roll with the Punches
* Versatile
* You're Driving Me Crazy
* The Prophet Speaks
* Three Chords & the Truth
* Latest Record Project, Volume 1
* What's It Gonna Take?
* Moving On Skiffle
* Accentuate the Positive
* New Arrangements and Duets

Live albums|

* It's Too Late to Stop Now
* Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast
* A Night in San Francisco
* The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998
* Live at Austin City Limits Festival
* Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl
* Live at Orangefield

Compilations|

* The Best of Van Morrison
* The Best of Van Morrison Volume Two
* The Philosopher's Stone
* Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits
* The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3
* Still on Top - The Greatest Hits
* The Essential Van Morrison
* The Authorized Bang Collection

Videos|

* Van Morrison in Ireland
* Van Morrison The Concert

DVDs|

* Live at Montreux 1980/1974
* Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl: The Concert Film

Unofficial Bang albums|

* T.B. Sheets
* Bang Masters
* Payin' Dues/New York Sessions '67/The Complete Bang Sessions

Tribute albums|

* No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison
* Vanthology: A Tribute to Van Morrison

* Discography
* Albums
* Songs
* List of artists who have covered Van Morrison songs
* Related topics
* List of awards and nominations received by Van Morrison

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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