Visions Of Pat

Market Days

2012-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

One of my old school friends sent me this photo recently.It was taken in about 1969.It was taken the day we climbed up to the top of the school tower which was out of bounds.I suppose we took the photo to prove to the other kids that we had been up there.You can see the tower from the outside in the other picture.
My friends name is Darryl but at school he had the nickname Daz.I hadn't seen that photo for 43 years and it certainly brought some memories flooding back.I might write a story about school days later but what i remember most about Daz was us working together on Peterborough Market on Saturdays.We worked for Mr Holdich selling fruit and vegetables.Daz and i got there first and set up the trestle tables then Mr and Mrs Holdich turned up in the lorry with Peter who was this skinny little urchin.
"Morning Daz",said Peter
"Piss off".
"Morning Pat",
"Get stuffed".
Then we would grab hold of him and put some dirt off the carrots down his neck.
"Look,stop picking on Peter,he hasn't got a father and his mother is no good",explained Mr Holdich.One day Peter announced he was joining the army,when we asked why he said,"Well its a good life",then we asked what the money was like,"I'm not sure but its bound to be good".How long had he signed up for? "er,i'm not sure",It turned out to be nine years.About two weeks after he joined the army he phoned up Mr Holdich and he was crying,"Can you buy me out of the army please Mr Holdich? the other boys keep beating me up".Mr Holdich had to pay £400 to buy him out of the army and he came back to the market.

Once we had the lorry unloaded Daz and i ran along the front chucking the prices on everything, often the price tickets would land back to front.
"Look,we know the prices, its the customers who want to know the bloody prices",Said Mr Holdich.If a nice looking woman walked by Mr Holdich would say,"I bet she can perform".
.A very attractive lady used to come to the stall every Saturday morning and Mr Holdich would say,
"You see her over there,she was Miss Sawtry 1947,i could have married her, but look at what i had to go and bloody marry".Mrs Holdich was a funny woman with frizzy hair and a red face and some peculiar habits that i won't go into.
Mr Holdich grew all the vegetables himself on his farm and he kept pigs as well.One day i said i wouldn't mind being a farmer.
"No,to be a farmer you have to start off with about £30,000 so you can lose it all like i have", he explained.You couldn't help liking him,he had such an unfortunate life.Once he got burgled and the thieves even stole his wheelbarrow to take away his safe.Mr Holdich was quite proud of the fact that the story got in the national daily papers.

The bloke on the opposite stall was a cockney called Ginger who attracted customers by shouting out all this lingo like,"Sixpence each yer peach,every one a ball of wine, one and six a pound yer boy scouts,yer brussell sprouts,don't forget your mother,you;ll never get another,get your runners and riders here" etc and all that kind of carry on.When he was advertising his spuds he would shout out,"Lincolnshires" and Daz and i would shout out "Pinking shears",just to annoy him.We said to Mr Holdich that he should give it a go and do a bit of barking.
"Cheap carrots, cheap carrots"he squeaked
halfheartedly.He was crap at it so we told him to shut up.The market cleaner was called Kingy,he was a funny little bugger, he wore a cloth cap and always kept a Jamaica cake in his pocket and cut of a slice with a penknife.one day he turned up at the stall without his sweeping brush.
"They've gorn and retired me Gordon, i don't know what i'm going to do",
"Don't worry Kingy, you can work with us",said Mr Holdich who was too kind for his own good.Before long Mrs Holdich had sacked him for stealing.
"Honest Gordon,i never nicked no ten bob".
"No, it was a pound note, i saw you put it in your pocket", said Mrs Holdich.
The market stall used to get really busy and Daz and i were brilliant at serving the customers at speed.One Christmas Mr Holdich put me in charge of selling Christmas trees and holly against a wall at the side of the market.The holly was really good,covered in berries and all these women just dived on it and were almost fighting over it.I lost all control and just let them get on with it.Another time i remember seeing two women fighting when one of them caught her husband out shopping with his fancy woman.That was really vicious..We used to be on the market from 6.00 in the morning until about 7.00 in the evening.Then i'd head home with a big bag of fruit and vegetables for my mum.
Saturday nights we used to go to the flicks and see films like Butch Cassady And The Sundance Kid or Midnight Cowboy.Sometimes there were parties and we would drink Watneys Party 7's and Woodpecker Cider and explore girls,mainly from the outside of the bra.One night me and Daz and another friend were walking home from a party and we met this skinhead who had just come out of a chipshop.He put his chips down on a wall and challenged all three to a fight.He kept persisting till in the end Daz got fed up and punched him on the nose.He realised he had bitten off more than he could chew and ran off but he tripped over on the road which had been newly surfaced and his face was covered in tar and bits of gravel.To add insult to injury we ate his chips.

Two happy years went by working for Mr Holdich until finally it was the end of summer of 1970. I was off to college.It was a beautiful day as i got on the train bound for North Wales.As Peterborough Cathedral disappeared into the distance little did i realise what lay ahead.A new chapter in my brilliant career was about to begin.

Reading Big Bill Blues

2012-01-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of the many things i like about listening to Van Morrisons music is that he is such a name dropper.Vans songs are littered with references to the writers and musicians who have influenced him.Van is trying to turn on the listener to the things that he enjoys.He is saying "I dig this,check it out".It is very educational being a Van fan and i have discovered lots of great music because of Van and learned a lot about the history of music.In the song 'On Hyndford Street' Van says
'And reading Mr. Jelly Roll and Big Bill Broonzy
And "Really The Blues" by "Mezz" Mezzrow
And "Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac
Over and over again'.

I have mentioned Really The Blues by Mezz Mezzrow and Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac in previous articles so tonight i would like to have a look at Big Bill Broonzy who i have been curious about for a while.I had never heard any of his music until last week but i had heard the name and i knew that Eric Clapton and Keith Richards were big fans of him.I looked him up on Wikipedia and found that the book that Van must have read was 'Big Bill Blues',his autobiography which Bill narrated to Belgian writer Yannick Bruynogue.It was published in 1955.My curiousity was aroused,i knew i had to read this book.I looked on Ebay and found a hardback edition published by the Jazz Book Club in the UK in 1957." That will do nicely",i thought to myself and clicked 'Buy Now' .Then i thought that it was pointless reading the book without hearing the music so i bought a CD as well, 'Big Bill Broonzy, The Anthology.A couple of days later they both arrived.

The book is a wonderful read.It is divided into three sections,My Life, My Songs and My Friends in which Bill narrates his story in a very droll manner.It is full of amusing anecdotes about his life.There are also lots of great photos of himself and his friends such as Washboard Sam,Memphis Slim,Lonnie Johnson,Memphis Minnie,Jack Dupree,Sonny Terry and many others.I listened to the CD while reading the book and i must say that i really like it.Sometimes when i listen to Blues albums i find them a bit samey and i get bored but not so with this double album because there is lots of variety in it.It contains his most famous song 'Key To The Highway' which as you know Eric Clapton recorded with Derek And The Domino's.The influence on Van can be seen on such songs as Outskirts Of Town,John Henry and Midnight Special.What really impressed me about the album though is the seemingly effortless country blues guitar picking.You can see why the likes of Bert Jansch,Eric and Keef looked up to him.Also you can see where the British Skiffle movement of the 50's got some of its ideas from such as the use of a washboard as an instument and Lonnie Doneghan even took his name from Bills friend Lonnie Johnson.

Like a lot of American blues artists such as Champion Jack Dupree, Sonny Terry,Brownie McGee, Little Walter etc Bill spent a lot of time touring Europe where he was a huge success and even met and fell in love with a lady in Amsterdam and had a son who still lives there. He died in 1958 from cancer.His influence lives on though and many great guitarists cite him as an influence During the inaugaration of President Obama the words of his song Black,Brown And White Blues were used in the benediction.so thank you very much Van for introducing me to the music of Big Bill Broonzy.

