Gone To Glastonbury.

 My home for the next 9 days.

My Glastonbury Festival Memories: Chapter 1, 1979

Chapter 1. 1979, Year of The Child. 

As Glastonbury is coming up again soon I thought I'd dust off my old Glastonbury stories.

My first Glastonbury was 1979. I was 27 years old. I had been going to festivals since I was twenty. My first festival was The Great Western Festival near Lincoln in 1972, but when I went to Glastonbury for the first time I knew that it was the best and I have been going to Worthy Farm ever since. In total, I think I must have spent about six months of my life at Glastonbury festival. I think we were in the Canal Tavern in Bradford On Avon and somebody said that there was a festival to be held down at Pilton. We needed cheering up because a month before on May 5^th there had been an election and Margaret Thatcher had come to power and a pestilence had descended on the land. It started at Thatcher and spread outwards. The Conservatives held on to power for another 18 years, but Glastonbury Festival was to be a beacon of hope in all the misery that was to come. On the sunny evening of Friday June 21^st, 1979, I got on the back of my friend Fred’s motorbike and we set off for Pilton. We didn’t even take a tent. In those days, we called a sleeping bag a Doss-bag. You just rolled up your doss-bag and tied it up with string and slung it over your shoulder. That was all I took to my first Glastonbury. I think when it got time to sleep I just curled up around a campfire and if it rained there was a crash tent up near the market area. When we arrived, the entrance was right up at the top of the site near the farmhouse. Standing at a table collecting the £5.00 admission was this girl who was topless. All she had on was a pair of shorts and a big smile.

 “Crikey”, I thought to myself, “I’m going to enjoy this”, as I handed her my fiver and tried not to stare.

In those days the small market area of craft stalls and food outlets was at the top of the site as well and we wandered down there towards the main stage. The whole of the valley could then be seen leading away to Glastonbury Tor in the distance. It looked beautiful and the whole scene seemed peaceful compared to other outdoor music events that I had been to. I could immediately feel that there was something special about this place, something spiritual, ancient, healing and mysterious especially with the view of the Tor in the distance, enveloped in the myths and legends that surround Glastonbury.

That festival was one of the few occasions I can remember when they didn’t have the famous Pyramid Stage. The other time was in 94 when it burned down shortly before the festival and wasn’t replaced till 2000. In 79 the stage was a square sort of thing with what looked like an inflatable roof. I think there were about 12,000 people there in 1979 and it was so small and friendly that you got to know quite a few of them by Monday morning. These days at Glastonbury everybody has a phone and are twittering and Face-booking non-stop but in 1979 amazingly there wasn’t one single phone on the site. To make a phone call you had to walk into the village of Pilton and use the public phone box. That’s what I loved about this festival, being cut off from the outside world in this little cosmic bubble of Glastonbury. The information point got covered in little hand-written notes of people looking for their friends but there was no real need even for that. If you walked around for half an hour you would meet everyone you knew.

It was still called Glastonbury Fayre in 79 and was in aid of the International Year of The Child and the Children’s World Charity. That charity was founded by Arabella Churchill and is still going to this very day. Arabella was the grand-daughter of Sir Winston Churchill and was a real driving force at Glastonbury. As well as organising the theatre and cabaret in 79 she introduced the Children’s area to the site which evolved into the Kidz-field of today. A lot of festivals don’t cater for children but that is another thing that makes Glasto so great in that it isn’t ageist. You get all ages from little kids to pensioners and everyone gets on fine. Arabella is remembered today on the site because Bella’s Bridge is named after her. Arabella was quite a character. My partner Kim and I met her one magical night in 1999 but I’ll tell you about that when I get to it. Another thing I ought to mention is that there was a tiny medical centre there which was run by the local doctor whose name is Chris Howes. As Glastonbury has grown it has developed into Festival Medical Services and is the biggest field hospital in Britain and also provides medical services for other festivals and events as well.

