The Philosopher's Stone (album)
| The Philosopher's Stone | ||||
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| Compilation album by Van Morrison | ||||
| Released | 16 June 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1988 | |||
| Genre | Blues, R & B | |||
| Length | 153:07 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Van Morrison | |||
| Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| Rolling Stone | |
The Philosopher's Stone is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1998 (see 1998 in music).
The songs released on this 2-CD thirty-track album were previously unreleased outtakes from 1969 to 1988. The album features twenty-five songs that had never been released and alternative renditions of "The Street Only Knew Your Name" (Inarticulate Speech of the Heart), "Wonderful Remark" (The Best of Van Morrison), "Real Real Gone" (Enlightenment), "Joyous Sound" (A Period of Transition), "Flamingos Fly" (A Period of Transition) and "Bright Side of the Road" (Into the Music).
Three songs on the album were evidently intended for Morrison's unreleased 1975 album Mechanical Bliss. "Twilight Zone", "Foggy Mountain Top" and "Flamingos Fly" were all mixed in 1974 just before Mechanical Bliss was due to come out.
The Philosopher's Stone, Volume One was originally scheduled to be released in July 1996. When it was released, some of the tracks had been changed; "When I Deliver", "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were replaced by "The Street Only Knew Your Name", "Western Plains" and "Joyous Sound". "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were eventually released as B-sides on Morrison's 1999 single "Back on Top".
Commenting on the previously unreleased songs, Van Morrison remarked:
"It's hard to work out why you didn't put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn't fit...When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist."
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