Van Morrison Catalog to be Reissued With Bonus Material, Spanning 29 Albums From 1971-2002

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Top40 Charts/ Universal Music Enterprises) - Van Morrison and Exile Productions in association with Polydor/UMe are pleased to announce the worldwide release of Van Morrison's back catalog beginning in January 2008.

This worldwide exclusive reissue program covers 29 albums from 1971's TUPELO HONEY through 2002's DOWN THE ROAD, and also includes the 1997 2-CD collection THE STORY OF THEM. All of the albums have been remastered and each will include bonus material, none of which has been previously available.

Additionally, each album will feature its original artwork and include complete lyrics to Morrison's compositions. The first series of 6 albums will be released on January 29, 2008, followed by three additional release dates with the remaining titles.

The first set in January includes:
Tupelo Honey
It's Too Late To Stop Now
Wavelength
A Sense Of Wonder
Avalon Sunset
Back On Top

The bonus recordings are of particular interest since this is the first time Morrison has authorized any unreleased material since THE PHILOSOPHER'S Stone in 1998. Each album will include exclusive, unreleased recordings from their respective time period-giving a unique insight into some of his most revered songs. The bonus content for the initial titles can be seen below:

TUPELO HONEY, 1971 - "Wild Night" (alternative take) and a reworking of the traditional "Down By The Riverside"
IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW, 1974 - a live take on "Brown Eyed Girl"
WAVELENGTH, 1978 - "Kingdom Hall" and "Wavelength" (Live at the Roxy Theatre, L.A., Nov 26, 1978)
A SENSE OF WONDER, 1984 - "Crazy Jane On God" and "A Sense Of Wonder" (alternative takes)
AVALON SUNSET, 1989 - "Whenever God Shines His Light" (alternative take) and "When The Saints Go Marching In" (with additional lyrics by Van Morrison)
BACK ON TOP, 1999 - "Philosopher's Stone" (alternative take) and "Valley Of Tears" (a completely new arrangement of the Fats Domino song)