Van Morrison

While Van Morrison is, to be kind, an erratic and temperamental live performer, he's in stellar form throughout the double album It's Too Late to Stop Now, a superb concert set that neatly summarizes his career from his days with Them (represented by scorching renditions of "Gloria" and "Here Comes the Night") through 1973's Hard Nose the Highway ("Warm Love," "Wild Children"). In addition to the hits, including "Caravan," "Domino," and "Into the Mystic" (the final line of which gives the album its title), Morrison even pulls out a handful of R&B chestnuts ("Bring It on Home to Me," "Ain't Nothin' You Can Do") before capping off the collection with a show-stopping rendition of Astral Weeks' "Cyprus Avenue." It is an engaging, warm portrait of the man at the peak of his powers. [This was true until 2008, when, as part of Van Morrison's massive reissuing of most of his catalog stateside, it was remastered from the original analog tapes with the addition of a single bonus track, a version of "Brown Eyed Girl." The performance this is taken from is of mysterious origin, in that it is not clear whether this is from the three gigs that make up the original double album or not. That said, this is one of those titles where remastering has been supremely helpful in restoring some of the dynamics of the original LP, which were lost on previous versions. Use the skip button at the end of "Cypress Avenue" if a horn-heavy, workman-like rendition of Van's first big single will trash your experience of the gig.] ~ Jason Ankeny & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide