Posts Tagged ‘Bang Records’

VAN MORRISON – ” Brown Eyed Girl ” Released 28th March 1967

Posted: March 29, 2020 in MUSIC
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On this day (March. 28th) in 1967: Van Morrison recorded the track “Brown Eyed Girl” during a two-day session at A&R Studios in New York City; written by Van, it was one of eight songs recorded at the time for his new record label, Bang Records; produced by Bang founder Bert Berns in 22 takes, the finished version was different than what Van had envisioned; “The record came out different,” he later explained…”This fellow Bert, he made it the way he wanted it & I accepted the fact that he was producing it, so I just let him do it”…(this fab clip from 1973, likely more how Van heard it…). The song spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart. It featured the Sweet Inspirations singing back-up vocals and is considered to be Van Morrison’s signature song. “Brown Eyed Girl” has remained a staple on classic rock radio, and has been covered by hundreds of bands over the decades.

Because of a contract he signed with Bang Records without legal advice, Morrison states that he has never received any royalties for writing or recording this song. Morrison vented frustration about this unjust contract in his sarcastic nonsense song “The Big Royalty Check”. Morrison has stated that “Brown Eyed Girl” is not among his favourite songs, remarking “it’s not one of my best. I mean I’ve got about 300 songs that I think are better.

After finishing his contract with “Decca Records” and the mid-1966 break-up of his band, Them , Morrison returned to Belfast seeking a new recording company. When he received a phone call from Bert Berns owner of Bang Records who had produced a number of recordings with Them, he flew to New York City and hastily signed a contract (which biographer Clinton Heylin says probably still gives him sleepless nights). During a two-day recording session starting 28th March 1967, he recorded eight songs intended to be used as four singles. The recording session took place at A & R Studios and “Brown Eyed Girl” was captured on the 22nd take on the first day. Of the musicians Berns had assembled, there were three guitarists Eric Gale Hugh McCracken and Al Gorgoni plus bassist Russ Savakus pianist Paul Griffin and drummer Gary Chester It was released as a single in mid-June 1967.

Originally titled “Brown-Skinned Girl”,Morrison changed it to “Brown Eyed Girl” when he recorded it. Morrison remarked on the title change: “That was just a mistake. It was a kind of Jamaican song. Calypso. It just slipped my mind [that] I changed the title. After we’d recorded it, I looked at the tape box and didn’t even notice that I’d changed the title. I looked at the box where I’d lain it down with my guitar and it said ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ on the tape box. It’s just one of those things that happen.

The song’s nostalgic lyrics about a former love were considered too suggestive at the time to be played on many radio stations. A radio-edit of the song was released which removed the lyrics “making love in the green grass”, replacing them with “laughin’ and a-runnin’, hey hey” from a previous verse. This edited version appears on some copies of the compilation album The Best of Van Morrison. However, the remastered album seems to have the bowdlerised lyrics in the packaging but the original “racy” lyrics on the disc.

“Brown Eyed Girl” joined an elite group of songs as it was honoured for having 10 million US radio air plays

VAN MORRISON – ” The Authorized Bang Collection “

Posted: April 11, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Van Morrison Bang Cover

These Recordings Van Morrison made for Bang Records in 1967, including an entire disc of tracks seeing official release for the first time, will feature on the upcoming reissue “The Authorized Bang Collection”. The compilation gathers songs the Irish singer-songwriter laid down during his brief period on legendary producer Bert Berns’ label.

The collection, due out April 28th, features three discs of music that Morrison recorded alongside Berns: The first disc focuses on the original masters from Morrison’s Bang sessions including original mixes of songs like “Brown Eyed Girl,” “T.B. Sheets” and “Madame George” while the second boasts rarities from the sessions.

The third disc dubbed the Contractual Obligation Session, as it closed Morrison’s tenure with the label – contains 32 short, stripped-down and less-refined songs that were oft-bootlegged over the years but presented here in its best sound quality to date.

After leaving Them for a solo career in 1967, Morrison aligned with Berns’ Bang Records; Berns, who wrote tracks like “Twist and Shout,” “Piece of My Heart” and “Cry to Me,” produced Them’s 1965 hit “Here Comes the Night.” However, after the recording sessions, Morrison and Berns‘ partnership fizzled. After Berns died unexpectedly in December 1967, Morrison entered a legal battle with the producer’s widow over his creative independence.

“Bert Berns was a genius,” Morrison said in a statement. “He was a brilliant songwriter and he had a lot of soul, which you don’t find nowadays.”

The Authorized Bang Collection 3-CD set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Van Morrison’s first solo record and includes, for the first time on CD, the original mixes of the master recordings, including the hit “Brown Eyed Girl”. An additional 13 tracks of session outtakes (10 previously unreleased) complement the original masters, in both original stereo or mono mixes. Also included in ‘The Authorized Bang Collection’ is the first official release of Morrison’s “contractual obligation session.” He submitted 31 hastily composed, wryly humorous “nonsense” songs. This disc illustrates the depths of Morrison’s frustration at an early stage in his career.