Astral Weeks Live by Shannon Vale

2012-01-08T00:33:00.000-08:00

I had to go to Bath on Friday so i took a book along to read on the train.The book was 'Astral Weeks Live,A Fans Notes' by Shannon Vale.I was so engrossed in it i nearly missed my stop at Bath and ended up in Bristol Temple Meads.I have bought many books about Van over the years and i have disliked most of them.They are either full of factual inaccuracies or downright insulting. After the terrible so called biography by Johnny Rogan i was determined not to buy another.I had to get this book though because Shannon is a friend of mine and i have enjoyed reading her articles about Vans music over the years.This book is a refreshing change because Shannon is a genuine fan who knows what she is talking about.This isn't a book about Van Morrison,it is a book about Van Morrison's music.It is also about Shannon's adventures on the road as she follows the concerts on the Astral Weeks tour when Van performed for the first time the masterpiece which he recorded in 1968.It is written in a very unpretentious manner with a lot of humour as well such as Shannons attempts to sell her house to the despair of the estate agent. It is also about the fans and i must say i enjoyed reading about some of the people who i have met at the pre-show meet ups and become friends with..The Van fans are a talented bunch.Shannon has included an excellent portrait of Van by Dail Gibson.
You won't find any myths about Van in this book or gossip about his private life.I think Van would enjoy reading this book.Van is playing two major concerts in Ireland soon and i won't be there but i am sure the concerts will come alive for me through the writing of Shannon Vale.If you were at any of the Astral Weeks concerts or bought the Live At The Hollywood Bowl album or the DVD or if you are a Van Morrison fan then you will love this book and i urge you to buy it.

Shannon has an excellent website and you can find details of the book here-

http://followshannon.com/?page_id=178

My Magical Transistor Radio

2011-12-04T02:33:00.000-08:00

One day in May 63 i ran to school as usual to see Marie Ferris in the playground before school but there was no sign of her." where is Marie Ferris?" i asked, to no avail, she had gone away,back to America,not as much as a cheerio.She did leave me with one thing though,a love of all things American, the Beatles were just bursting on the scene,everybody else was mad on it,but i held back,i knew that rock n roll began in the States,not in Butlins.

We always went to Hunstanton,Skegness or Cromer in the summer.The summer of 64,i used to hang out in an amusement arcade to listen to the music on the juke box.There was a penny cascade which paid out 2p for Gregory Peck, 3p for Jane Russell,4p for Ava Gardner and 6p for Marilyn Monroe.When the attendant wasnt looking i would nudge the machine and the money would fall down, then i would put the money in the juke box. One day i was in there and a song came on the jukebox. ' Round Round,Get Around, I Get Around,' I stopped dead in my tracks,this was the sound i had been looking for, it was the sound of America,it held the promise of sunshine,sea,girls,cars and excitement,it was the Beach Boys. I had found the soundtrack of my life.

BBC Radio was rubbish in those days but the new Pirate station Radio Caroline began in 1964,i was determined to hear the new music. In Currys window in Bridge Street i saw a transistor radio for sale,it looked so elegent in its brown leather case,shoulder strap and a little case for its earpiece,it was £4/19/11p. i paid 2/6 deposit and it was mine.I paid it off at two bob a week from my paper round.
We went for a walk down by the river every Sunday afternoon.I can see it clearly in my minds eye,the weeping willow trees and Ted Hammond hiring out his rowing boats and i would take along my radio and listen to 'Pick Of The Pops' with Alan Freeman.That was when the new chart was announced.

The real joy though was getting into bed and getting my earpiece in and listening to the sounds that floated in through the ether from the Pirate Radio stations.I don't think i have experienced such joy since in listening to music than i did listening to that magical transistor radio.We had no record player in the house so this was my only contact with the pop music,apart from Top Of The Pops on Thursdays which was a must.Roger Twiggy Day had a Beach Buddies spot on Caroline which i always listened to and i sent in a request for Surfin' USA but he didnt play it .I followed the Beach Boys career closely though California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, Little Girl I Once Knew, then we got to the year of 1966.The Beach Boys finally broke through in a big way in Britain with four hit singles in a row,Barbara Ann, Sloop John B,God Only Knows,and Good Vibrations.We finally got a record player and i bought Good Vibrations.Now we had a record player there was no stopping me,i was on the hunt for sounds.

At the top of Lincoln Road in Peterborough was a secondhand record shop called Cranes,i used to spend hours in there goldmining ,i would sift through the entire stock until i had whittled it down to my decision,then i would give Mr Crane my 2/6p for my one record.I managed to get all the Beach Boys old singles this way and if i couldn't get them it would be another American band,eg Lovin Spoonful, Four Seasons,,Sam the Sham,Young Rascals,anything as long as it was American,sometimes i would find a real rarity such as Little Honda by the Hondells then i really had hit paydirt.Tescos as well used to sell ex jukebox records, they were 3/11 they didnt have any middles because they had been in jukeboxes so you had to buy an adaptor to put in the record so you could play them. I bet the kids of today with hoods on their heads listening to rap on their i-pods don't get half as much fun out of music as we did in those faraway days of the 60's when music was young and exciting.

Bob Dylan In Bristol 1966

2011-11-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a famous iconic photo of Bob Dylan and a story i wrote about one little incident in his traumatic year of 1966..I hope you enjoy it.

These days it doesn't take long to drive from Bristol to Cardiff,you merely drive across the Severn Bridge.In the early 1960's though it was a different matter.One had to drive up to Gloucester before you could cross the Bristol Channel, a detour of 80 miles.There was an alternative though,You could cross the river by the Aust ferry.This ramshackle car ferry service was falling into disrepair by 1966 as the new bridge was being built.

On the morning of May 11th 1966 a car drew up and waited for this ferry.Sitting on the back seat was one of the most famous people in the world,Bob Dylan.The previous night at the Colston Hall in Bristol Bob had played the opening date of his British tour and it hadn't gone well.Bob and The Band had crash landed in Britain carrying 4 tons of amplification.Something unheard of in those days.After the first 'folk' half of the show Bob unleashed his new 'electric' sound.The audience had heard nothing like this before.To them it sounded like an attack of morter bombs and artillery.They didn't like it and boo'ed throughout the concert.Next morning as Bob slumped in the car, his amphetamine eyes hidden behind his trademark dark glasses he was full of fore-boding about the next concert in Cardiff.
Having to wait for the ferry to arrive Bob got out of the car to stretch his legs and one of his entourage Barry Feinstein took Bob's photo on that rainy morning over 40 years ago.That picture showing the haggard unkempt mean moody Dylan has passed into folklore as one of the most iconic pictures in rock.Dylan who had enjoyed the most fruitful creative periods of his amazing career was now entering burn out.A few nights later at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester an irate fan shouted 'JUDAS!' at Dylan and the rest is history.Bob was proved to be right though, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde became 2 of the greatest albums in history, influencing the likes of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Bob had re-invented Rock music.

After his UK tour an exhausted Dylan returned to the States and shortly afterwards had a motorcycle accident and withdrew from the public gaze.Shortly after the famous photo was taken the ferry across the Severn closed for good.Bob was one of the last people to use it.The boat called Severn Princess was sold.It ended up in Ireland where it was recently discovered derelict and abandoned.It has now been returned to the river Severn at Chepstow where it will form part of a museum and the iconic picture of Bob taken on that rainy morning will be part of the exhibits.It is also the cover of the Martin Scorcese biopic of Bob No Direction Home.

The photographer Barry Feinstein (See picture above)who took that famous photo went on to have a very successful career and he died recently which is why i am repeating this story.

My First Festival

2011-11-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

The very first festival i ever went to was The GreatWestern Festival.It was held near the village of Bardney in Lincolnshire in 1972.The reason i wanted to go was that my favourite band The Beach Boys were on.My friends thought they were really unhip but still agreed to go.Five of us and our faithful dog Dylan all piled in to one old car and set off.The organisers hoped it would be the biggest festival in Britain since Hendrix at the Isle OfWight in 1970 and 100,000 people were expected.It turned out to be a financial disaster, only 30,000 turned up mainly due to the fact that it rained all weekend.That didn't bother me,i was really excited.

When we arrived late friday night the headliner was the late great Rory Gallagher.Rory said,"I'm sorry about the rain,but we'll pretend that it doesnt exist at all!". He proceeded to play some blistering guitar.We got right at the front and were drenched to the skin but we didn't care as Rory's battered old fender wailed and screamed and Rory sang the blues.Festivals were a lot different in those days.Most people got their place in front of the stage and just sat there for 3 days.At Glastonbury these days there is about 17 stages and people wander around and there is beer tents everywhere.I suppose there was a beer tent at Lincoln but i cant remember it.Everywhere though people were skinning up joints and dropping acid, whilst outside the police ran up cricket scores of people arrested for possession.I scored a tab of acid on the second morning, a purple haze microdot and spent most of Saturday sat there tripping my head off.I do remember though Humble Pie were on and Lindisfarne. The evening was great though.Slade were on, they weren't much good, then Monty Pythons, it was really surreal, the whole team on stage doing the dead parrot sketch etc,Wake Up Polly.

