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Rhino recently launched its Rhino High Fidelity series of audiophile-quality vinyl titles.  Now, the label has announced the next two titles in that line: Van Morrison’s His Band and the Street Choir and the late Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth.  Both albums’ lacquers have been cut by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram vinyl by Optimal; the releases are limited and numbered to 5,000 units sold exclusively at Rhino.com in the U.S. and in select stores overseas.

Van Morrison’s third album for Warner Bros. after the enigmatic Astral Weeks and more commercial Moondance, 1970’s His Band and the Street Choir was funky, loose, and altogether fresh with such timeless compositions as the top ten hit single “Domino,” “Blue Money,” and “Call Me Up in Dreamland.”  Soul, gospel, and rhythm and blues were emphasized on the LP with hints of Astral Weeks‘ folk sound and Moondance‘s jazz sensibility.  A number of the album’s songs, including “Domino,” had been recorded and reworked (and recorded and reworked again) by Morrison prior to the album sessions; the sessions themselves took many twists and turns as Morrison initially had contemplated an all-a cappella album before agreeing on a band including Alan Hand (piano/organ), Keith Johnson (trumpet), John Klingberg (bass), John Platania (guitars), Jack Schroer (saxophone), and David Shaw, a.k.a. Dahaud Shaar (drums/percussion/clarinet).  Judy Clay, Cissy Houston, and Jackie Verdell joined on background vocals for “If I Ever Needed Someone” while Morrison’s Street Choir, including his then-girlfriend Janet Planet, was featured.  The album reached the U.S. top 30 and the U.K. top 20; despite some of the artist’s own reservations about the finished album, it remains one of the most beloved entries in his catalogue.

Word of Mouth, the second solo album from bassist Jaco Pastorius (1951-1987), was recorded while he was still a part of Weather Report.  It was named after the band he had assembled for touring between 1981 and 1983, and showcased his skills as composer and arranger for a large unit.  The LP was mostly composed of his own compositions, with covers of Lennon and McCartney (“Blackbird”) and Bach (“Chromatic Fantasy”) rounding out the disc.  A “Who’s Who” of jazz joined Pastorius at the sessions, including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Tom Scott, Hubert Laws, Chuck Findley, Toots Thielemans, Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette, and others.  While Pastorius’ distinctive bass is still a major element, he proved himself a generous collaborator on Word of Mouth as he blended his instrument into the whole.  His second and final Warner Bros. album, the live Invitation, would arrive in 1982; it would prove the final solo album of his too-short lifetime.

Both His Band and the Street Choir and Word of Mouth are lavishly packaged in glossy, sturdy “tip-on” jackets with OBIs.  The former has an insert with lyrics and a new interview with Elliot Scheiner, who engineered many of the tracks that made the final album.  The latter boasts new liner notes by Ricky Schultz, who signed Jaco to the Warner label. These two titles are shipping now directly from Rhino at the links below!

Van Morrison, His Band and the Street Choir (Warner Bros. LP WS 1884, 1970 – reissued Warner/Rhino, 2023)

Side One

1. Domino
2. Crazy Face
3. Give Me A Kiss
4. I’ve Been Working
5. Call Me Up In Dreamland
6. I’ll Be Your Lover, Too

Side Two

1. Blue Money
2. Virgo Clowns
3. Gypsy Queen
4. Sweet Jannie
5. If I Ever Needed Someone
6. Street Choir

Jaco Pastorius, Word of Mouth (Warner Bros. LP BSK 3535, 1981 – reissued Warner/Rhino, 2023)

Side One

1. Crisis
2. Three Views of a Secret
3. Liberty City

Side Two

1. Chromatic Fantasy
2. Blackbird
3. Word of Mouth
4. John and Mary