580:, which Marcus believes "could be the beginning of anything." To Marcus, Morrison's voice, which is much lower than it was on the original recording, gives the song a new meaning with "a hint of violence" through his "harsh vowels" and "gruff tone". He believed that the abundance of different parts at the end of the 1972 version "was lost in a mass finale", whereas the fact that all the parts came together in this version, represents the people "marching as one, shouting for freedom, in the moment celebrating the truth that they already had it." This version is included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of his 1997 album
411:: "he wrote that in 'Saint Dominic's Preview'. 'It's a long way to Buffalo/it's a long way to Belfast City too' – that was him crying out, saying, 'Well, you know what, I would like to return to my place too, 'cause I miss it.'" Morrison revealed to journalists in 1972: "I don't think I want to go back to Belfast. I don't miss it with all that prejudice around. We're all the same and I think it's terrible what's happening. But I think I'd like to get a house in Ireland. I'd like to spend a few months there every year."
456:, San Francisco in April 1972. The band members present were Doug Messenger (guitar), Bill Church (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums), Tom Salisbury (piano), Jack Schroer and Jules Broussard (saxophones), with Janet Planet, Ellen Schroer and Mark Springer providing backing vocals as part of the Street Choir (Morrison's vocal backing group at the time). Jim Gaines, employed at the Wally Heider Studios, was the engineer at the session. Pianist Tom Salisbury made the arrangements for the song, along with "
495:, were brought in to play it. None produced the sound wanted, so Messenger was recalled, and managed to complete the overdub to Morrison's satisfaction in one take. Morrison also rerecorded his vocals, which, over the new backing, allowed him to react more to the music; "no regrets" was replaced with "ne regrette rien" and the vowel sound of "wine" was elongated to "wi-ee-ine". In the final recording, "ne regrette rien" is replaced by the Latin motto "non regredior" ("I do not retreat").
468:, which made it easy for him to write down the charts over the phone with instruction from Morrison. Salisbury was happy with the first take, even though ten takes were eventually made during the session. Doug Messenger recalled: "When we recorded "St. Dominic's," every take was more powerful that the last. Quite an experience. Mallaber kept driving the band harder and harder."
491:, intended to give a country feel to the line 'Every Hank Williams railroad train ... '. The electric guitar had to be rerecorded because of unwanted sound leaking into the microphone. Doug Messenger was no longer part of Morrison's band when the overdubs were being recorded, so numerous guitarists, including
563:
with contributions from various Irish performers and groups. Clinton Heylin notes that when this recording was made was "a time when the people of
Northern Ireland were again praying for lasting peace ... Sung with a passion rare, the 1996 'Saint Dominic's Preview' reminded everyone watching that the
443:
Peter Mills identifies that the chorus is the element that brings the song together: "Through it all, Saint
Dominic's Preview remains. It is that which holds the song together, and unifies the apparently unconnected, resolving fracture through re-imagining what it means to belong: in this, the song
439:
In the lines "You got ev'rything in the world you ever wanted/And right about now your face should wear a smile", Morrison's personal life and successful career are covered, with references to the dishonesty of the music business, and his own self-pity and longing for a home that did not exist any
426:
I'd been working on this song about the scene going down in
Belfast. And I wasn't sure what I was writing but the central image seemed to be this church called St Dominic's where people were gathering to pray or hear a mass for peace in Northern Ireland. A few weeks later I was playing at a gig in
363:
It has been difficult for biographers and music reviewers to accurately identify some of the words used in "Saint
Dominic's Preview"'s lyrics, as they were not published in the album sleeve at the time of its release. This led to some incorrect interpretations of the song before an official lyric
435:
thought that "It was surprising subject matter simply because of
Morrison's long-standing decision not to address this volatile issue." Morrison later rejected the idea that the song had any political meaning, claiming that it was not written "with anything in mind ... is just a stream of
506:
believes the lyrics in "Saint
Dominic's Preview" are "the most Dylanesque Van ever gets", while Peter Wrench claims that "Saint Dominic's Preview" "is, by some distance, the densest and most allusive songs on the record and one of the most striking in the Morrison canon."
427:
Reno, Nevada. I picked up a newspaper, and there in front of me was an announcement about a mass for peace in
Belfast to be said the next day at St Dominic's Church in San Francisco. Totally blew me out. Like I'd never even heard of a St Dominic's Church.
527:
Janet Planet commented about the song: "I am rather partial to 'St
Dominic's Preview' if I had to pick one from the album. And I'm proud of our contribution. I really loved singing with him and I loved Ellen and Mark – they were wonderful."
519:
identified "Saint
Dominic's Preview" as the song that unifies the album: "The six-and-a-half-minute title cut which opens side two nicely straddles the gap between the album’s two styles. Instrumentally it is very similar to
524:'. The arrangement and vocals are joyously full-bodied ... However, the dense verbiage (more complex than on any other cut) is disjunctive and arcane, juxtaposing images of mythic travel, with those of social alienation."