I was really mellowed out by the time The Beach Boys came on.I had been a fan since 1964 and they were supurb, Brian Wilson wasn't with them but they had Rikki Fataar and Blondie Chaplin in the band.Even our dog Dylan pricked his ears up and listened.They were so slick and professional they made a lot of the other band sound like amateurs.When they were finished i said to one of my friends,
"weren't they brilliant!"
"Only just", he replied.

The highlight for me on the last day was Don McLean, when he sang Vincent a rainbow appeared in the sky behind the stage, a great moment.Other bands on that day were Genesis, Roxy Music and Status Quo.The last band on were Rod Stewart and the Faces. They were great.This was before Rod became the showbiz ponce that he is today.It was good old gutsy rock n roll, real dirty.Rod said at the end,
"One more number and we'll knock it on the head".
They finished with Maggie May.Then we set off on the long journey home.It was to be eight long years before i saw the Beach Boys again,this time with Brian!.

Back On Top.

2011-11-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

It all began in the early 90's.
Pubs began introducing quiz machines where you could win money by answering general knowledge questions.I was soon completely addicted to them because i found i could answer the questions quite easily and could have a free night down the pub whenever i liked. The local pub landlords grew to hate me as i went further and further afield in search of quiz machines.One night i started in the Phipps Arms at Westbury Leigh and went on to The Hollies,The Royal Oak, The Castle, The Angel, The Horse And Groom,The White Lion, The Ludlow and The Crown. When i emptied my pockets that night i found i had £78 in £ coins.It weighed a ton.Brilliant.I mean, what other way could you go out at night and come home 3 hours later, smelling of drink and have seventy quid in your pocket? Dont tell me.
The Landlord of The Horse And Groom Rod Decided to use my talent to his advantage and asked me to be captain of the pub quiz team.In our first season we won the Trowbridge and District League and my fame grew in leaps and bounds.I felt really brainy. Then one night in the pub my mate Dave said i should go on Fifteen To One.This was a popular afternoon TV show which was a forerunner of The Weakest Link and at its peak had an audience of 4,000,000.It was very popular with pensioners, students and the unemployed.In a burst of egotism i sent off an application form and was invited to an audition in Bristol.Two weeks later i received a letter inviting me onto the show.I had been on the telly before,i was in the congregation on Songs Of Praise several years earlier( I'll tell you about that some other time) This was different though, this was going to make me famous! Everybody i met i told that i was going to be on the telly and to make sure they watched.

The big day arrived and i set off for London and my date with destiny.The studios were in Wandsworth and myself and the other contestants were put up in a nearby hotel as the programme was to be recorded the following morning at 10.00.I began to have my first niggling doubts because the others looked really well educated and posh and i found out that several of them almost made a career out of TV shows and had been on several other shows.I calmed my nerves by staying in the hotel bar till 1.00 in the morning. The others went to bed.
Next morning i was suffering with a really bad reality attack and all my bravado had gone out the window. I didn't feel brainy any more,i felt like a stupid scruffy lowlife.At the studio we drew lots and i was to be number 8.Then we were led into the place with the cameras and the genial host William G Stewart.I felt like i was about to be executed.The floor manager said,"One minute to recording" and i seemed to lose all control over my body, my right leg suddenly started shaking uncontrollably.William started asking the questions and everybody was coming up with the right answer.

Finally he got to me and he might as well have been talking Chinese.I was so nervous it sounded like this,
"Whatisthemathematicaltermforlinespointsorcurveswhichareequidistantapart?"
I stood there looking at him like a dumb moron,then i realised what he was asking and i thought "Thats parallel,surely he wouldn't ask a question that easy".The buzzer went before i could blurt it out and William said,"The answer is parallel".
A couple of minutes later William returned and asked me who wrote the music for the film Brigadoon,i didn't know but i was in such a state i didn't care who wrote the music for fecking Brigadoon.I answered ,"Rogers and Hammerstein",in a sort of high pitched squeak, just to say something."The answer is Lerner and Loewe",said William smugly,and i was out. My entire TV appearance was about 14 seconds. I hoped against hope that nobody i knew would watch the bloody programme but of course they all did.For about a year afterwards i was known around town as Parallel Pat.People came up to me in the pub and said things like"Sorry i didn't see you on the telly,i blinked and missed, it" that sort of thing.Just when people were beginning to forget about it,the TV company went and repeated it the following summer and the piss-taking started all over again.I lost all interest in quizzes and licked my wounds for 5 long years.As they say though,revenge is a meal best eaten cold and i was to get my revenge in the sweetest possible way.

Five Years Later........

Five long years had past since my disasterous TV appearance.Then in 1999 they announced that if you hadn't appeared on the programme for 5 years you could apply again.
"I've gotta go back",I announced to Kim.
"Where?"
"London,i've got some unfinished business with William"
Once more i set off for London,
"Go get 'em Floyd",Said Kim,"Go kick some ass"
The stakes had never been higher,if i messed up this time i faced total humiliation but as they say 'Who Dares Wins'
This time i was number 5.As William came along the line asking the questions my leg started its familiar jig, but this time i was grimly determined.Finally William got to me,
"When Britain joined the EU in 1974 which two other countries joined at the same time?"
"Ireland and er um Denmark"
"Correct"
"Thank you god", i breathed a sigh of relief. Two minutes later William was back with my second question.
"Dancer Michael Flatley became famous in which musical show?"
Easy peasy "Riverdance".
"Correct"
Brilliant! i was into round 2 and had all my lives intact.In round 2 if you got your answer right you could nominate one of your opponents to answer the next question.This is where it got dirty. I soon got nominated.
"Such is life" is reputed to be the last words of which Australian outlaw?"
"Ned Kelly"
Then i went on a killing spree, one by one my opponents were going down like skittles,i was enjoying this.After a few minutes there were 12 down 3 to go and i suddenly found myself in the final.My two rivals in the final were a lady who worked at Tesco's and a lad from Galway called Brendan who had only entered so he could visit his brother in London for free.At the beginning of Part 2 you had to smile at the camera while they told the viewers all about you.'Pat lives in WestburyWiltshire,he enjoys reading and music particularly Van Morrison and he supports Peterborough United football club'.Then it was into battle.I got my first 2 questions wrong and only had one life left so the other two kept nominating me to try and kill me off.I held my nerve though and i answered 13 questions in a row correctly.The others started to get their answers wrong and i was fighting back.The Tesco lady was the first to crack and she was out.'Get your coat.' Then finally Brendan lost his last life and i had won. I scored 113 points and the 13th highest score in the series so far.

I kept my composure until i left the studio.I was back on the street again,back on top again. I jumped up and punched the air YES! Then i floated on a cloud all the way back to Waterloo Station.I couldn't wait to get home and see those bastards up the pub."I'll give them parallel Pat" I thought.I had to wait an hour for my train so i walked over Westminster bridge and went in a pub near the houses of parliament.It was frequented by politicians, all knocking back the G and Ts .Look at them i thought, they think they are so bloody important,dont they realise i'm the 13th most brainy person in Britain".
We had a big party in the pub to watch my glorious win and i had a cake with 15 candles and i blew out 14 of them.

A lady came from the local paper and wrote a story with the headline'Getting The Answers Off Pat'.I went back on the show twice more as a previous winner.The last time i was on the show the voice-over person was PhiIip Lowrie who i remembered because he played Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street.It wasn't as exciting though.I didn't get the same buzz off it.When you get to the top theres no where else to go and that was the end of my TV career.

THE END.

Brian Wilson And Good Vibrations On November 5th 1966.

2011-11-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

I know exactly what i was doing on November 5th 1966 because it was Bonfire night and i had some money left from my 15th birthday but i wasn't going to spend it on fireworks.I had a much better idea of what to spend my money on.Late that afternoon i made my way to Boots in Bridge Street and made a beeline for the record department up the far end and looked at the Top 20 for that week.
1) REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE Four Tops
2) STOP, STOP, STOP Hollies
3) I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF The Troggs
4) DISTANT DRUMS Jim Reeves
5) WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL New Vaudeville Band
6) HIGH TIME Paul Jones
7) NO MILK TODAY Herman's Hermits
8) GUANTANAMERA Sandpipers
9) BEND IT Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
10) TIME DRAGS BY Cliff Richard
11) SEMI-DETACHED SURBURBAN MR. JAMES Manfred Mann
12) I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN Four Seasons
13) IF I WERE A CARPENTER Bobby Darin
14) A FOOL AM I Cilla Black
15) GOOD VIBRATIONS Beach Boys
16) I'M A BOY The Who
17) ALL I SEE IS YOU Dusty Springfield
18) ALL THAT I AM Elvis Presley
19) HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR MOTHER, BABY, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS Rolling Stones
20) YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE Supremes

I knew exactly the one i wanted.I had been a Beach Boys fan for two years already since i heard I Get Around in an amusement arcade in Cromer in 1964.The Beach Boys had already had three top ten hits in 66 with Barbara Ann, Sloop John B and God Only Knows.The new song was straight in the charts at Number 15 and i hadn't heard it yet."Can i have Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys please", i said to the girl and paid 6/8p (six shillings and eight pence).I pocketed my 3/4p change and hurried back up Bridge Street clutching my precious record.There was a man on the corner of Cathedral Square selling the Evening Telegraph and the Pink 'Un.

