At the Movies: Soundtrack Hits

1	Gloria 2:39
2	Baby Please Don't Go 2:43
3	Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) 2:59
4	Domino Live 4:45
5	Moondance Live 3:43
6	Queen of the Slipstream 4:55
7	Wild Night 3:33
8	Caravan Live 5:56
9	Wonderful Remark 3:59
10	Brown Eyed Girl 3:11
11	Days Like This 3:14
12	Into the Mystic Live 4:37
13	Hungry for Your Love 3:46
14	Someone Like You 4:10
15	Bright Side of the Road 3:47
16	Have I Told You Lately? 4:21
17	Real Real Gone 3:42
18	Irish Heartbeat 3:52
19	Comfortably Numb Live 4:43

Barnes & Noble

The fact that Van Morrison's music has long been a staple for Hollywood filmmakers shouldn't be a surprise. Van the Man's remarkably expressive voice -- and flair for writing songs that cut like a stiletto -- fit into myriad emotional scenarios while remaining immediately recognizable. That's evident on this career-spanning 19-track collection, which showcases both the singer's ready-to-rumble side -- on his definitive version of "Gloria," a centerpiece of the 1983 coming-of-age classic The Outsiders -- and his tear-jerking skills, represented by the "Have I Told You Lately?" that appeared in the charming One Fine Day. Naturally, the disc has a heaping helping of Morrison's best-known material -- "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Jackie Wilson Said," to name two examples -- but a smattering of surprises await the patient listener, notably "Someone Like You," a cut culled from his underrated album Poetic Champions Compose. While some might quibble with the use of live renditions of some tracks -- including "Domino" and "Moondance" -- the chance to hear those tunes presented differently than the ubiquitous radio staple versions is actually quite welcome. Similarly, Morrison's take on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" -- which appears in The Departed, making it the most recent offering here -- proves that he still has razor-sharp interpretive skills, not to mention a voice that could charm bees from a hive. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Van Morrison's music has always been evocative of time, place, and a range of emotions, so it's natural that many a film director has chosen his songs for soundtrack purposes. This collection of 19 Morrison recordings that have been placed either prominently or subliminally in films spans his career, from his earliest sides with Them ("Gloria," used in 1983's The Outsiders, "Baby, Please Don't Go," from 1990s Wild at Heart) up through his surprising cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" for the 2006 film The Departed. While there are some left-field choices, among them his collaboration with the Chieftains on "Irish Heartbeat," as well as "Bright Side of the Road" (from 1997's Fever Pitch) and "Someone Like You," a song from Morrison's Poetic Champions Compose album that was used in 1995's French Kiss, the collection also doubles as a passable Morrison greatest hits. "Brown Eyed Girl" finds its way in via Born on the Fourth of July, "Have I Told You Lately?" qualifies for its appearance in One Fine Day, and "Wild Night" makes it thanks to Thelma & Louise. Unfortunately, the compilers resorted several times to live versions of popular Morrison tunes rather than the studio versions that were actually used in the films. Thus, classic Morrison tracks such as "Domino," "Into the Mystic," "Moondance" (this version is previously unreleased), and "Caravan," while technically representing certain films, are also cheats. Jeff Tamarkin