431:
There are also references to "orange" boxes, "flags and emblems" and people determined "not to feel anyone else's pain", which are seen by some as allusions to the situation in
Belfast. Biographer
395:
in Paris. The line "It's a long way to Buffalo/It's a long way to Belfast city too" is believed to refer to the homesickness that Morrison experienced living in the US at the time, because of the
548:, recorded in February 1979 and released in 1981. It was Morrison's first concert in Belfast since 1967. The audience notably cheer when Morrison sings the lyric that mentions Belfast city.
1132:
479:
were not present at the recording of "Saint Dominic's Preview", but oversaw the overdubs and retakes that were made to the song. The overdubs include Salisbury's
364:
sheet was published. The words emote different settings, but do not form an obvious story, as they describe a variety of subjects, such as cleaning windows,
207:
1204:
1209:
436:
consciousness. It doesn't mean any particular thing. It's a sketch ... the words, the syllables, just came out of my mouth and I wrote them down."
929:
1199:
379:"Saint Dominic's Preview" begins with references to Morrison's youth, working as a window cleaner in Belfast. He uses the word
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album) play drums and saxophone respectively and Morrison's then wife, Janet Planet, is one of the back-up vocalists.
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383:(the leather used to clean windows) as a pun to link the French word to two aspects of French culture: singer
669:
536:"Saint Dominic's Preview" was one of the live performances included on Morrison's 1974 acclaimed live album,
568:
notes that Belfast and San Francisco were very different places in 1972 and 1996. This version begins with
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has been described as one of his most allusive, containing wide-ranging references including
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is indeed a helpful observation of the situation in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s."
8:
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Morrison recorded a second studio version of the song for the Irish television program
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part, which is cued in by the line ‘Across the street from Cathedral Notre Dame’, and
1170:
1156:
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1121:
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1070:
678:
667:
Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Van Morrison". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).
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The original recording was remastered in 2007 and included on the compilation album,
452:"Saint Dominic's Preview" was recorded during the final session for the album at the
408:
51:
260:
in San Francisco in April 1972, with overdubs made later on. Morrison wrote it in a
816:
814:
Jones, Allan (2016). Mulvey, John (ed.). "The Ultimate Music Guide: Van Morrison".
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cathedral and the vicissitudes of the recording industry. The song also mentions
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337:"Saint Dominic's Preview" has also been released on the live recordings
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418:, but only found out afterwards that a mass that was being held in a
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in the same vein as some of his earlier works, particularly those on
119:
993:
542:. It is also one of the songs performed on Morrison's first video
573:
559:
in April 1996. It was later released in August 1997 on the album
407:
recalled a conversation he had with Morrison about how he missed
279:
1133:
Hymns to the Silence: Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison
464:", which were also recorded at the final session. Salisbury had
271:
422:
in San Francisco for peace in Belfast. He told John Grissim:
1118:
When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison
646:
Jack Schroer – alto and baritone saxophones
1167:
Saint Dominic's Flashback: Van Morrison's Classic Album
1084:
Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography
842:
840:
414:Morrison revealed that the song came to him in a
208:Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)
1181:
1041:"New Release: The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition)"
610:Jules Broussard – tenor saxophone
278:, Morrison's place of residence at the time, to
713:
711:
709:
707:
300:, Morrison's pre-fame career cleaning windows,
837:
564:time had come to reinstate these sentiments."
1169:, Forty Years On, FeedARead. Kindle Edition.
858:
856:
731:
729:
649:Mark Springer – backing vocals
643:Ellen Schroer – backing vocals
704:
637:Janet Planet – backing vocals
447:
640:Tom Salisbury – piano, organ
1101:Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison
853:
726:
1205:Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman
666:
1210:Song recordings produced by Van Morrison
1182:
927:
921:
660:
631:Doug Messenger – guitar
813:
320:and the California supermarket chain
634:Pat O'Hara – trombone
248:by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
349:, as well as the compilation album
270:. The song's narrative moves from
13:
928:Holden, Stephen (31 August 1972).
717:
14:
1221:
670:The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
613:Bill Church – bass
531:
607: – guitar, vocals
592:Still on Top - The Greatest Hits
352:Still on Top - The Greatest Hits
1033:
1028:When That Rough God Goes Riding
1020:
1007:
982:
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1069:, Andover, Hampshire: Agenda,
940:. No. 116. Archived from
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755:
742:
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1:
1200:Songs written by Van Morrison
653:
1120:, New York: Public Affairs,
598:
498:
7:
990:"Sult: Spirit of the Music"
328:and Jack Schroer (from the
252:, released in July 1972 by
244:" is the title song of the
18:1972 single by Van Morrison
10:
1226:
1152:Van Morrison: No Surrender
1059:
358:
1155:, London: Vintage Books
1067:In Search of Van Morrison
1015:Can You Feel the Silence?
977:Can You Feel the Silence?
916:Saint Dominic's Flashback
903:Saint Dominic's Flashback
890:Saint Dominic's Flashback
877:Saint Dominic's Flashback
864:Saint Dominic's Flashback
848:Saint Dominic's Flashback
802:Can You Feel the Silence?
789:Can You Feel the Silence?
750:Can You Feel the Silence?
