Van Morrison fans and musicologists are about to get a real Easter month present with the definitive collection of the singer’s music while at Bang Records.
Bang Records was started by Bert Berns in partnership with Atlantic Records’ Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler (the Bang name was made up of the four partner’s first names, Bert, Ahmet, Nesuhi and Gerald). I the short time between when it started and Berns’ death in 1967, the released such classics as the Stranglove’s I Want Candy, the McCoy’s Hang On Sloopy and a string of hits for Neil Diamond.
Berns was also instrumental in the early career of Van Morrison with the recordings the two made together chronicled on the new box set Van Morrison: The Authorized Bang Collection. The three-CD/63-Track set will be released by Legacy on April 28.
The set is broken into three parts:
Disc One – The Original Masters presents original stereo mixes of recordings for the first time on CD including the archetypal Brown Eyed Girl, first released on Bang 12″ vinyl LP’s: Blowin’ Your Mind! (1967) and The Best of Van Morrison (1970). Disc One also features the highly-prized original MONO mixes of Beside You and Madame George, first issued on T.B. Sheets (1973), and Chick-A-Boom, a Van Morrison/Bert Berns composition recorded in New York in 1967 and released as a Bang single. The Original Masters closes with the rare demo version of The Smile You Smile, previously available on Legacy’s 1991 compilation, The Bang Masters.
Brown Eyed Girl [original stereo mix]
He Ain’t Give You None [original stereo mix]
T.B. Sheets [original stereo mix]
Spanish Rose [original stereo mix]
Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) [original stereo mix]
Ro Ro Rosey [original stereo mix]
Who Drove The Red Sports Car [original stereo mix]
Midnight Special [original stereo mix]
It’s All Right [original stereo mix]
Send Your Mind [original stereo mix]
The Smile You Smile [original stereo mix]
The Back Room [original stereo mix] (5:26)
Joe Harper Saturday Morning [original stereo mix] (2:55)
Beside You [original mono mix]
Madame George [original mono mix]
Chick-A-Boom [original mono mix]
The Smile You Smile [demo]
Disc Two – Bang Sessions & Rarities includes the much sought-after original edited mono single mix of Brown Eyed Girl and the original mono single mix with backing vocals for Ro Ro Rosey in addition to previously unissued studio takes of T.B. Sheets, Midnight Special, Beside You and some insightful outtakes of Brown Eyed Girl.
Brown Eyed Girl [original edited mono single mix]
Ro Ro Rosey [original mono single mix with backing vocals]
T.B. Sheets [Take 2]
Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) [Takes 10 & 11]
Send Your Mind [Take 3]
Midnight Special [Take 7]
He Ain’t Give You None (Take 4)
Ro Ro Rosey [Take 2]
Who Drove The Red Sports Car (Take 6)
Beside You [Take 2]
Joe Harper Saturday Morning [Take 2]
Beside You [Take 5]
Spanish Rose [Take 14]
Brown Eyed Girl [Takes 1-6]
Brown Eyed Girl [Takes 7-11]
Disc Three – Contractual Obligation Session presents thirty-one short songs that have been widely bootlegged as Van’s contractual obligation demos for Bang. “These songs show Van’s incredible humor and give some insight into the frustrating close of his relationship with the label. They are included here for the sake of completeness and to finally officially close the chapter on Van’s 1967 New York City recording sessions,” writes Andrew Sandoval in his in-depth liner notes for the set. A Grammy-nominated producer and engineer, Sandoval compiled and curated the material on Van Morrison – The Authorized Bang Collection.
Twist And Shake
Shake And Roll
Stomp And Scream
Scream And Holler
Jump And Thump
Drivin’ Wheel
Just Ball
Shake It Mable
Hold On George
The Big Royalty Check
Ring Worm
Savoy Hollywood
Freaky If You Got This Far
Up Your Mind
Thirty Two
All The Bits
You Say France And I Whistle
Blowin’ Your Nose
Nose In Your Blow
La Mambo
Go For Yourself
Want A Danish
Here Comes Dumb George
Chickee Coo
Do It
Hang On Groovy
Goodbye George
Dum Dum George
Walk And Talk
The Wobble
Wobble And Ball