A major difference to today’s festivals is that these days there are bars all over the site but in 79 I can’t remember there being any. The only booze available was from a wagon which sold rough farmhouse cider in gallon plastic containers. It was smelly and tasted horrible but people including me still forced it down. Another difference to today’s festival as well is that there were no teams of people picking up the rubbish. I think everyone just took responsibility for their own area. There was probably some tidying up to do afterwards but compared to the scenes of devastation these days it was nothing. Also, in the early days at Glastonbury there was a huge supply of firewood provided, so there were campfires all over the site. By Sunday night I think most people had put all their rubbish apart from plastic on the campfire which cut down on the amount of waste. The campfires were great for bringing people together, there is something magical about a campfire, primitive communities have gathered around fires since the dawn of civilisation. It is that sense of togetherness that is missing in modern society. How times have changed. In 2017 I saw a market stall selling little bags of firewood for £8.00, nobody would pay that, would they? People wouldn’t dream of abandoning their tents back then either. Tents were expensive, they were too valuable compared to today’s cheap throwaway society. One final difference is that these days there are cash machines everywhere for instant access to money. At Glasto 79 most people were completely broke by Sunday night and there was a lot of scrounging of cigarettes, tobacco & food going on. Nobody seemed to care, everyone shared what they had.

And so, to the music. I could look through the archives and tell you who was on but that would be cheating. Because this is a personal memoir I will just tell you about who I can personally recall which isn’t all that much I’m afraid because it is so long ago in the mists of time and I can’t really remember who played on which day. One band I do remember were called The Only Ones. They had a minor hit around that time called Another Girl/Another Planet which was good. I remember Steve Hillage as well because I had one of his albums. The only song of his I can recall was his version of the Donovan song Hurdy Gurdy Man. Steve must have played last on either Friday or Saturday because the organiser Michael Eavis came on stage to ask them to stop playing as he had made an agreement with the villagers to end the electric music at midnight and it was now 12.30. Steve dutifully brought the set to an end after explaining it to the audience. Steve Hillage was to have quite an influence on the development of Glastonbury in subsequent years.

Although the weather was nice that weekend I think there was some rain because I have a vague memory of John Martyn playing and the rain dripping onto the stage through the leaky roof. I wasn’t all that familiar with his music at the time, but I have read somewhere Michael Eavis saying it was the most moving performance he had ever seen at Glastonbury and brought tears to his eyes. I did have a chance encounter with John Martyn many years later at Glastonbury, but I’ll tell you about that later as well. Sunday night was my best memory of all. There was a big jam session featuring amongst others, Pete Gabriel, Alex Harvey, Tom Robinson, Nona Hendryx and Steve Hillage. People told me later that it was Phil Collins on drums, but I didn’t recognise him at the time. Songs from that set I remember were Pete singing Solsbury Hill, him and Tom Robinson singing Bully For You and Alex Harvey singing a song called The Mafia Stole My Guitar. The festival ended with someone called Tim Blake playing synthesisers accompanied by a laser beam display.

Review: Remembering Now by Van Morrison.

I am very grateful that we still have a local record shop in our area because they are becoming a thing of the past. So, on Friday I rushed over to Raves From The Grave in Frome to pick up my copy of Remembering Now. My first thought on holding the CD in my hand was, “What a boring cover”, no expense had been entered into with the sleeve design. Whoever designed the cover must have thought, “Hmm, Van Morrison, Autumn leaves, that will do”. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been designed by AI. Anyway, as they say you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, and that applies to music albums as well, because I hope I’m not being carried away here with enthusiasm after four listens, but I think this is possibly the most satisfying Van Morrison album since Hymns To The Silence 35 years ago. In a song on that album On Hyndford Street Van said,” It’s always being now, it’s always now”, and in Take Me Back Van sang of being in the eternal now, In the eternal moment. In subsequent years although Van made some excellent albums, I think he gradually lost his spiritual muse as time went by, especially during lockdown, a period that is best forgotten. He is spiritually reborn on this new album and remembering that NOW is the only time that exists. This new album is the work of someone who appears finally to be at peace with himself.

Crawford Bell.

