Wonderful night for a contractuary obligation

A number of their more diehard fans have complained that Radiohead's Hail to the Thief sounds suspiciously like a contractual obligation album, that compilation of Z-sides that mark the parting of ways between a band and its record label. But you don't know contractual obligation until you listen to Van Morrison's Bang Records Contractual Obligation Sessions, as found on WFMU's Beware the Blog. Apparently done at the end of his relationship with Bang, these 31 tracks represent a hilarious and sometimes torturous look at an artist trying to create enough music so he can leave.

The first few tracks sound like genuine attempts by a lesser artist to write a song. They suck huge. But then he finds his legs, and eventually he starts to debate about whether to have a danish, a sandwich, or a seat. He also has a serious beef with a guy named George.

Van Morrison's Contractual Obligation Sessions

Van Morrison - Want a Danish

Van Morrison - Dum Dum George

posted by Thomas @ 14:08