Van Morrison is bringing his Listen to the Lion label to EMI via a new deal to be crowned by the early 2009 release of his recent live performance of the classic album "Astral Weeks."

That set was recreated in painstaking detail for two Los Angeles performances at the Hollywood Bowl in November. "I brought these records to EMI because they seem to have people with vision, who have 'ears' and who understand the significance of the complex arrangements and the classic essence of recordings like 'Astral Weeks,'" says Morrison.  "They're committed to maintaining the integrity of the records I make. That is what it's all about to me."

Morrison has bounced around labels since the mid-1990s, when he ended a long association with Mercury to sign with Verve. Since then he has also recorded for Virgin, Lost Highway and Geffen.