Van's 5th Album from 1971 when he was living with wife Janet Planet Rigsbee (and that's her on the cover and Rigs"bee" is the honey link). She's also doing backing vocals.
It created one of the best love songs in history in the title track - "You can take, all the tea in china...an angel of the first degree...." which sits with 'Crazy Love' from Moondance.
It's very Van and full of love (we've been listening all week!) - 'You're my woman' a standout track, 'Tupelo Honey' is superb and 'Old Old Woodstock' where he wrote the Album. They shortly moved from New York to California where he made the record and you get that rural feel from the cover shot.
It's a bit country like on 'Moonshine Whiskey' where Van had worked with The Band and you get a sense of their influence too.
It's a beautiful record but that said, Van wasn't happy with it. It came at a strange time in his life with the move out West and probably, with a new Band, wasn't great for him. A time when he didn't want to play live and was famously, cancelling gigs.
But he's wrong, it's great and ever there was an Album for one track alone, it's this. (For Sarah)
Previous "listen tos" you'll also find on this blog (you can search them in the Search top left on the Blog)......Earth Wind Fire: The Japanese House 'Good at Falling': Dire Straits 'Debut': David Gray 'White Ladder': Kacy Musgraves 'Golden Hour': Finley Quaye 'Maverick a strike': Doobies 'Taking it to the Streets': T Bone Burnett 'The criminal under my hat': Steely Dan 'Gaucho': Kacey Musgraves 'Same Trailer Different Park': Phil Spector 'Christmas Gift': The 1975 'A Brief Inquiry' (Our Album of the year 2018): Wings 'Over America': Sheryl Crow 'Tuesday Night Music Club': Dwight Yoakam 'Gone': Deep Purple 'In Rock': Police 'Reggatta de Blanc': Dylan 'Freewheelin': Stevie Winwood 'Arc of a Diver': Jamiroquai 'travelling without Moving': Eels 'Meet The Eels': Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly': Bowie 'Ziggy Stardust': Fatboy Slim/Norman Cook: REM 'Automatic for the People' :Coldplay 'Parachutes': Springsteen 'Hammersmith 75': Barry White 'Can't get enough': The Band 'Before the Flood': Dimitri from Paris 'Le Chic': Santana 'Abraxas': Suzanne Vega 'Debut': Michael Jackson 'Bad': John Hiatt 'Bring the Family/Budokan': JJ Cale 'Naturally': Ray Lamontagne 'Trouble': The Bluetones 'Expecting to Fly': Norah Jones 'Come Away with me': Macy Gray 'On how life is': John Cougar 'American Fool': Earth Wind & Fire 'Greatest': Boz Scaggs 'Silk Degrees': Durand Jones + The Indications: Elton John 'Captain Fantastic': Nirvana 'Nevermind': James Brown 'At The Apollo' 1962: Grateful Dead 'American Beauty': Frampton 'Comes Alive': Snow Patrol 'Final Straw': The Jayhawks 'Hollywood Town Hall': Alanis Morissette 'Jagged Little Pill': Chris Stapleton 'Traveller': Shelby Lynne 'I Am': Lauryn Hill 'Miseducation': Alicia Keys 'Songs in A Minor': Beatles 'Revolver': The Allergies 'Push On' (Our Album of 2017): Sinatra 'Jolly Christmas': Stranglers 'Rattus Norvegicus': Happy Mondays 'Pills Thrills and Bellyaches': The Verve 'Urban Hymns': Jim Croce 'You don't mess around with Jim': America 'America': Hall & Oates 'The Singles': George Michael 'Older': Rolling Stones 'Sticky Fingers': Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue': Mink Willy De Ville 'Backstreets of Desire': Ten Years After 'Undead': The Beat 'Just can't stop it': George Thorogood/The Destoyers '2120 Michigan Avenue': Tom Waits 'Franks Wild Years'; Glen Campbell 'Rhinestone Cowboy': Rory Gallagher 'Live in Europe': Michael