The opening track Down To Joy will be quite familiar to most Van fans by now as it featured in the 2021 Kenneth Branagh film Belfast. As on most tracks it features Van’s regular musicians Richard Dunn, Stuart McIlroy, Dave Keary, Pete Hurley and Colin Griffin. I especially like the backing vocals of the late Crawford Bell with Dana Masters, and Kelly Smiley. The album is dedicated to the memory of Crawford Bell who sings on all but one of the songs. I loved the Crawford Bell singers when they performed on stage with Van, especially on such songs as I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles who just happens to be the subject of the next song If It Wasn’t For Ray. I think it is one of the lesser songs here. We all know what a huge influence Ray was on Van, but I don’t like the chugga chugga rhythm and find the lyrics a bit simplistic and cliched. A medley of verses from Ray’s songs might have been a better tribute. 

Haven’t Lost My Sense Of Wonder is much more uplifting. After being though the mill Van is now singing peace be still. The languid Hammond organ and piano playing of John McCullough are perfect on this pastoral song which would have fitted nicely on any 1980s Van album. For Love, Lover & Beloved Van put music to words he found in a book by Michael Beckwith founder of the Agape Church. I bet Rev Beckwith will be playing this every Sunday to his congregation. The string arrangements on this track and six others are by Fiachra Trench. Van has worked with Fiachra in the past on such great albums as Avalon Sunset and Poetic Champions Compose. 

Strings Maestro Fiachra Trench.

I think their welcome reunion adds a rich flavour to the album, and congratulations to the Fews Ensemble led by Joanne Quigley who play the strings. The radio friendly catchy Cutting Corners is one of three songs co-written with lyricist Don Black. I think that Van is a much greater lyricist than Don Black could ever hope to be, but I like this song with Van’s sax playing and Dave keary’s guitars. The violin playing of Seth Lakeman is also a welcome addition. A very cheerful sounding Van is Back To Writing Love Songs on the next track which is enlivened by Dave’s 60’s style guitar playing. The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours is another Don Black collaboration. Fiachra’s strings and Van’s heartfelt vocals come into their own on this short but soulful ballad. I don’t like Once In A Lifetime Feelings all that much, mainly because of Don Black’s insipid lyrics which just don’t fit happily with Van in my opinion. Even Seth’s violin playing can’t improve this lesser track. Stomping Ground by contrast sounds just like the authentic, genuine, real, Van that we know and love. Van takes a walk down the mystic avenues of his old Belfast haunts accompanied by the lush strings, Hammond organ and piano. Van’s saxophone never sounded better. 

The Fews Ensemble.

The mystical mood is continued with Memories And Visions. Memories, Dreams & Reflections by Carl Jung came into my head while listening to this wonderful song. Van finds equilibrium while being in communion with the spirit of nature. Van’s voice combined with the organ, piano, acoustic guitar and sublime backing singers make this an outstanding song which you want to hear again and again (Listen to song below). When The Rains Came doesn’t quite reach the same heights for me but is still an excellent song. ‘I saw you standing’ is a phrase Van has used many times before, such as in When The Leaves Come Falling Down (which brings us back to the sleeve design), In The Garden, Ancient Of Days, and The Healing Has Begun. All songs from a golden era in Van’s career when he was in the presence of the Now, which he is remembering now. I can imagine that this song stretched out in live performance would be a spellbinding showstopper. 

Sadly, I feel that Colourblind breaks the spell cast by the previous three songs. It is ok, but misplaced here. Van is trying to inject some humour with clever word play. On a very optimistic album it is the only song with negative lyrics such as Van saying he is ‘browned off’. It is partially saved by some nice sax playing. If Colourblind hadn’t been placed here we would have had a clear run of five songs of Van at his soulful transcendental best because the title track Remembering Now is another song where Van finds he has gone full circle, back at square one and rediscovers the eternal now which is where he was at the start. To my ears the eerie Hammond organ playing is quite reminiscent of St James Infirmary. Stretching Out brings this sublime album to a magnificent close. This is a song that Van has been developing live in concert for many years when he has stretched out performances of In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway. It has always been a highlight of his shows and will continue to be, I am sure. 

