One of the ongoing projects I’m proudest of is the Decades series, in which I count down my favorite albums from a given year and then explore 10 (or more) albums from the year with which I’m unfamiliar.
I started with my birth year, 1972, then jumped ahead through the decades to 1982, 1992, and 2002. At the time (11 years ago) I didn’t know how far I’d take it. Now, I think it’s become one of the defining features of Meet Me in Montauk.
Back by popular demand after a two-week hiatus, it’s Montauk Madness! Specifically the third round of Montauk Madness, where the Sweet Sixteen faces off in our toughest matchups yet. Brace yourselves for some hard decisions!
Our first face-off pits Van Morrison against Billy Joel. A battle across the pond, Ireland vs. New York. Morrison made it here by spanking Barenaked Ladies with 91% of the vote and soundly defeating Peter Gabriel with 73%, while Joel had even more decisive victories over Michael Penn (95%) and Frank Sinatra (82%).
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The random nature of the matchups in Montauk Madness serves up some interesting pairings. This is probably the first time Barenaked Ladies and Van Morrison have been mentioned in the same breath.
Initially, I went with Barenaked Ladies here, my rationale being that I own and enjoy nine of their albums vs. only one by Morrison.
Van Morrison sist at #3 on my list of the best albums of 1970 with his third release, Moondance. This record could easily claim the #1 position but I have a soft spot for the two albums still to come.
The folk, soul and R&B sounds on this album, paired with Morrison’s unique vocals, put it in a class all its own. I can’t say that I reach for Moondance on a regular basis, but every time I hear it I wonder why I ever bother listening to anything else.
Almost every album on this list was recorded by a group or artist that shows up frequently in my music collection. In fact, some artists on this list have more than one album on this list.
But Van Morrison’s Moondance sits alone on my CD shelf, despite the fact that the Irish bard has released more than 40 albums, some of them considered classics.
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