You know those live albums where you can practically smell the stale beer and the electricity in the room? That’s Van Morrison It's Too Late to Stop Now. It’s not just a recording; it’s a time capsule of a man who was, for a brief window in 1973, perhaps the greatest soul singer on the planet. Honestly, if you haven’t sat down with this double LP and a good pair of headphones, you’re missing out on the definitive "peak" of 1970s performance.
Most live albums are fakes. That’s a hard truth. Since the sixties, bands have gone into the studio after a tour to "fix" bum notes, re-record vocals, or sweeten the crowd noise so it sounds like they’re playing for a million people. Van didn't do that. He flat-out refused. He told Ted Templeman, his producer, that what happened on stage was what should be on the record. If someone hit a wrong note, it stayed.
Actually, that’s why "Moondance" didn't make the original cut. Guitarist John Platania hit one tiny "sour" note, and Van, being the perfectionist taskmaster he is, scrapped the whole track from the 1974 release. It wasn't until the 2008 reissue and the massive 2016 box set that we finally got to hear it.
The Magic of the Caledonia Soul Orchestra
You can’t talk about Van Morrison It's Too Late to Stop Now without talking about the band. This wasn't just a rock group. He called them the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. It was an eleven-piece monster. You had your standard rhythm section, but then Van added a horn section and a string quartet.
Strings in rock can usually feel a bit cheesy or "Vegas." Not here.
The strings on tracks like "Listen to the Lion" or "Saint Dominic's Preview" don't just sit in the background. They swell. They growl. They provide a tension that makes the songs feel like they're about to burst at the seams. Jeff Labes, the pianist, was basically the secret weapon, holding the arrangements together while Van wandered through the lyrics like a man possessed.
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Where the Magic Happened
The album wasn't just one show. It was pulled from three different iconic venues during the summer of '73:
- The Troubadour in Los Angeles (May 23-27)
- Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (June 29)
- The Rainbow in London (July 23-24)
If you listen closely, you can hear the difference in the rooms. The Troubadour feels tight, sweaty, and intimate. The Rainbow shows have this grand, echoing scale to them. It’s fascinating because even though they’re different nights, the sequencing makes it feel like one perfect, impossible concert.
Why "It's Too Late to Stop Now" Hits Differently
Most artists use live albums as a "Greatest Hits" filler. Van used it to reinvent himself. He was going through a messy divorce with Janet Planet at the time. You can hear that raw, nerves-exposed energy in every vocal run. He wasn't just singing "Brown Eyed Girl"—which he actually performed but kept off the original LP—he was digging into old blues covers by Ray Charles and Sam Cooke.
His version of "Bring It On Home to Me" is essentially a religious experience. When he shouts "It's turned on already!" to a fan who yells "Turn it on!", you realize he isn't just performing. He's in it.
The title itself comes from the closing of the shows. During the final stretch of "Cyprus Avenue," Van would get into this repetitive, trance-like state, eventually screaming, "It's too late to stop now!" before walking off stage while the band kept the groove going. It was a statement of intent. He couldn't stop if he wanted to. The music had taken over.
The Myth of the Taskmaster
Van has a reputation. People say he’s difficult, cranky, or that he hates his audience. On this record? None of that is visible. He is a conductor. You can hear him directing the band with "chops"—short, sharp vocal cues that tell the horns when to hit and the drums when to drop out.
He was at his most confident. John Platania once said this tour represented the height of Van's powers as a leader. He was in total control of the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, and they followed him into some pretty experimental territory for a 1970s pop star.
The 2016 Expansion: Is It Worth It?
For decades, we only had the original 18 tracks. Then, in 2016, Sony Legacy dropped ..It's Too Late to Stop Now... Volumes II, III, IV & DVD.
If you're a casual fan, the original double album is enough. But if you want to understand the process, the box set is a goldmine. You get to hear how he changed "Caravan" from night to night. You get the tracks that were "too raw" for 1974, including a heartbreaking performance of "I Paid the Price," a song about his failing marriage that he rarely ever touched again.
The DVD is the real kicker, though. Seeing Van in 1973 is a trip. He looks like a kid—"Van the Boy"—but he commands the stage like an old soul. He’s wearing these ridiculous flared trousers, sweating through his shirt, and eyes closed, just channeling the music. It’s the best evidence we have that he wasn't just a studio wizard; he was a force of nature.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Listener
If you want to truly appreciate Van Morrison It's Too Late to Stop Now, don't just put it on as background music while you're doing the dishes. It’s too dense for that.
- Start with "Listen to the Lion": This is the litmus test. If you can handle Van's "vocal improvisations"—the grunts, the roars, the scatting—you’re ready for the rest of the album. It’s a nine-minute journey into his psyche.
- Listen for the Dynamics: Notice how the band can go from a deafening roar to a whisper in two seconds. That’s the "Caledonia Soul" sound. It’s a masterclass in tension and release.
- Compare the Covers: Listen to his version of Sonny Boy Williamson’s "Help Me" or Muddy Waters’ "I Just Want to Make Love to You." He doesn't just copy them; he turns them into Celtic soul anthems.
- Watch the Rainbow Footage: If you can find the BBC recording of the London show, watch it. Seeing the interplay between Van and the string section explains more about the music than any review ever could.
Ultimately, this album is the sound of a man who found his "it." He had the best band he'd ever have, the best setlist, and a vocal range that hadn't yet been weathered by decades of touring. It’s a reminder that live music, when done without safety nets or overdubs, is the purest form of art we’ve got.
If you want to understand why people still talk about Van Morrison as a legend, despite his later-career eccentricities, this is the place to start. It really was too late to stop him.
Next Steps for Music Collectors:
- Seek out the original 1974 vinyl pressing if you can; audiophiles swear by the "tubey magic" of the analog mix that digital remasters sometimes flatten.
- Listen to Veedon Fleece immediately after. It was recorded shortly after this tour and captures the same somber, mystical energy but in a studio setting.