Common One
Common One is the twelfth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in August 1980 by Mercury Records in both the US and UK.[1] Recorded over nine days from February 11 to 19, 1980, at Super Bear Studios in Valbonne, France, the album consists of six extended tracks that explore spiritual and Celtic themes through a fusion of soul, jazz, folk, and improvisational elements.[1] Co-produced by Morrison and engineer Henry Lewy, it features a core band including guitarist Herbie Armstrong, bassist David Hayes, keyboardist John Allair, saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, and drummer Peter Van Hooke, emphasizing atmospheric arrangements and Morrison's emotive vocals.[2] The album's creation marked a period of artistic renewal for Morrison following the success of his 1978 studio album Wavelength, with sessions capturing spontaneous jams that resulted in lengthy compositions averaging over eight minutes each.[3] Tracks like the 15-minute "Summertime in England" draw on literary and religious influences, evoking pastoral English landscapes and mystical introspection, while "Wild Honey" and "Spirit" incorporate bluesy grooves and rhythmic drive.[4] Morrison has cited Common One as his personal favorite among his works, praising its depth and the collaborative energy of the ensemble.[5]Track listing
All songs written by Van Morrison.[1]- Haunts of Ancient Peace – 7:05
- Summertime in England – 15:30
- Satisfied – 6:00
- Wild Honey – 5:47
- Spirit – 5:06
- When Heart Is Open – 15:03[1]
Background
Conception and influences
Van Morrison's album Common One marked a significant artistic evolution following his 1978 release Wavelength, which featured a more commercial pop-rock orientation, shifting toward a deeper exploration of spiritual and experimental themes. This transition built on the introspective groundwork laid by Into the Music (1979), emphasizing serenity and mysticism over accessible radio fare.[7] Central to the album's conception was Morrison's deep engagement with nature poetry, drawing from Romantic visionaries such as William Wordsworth and William Blake, whose works infused the lyrics with pastoral imagery and transcendent spirituality. Tracks like "Summertime in England" directly evoke these influences, imagining Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge amid the English countryside, blending literary homage with Morrison's stream-of-consciousness style. This immersion extended to Irish poetic traditions, resonating with Morrison's Celtic heritage.[8][9][10] Morrison articulated a deliberate intent to craft an album summoning "ancient peace" and communal spirituality, rooted in his Celtic background and personal sojourns in Ireland and the French countryside. The title track "Haunts of Ancient Peace" originated from a 1900s book by poet laureate Alfred Austin of the same name, discovered by Morrison in Cornwall, symbolizing a quest for timeless harmony amid nature. These experiences in Ireland reignited his cultural ties, while the serene Provençal setting of the recording sessions in France further shaped the album's ethereal, reflective tone.[11][12][13] The work's improvisational ethos drew from jazz traditions, informing Morrison's extended, collective jamming sessions and unbound vocal phrasing. This jazz infusion elevated Common One beyond structured songcraft.[14][15]Pre-production
The pre-production phase for Common One began with intensive rehearsals from November to December 1979, where Van Morrison and his assembled band focused on developing improvisational chemistry through extended jamming sessions. This period was essential for shaping the album's spontaneous, jazz-inflected sound, allowing the musicians to explore dynamic interplay before formal recording. According to music biographer Brian Hinton, these practices emphasized building a cohesive unit capable of supporting Morrison's evolving compositions.[16] Morrison carefully selected key collaborators, including arranger and keyboardist Jef Labes and guitarist Mick Cox, prioritizing players experienced in prolonged improvisations and comfortable with unstructured exploration. Labes, known for his work on previous Morrison projects, contributed to early arrangements, while Cox's blues-jazz background aligned with the desired fluidity. Morrison directed the rehearsals to maintain a loose, communal atmosphere, fostering spontaneity in informal settings such as his home or other casual venues, which encouraged organic development over rigid scripting.[16] Challenges arose in synchronizing the band's jazz-oriented proficiency with Morrison's Celtic-tinged, poetic vision, particularly as they worked through early song sketches like fragments of "Summertime in England" and "Haunts of Ancient Peace." These sessions required adjustments to balance technical skill with emotional immediacy, testing the group's adaptability amid Morrison's demanding leadership. Hinton notes that this preparatory work laid the groundwork for the album's extended, meditative tracks, resolving initial tensions through persistent collaboration.[16]Recording and production
