Van Morrison. Tupelo Honey (1971)

Tupelo Honey is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1971. The album yielded two hit singles, the hymn-like title track, as well as the R&B-flavored "Wild Night".

The namesake for the album is a varietal honey produced from the flowers of the tupelo tree found in the Southeastern United States.

The original LP was released in a gatefold sleeve. The cover photograph showed Janet Planet, Morrison's then wife, riding bareback on a horse, with Morrison walking alongside. The gatefold and back cover photographs showed Morrison perched upon the fence of the horse's paddock, with his wife standing to his right and a black-and-white kitten on the fence to his left. It was an album of rural, domestic bliss, although the marriage ended within a few years.

The vocals on the album were always live after rehearsing each song five or six times, according to saxophonist Boots Houston. The only overdubbing consisted of backing vocals and horns.

The January 29, 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains an alternative take of "Wild Night" and a reworked cover version of the traditional song, "Down By the Riverside".

Track Listing

All songs by Van Morrison.

Side One

1. "Wild Night" – 3:33
2. "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" – 3:43
3. "Old Old Woodstock" – 4:17
4. "Starting a New Life" – 2:10
5. "You're My Woman" – 6:44

Side Two

1. "Tupelo Honey" – 6:54
2. "I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)" – 3:27
3. "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" – 3:06
4. "Moonshine Whiskey" – 6:48

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