Saint Dominic's Preview

Saint Dominic's Preview
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 1972
Recorded1971–1972
Studio
  • Columbia (San Francisco)
  • Wally Heider (San Francisco)
  • Pacific High (San Francisco)
Genre
Length41:12
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Van Morrison chronology
Tupelo Honey
(1971)
Saint Dominic's Preview
(1972)
Hard Nose the Highway
(1973)
Singles from Saint Dominic's Preview
  1. "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" b/w "You've Got the Power"
    Released: 14 July 1972
  2. "Redwood Tree" b/w "Saint Dominic's Preview"
    Released: 20 September 1972
  3. "Gypsy" b/w "Saint Dominic's Preview"
    Released: January 1973

Saint Dominic's Preview is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. Rolling Stone declared it "the best-produced, most ambitious Van Morrison record yet released."

The diversity of the material on the album highlighted Morrison's fusing of Celtic folk, R&B, blues, jazz and the singer-songwriter genre. "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" and the title track were blends of soul and folk, while lesser known tracks such as "Gypsy" and "Redwood Tree" continued to display a lyrical celebration of nature's beauty. Also on the album were two lengthy tracks, "Listen to the Lion" and the closing "Almost Independence Day" which were given primal, cathartic and intense vocal performances from Morrison. These tracks were similar to the songs on his 1968 album, Astral Weeks.

The album reached number 15 on the Billboard 200 when it was released. This would remain Morrison's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 until 2008 when Keep It Simple came in at number 10.