" How did Posh get on?",i asked him."They drew 1-1 with Bristol Rovers",he replied.I crossed the square and headed up Long Causeway and Broadway,past the Odean Cinema which was showing 'Finders Keepers' starring Cliff Richard.It was rubbish,we had seen it that week because i had won free tickets in the 99 Club in the Evening Telegraph.I ran up Park Road past my school The Kings School Peterborough kicking the fallen chestnut leaves along the pavement.It was a dark and windy evening now with just the odd rocket exploding in the gathering dusk.
I got home and went straight to the front room and put on my new record and lay on the settee to listen.I was amazed.It was the best song i had ever heard in my life.I couldn't believe it.After one listen i knew that Pop Music had taken a quantum leap to another level.Nobody had made a record this sophisticated before.It was a mini-symphony of three and a half minutes.If Mozart had been alive in 1966 he would have listened with admiration to this song.When it ended i played it again, lying on the floor with my head near the speaker listening intently to sounds i had never heard before such as the theremin which was an instrument i had never even heard of.It was enthralling. Rolling Stone magazine put this song as number six on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.I would put it at number one.Then i played it again... and again...and again.Then i played the flipside which was called Wendy and was a track off the All Summer Long album of two years earlier.It was alright but not a patch on Good Vibrations which i played again about five more times.With this song Brian Wilson had thrown down the gauntlet to the Beatles.He had assembled the record from 90 hours of recording tape and spliced the various parts together.Nobody had attempted this modular approach to recording before to produce the perfect song.There would have been no Strawberry Fields Forever or A Day In The Life if it hadn't been for Brian raising the bar in such spectacular fashion.

On that fateful evening of forty five years ago today my music appreciation had reached a new level,Brian Wilson had become my music god and my life would never be the same again.Shortly afterwards i had saved up the 32/6p to buy Pet Sounds which i thought was the best album ever until i heard Astral Weeks seven years later.Even now whenever i hear Good Vibrations it sends me there, to when i was young and the world seemed a happier simpler place.

Can You Fix It Jim?

2011-11-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Savile died at the weekend aged 84 and so i just thought i'd write a little blog about his small but significant influence on the career of my favourite singer Van Morrison.(Also its a good excuse to play some Them music)Van was in 'Them' when they made their second visit to England early in 1965 and they were staying at the Royal Hotel.I'm not sure where exactly in London it was but that hotel was used as his London base by the famous Disc Jockey Jimmy Savile who befriended the young band and helped them out financially and promoting them and giving Them positive write-ups in his column in the Sunday People newspaper.
Them released the single 'Here Comes The Night' written by their producer Bert Berns which climbed to Number 2 in the charts and it was probably Jim who fixed it for Them to appear at the NME Poll Winners Concert at Wembley which he compared.It was the finest line-up of British pop talent ever assembled for one concert.The Beatles,The Stones,The Animals.Dusty Springfield,Donovan The Moody Blues,The Kinks,Georgie Fame &The Blue Flames and many others were on the bill.Them had only just burst on the scene and not familiar to a lot of the audience,they hadn't won any polls thats for sure so were quite lucky to be on the same stage as the Beatles & The Stones.Them did a brilliant performance though and this footage that you see is i think the only film of Them performing live.In all other clips they are miming.As well as their hit 'Here Comes The Night' they also performed a long version of 'Turn On Your Lovelight'which was a typical brave audacious move by Van because they could have performed three commercial pop songs in the same time slot.

Them seemed set to become one of the biggest bands in the world but it wasn't to be.Fifteen months later they had fallen apart after an American tour.Van went on to be one of the greatest singers ever and the rest is history.He did mention Jimmy Savile though in his song 'What Ever Happened To PJ Proby?'in 2002.

Whatever happened to PJ Proby?
Wonder can you fix it Jim?
Where the hell do you think is Scott Walker?
My memory's getting so dim.

Van Morrison And Rimbaud

2011-10-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine sent me some books recently by and about Rimbaud which i have been reading greedily till i sell them and i noticed in a biography that today October 20th is Rimbauds birthday so i thought that this might be a good moment to look at Rimbaud and his influence.
Arthur Rimbaud 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet. Born in Charleville Ardennes he produced his best known works while still in his late teens.Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent movement, Rimbaud influenced modern literature, music and art. He was known to have been a libertine and a restless soul, travelling extensively on three continents before his death from cancer just after his 37th birthday.
Here is a couple of quotes of Rimbaud.
The poet makes himself a seer by a long, prodigious, and rational disordering of all the senses. Every form of love, of suffering, of madness; he searches himself, he consumes all the poisons in him, ...
''Life is the farce which everyone has to perform.''
He had an incredible effect on popular music.Penny Rimbaud drummer of the band Crass changed her name to Rimbaud.The high priestess of Punk Patti Smith wrote poems to him.Richard Hell of the band Television took his surname from Rimbaud's 'Seasons In Hell' and Tom Verlaine of the same band took his name from Paul Verlaine who was the French poet with whom Rimbaud had a volatile relationship including an incident when Verlaine shot Rimbaud and wounded him in the wrist and Rimbaud had to call the police.That must have been quite galling for a Libertine and leading member of the Decadent movement to have to get the police to sort out a domestic!.Jim Morrison of The Doors was heavily into Rimbaud and described himself as 'Rimbaud in a leather jacket'.Jim really followed the Rimbaud code and believed that the palace of wisdom lay along the road of excess and tried to push on through to the other side with his outrageous behaviour and lewd and rebellious stage performances.

So how did Van Morrison get into Rimbaud?.In an interview with New Age Magazine in about 1990 Van said that he started reading Rimbaud in the 70's.Van said this.
"Tore Down A La Rimbaud" is a song that resonates for me because it's about artistic block and lack of inspiration.
I'd been reading Arthur Rimbaud when I got the original idea, particularly "Illuminations". Is that what it's called? Actually, the idea for the song is ten or 12 years old. I sort of rewrote it last year and recorded it.
Is it fair to say the song is about writer's block?
That's what it *is* about, because at the time I got the idea, I wasn't writing anything at all. And I didn't really understand why. It was very frustrating.
Rimbaud believed that true art could only be produced through what he called "constant and systematic derangement of the senses". To this aesthetic end, he smoked a lot of hashish.
I prefer coffee, personally.
Van also mentions Rimbaud in the song Foriegn Window on the 'No Guru' album
I saw you from a foreign window
Bearing down the sufferin' road
You were carryin' your burden
You were singing about Rimbaud.

I have often wondered if Van was refering to Dylan in this song.In a BBC documentary Van sang with Bob and one song was Foriegn Window and Rimbaud was a big influence on Bob as well.Bob mentions Rimbaud in 'Your're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go' and maybe other songs.
Anyway, listen to Tore Down A La Rimbaud which is all about writers block and is one of Vans finest songs and happy birthday to Arthur Rimbaud,one of the greatest poets who ever lived and was the Beat Generation of his day.

I understood that what I needed to become the first poet of this century is to experience everything in my body.
It's no longer enough for me to be one person, I decided to be everyone.
I decided to be a genius. I decided to originate the future.

You can find some nice books which i used to illustrate this article about Rimbaud in my shop here-
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pats-Little-Book-Shop

A Trip To Bath.