Jackson 'Thriller': Daft Punk 'Discovery': DJ Dimitri 'Disco Forever': John Martyn 'Grace & Danger': Peter Gabriel 'So': Crowded House 'Woodface': Springsteen 'Born to Run': ACDC 'Back in Black': Grace Jones 'Nighclubbing': Stevie Wonder 'Songs in the key of life': The Cars 'The Cars': Billy Joel '52nd Street': Beatles 'Sgt Pepper': Tom Petty 'Damn the Torpedoes': World Party 'Bang': Eric Clapton 'Slowhand': John Mayer 'Room for Squares': Ry Cooder 'Bop til you drop': Jon&Vangelis 'Friends of Mr. Cairo': Mary Chapin 'Come on, Come on': Frank Zappa 'Joe's Garage': Joni Mitchell 'Blue': Steve Gibbons 'Caught in the Act': Elton John 'Tumbleweed Connection': Elton John 'Honky Chateau': Gallagher & Lyle 'Breakaway': Warren Zevon 'Excitable Boy': Donald Fagen 'The Nightfly': Supertramp 'Breakfast in America': George Michael 'Listen without Predujice': Radiohead 'The Bends': Beyonce 'Lemonade' Album of the year 2016: Oddisee 'The mix Tape': Soul 11 Soul 'Club Classics': Jennifer Warnes 'Famous Blue Raincoat':Art Garfunkel 'Watermark': REM 'Out of Time': Van 'Keep me Singing': Frank Sinatra 'Songs for Swinging Lovers': Al Stewart 'Year of the Cat': Stevie Ray Vaughan 'Texas Flood':Frank Ocean 'Blond': Jimmy Buffett 'Son of a Sailor': Marc Cohn 'Marc Cohn': Bill Withers 'Complete Sussex and Columbia': Hendrix 'Electric Ladyland': ABC 'Lexicon of Love': Rickie Lee Jones 'Rickie Lee Jones': Billy Joel "Glass Houses": Rodriguez "Cold Fact": Prefab Sprout 'Steve McQueen'; Chet Baker 'Live 64-79'; The Stone Roses 'Stone Roses'; Joe Jackson 'I'm the Man'; Oasis 'Morning Glory'; Bob Dylan 'At The Budokan'; Van "It's too late to stop now Volume 2/3/4"; Air 'Moon Safari'; Talking Heads 'Stop Making Sense'; Lynyrd Skynyrd 'One for the road'; Marvin Gaye 'Whats Goin on'; Mercury Rev 'Deserters Songs'; Dave Matthews 'Crash'; Beyonce 'Lemonade'; Prince 'Sign O the times'; Daft Punk 'Random Access Memories'; Amy Winehouse 'Back to Black'; Police 'Outlandos D'Amour'; Michael Jackson 'Off the Wall'; Carole King 'Tapestry'; Beatles 'Red Album'; Sex Pistols 'Never mind the Bollocks'; Sam Cooke 'Live at Harlem Square'; The Doors 'LA Woman'; Thin Lizzy 'Live & Dangerous'; Kendrick Lamarr 'Butterfly'; Aretha Franklin 'Amazing Grace'; Clapton '461'; Massive Attack 'Blue Lines'; The Clash 'London Calling'; Chris Isaak 'At The Filmore'; Bob Dylan 'Street Legal'; Bad Company 'Straight Shooter'; Jackson Browne 'Love is Strange'; Lou Reed 'Transformer'; Steely Dan 'AJA'; Stones 'Black+Blue'; Stephen Bishop 'Careless'; Nils Lofgren 'Night after Night'; Mike Oldfield 'Tubular Bells'; Neil Young 'Harvest'; Led Zep '4'; David Bowie 'David Live'; Van Morrison 'It's too late to stop now'; Wings 'Band on the Run'; Rod Stewart 'Atlantic Crossing'; Ryan Adams 'Heartbreaker'; Santana 'Essential'; Bob Dylan 'Desire'; Roxy Music 'For your pleasure'; Bob Marley 'Legend'; Stephen Fretwell 'Magpie'; James Taylor 'Sweet Baby James'; Deep Purple 'Machine Head'; Springsteen 'Darkness on the edge of town'; Leon Bridges 'Coming Home'; Eagles 'Hotel California'; Jungle; Aretha 'Soul Queen'; Neil Young 'After the Goldrush' ; Zappa 'Overnite Sensation'; Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours'; Keith Jarrett 'Koln Concert'; Doobies 'Southbound'; Stevie Earle 'I feel Alright'; Tom Waits 'Closing Time'; Pink Floyd 'Dark Side'; Van Morrison 'Moondance'; Eric Church 'Caught in the Act'; Randy Newman 'Little Criminals'; Elton John 'Madman across the water'; Patti Smith 'Horses'; Doobies 'Captain and Me'; Steely Dan 'Can't Buy a Thrill.
