EMI: Barely Able to Pay Its “Electric Light” Bill
While the fallout from the EMI shuffle/merger has yet to fully reveal itself, we’ve noticed a trend in recent releases under the imprint, one which certainly smells of on-the-cheap repackaging and dubious canon creation. The past few months have seen career-spanning compilations for the likes of Roxette and the forgotten Jacksons (Freddie and Luscious), a dismal collection of glassy-eyed covers from Diana Ross, and the reissue of the not-quite-essential Romeo & Juliet soundtrack, re-shilled as the “10th Anniversary Edition.” One of the more interesting to come our way, however, was Van Morrison at the Movies: Soundtrack Hits, a 19-track package that would work nicely for those casual fans who don’t already own the 1990 Polydor Greatest Hits collection, much of which reappears here. We are, however, happy to see the Last Waltz version of “Caravan” is included, although we certainly would have lobbied for the inclusion of a bonus fold-out poster of Van in action (pictured).
Van Morrison – Caravan (Live) [MP3, link expired]
