Van Morrison has announced the release of a new album, Latest Record Project: Volume 1. The two-disc, 28-track double LP will arrive on May 7.
This is Morrison’s 42nd studio record, but as the title track makes clear, he’d like fans to turn their attention to his current work rather than revisit the work he’s done in the past.
“Have you got my latest songs I’m singing?” he sings. “You got my latest songs I’m
singing? / Not something from so long ago / Not something that you might
want to know / But something I can relate to in the present.”
There’s a lot to love about Morrison’s earlier records – which include classic albums like Astral Weeks, Moondance and Tupelo Honey – but he isn’t interested in cashing in on his past. He’s working in the here and now, as you can hear below in the song “Latest Record Project.”
“I’m getting away from the perceived same songs, same albums all the time,” Morrison said in a statement. Unable to tour due to the coronavirus pandemic, Morrison has kept himself busy with songwriting, much of which has ended up on the new album. But not all of his recent writing has landed well. He released three anti-lockdown songs - “Born to Be Free,” “No More Lockdown” and “As I Walked Out” – that left little room for interpretation.
“Don’t need the government cramping my style / Give them an inch, they take a mile / Take you in with a phony smile / Wouldn’t you agree?” he sings on one of his recent songs. Morrison has outwardly dismissed lockdown measures, encouraging other artists to “come forward, stand up, fight the pseudo-science and speak up.”
One of those artists turned out to be Eric Clapton, who collaborated with Morrison for another anti-lockdown song, “Stand and Deliver.” Both musicians have been heavily criticized for their apparent inclination to refute public health guidelines.
As for Latest Record Project: Volume 1, Morrison is focusing his efforts on a new direction. “This guy’s done 500 songs, maybe more, so hello? Why do you keep promoting the same ten?” he said. “I’m trying to get out of the box.”
You can see the track listing for Latest Record Project: Volume 1 below.
Van Morrison, ‘Latest Record Project: Volume 1’ Track Listing
Disc 1
1. “Latest Record Project”
2. “Where Have All The Rebels Gone?”
3. “Psychoanalysts’ Ball”
4. “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished”
5. “Tried to Do The Right Thing”
6. “The Long Con”
7. “Thank God for the Blues”
8. “Big Lie”
9. “A Few Bars Early”
10. “It Hurts Me Too”
11. “Only A Song”
12. “Diabolic Pressure”
13. “Deadbeat Saturday Night”
14. “Blue Funk”
Disc 2
1. “Double Agent”
2. “Double Blind”
3. “Love Should Come With A Warning”
4. “Breaking The Spell”
5. “Up County Down”
6. “Duper’s Delight”
7. “My Time After a While”
8. “He’s Not the Kingpin”
9. “Mistaken Identity”
10. “Stop Bitching, Do Something”
11. “Western Man”
12. “The Own the Media”
13. “Why Are You on Facebook?”
14. “Jealousy”