How Long Has This Been Going On (Van Morrison album)

How Long Has This Been Going On is the twenty-fourth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, "with Georgie Fame and Friends", released in December 1995 (see 1995 in music) in the UK. It charted at No. 1 on Top Jazz Albums.[1]

For other uses, see How Long Has This Been Going On (disambiguation).

How Long Has This Been Going On
Studio album by
Van Morrison
ReleasedDecember 1995
Recorded3 May 1995
VenueRonnie Scott's, London
Genre
Length50:49
LabelVerve
ProducerVan Morrison, Georgie Fame
Van Morrison chronology
Days Like This
(1995)		 How Long Has This Been Going On
(1995)		 Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison
(1996)
Singles from How Long Has This Been Going On
  1. "That's Life" b/w "Moondance"/"That's Life"
    Released: February 1996

Recording history

The album was recorded live (but without an audience) at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London, England, on 3 May 1995, and features a number of jazz standards and a be-bop influenced rendition of Morrison's classic "Moondance". According to Van Morrison, "the album took four or five hours to record and Ronnie Scott's was chosen for the vibe."[2] Georgie Fame recalled that the album came about after he and Morrison had discussed it for several years when, "I got the band together, and we ran through some ideas one quiet afternoon...that went very well, so Van said, 'Let's do it.'"[3]

Songs

Pee Wee Ellis played saxophone and also served as arranger, along with Fame, Morrison and saxophonist Leo Green. There were more cover songs on this album than usual with Morrison's albums. Annie Ross appeared on "Blues Backstage" and also on the song, "Centerpiece". This song is also featured on the 2007 compilation album, The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3, along with "Moondance" and "That's Life". "Heathrow Shuffle" is an instrumental composition from the 70's that was brought back on this album. Morrison had performed this song when he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974, and it is included on his 2006 DVD, Live at Montreux 1980/1974.

Reviews
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

The reviews for the album were mixed with the American critics more favourable. The Daily Telegraph said, "Van huffs and puffs where he should whisper," while Rolling Stone stated, "It's an old blues trick – laughing in the face of trouble – but Morrison does it with such contagious enthusiasm, it sounds fresh again."

Track listing
  1. "I Will Be There" (Van Morrison) – 2:30
  2. "The New Symphony Sid" (King Pleasure, Lester Young: additional lyrics Georgie Fame) – 3:53
  3. "Early in the Morning" (Dallas Bartley, Leo Hickman, Louis Jordan) – 2:44
  4. "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 4:02
  5. "Sack O' Woe" (Cannonball Adderley, Jon Hendricks) – 4:06
  6. "Moondance" (Morrison) – 7:18
  7. "Centerpiece" (Harry Edison, Hendricks), including section from "Blues Backstage" (Frank Foster) – 4:08
  8. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:49
  9. "Your Mind Is on Vacation" (Mose Allison) – 3:06
  10. "All Saint's Day" (Morrison) – 2:19
  11. "Blues in the Night" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) – 3:22
  12. "Don't Worry About a Thing" (Allison) – 2:22
  13. "That's Life" (Dean Kay, Kelly Gordon) – 3:52
  14. "Heathrow Shuffle" (Morrison) – 3:18
  • Tracks 2, 5, 7, 8, 10 & 12 arranged by Georgie Fame.
  • Tracks 3, 4, 9 & 13 arranged by Pee Wee Ellis.
  • Tracks 6 & 14 arranged by Van Morrison.
  • Track 1 arranged by Leo Green.
  • Track 11 arranged by Georgie Fame and Pee Wee Ellis.

Personnel

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1995 UK Albums Chart[7] 76
1996 The Billboard 200 55
1996 Top Jazz Albums 1

Notes
  1. "Billboard album How Long Has This Been Going On". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  2. Hinton. Celtic Crossroads. p326
  3. Heylin, Can you Feel the Silence, p464
  4. Allmusic review
  5. Entertainment Weekly review
  6. Himes, Geoffrey (8 February 1996). "Van Morrison: How Long Has This Been Going On". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.
  7. "Official Charts – Van Morrison – How Long Has This Been Going On". Official Charts. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

References
  • Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
  • Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074-169-X
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