2011-10-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had a nice day today.I was up at 6.00 and read my emails and was pleased to see i had sold my Jean Genet,The Miracle Of The Rose so i wrapped that up for posting then i sat by the fire drinking coffee,smoking ciggies and reading John Fante's Dreams From Bunker Hill.By the time my taxi to the station arrived i wasn't Pat Corley anymore,i was Arturo Bandini.I caught the train to Bath and i love visiting Bath.There is no more beautiful town in England than Bath.I think of Bath the same way John Fante thought of Los Angeles."Come to me Bath you pretty town, you flower amongst these green hills", i thought as the train arrived.I was early so i nipped into the PDSA Charity Shop and i found a nice biography of Jim Morrison,hardback first edition 1980 in very good condition.
Then i had a little walk and in the Abbey Concourse or whatever you call that big square there was this girl singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen so i gave her 30 pence because i was in a good mood.Then i caught the 14 bus to the Royal United Hospital.I sat in the waiting room with the other patients and read my new book to pass the time.After a few minutes i looked up and the old ladies opposite were looking at me with a look of fear and loathing.Then i looked at the cover of my book and the title said in great big letters,NOBODY HERE GETS OUT ALIVE.I felt really paranoid and put my book away.When i finally saw my consultant i was in and out in five minutes and he gave me a prescription and said i should come back in three months.I went to the pharmacy and discovered that since i was 60 on Sunday i didn't have to pay for my prescription anymore.Brilliant,i can be as sick as a pig for the rest of my life and it is all free!.Thank you National Health Service.While i was waiting for my drugs i admired the sculpture hanging above the coffee bar in the Atrium.It is by local artist Edwina Bridgeman and depicts a ship which she made out of driftwood from the river Thames and the crew and seagulls and even a ships cat.It is really good.I wonder how many people have walked through there and not even noticed it.

Anyway,i jumped on the bus back into town and got off by Wetherspoons and resisted the temptation to go in for a pint.I was a bit hungry so i bought a Cornish pasty from the award winning Cornish pasty shop. I sat on a bench to eat it and a pigeon started hassling me as usual.I gave it some of the crusty bit from round the edge and more pigeons piled in and i gave them some and it ended up as Pigeon holocaust.When i had finally stood up and wiped the crumbs of my trouser legs there must have been 50 pigeons around my feet.I left my beaky friends and sought shelter in the Oxfam bookshop and found some nice music books about Ravi Shankar,

The Grateful Dead

and Judy Collins.I was well pleased.Then i went in the British Heart Foundation Shop and found books about Keith Richards and Marcel Proust..Feeling pleased with my swag i headed home.Sitting on the train i thought i had enjoyed my few hours in Bath and even a trip to the hospital can be a lttle adventure with the right attitude.
THE END
All the books that i mentioned in my story today will be available tomorrow in my little bookshop here-

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pats-Little-Book-Shop

October In The Railroad Earth by Jack Kerouac

2011-10-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

THERE WAS A LITTLE ALLEY IN SAN FRANCISCO back of the Southern Pacific station at Third and Townsend in redbrick of drowsy lazy afternoons with everybody at work in offices in the air you feel the impending rush of their commuter frenzy as soon they'll be charging en masse from Market and Sansome buildings on foot and in buses and all well-dressed thru workingman Frisco of Walkup ?? truck drivers and even the poor grime-bemarked Third Street of lost bums even Negroes so hopeless and long left East and meanings of re- sponsibility and try that now all they do is stand there spit- ting in the broken glass sometimes fifty in one afternoon against one wall at Third and Howard and here's all these Millbrae and San Carlos neat-necktied producers and com- muters of America and Steel civilization rushing by with San Francisco Chronicles and green Call-Bulletins not even enough time to be disdainful, they've got to catch 130, 132, 134, 136 all the way up to 146 till the time of evening supper
in homes of the railroad earth when high in the sky the magic stars ride above the following hotshot freight trains-it's all in California, it's all a sea, I swim out of it in afternoons of sun hot meditation in my jeans with head on handker- chief on brakeman's lantern or (if not working) on book, I
look up at blue sky of perfect lostpurity and feel the warp of wood of old America beneath me and have insane conversa- tions with Negroes in several-story windows above and every- thing is pouring in, the switching moves of boxcars in that little alley which is so much like the alleys of Lowell and I hear far off in the sense of coming night that engine calling our mountains.

or the Gate of Marin to the north or San Jose south, the clarity of Cal to break your heart. It was the fantastic drowse and drum hum of lum mum afternoon nathin' to do, ole Frisco with end of land sadness-the people-the alley full of trucks and cars of businesses nearabouts and nobody knew or far from cared who I was all my life three thousand five hundred miles from birth-O opened up and at last belonged to me in Great America.Now it's night in Third Street the keen little neons and also yellow bulblights of impossible-to-believe flops with dark ruined shadows moving back of tom yellow shades like a degenerate China with no money-the cats in Annie's Alley, the flop comes on, moans, rolls, the street is loaded with darkness. Blue sky above with stars hanging high over old hotel roofs and blowers of hotels moaning out dusts of in- terior, the grime inside the word in mouths falling out tooth by tooth, the reading rooms tick tock bigclock with creak chair and slantboards and old faces looking up over rimless spectacles bought in some West Virginia or Florida or Liver- pool England pawnshop long before I was born and across rains they've come to the end of the land sadness end of the world gladness all you San Franciscos will have to fall eventually and burn again.

BUT IT WAS THAT BEAUTIFUL CUT OF CLOUDS I could always see above the little S.P. alley, puffs floating by from Oakland

All the books that i have used to illustrate Jacks words can be found in my little bookshop here-

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pats-Little-Book-Shop

Vanatic,Episode 20,Van Morrison And The Beats.

2011-09-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Cassady and i,Plymouth 1987.

In the mid 1980's there were 4,000,000 people unemployed and one of them was me.I couldn't get a job anywhere.In the end,rather than be on the dole i joined a voluntary organisation called Community Service Volunteers and was sent to work at a night shelter in Somerset looking after tramps,druggies,schizophrenics and mainly alcoholics.They floated towards Somerset because you could get a gallon of farmhouse cider for about £1.80 in those days.I got food, accomodation and £13 a week pocket money.After a while they offered me a permanent job as a care assistant for the princely salary of £4,400 per annum.I only worked at night-time so in the daytime i had lots of time on my hands for my hobby of book collecting.I would scour the secondhand bookshops, charity shops, junkshops,jumble sales,car boot sales looking for books that i could resell at a profit.The best find i ever made was a first edition of Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.It was falling apart and all spotty but i got £50 for it.I later found out that if it had been restored it was worth £900.My specialist interest was the Beat Generation.If i came across an old Giant Pan paperback copy of On The Road it was like hitting paydirt.I also snapped up anything of hippy interest because i used to do a little bookstall at festivals and i found it was a nice little earner.My beat stuff i used to sell through through a fanzine called The Kerouac Connection run by a bloke called Dave Moore from Bristol.I was 'Subterranean Books' and i used to send my lists of books world wide.

