Hard Nose The Highway [Original recording remastered]

While there are many great songs on this album, including Snow in San Anselmo, Warm Love, Bein' Green and Autumn Song, my own personal favourite is the title track Hard Nose The Highway. It says so much.

I'm 40 years old and a big fan of Van since I was 15. I'd like to know one important thing from all those who are enthousiastic about Hard Nose : if you give 5 stars, or even 4, to this album, how many, for God's sake, do u give to pure masterpieces like Astral Weeks, Moondance, St Dominic Preview, Veedon Fleece or Into the Mystic (only to speak of Morrison's timeless classics he did before his long and painful wanderings of the 1980-1985 period) ??? In NO WAY Hard Nose can be classified in the same category that these brillant ones.

Hard Nose is a good album ; in my book, it is even better than Tupelo Honey for instance (who has easily 3 or 4 songs rather forgettable). There is absolutely no bad song in Hard Nose, I agree big time with u. But also there is nothing genius or fantastic in that sixth studio album of the Master. This is an album who gives us smooth, mellow and very loose music, jazzy in some regards. There is nothing here boisterous or exuberant like, for instance, Domino, Wild Night or Jackie Wilson Said.

When listening Hard Nose, I personally feel serenity or calm joy of playing from Van's musicians, not nostalgia or sadness like some reviewers wrote. Musically, this album rest heavily on the beautiful piano of Jeff Labes and the subtil electric guitar of John Platania (Hard Nose, by the way, was recorded in a small studio behind Platania's house on top of a hill !) with strings and horns sections to back it beautifully.

But again, none of these eight songs - six composed by Van - are something to roll on ground or knock our head on the wall, except may be the shortest song of the album Warm Love (which is a pure classic in the same vein that Crazy Love or Crazy Face) ! I would be tempted to say that Hard Nose is the perfect background music album for doing what we like to do most during a beautiful summer day (something relax like read a book or make BBQ)... but I will not said so since when a Master's record is playing, there is NOTHING ELSE to do than stop everything, sit down, close our eyes and listen carefully and respectfully. There is no other way to listening an Artist (note the A majuscule) who sings with so much soul and emotion that to listen him with our own heart and soul. Get Into the Mystic !

Best songs of Hard Nose are, in that order : Warm Love (4.0 stars), Wild Children (3.5, but much better live), Snow in San Anselmo (3.5), Autumn Song (3.5, and easily rating of 4 if these useless five last minutes were not there), Purple Heather (3.0, note that this song is the first foray into Irish folklore in all Van's discography), Hardnose the Highway (3.0), The Great Deception (3.0) and Bein' Green (3.0).

In summary, this Hard Nose the Highway of the summer of '73 is good but not great. There's nothing bad to receive 3 stars (album or song) but please, control your frantic ecstasy about this album : 4 or 5 stars... come on ! Hard Nose didn't negatively affect in any sense the solid reputation of Morrison... but it didn't contribute to his legendary stature too !