More Van 'At the Movies'

At the Movies is a collection of Van Morrison songs that have been put on to movie soundtracks. So how does a musician find his way onto 19 different soundtracks throughout his career? Well, it may be Van Morrison's timeless voice or the various emotions that are on display in his songs, but no matter the case, Van Morrison's music is fit for movies.\nThe collection spans Van's entire career, from the early Them classic "Gloria" (from 1983's "The Outsiders") to his biggest hit, "Brown-Eyed Girl" (from "Born on the Fourth of July") to the recent rendition of "Comfortably Numb" that can be found on "The Departed." The collection starts with his early work, opening with the high-energy "Gloria" followed by the rockabilly of "Baby Please Don't Go," and then sliding into the charming "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)." \nAlmost half of the songs are live recordings, most of which are exciting versions of the original recordings. There is a rousing rendition of "Domino," as well as a very jazzy "Moondance" and finally a magical "Into the Mystic," all of which shine the brightest on this album.\nThe collection does not forget his biggest hits either, with "Brown-Eyed Girl," "Wild Night," and "Have I Told You Lately" thrown into the mix for good measure. Much of the middle comes from his latter-day ballads, which begin to lull you to sleep. The live version of "Caravan" is dreary, and "Days like This" is unremarkable. Finally, the album closes with two collaborations, first the late- '80s Chieftains collaboration, "Irish Heartbeat," then the performance with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters in "Comfortably Numb."\nThe compilation actually serves as a pretty good greatest hits collection, since it covers most of Morrison's biggest hits throughout his career. But like many hits compilations, At the Movies suffers from a lack of cohesiveness, not only because of the great number of tracks, but because the great span of music that it covers. For many, this would be a compilation where you would only listen to your favorite Van tunes. \nIf one thing's for certain, Van Morrison makes reflective, passionate and sometimes searching music that is fit for not just movies, but for moments in everyone's life. He has written some of the most eternal love songs in rock 'n' roll history and has sung them in one of the most enduring voices.