Anyway,to get back to my story, through Daves magazine i heard that a Beat conference was to be held at Plymouth Arts Centre.Carolyn Cassady was the guest of honour,Slim Gaillard was to be there and Gerald Nicosia who wrote the definitive Kerouac Biography 'Memory Babe'.I decided to go, and set off full of excitment.When i got to Plymouth i found a B and B for the weekend and explored Plymouth.I had a walk on Plymouth Ho where Sir Francis Drake finished his game of bowls before defeating the Spanish Armada and then i stood on the very steps that The Mayflower pilgrims walked down to board their ship.After that i went to the conference.There were lots of bearded pseudo- intellectual types there who i didn't really like but there was a good documentary filum shown called 'What Happened To Kerouac?' in which Gregory Corso was hilarious.On the Saturday there were lots of seminars and lectures which i found really boring and i never said anything because i couldn't make out what they were banging on about.In the afternoon there was a particularly boring poetry reading by some minor minor poet.I couldn't take no more because i was dying for a drink and a smoke so i went outside and sat in the sun in the yard and pulled a can of Colt 45 out of my bag and sat there happily drinking and smoking my head off.After a few minutes a nice friendly looking American lady came out in the yard.I recognised her immediately, it was Carolyn. The poetry had become too much for her as well.She sat on the steps next to me and started chatting.She had no airs or graces, and she even had a couple of swigs of my beer.Carolyn was Camille in On The Road, Estelle in other Kerouac books and had also written 'Heartbeat' which was made into a film starring Sissy Spacek and also wrote 'Off The Road' an excellent book which i recommend all about her life with Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg etc.What i really liked about her was that she took an interest in me,asking about where i lived,what i did for a living etc.She was in her mid 60's then but still very attractive,in her younger days she must have been stunning,no wonder Neal Cassady fell in love with her.During an interval a few more people came into the yard and a Scottish bloke called James Morton took a photo of Carolyn and i.
In the evening there was a concert with Slim Gaillard top of the bill.He was great and after his show he went around all the tables,chatting up all the girls even though he must have been in his 70's then.Poor old Slim died in 1991 but he was quite a character.The concert was a great end to a really good day.On Sunday morning i was in the foyer mooching through the books at the bookstall when a voice behind said,
"Hello again,"
I turned around and it was Carolyn.I said hello and bought a biography of Neal Cassady by a bloke called Gregory Stevenson and asked Carolyn to sign it.She sat down on a sofa and signed it but she didn't like a drawing of Neal in the book so she changed it to look more like Neal as she remembered him.I later sold that book which i regret.It was great meeting her though.
The Beat Generation authors were quite influential on Van Morrison.As you know Van mentions Jack Kerouac in two of his songs, 'Cleaning Windows' and 'On Hyndford Street'.I think that as a young teenager in Belfast Van would have probably have read the Giant Pan paperback editions of 'On The Road' and 'The Dharma Bums' which i have illustrated here.I can imagine him reading a dog-eared copy while munching a Paris bun and swigging lemonade in his lunch break.I wonder which of Van's friends in Belfast turned him on to Jack Kerouac?.I love the words of 'On Hyndford Street' in particular where Van describes the sights and sounds of his native city as well as Jack describes his native Lowell in such books as 'Doctor Sax' for instance.You can see Beat influences in lots of Van songs.In 'Stepping Out Queen' Van sings "Well you go through the drama and you work in the dharma'. I can see key words that crop up in Jacks books and Van songs.Words like Visions,Visions Of Gerard,Visions Of Cody by Jack,Beautiful Vision, Childlike Vision by Van. or Angel, Desolation Angels, Old Angel Midnight,Angel Of Imagination,Contacting My Angel etc etc .Incidentally and by the by 'Desolation Angels' by Kerouac was published in 65 and had a huge impact on Vans friend Bob Dylan.In his song 'Desolation Row' Dylan sings "Her sin is her lifelessness" and mentions 'Up on housing project hill', both these are lifted straight from Kerouac's book.Kerouac was very much influenced by James Joyce and the 'Stream of conciousness' writing and Vans masterpiece Astral Weeks could be said to be a 'Stream of conciousness' type of album.Reading On The Road induces the same type of feeling as listening to Astral Weeks.Jacks style of writing he called Spontaneous Bop Prosedy and the best of Van is like that where he improvises and lets the music go where it wants to go.

Jacks books with their descriptions of America with all that road going must have had a profound effect on young Van in post-war industrial Belfast who heard the voice of America calling and scarpered over there the first chance he got. Jack had a great love of music especially jazz,you could say he was a jazz musician and his instrument was the typewriter, Van would have recognised a kindred spirit there.One of the best sections of On The Road is an account of Sal and Dean seeing Slim Gaillard playing in a small club and meeting him afterwards.Many years later Van was to meet Slim and was filmed by the BBC reading from On The Road while Slim accompanied him on the bongo's, arooni! The film of that encounter was on you tube but sadly its not there any more.Anyway it must have been a real thrill for Van to meet Slim.
Jack was also very into Buddhism as shown in such works as Scripture Of The Golden Eternity and Some Of The Dharma and may have influenced Van in that respect.In Vans song 'Enlightenment' which is a very Buddhist song at the end Van shouts 'Wake Up', Wake Up is a book by Jack which tells the story of the Buddha.It has been published in serial form in a Buddhist magazine called Tricycle but i think its being published in book form in 2008 so look out for that.
Jack didn't like being famous either,when he was asked what fame was like he said,"Its like old newspapers blowing down Bleeker Street".I think Van has a similar attitude to being famous.

Another of the Beat writers was Lawrence Ferlinghetti,the poet and founder of City Lights bookstore in San Francisco.In 1958 he published his best known work 'A Coney Island Of The Mind'. In the late 80's Van took part in a TV documentary of the same name in which he explored the roots of his poetic lyrics. Coney Island is also a track on his Avalon Sunset album but i think its a bit spurious to link that to the beats.Alan Watts was another writer associated with the Beats who also inspired a great Van song 'Alan Watts Blues'.Cloud Hidden Whereabouts Unknown' being the title of a book by Watts.I think i read an interview once with Van in which he said something like 'Sure i was influenced by Kerouac and Ginsberg but who wasn't'.At the end of The Dharma Bums Jack says-

“…as I was hiking down the mountain with my pack I turned and knelt on the trail and said “Thank you, shack.” Then I added “Blah,” with a little grin, because I knew that shack and that mountain would understand what that meant, and turned and went on down the trail back to this world.”
Van himself has often in live performance been known to sing 'Blah, Blah, Blah' so i think i'll end this chapter by saying 'Blah.

Review:Van Morrison, Colston Hall Bristol September 22, 2011

2011-09-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

Van Morrison has a special affinity with Bristol,"Won't you meet me down by Bristol",sang Van on his epic song Summertime In England.So we did, and set off on a golden sunny evening in the Indian Summer.It took nearly two hours to travel the 31 miles from Westbury to the Colston Hall crawling through the rush hour traffic.The Colston Hall has been refurbished with a splendid new foyer area and bars.I hardly recognised the place.Sitting outside in the evening sunshine we met Mike and Lori Seltzer who had travelled all the way from Detroit to see Van.It was great to see them and Smithy took our photo.Then it was time for the show.

Vans concert was the most expensive ever held at this venue,£100 for front row tickets.A far cry from 1982 when he appeared here for £5.50 (See picture).I think that is the reason for all the empty seats in the balcony where we were sitting.As soon as the show started Smithy and i moved forward to the vacant seats nearer the front.Van came on stage and he has dispensed with the suit which is good and was wearing a real bad boys tight leather jacket.The opening song was MOONDANCE and i was happy to see the great Jay Berliner back on guitar with Vans band of

Paul Moran on keyboards piano and trumpet, Paul Moore on bass Jeff Lardner drums Chris White sax, flute Alistair White trombone and Dave Keary on guitar.It was a nice surprise to hear HIGHER THAN THE WORLD next from Vans Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart album and Jay excelled himself with some mesmerising guitar playing.Van drank copious amounts of water during the concert and wiped his nose several times.I don't know if he had a cold or just needs to keep his pipes lubricated but his voice is quite magnificent at the age of 66.SONG OF HOME from his last studio album was next and i think Jay played banjo on this one

FAIR PLAY from the brilliant Veedon Fleece album followed and it was superb,"Take it where you get it",sang Van repeatedly at the end.My second favourite Van song of all time followed,IN THE GARDEN.The knowledgeable Bristol audience applauded spontaneously to the opening notes and Van said "Thank you",politely.He was really in the zone on this song which was spiritual and sanctified.Jay and the young brass section all got warm applause during their solos.The piano playing was excellent as well.At the end Van brought it right down to a whisper until he was just breathing into the microphone.It was spine-tingling.Then he sang "Then you bring it up!",and the band brought it back to a crescendo that Tchaikovsky would have been proud of. MAGIC TIME followed which was good with Van blowing some nice saxophone but sandwiched in between the other epic songs it paled by comparison.The masterclass of ALL IN THE GAME/YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE WRITING ABOUT followed and for me this was the highlight of the evening as Van made it real one more time.The full range of his vocal pyrotechnics were on display with Van Scatting,gargling, roaring and making noises like a caged animal.I haven't seen him this animated in years."There is no plan B,no turning back,there is no plan B",he kept repeating at the end.REAL REAL GONE was next and all the band took solos to show what they could do and Van sang a bit of You Send me by Sam Cooke.TALK IS CHEAP followed and i don't like this song on the studio album but live in Bristol is was really funky.Van blew his harp and had a real bash at the tabloid newspapers who he hates with good reason.CRAZY LOVE followed which took me right back to my very first Van concert 32 years ago at this same venue when Katie Kissoon was in the band.Tonight it was righteous and mellow down to it's very soul.

The great songs continued with BALLERINA.with more dazzling guitar work by Jay .Instead of 'Here comes the man",Van sang "Here comes the fuzz!'.I CAN'T STOP LOVIN'YOU the Ray Charles classic was next with the multi talented Paul Moran taking a solo on trumpet.It was great but for the only time tonight i wished he had some backing singers like the Raelettes.Another classic followed, LITTLE VILLAGE with Jay,Van on sax and Paul Moran all excelling themselves.HELP ME followed and i have seen Van do this song dozens of times but tonight he found new depths to the song with Paul switching to the organ and Van blowing some mean harmonica and repeating "It's too late to stop now" over and over which shows Van has no intention of fading away until he wants to,Then it was the traditional finale GLORIA with Van leaving the stage still blowing his harp and the band played on in a frenzy giving Van time to make a sharp exit from the building.

