" ▁and ▁" R ol ling ▁Hills ", ▁they ▁lack ed ▁the ▁precision ▁that ▁Jeff ▁Lab es ▁had ▁brought ▁to ▁the ▁artist ' s ▁earlier ▁work ▁and ▁instead ▁" merge ▁the ▁songs ▁into ▁a ▁ja un ty , ▁light weight ▁mass ". ▁He ▁also ▁said ▁that ▁Mor r ison ' s ▁singing ▁lack ed ▁conv iction ▁and ▁concluded : ▁" I ▁hate ▁records ▁like ▁this ▁– ▁neither ▁particularly ▁good ▁nor ▁especially ▁bad ▁but ▁just , ▁well , ▁pleasant . ▁They ▁hang ▁there ▁fr ustr ating ▁you ▁in ▁the ▁run - off ▁gro ov es ▁... ▁And ▁I ▁hate ▁this ▁even ▁more ▁because ▁Van ▁Mor r ison ▁made ▁it , ▁and ▁because ▁he ▁set ▁out ▁with ▁the ▁right ▁idea ▁this ▁time , ▁too ." ▁ ▁In to ▁the ▁Music ▁was ▁voted ▁the ▁sixth - best ▁album ▁of ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁in ▁the ▁P azz ▁& ▁J op , ▁an ▁annual ▁poll ▁of ▁American ▁critics ▁nation wide ; ▁Christ g au , ▁the ▁poll ' s ▁super visor , ▁ranked ▁it ▁fourth ▁on ▁his ▁own ▁year - end ▁list . ▁In ▁The ▁Rol ling ▁Stone ▁Album ▁Guide ▁( 1 9 8 3 ), ▁Dave ▁Marsh ▁later ▁said ▁the ▁second ▁half ' s ▁suite ▁of ▁no ct urn al ▁ball ads ▁was ▁" the ▁greatest ▁side ▁of ▁music ▁Mor r ison ▁has ▁created ▁since ▁A str al ▁We eks ". ▁Mor r ison ▁bi ograph er ▁Erik ▁H age ▁called ▁the ▁record ▁" a ▁fully ▁f les hed - out ▁musical ▁vision ▁that ▁often