Album of the month - march 2024

Tupelo Honey - Van morrison

​Another album in our list released in 1971, by Warner Brothers… this offering by Ireland’s best export is made for March, a month full of promise and Irishness.
 
The title song came a little late to my ears (about ’77-ish) via Philly’s progressive rock station, WXPN. I had heard the album’s opening tune, Wild Night,  before and appreciated it. But hearing Tupelo Honey itself in particular and the rest of the album in general, that minor hit (WN) turns out to be a bit pedestrian in comparison. Really it’s a great song, but I’m so moved by the other songs’ lyrics and their melodies’ homespunedness (selfmade-up word right there).
 
In March of 1986, some mates on St. FXU’s rugby team were coming home from the Truro 7’s tournament (we came in 2nd (late try by Pictou County sealed our fate)). Jeremy Jackson’s professor dad had a place in the woods. Forrest Spencer Peter O’Flarity, Pete Doucette and I were his appreciative guests. Memory serves, we dined on some spaghetti, maybe some red wine, maybe a little rum, but definitely a bit of hash and a lot of Alexander Keith’s ale. There was an awesome stash of music and we just ‘re-hashed’ our tourney, our X rugby careers (we were all seniors) and just relaxed in our own company – super great fellas. Obviously, we spun dozens of LPs, but Tupelo Honey and Moondance got quadruple and triple duty respectively. An unforgettably wonderful night and Van Morrison’s impact was not small.
 
Tupelo Honey is fantastic from start to finish (yea, including Wild Night) and it’s a great driving record, cleaning your house or backyard album… a tendin’ to your bruises album, a contemplatin’ the world album and more effective even, than a Barry White record as a makin’ love album.
 
The Railhammers were a local Jamtown band (Monmouth County, NJ), often playing St. Stephen’s Green in Spring Lake Heights. The guys were cool and accomplished, but I wouldn’t say polished. In 2009, I asked ‘em to play my wedding and pleaded with them to learn Tupelo Honey for our nuptials. They did – with a Stone’s Dead Roses/Grateful Dead’s Cassidy kinda vibe… and holy smokes!!! What a performance!!!
I’m fairly certain that the way they so uniquely mastered that Van the Man classic, is why Ivanice and I are still a God blessed, happily married, gorgeous and humble couple.
 
Buy the album if unfathomably, you don’t have it or buy another copy if ya lost yours, but give this album a (new) listen or two (or 17). Van’s positivity and passion are impossibly infectious. You’ll leave the listen a more at-peace guy or gal. It’s country-y, folky-y and singer/songwriter-y… and thoroughly, it’s an incredibly, beautifully and soulfully romantic record for the ages.
 
Thanks for visiting us here at Belmar Guitar.
 
God bless you and your March of ’24.
Jammin’ Joe, Ivanice, Johnny, Chris, Mikey, Nejad and Ryan.