“After it’s written, I release the words and every time I’m singing, I’m singing syllables.
“The only time I actually work with words is when I’m writing a song,” he told Jonathan Cott. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1978, Van Morrison came as close as he probably ever will to summing up the essence of his genius. We also recommend key tracks from other releases under the heading More Gems. Rolling Stone’s Essential Albums survey an iconic artist’s discography, breaking down their finest LPs into three tiers: Must-Haves, Further Listening, and Going Deeper.