What the record is and where it came from
It’s Too Late to Stop Now is a 1974 live double album. It compiles performances from Van Morrison’s May–July 1973 tour with the eleven-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra across the Troubadour (Los Angeles), Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and Rainbow Theatre (London).
How it sounds, and how it was made
It sounds like an eleven-piece band with horns and strings playing live in three rooms — Los Angeles, Santa Monica, London — across May to July 1973. No studio overdubbing was permitted. Morrison changed phrasing nightly and directed the band with hand gestures. The band could take the songs anywhere he wanted.
What lands
What lands is the physical presence of Morrison conducting, phrasing, and pushing the Caledonia Soul Orchestra — horns, strings, rhythm section — through soul, blues, jazz, and rock in real time.
What does not
It does not include studio polish, pre-recorded parts, or post-tour editing. It excludes ‘Moondance’ over a single wrong guitar note. It contains no covers of songs not named in the source material.
The ideas inside it
The idea is discipline as improvisation: a new show every night, no repeats, no fixes, no safety net. It treats live performance as collective invention, not reproduction.
Who should hear it, and who should not
People who want to hear how a band breathes together live — not as a backing track, but as a responsive organism — should hear it. People who only listen for perfect takes or polished vocals should not.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It is one of the greatest recordings of a live concert, captured during what has often been said to be Morrison’s greatest phase as a live performer.