699:In Search of Van Morrison
561:Sult: Spirit of the Music
539:It's Too Late To Stop Now
448:Recording and composition
340:It's Too Late to Stop Now
201:
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132:
111:
99:
91:
76:
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39:
28:
24:"Saint Dominic's Preview"
23:
1086:, Chicago Review Press,
399:. Whilst touring on the
389:Non, je ne regrette rien
932:Saint Dominic's Preview
619: – drums
545:Van Morrison in Ireland
416:stream of consciousness
346:Van Morrison in Ireland
294:Saint Dominic's Preview
282:, where he grew up, to
262:stream of consciousness
256:It was recorded at the
242:Saint Dominic's Preview
217:Saint Dominic's Preview
43:Saint Dominic's Preview
1165:Wrench, Peter (2012).
429:
1136:, London: Continuum,
1130:Mills, Peter (2010),
424:
1065:Brooks, Ken (1999),
832:Hymns to the Silence
737:Hymns to the Silence
677:. pp. 559–561.
675:Simon & Schuster
454:Wally Heider Studios
420:St. Dominic's church
397:situation in Belfast
393:Cathedral Notre-Dame
258:Wally Heider Studios
106:Wally Heider Studios
944:on 10 December 2010
576:playing in a minor
1195:Van Morrison songs
934:> Music Review"
625: –
557:Temple Bar, Dublin
489:pedal steel guitar
475:and his assistant
197:singles chronology
1161:978-0-09-943183-1
1142:978-0-8264-2976-6
1126:978-1-58648-821-5
1043:. vanmorrison.com
964:Celtic Crossroads
763:Celtic Crossroads
720:Celtic Crossroads
409:Buffalo, New York
387:, with her song "
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673:(4th ed.).
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583:The Healing Game
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458:I Will Be There
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722:. p. 142.
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532:Other releases
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517:Stephen Holden
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433:Clinton Heylin
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1109:1-86074-169-X
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1103:, Sanctuary,
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1097:Hinton, Brian
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318:Hank Williams
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308:, Irish poet
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290:apartment").
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284:New York City
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1045:. Retrieved
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997:. Retrieved
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946:. Retrieved
942:the original
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776:No Surrender
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627:steel guitar
605:Van Morrison
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566:Greil Marcus
560:
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522:Tupelo Honey
510:
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504:Brian Hinton
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470:
462:Redwood Tree
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298:The Troubles
293:
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267:Astral Weeks
265:
254:Warner Bros.
250:Van Morrison
241:
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216:
195:Van Morrison
187:Van Morrison
168:Van Morrison
155:Warner Bros.
61:Redwood Tree
41:
34:Van Morrison
15:
999:4 September
948:5 September
570:Dónal Lunny
477:Donn Landee
370:W. B. Yeats
310:W. B. Yeats
288:52nd Street
246:sixth album
175:Producer(s)
1190:1972 songs
1184:Categories
1047:3 December
1030:, pp.160–2
966:, pp.215–6
791:, p. 256-7
654:References
623:John McFee
515:reviewer
485:John McFee
403:, drummer
401:West Coast
385:Edith Piaf
366:Edith Piaf
306:Edith Piaf
302:Notre-Dame
95:April 1972
1017:, p.471-2
599:Personnel
499:Reception
471:Producer
368:'s soul,
331:Moondance
120:Folk rock
1149:(2006).
1116:(2010),
1099:(2000).
1082:(2003).
1026:Marcus.
1013:Heylin.
994:Allmusic
975:Heylin.
962:Hinton.
914:Wrench.
901:Wrench.
888:Wrench.
875:Wrench.
862:Wrench.
846:Wrench.
820:(5): 25.
804:, p. 256
800:Heylin,
787:Heylin,
778:, p. 274
761:Hinton.
752:, p. 257
748:Heylin,
718:Hinton.
697:Brooks.
92:Recorded
77:Released
1060:Sources
979:, p.471
830:Mills.
774:Rogan.
765:, p.143
735:Mills.
574:bazouki
555:at the
460:" and "
391:", and
381:chamois
359:Writing
322:Safeway
316:singer
314:country
280:Belfast
230:(1973)
221:(1972)
212:(1972)
125:R&B
84:1972-07
82: (
1173:
1159:
1140:
1124:
1107:
1090:
1073:
834:, p.60
739:, p.59
701:, p.66
681:
440:more.
272:France
133:Length
101:Studio
52:A-side
30:Single
817:Uncut
481:organ
226:Gypsy
150:Label
113:Genre
68:Gypsy
1171:ISBN
1157:ISBN
1138:ISBN
1122:ISBN
1105:ISBN
1088:ISBN
1071:ISBN
1049:2022
1001:2018
950:2018
679:ISBN
578:mode
553:Sult
372:and
343:and
572:on
487:'s
274:to
32:by
1186::
992:.
936:.
855:^
839:^
728:^
706:^
595:.
586:.
376:.
355:.
324:.
312:,
286:("
228:"
219:"
210:"
142:23
1051:.
1003:.
952:.
930:"
687:.
520:'
240:"
224:"
215:"
206:"
140::
138:6
86:)
70:"
66:"
63:"
59:"
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