Smithy timed the show at 95 minutes.We had a swift pint in a pub next to the Hippodrome Theatre and headed home.It only took 50 minutes to drive back to Westbury after a great evening.Tonight Van is in Cardiff and i hope Mike and Lori are treated to another show as good as Vans magnificent performance in Bristol.
THE END.

Murphy

2011-09-04T02:56:00.000-07:00

It was at Glastonbury 1997 14 years ago that the name of Murphy first entered our lives.My Niece Katherine was camped with us with her friend Cherie.They shared a flat in London and were going to Ireland on holiday and asked if we would look after Cherie's cat called Murphy aged 3 for two weeks while they were away.We said yes and a few days later Murphy arrived. Murphy didn't like us at first and spent a lot of time skulking under chairs until i bought a pretend mouse which i tied to some string and started pulling across the floor.Murphy started stalking it and leaping on it and soon lost all inhibtions.Weeks went by and we never heard from Cherie and we realised we had been dumped with Murphy.We would go to bed and there would be a big lump under the covers where Murphy had decided that was a nice place to crash out.Murphy soon got aquainted with the surrounding gardens and was soon threatening the local wildlife.One day i was in the living room and Kim was in the kitchen and i heard her scream.

"Aaaargh!,Murphy has got a mouse".

I ran into the kitchen where Murphy was proudly showing off this tiny mouse which was clenched in its jaws.I grabbed Murphy who dropped the mouse which ran under the fridge.I lifted up the fridge and Murphy dived in there and emerged with the mouse.I managed to prise the mouse off Murphy again and carried it up to the churchyard and released it into the wild to meet its fate.

An unusual talent which Murphy had was picking racing winners.In 2001 Kim suggested that Murphy pick a horse for her in the Grand National so I opened the Daily Mirror two page Grand National guide and pulled a string across it and Murphy dived on it and the leading paw landed on Red Marauder which romped home at 33/1.From then on when there was a big race Murphy’s Choice was a feature.

When the end came it was sudden.We came in from the pub and Murphy was sitting on the steps leading to the garden enjoying the last rays of the evening sun.Kim gave Murphy a sachet of Sheba cat food and we were watching the telly when we heard unusual noises from the kitchen.Murphy was lying on the floor.I made a bed from a cardboard box with two cushions in and and brought Murphy into the living room but to no avail.I pronounced Murphy dead at 9.28 GMT.I closed the lid and removed Murphy to the shed for the night.Next afternoon I dug a hole 3 feet deep against the wall of the garden which Murphy had prowled for so many years.and buried Murphy and planted a bay tree on top surrounded by stones and placed a sign saying ‘All Creatures Great And Small,The Lord God Made Them All’.Then I showed Kim the grave and went inside.I played Be Thou My Vision by Van Morrison because Murphy heard a lot of Van in our house.

I told my internet buddies and got lots of messages and Rhonda Batchelor who is a poet from

Canada

sent me a poem she had written years ago.

Old Cat in Spring Sun

One more summer's all we can ask. One

short season of long days and dry, starry nights.

A sofa, broad and broken-in, fading.

The dish kept full and waiting.

Cool water in a tin bowl.

Outside the window small birds

are bold. Ignore them. Sleep

a peaceful sleep.

Last incarnation

before paradise. The door

is open into the garden.

All creatures

may come and go.

Rhonda Batchelor.

William Butler Yeats Influence On Van Morrison.

2011-08-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

When i moved to Westbury in 1987 i got to know this Irish man called Sean who came from County Sligo.He was a real character and told me lots of interesting and funny stories.One night in the Ludlow pub he told me that in 1948 he had been present at the burial of WB Yeats.I looked it up and found out that sure enough Yeats had died in France in 1939 but in 1948 he was exhumed and returned to Ireland and according to his wishes buried in Drumcliffe Churchyard in Sligo.The words that are on his headstone appear in Vans song Here Comes The Knight on the No Guru album.'Cast a cold eye on life, on death'.Van has been influenced very much by WB Yeats and his work has been littered with Yeats references so this might be a good place to look at Yeats's influence on Van..
Crazy Jane On God was a Yeats poem that Van set to music and and was meant to appear on the A Sense Of Wonder album but the trustees of Yeats estate refused permission.It eventually appeared on The Philosophers Stone album and is quite supurb. Before The World Was Made is one of the best tracks on Too Long In Exile and is adapted from Yeats poem "A Woman Young and Old" originally published in 1933.

If I make the lashes dark
And the eyes more bright
And the lips more scarlet,
Or ask if all be right
From mirror after mirror,
No vanity's displayed:
I'm looking for the face I had
Before the world was made.

Van donated this song to an album called Now And In Time to Be which i heartily recommend in which various artists such as the Waterboys,Christy Moore,Shane McGowan,The Cranberries,Richard Harris and many others recite or sing Yeats poems.In Summertime In England Van mentions Yeats and Lady Gregory corresponding,corresponding.I have heard it suggested that Rough God Goes Riding was inspired by Yeats poem The Second Coming but i don't think so.I think he got that idea from Robin Williamson's song For Mr Thomas which Van also covered.When i first got the Avalon Sunset album the cover reminded me of Yeats poem The Wild Swans At Coole.Vans song When The Leaves Come Falling Down made me think of Yeat's poem The Falling Of The Leaves.In Rave On John Donne we have
Rave on let a man come out of Ireland
Rave on on Mr. Yeats,
Rave on down through the Holy Rosey Cross
Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn
Rave on through the writing of "A Vision"
There are a lot of similarities between Van and William Butler.Both were very interested in the occult and mysticism, theosophy etc and influenced by Blake and Swedenborg.Even recently Van has been mentioning the mystic church of Swedenborg in Notting Hill in his live concerts..The thing that really i find interesting in this verse is the reference to the writing of 'A Vision'.

A Vision was privately published in 1925, a book-length study of various philosophical, historical, astrological, and poetic topics by Yeats who wrote these works while experimenting with automatic writing with his wife.On the 20th October 1917, three days after her twenty-fifth birthday, George Hyde Lees married the fifty-two year old poet.. The partnership of Yeats and George Hyde Lees is one of the most extraordinary and creative in the literary world.The most important partner in this continuing study was his wife. Nothing that had happened to him before was more dramatically exciting than the automatic writing of his wife.Georgie died in 1968 the year Astral Weeks was recorded. Was Georgie Hyde-Lees the inspiration for Madame George?. I say no because Van left school at age 15 and probably not even aware of Yeats.It was only later when he educated himself with reading that William Butler influenced his work.I think that the identity of Madame George should be an enigma forever shrouded in a mystery and just enjoy the music inspired by the one and only Madame George.

The Shipping News by Graham Robins.

2011-08-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

It is always a pleasure to receive something in the post from Simon Gee.It used to be the excellent Wavelength magazine but on Friday morning it was the new CD from Global Sessions the new music label that Simon has set up which hit my door mat.The CD is the third album by Graham Robins and is called The Shipping News and i must say that after a depressing week of riots news and stock market news The Shipping News is a breath of fresh air.As soon as i heard the first track 'Back To The Heartland' i knew i was in the presence of something special.It features some wonderful flute and uillean pipe playing by John Devine.'Walking In Silence' follows which is a very upbeat spiritually uplifting song with lots of religious imagery.A great song for Sunday mornings or any morning for that matter.'Now All Of The Heartaches Gone' follows and and has a nice American sound with great pedal steel guitar by Cliff Weston and violin by Cliff Ward.I love it,I'd like to hear this music live at a festival.'The great songs continue with 'Snow Blind'.When i first heard the opening notes on upright bass i thought of Under The Boardwalk by the Drifters.Graham excels himself on the harmonica on this track.The eponymous 'The Shipping News' is next and is a tour de force with Dave Baldwin playing some very atmospheric Hammond organ and piano.I love the name dropping of the great explorers such as Columbus and Vasco Da Gama and even Irish lady pirate Grace O'Malley.In complete contrast 'A Letter From Paris'has a very Jazzy feel and i love Olly Dowlins upright bass sound and Dave's piano.Paris has been a great inspiration to many great writers and artists and Graham has obviously soaked up the vibes as well.'Drown In Your Eyes' is much more soulful and Graham is joined by Jade Rhiannon Ward on backing vocals.If some exponent of broken-hearted soul like Adele had recorded this song it would sell millions.It reminds me of I would Rather Go Blind by Etta James.On an album without one bad song i would say that song is possibly my favourite.