When many critics have doubted him, just a few weeks short of his 80^th birthday Van is sitting pretty having pulled a magnificent spiritually uplifting life-enhancing album out of the hat. My opinion is that if three or four of the lesser songs had been left out, this work would be hailed as one of the best albums of Van’s whole distinguished career. Bravo!

Memories And Visions

Surf's Up

Love and Mercy - Brian Wilson

Van & The Science of Mind.

Today I thought I would tell you about a book which arrived here recently. It is called The Science Of Mind by Ernest Holmes. As is often the case with me it was Van Morrison who led me to discovering this book. Van mentioned it in his fascinating recent interview with Dylan Jones. Dylan asked Van how he came to write a song on his forthcoming album with Michael Beckwith founder of the Agape church. Van explained that in his library he came across a book The Science Of Mind which he was into many years ago and wanted to reconnect with. He looked to see if there were any Study Centres for Spiritual Living founded by Ernest Holmes near him and found that there wasn’t, the nearest one was in Bournemouth. However, whilst searching Van stumbled across the work of Michael Beckwith which he read about and something resonated. Sometime later Van discovered that his friend actress Roma Downey knew Michael Beckwith and introduced him to Van, and now Van has been attending services at Agape ever since, whenever he is on the US west coast. Van took words from a book by Beckwith and put music to them. 

Ernest Holmes

The connection to Ernest Holmes is that Michael Beckwith graduated from the Ernest Holmes College School of Ministry in 1985. Dylan said to Van that there is a very spiritual feel to the new album which there often is in his music and asked how his personal beliefs have changed over the years. Van retorted that it isn’t a belief, it’s an energy, a frequency. Van is quite a private introverted person, but he has always acknowledged an influence when he is checking it out and taking it further. I have learned so much by following up the pointers in his lyrics, not only discovering the music of other artists that influenced Van, but also important figures in such fields as literature, philosophy, psychology, and especially spirituality. 

Van at Agape.

Van’s whole career in many ways can be seen as a spiritual quest. I have always thought that Van’s best work is when he is channelling the creative energy of his spiritual muse. He seemed to lose it completely during the dark days of lockdown but happily seems to be back on the righteous path now. That is why I am looking forward to hearing this new album more than any new Van work for 20 years or more. When I ordered the book I expected to receive a slim paperback which I could read in a couple of days, so I was quite shocked when a massive weighty tome of 669 pages arrived. I have only read a few pages so far. It will take me a year to read it all. Happily for me it is advised to use it as a textbook and only read a few pages every day as a meditation. The book has a list of tables advising which pages to read on each day of the year. Therefore I can’t tell you much about the book yet, but I can tell you a little of what I know about Ernest Holmes so far in case you want to check it out for yourself.

Van, Roma Downey

Ernest Holmes was born in Lincoln Maine in 1887. At an early age he learned about Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science. His later influences included Thomas Troward, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Christian Larson, Evelyn Underhill, and Emma Curtis Hopkins. Eventually he became the founder of a movement known as Religious Science. That name comes from his assertion that his views can be scientifically proven. His great work The Science of Mind was first published in 1926. (My well used copy is from 1998) Holmes founded a Center for Spiritual Living in Los Angeles and there are now over 400 affiliated churches in the USA alone. He also began publishing Science of Mind magazine which is still produced today after 80 years. 

In his statement of beliefs Holmes said such things as that the manifest universe we can see is the body of God and the universal spirit and mind of which we are all part. He also said that heaven is within us all and we experience it to the degree that we are conscious of it. It is revealed through our intuitive and spiritual nature. I think Holmes would have been quite at home with modern science such as quantum physics because science and religion do seem to be merging these days. He also believed in a "core concept" – what he saw as a "Golden thread of truth" that ran through all of the world's religions as well as in science and philosophy. He died in 1960 aged 73. I better not say any more about him until I have actually read the book or I might make big mistakes, but thank you very much Van Morrison for leading me to The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes and I'm eagerly looking forward to June 13 and hearing the new album called Remembering Now.