Legacy RecordingsA new comprehensive three-CD compilation of the 1967 solo recordings Van Morrison made for the Bang Records label will be released April 28. The Authorized Bang Collection features two discs’ worth of recordings produced by late Bang founder Bert Berns — who’d previously worked with Morrison’s band, Them — as well as a disc of the much-bootlegged series of short demos Van made in 1967 to complete his contractual obligation to the label.
The first disc of the collection presents, for the first time on CD, original stereo mixes of a variety of early Morrison tunes, including his classic hit “Brown Eyed Girl,” “T.B. Sheets,” “Spanish Rose,” and “Ro Ro Rosey. It also includes original mono mixes of “Beside You” and “Madame George” — two songs that would later appear on Van’s acclaimed 1968 album, Astral Weeks — plus a rare demo version of “The Smile You Smile.”
The second disc features the rare original edited mono single mixes of “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Ro Ro Rosey,” as well as a variety of previously unreleased takes of those songs and other tunes.
The collection’s third disc, titled Contractual Obligation Session, features 31 short songs Morrison recorded showcasing the singer/songwriter’s humor and frustration as he prepared to end his association by Bang Records.
Here’s the full track list of The Authorized Bang Collection:
Disc One: The Original Masters
“Brown Eyed Girl” [original stereo mix]
“He Ain’t Give You None” [original stereo mix]
“T.B. Sheets” [original stereo mix]
“Spanish Rose” [original stereo mix]
“Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)” [original stereo mix]
“Ro Ro Rosey” [original stereo mix]
“Who Drove the Red Sports Car” [original stereo mix]
“Midnight Special” [original stereo mix]
“It’s All Right” [original stereo mix]
“Send Your Mind” [original stereo mix]
“The Smile You Smile” [original stereo mix]
“The Back Room” [original stereo mix]
“Joe Harper Saturday Morning” [original stereo mix]
“Beside You” [original mono mix]
“Madame George” [original mono mix]
“Chick-A-Boom” [original mono mix]
“The Smile You Smile” [demo]
Disc Two: Bang Sessions & Rarities
“Brown Eyed Girl” [original edited mono single mix]
“Ro Ro Rosey” [original mono single mix with backing vocals]
“T.B. Sheets” [Take 2]*
“Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)” [Takes 10 & 11]*
“Send Your Mind” [Take 3]*
“Midnight Special” [Take 7]
“He Ain’t Give You None” [Take 4]
“Ro Ro Rosey” [Take 2]*
“Who Drove the Red Sports Car” [Take 6]
“Beside You” [Take 2]*
“Joe Harper Saturday Morning” [Take 2]*
“Beside You” [Take 5]*
“Spanish Rose” [Take 14]*
“Brown Eyed Girl” [Takes 1-6]*
“Brown Eyed Girl” [Takes 7-11]*
Disc Three: Contractual Obligation Session
“Twist and Shake”
“Shake and Roll”
“Stomp and Scream”
“Scream and Holler”
“Jump and Thump”
“Drivin’ Wheel”
“Just Ball”
“Shake It Mable”
“Hold On George”
“The Big Royalty Check”
“Ring Worm”
“Savoy Hollywood”
“Freaky If You Got This Far”
“Up Your Mind”
“Thirty Two”
“All the Bits”
“You Say France and I Whistle”
“Blowin’ Your Nose”
“Nose in Your Blow”
“La Mambo”
“Go for Yourself”
“Want a Danish”
“Here Comes Dumb George”
“Chickee Coo”
“Do It”
“Hang On Groovy”
“Goodbye George”
“Dum Dum George”
“Walk and Talk”
“The Wobble”
“Wobble and Ball”
* = previously unissued.
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