Hymns to the Silence: Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison

Discusses the music, lyrics, imagery, and cultural impact of Van Morrison - one of the most unique figures in popular music.

Introduction
Chapter One Imagining America: Jazz, Blues, Country, and the Mythologies of the West
Chapter Two What Makes the Irish Heart Beat? The Irishness of Van Morrison
Chapter Three Get the Words on the Page: Van Morrison as Writer
Chapter Four Caught One More Time: Themes and Thematics
Chapter Five Listening to the Lion: Van Morrison as a Singer
Chapter Eight A Three Cornered Quartet: Van Morrison and the Art of Through Composition
Postscript Make It Real One More Time Again: Astral Weeks Live
Appendix One - The 2006 Shows
Appendix Two - Recording Studios
Bibliography
Discography

"As a highly academic treatment of an artist who deserves as much, Hymns to the Silence is a book that is long overdue, and Peter Mills opens many doors for fellow scholars in a variety of fields:music, literature, Irish studies, among many others. As a comprehensive analysis of Morrison's multi-decade body of work (one that remains very much "in progress" as Iwrite this), Hymns to the Silence should initiate many subsequent conversations across disciplines regarding Morrison's influences, songs, performances, and place in the history of popular music." - John P. McCombe - Popular Music and Society
"Hymns to the Silence represents an important contribution to the critical literature on this enigmatic, compelling musician, one that will hopefully inspire both a greater appreciation and a wider acknowledgement of Morrison's achievements." - Gerry Smyth, Irish Studies Review
"Littered with sparkling quotes from such artists as Kevin Rowland, Maria McKee, Kate Rusby and Fiachra Trench (themselves armed with an acute knowledge and understanding of Van Morrison's work), I cannot praise this book highly enough. Its investigative validity is agglutination to that of the musical importance of its subject." www.davidmarx.co.uk May 2010
Review on http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/as/index_news_hymns_to_the_silence.htm
Review on http://www.vanmorrisonnews.blogspot.com
"Mills, who clearly holds Morrison in the highest esteem and shows an exhaustive knowledge of the singer's body of work, has written an analysis of interest to academics in the field as well as any devoted fan. The complexities of Morrison's oeuvre are made visible in discussion that encompasses his vocal style; his use of jazz, gospel, folk, and blues; and the meaning and possible symbolism of repeated poetic themes and places in his music. In addition to lines from the songs, many quotations from interviews with Morrison are included." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.
"Mills ... is clearly a huge fan [of Van Morrison] who has drawn a lot of emotional succour from Morrison's work over the years."The Word Magazine
Interview with author in Yorkshire Post, 18th June 2010
Record Collector - Terry Staunton
Reviewed in Leeds Guide, Wednesday 29th September 'An in-depth, passionate and eloquent study of Van Morrison as a performer both live and in the recording studio'
'It is one of my favourite Morrison songs, a perfect ball of love and desire, belief and rock'n'roll, and, perhaps more oddly, one of the most frequently performed songs at his shows. Peter Mills, in Hymns to the Silence, refers to it as ''this dark horse of a song'' - a way to describe the surprising appeal of a song that was never a hit, but has proved compelling to many.'

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A groundbreaking study of every aspect of Van Morrison's artistic career - his influences, lyrical themes, vocal performances, his relationship with America, and more.>