Recording sessions
The recording of Common One took place at Super Bear Studios, a residential facility located in the hills above Nice in the south of France, from February 11 to 19, 1980, spanning nine intense days.[13][17][18] Van Morrison served as the primary producer, alongside co-producer Henry Lewy, emphasizing a direct approach to capture the band's live performances with limited post-production alterations to maintain the album's spontaneous energy.[18] The sessions focused on foundational takes recorded in real time, with additional overdubs completed later at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California.[18][19] Guitarist Mick Cox, a key participant, described the recording atmosphere as "highly charged," highlighting the dynamic interplay among the musicians as they followed Morrison's lead through improvisational shifts in rhythm and instrumentation during extended jams.[19] This intensity fostered an environment where the band captured raw, evolving performances, such as the fluid transitions in tracks like "Summertime in England," prioritizing the preservation of the group's collective energy over polished refinements.[19] The choice of Super Bear Studios, situated in the rural village of Berre-les-Alpes amid the isolated hills of the Alpes-Maritimes, contributed to the creative seclusion of the process, allowing the musicians to immerse themselves without urban distractions.[20] Technical recording relied on analog tape, which provided the warm, organic sound characteristic of the era's studio practices, aligning with Morrison's vision for an album that evoked a sense of unfiltered musical communion.[18]Personnel
Common One was primarily performed by Van Morrison and a core group of musicians assembled for the recording sessions at Super Bear Studios in France. The album's sound emphasizes a blend of rock, jazz, and Celtic influences, with a prominent horn section contributing to its free jazz elements. Van Morrison served as the lead performer and producer, handling vocals, guitar, and harmonica throughout the album.[1] The key musicians include:- Van Morrison: vocals, guitar, harmonica[1]
- Herbie Armstrong: rhythm guitar, backing vocals[1]
- Mick Cox: lead guitar[18]
- David Hayes: bass guitar, backing vocals[1]
- Peter Van Hooke: drums[1]
- John Allair: keyboards, organ[1]
- Pee Wee Ellis: tenor saxophone, flute; horn section arranger and conductor[1]
- Mark Isham: trumpet, flugelhorn[1]
- Dave Caswell: trumpet
- Henry Lowther: trumpet[1]
Musical content
Composition
Common One exemplifies Van Morrison's fusion of Celtic folk, free jazz, and R&B elements, resulting in a sound marked by extended improvisational tracks ranging from 5 to 15 minutes. This stylistic blend draws on Morrison's Irish roots through lilting folk inflections, incorporates the spontaneous energy of free jazz via loose ensemble interplay, and grounds the music in R&B's rhythmic drive and soulful expression.[7][19] The album's thematic core revolves around spirituality, nature, and transcendence, portraying a quest for inner peace amid the natural world. Tracks evoke a sense of mystical communion, as seen in "Haunts of Ancient Peace," which conjures rural idylls through gentle, pastoral imagery of ancient landscapes and serene isolation. Similarly, "Summertime in England" merges personal memoir—recalling Morrison's literary influences like James Joyce and T.S. Eliot—with communal invocation, urging listeners toward collective enlightenment.[19][3] Song structures emphasize minimalist lyrics and repetitive motifs, allowing space for expansive jazz solos and improvisational flourishes that build organically. In the 15-minute epic "Summertime in England," Morrison employs a preacher-like delivery, intoning simple, incantatory phrases over shifting rhythms and instrumental dialogues between saxophone and trumpet, creating a hypnotic, sermon-esque progression rather than linear storytelling.[7][19][3] This approach marks a departure from Morrison's earlier pop-oriented works, such as Wavelength (1978), shifting toward poetic abstraction and meditative exploration over conventional narrative songs. The result is an album that prioritizes atmospheric immersion and spiritual depth, with lyrics often serving as evocative fragments rather than detailed tales.[7]Track listing
All tracks are written by Van Morrison. The album was co-produced by Van Morrison and Henry Lewy.[17] The original 1980 vinyl edition divides the tracks across two sides as follows:| Side | No. | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | "Haunts of Ancient Peace" | 7:05 |
| A | 2 | "Summertime in England" | 15:30 |
| A | 3 | "Satisfied" | 6:00 |
| B | 1 | "Wild Honey" | 5:47 |
| B | 2 | "Spirit" | 5:06 |
| B | 3 | "When Heart Is Open" | 15:03 |