Wavelength (album)

Recording

Wavelength was recorded at the Manor in Oxfordshire, England, over several months and completed later, at Shangri-la studios in America. Morrison had brought together musicians that represented almost all phases of his musical history to date: Herbie Armstrong from his showband days in Belfast, Peter Bardens from Them, Garth Hudson from the Band and Peter Van Hooke who had worked with Morrison a few years previously. He also added guitarist Bobby Tench from Streetwalkers.

Composition

The songs on this album recall various stages of Morrison's life. "Kingdom Hall" reflected back to his childhood in Belfast when he attended services with his mother, a practicing Jehovah's Witness at one time. "Checking It Out" is about a relationship going wrong and being rescued by "guides and spirits along the way". "Natalia", "Venice USA" and "Lifetimes" are love songs. "Wavelength" recalled fond memories of his adolescence, listening to the Voice of America. The next track incorporates two songs Morrison had written in the early 1970s, "Santa Fe" written with Jackie DeShannon in 1973, Morrison's first ever collaboration to appear on an album, and "Beautiful Obsession", which was first played during one of his concerts in 1971. However, a studio version of the song is not known to have been recorded during that period. "Hungry For Your Love" appeared in the hit movie An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and has become one of the more enduringly popular songs on the album along with "Wavelength". Morrison plays electric piano on "Hungry For Your Love" accompanied by Herbie Armstrong's acoustic guitar. Morrison included "Hungry For Your Love" on his compilation album Van Morrison at the Movies – Soundtrack Hits (2007). "Take it Where You Find It" ends the album and according to Scott Floman is a "quietly epic love letter to America that gets better and better as it goes along (the song is nearly 9 minutes long). Simply put this song, which I'd rank among Van's all-time best, makes me want to lock arms with someone, anyone, and commence in a slowly swaying sing along..."

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Lester Bangs gave a lukewarm assessment and called Wavelength "a very nice record. I'm sure all the people at Warner Bros. are pleased with it. Ditto the DJs... Still, though, it do confound how such a monumental talent can mire himself in such twaddle, fine as some of it may be." Melody Maker reviewed the album as evidence of Morrison's "drift into the American Dream." In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau referred to it as a good but not great album and called attention to side two, which he felt was "an evocative reinterpretation of Van's America fixation, but side one is nothing more (and nothing less) than class programming." Time magazine was more enthusiastic: "Morrison has made two, maybe three albums that rank high among the finest of all rock 'n' roll. Wavelength is good enough to stand close by Morrison's best work, a record of sinuous, sensuous magic. The man just can't be beat."

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said "Wavelength essentially picks up where A Period of Transition left off, offering a focused, full-bodied alternative to that record's warmly fuzzy lack of direction." Rob Sheffield wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that the record was a "failed pop move" redeemed by its "worthy hit" title track, "which like many of his best songs expresses the profound spiritual yearning to listen to the radio".

Aftermath

Morrison denied that the songs were anything but about personal experience, and were not about the United States. It quickly became the fastest selling album that Morrison had recorded at that time and went gold within three months. Relocating to Europe within a few years, his work during the 1980s would not be so "radio friendly" and easily accessible to the casual listener. With the success of Wavelength Morrison assembled a band to promote it, which was similar in many ways to the abandoned Caledonia Soul Orchestra of It's Too Late to Stop Now fame. During the Wavelength tour, Morrison performed in his native Belfast for the first time since leaving for the US to record "Brown Eyed Girl" for Bang Records. Morrison's first video, Van Morrison in Ireland, released in 1981, resulted from these performances and featured two songs from the album: "Wavelength" and "Checkin' It Out".

Artwork

The cover on the album was by photographer Norman Seeff (associated with Joni Mitchell's album sleeves) and shows Morrison almost smiling and dressed in tight white trousers smoking a cigarette down to the butt.

Track listing

All songs written by Van Morrison except where noted.

Side one

1. "Kingdom Hall" - 5:59
2. "Checkin' It Out" - 3:29
3. "Natalia" - 4:04
4. "Venice U.S.A." - 6:32
5. "Lifetimes" - 4:15

Side two

1. "Wavelength" - 5:44
2. "Santa Fe/Beautiful Obsession" (Jackie De Shannon/Morrison) - 7:04
3. "Hungry for Your Love" - 3:45
4. "Take It Where You Find It" - 8:40

Remastered CD reissue (2008)

Includes the same tracks as on the original, with two additional bonus tracks:

1. "Kingdom Hall" - 6:05 (Live at the Roxy Theatre, LA, 26 November 1978)
2. "Wavelength" - 6:07 (Live at the Roxy Theatre, LA. 26 November 1978)

Musicians

Additional musicians on 2008 reissue (re-mastered)

Production

Design

Charts

Billboard

UK Album Chart