The mood changes completely with 'The Gangsters Of Rock n Roll which has a nice Tex Mex feel to it with the pedal steel guitar to the fore.I really like 'Roll Back The Years',Graham must be a similar age to me because it takes me back to Ready Steady Go,Radio Caroline,and even reminded me of buying Ben Sherman shirts in Harry Fentons shop.Grahams terrific harmonica playing opens 'The Comfort Zone' which is another powerful soulful song.I always thought the'The Heights Of Abraham' were in Canada but a friend of mine told me tonight that they are in Derbyshire in Englands green and pleasant land with the hammond organ and John Devine's delicate flute playing accompanying Grahams soulful bluesy voice and some of these songs remind you of when Britain used to produce a wealth of great soul and Blues bands.'Waiting On The Healing' brings the album to a close in magnificent style and the lyrics remind me very much of another great singer from these Isles who also took Blues,Soul,Jazz,Country and Irish and turned them into his own unique sound.In the absence of a new album from that singer i think this CD is the best thing out there.There isn't a bad track on the album,it is quite brilliant.This is an album to buy for someone you love and you won't go far wrong..

Vanatic,Episode 49.Van Morrison,London Feis 2011

2011-08-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

The last time i saw Van was in June 2011 in Finsbury Park in London.We threw our bags into the hotel room and headed for the pub to meet our friends.It was a really nice pub in a quiet backstreet and was called The Faltering Fullback.

We had got there late though and most people had already gone to the festival.I was pleased to see Nosey was still there though and Martin and Mary.As it was an Irish pub i had four pints of Guinness then we headed up the road to see Van.There were lots of bands on three stages but unlike the last time we attended this event i couldn't be bothered racing from stage to stage.I'd brought a couple of chairs and we just watched the main stage.Horslips were on when we arrived.I used to like them about 40 years ago and i had their Book Of Invasions album but i have grown out of that sort of thing so i went and bought some really nice curry from a Jamaican stall but i didn't tell Kim what was in it.

The previous day rain had lashed the crowd as they enjoyed great performances by the likes of Bob Dylan and Christy Moore but by Sunday evening Finsbury Park was bathed in sunshine.The perfect setting for a dazzling performance by the celtic soul brother.Van came on stage at 7.30.It had been 8 long months since the last live performance by Van the man and he seemed to relish the chance to play live again.The opening number was Baby Please Don't Go, the Joe Williams song that gave Van his first hit with 'Them' 47 years ago.This was followed by Here Comes The Night written by Bert Berns which reached number 2 in the charts in 1965.Both these songs went down a treat with this good natured audience as did the next one Brown Eyed Girl which was greeted with a huge cheer.Then a song for the die-hard Van fans Fair Play from the sublime Veedon Fleece album.Vans young brass section who had first played with him at the Albert Hall concert excelled themselves on this one.These songs were a repeat performance of the Albert Hall gig which suggested to me that the band hadn't got back together until a few days previously and rehearsed a lot of new material.Then another crowd pleaser Real Real Gone during which Van showed what an excellent sax player he is.The Ray Charles classic I Can't Stop Lovin'You was next followed by Moondance.Then Van performed one of his best known songs Have I Told You Lately? from the Avalon Sunset album.Wavelength was the surprising choice for the next song and Van certainly had this audience on his wavelength.A shortened version of All In The Game followed with Van probably trying to get as many songs as possible into his time slot.The next song was exquisite,In The Garden which was worth the entrance fee on it's own.The perfect song for a perfect evening.Because it was an Irish festival Van included Star Of The County Down from his Irish Heartbeat album.Then a song which was as good as In The Garden for sheer brilliance Ballerina from Astral Weeks the best album ever made.This featured dazzling guitar work by Jay Berliner who actually played on the Astral Weeks album.Help Me the song which has been in Vans reportoire since the year dot was next and gave all his supurb band a chance to play a solo.Van finished the show with Gloria which went down a treat with this audience.Thin Lizzy were on after Van but i couldn't be bothered listening to it.If Phil Lynott and Gary Moore were still alive i would have done but we left before the rush.Afterwards as we walked back down the Seven Sisters Road i thought that after a long absence from the stage Vans performance was a triumph.

Back at the hotel we sat in the bar with Petra and Uwe from Germany,Julia from France,Hilary from Ireland and Nosey but the evening had become a bit of a haze by then.
The next morning i felt really rough and i thought,"Right,thats it for me,no more concerts,i'm too old for all this carry-on",but then i heard that Van is playing in Bristol again soon and i knew we would have to try and go.As the man said,"It's too late to stop now".

THE END.

Vanatic,Episode 48.Van Morrison,Royal Albert Hall,October 2010.

2011-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

It was a golden autumn day when i woke up on Sunday but cold so i thought i better put on my big grey coat and my Van the man hat for the trip to London.We caught the 10.53 from Westbury and the journey passed uneventfully.The countryside looked beautiful with the colours of the trees beneath October skies.We got a taxi from Paddington to our hotel in posh Kensington.As we drove through Hyde Park there were hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine.Our room wasn't ready so we walked around the corner to the Queens Arms pub for a spot of lunch and i noticed that one of the beers for sale was called 'Moondance' which was a good omen for the night ahead so i had a pint of 'Moondance'.Then we had a walk around the block and i read the blue plaques on the fashionable houses,'comedian Benny Hill lived here till 1984','Sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein lived here',Lord Baden-Powell founder of the Scout movement lived here till 1949' etc.When we got back to the hotel we had a bit of a snooze until 5.00.We walked down the avenue again and the leaves were falling one by one and it seemed like a magic night.The pub was packed with Van fans.The cream of the bohemian intelligensia were there plus Nosey who introduced me to everyone.There were people there from every corner of the world.Julia from France,Brenda,Joost,Marion and Diane from the Netherlands,,Somebody from Austria,people from Spain,Denmark,Peter from Australia.Jez, Peter and other English.Lots of other people who i can't remember the names of.It was all a bit hectic for me and i sat in the corner with Kim and then Dail joined us and had a bit of a chat before Sue and Colin arrived.When we went outside for a cigarette who should come strolling along but our old friend Henrik from the Vanlose Stairway of Copenhagen.It was great to see him.On returning inside these nice young American girls asked me if i was called Nosey and i said, " No,but i know somebody who is and i know who you are",It was Stuart and Michelle's stepdaughter from San Diego and her friend and we had a chat and i introduced them to Nosey .

Then i had a chat with Alan Lloyd and Jez who i hadn't seen since Brighton in 2004.It was especially nice to have a chat with Brenda and Joost from the Netherlands.Brenda gave me a hug from Colleen and i hadn't met Joost before so it was great talking to him.John C was there from up north and it was great to see him again.About 7.15 the pub started thinning out so i thought we better make a move and walked the short distance to the Albert Hall.The last time we saw Van at the Albert Hall in 2001 it was looking a bit seedy and decrepid but i think it has had a major reburbishment in the last few years and is restored to its former glory and looks quite magnificent.John C and i amused ourselves by taking photos of each other beside a gigantic Van poster then Kim and i got the lift up to our seats.Our seats weren't the best because i left it to the last minute before buying them.From our vantage point i looked down on the people below and i spotted Simon sitting right near the front.The Albert Hall sound quality has a notorious reputation.There used to be an echo in there but they have these large sound diffusing discs hanging from the dome that look like flying saucers that have got rid of the echo and i don't think the sound is that bad.

Then it was time for the show and i pulled out my trusty moleskine notebook and my pen as Van walked on to join the other seven band members and launched into Baby Please Don't Go his first hit with Them from 46 years ago and then went straight into Here Comes The Night from 1965 which reached number 2 in the charts and only the Rolling Stones stopped Van from having his only UK chart topper.This was followed by Brown Eyed Girl, the song that established him as a solo artist and made him world famous.The crowd loved these opening numbers which were ok but for the likes of me and the hardcore Van fans we wanted to hear the lesser known transcendental stuff.The first of which was Fair Play from Veedon Fleece.It was supurb.I can't name the band because there were 3 new members.A new brass section of two new young sax,trombone,trumpet players.We met them afterwards and they said they liked working for Van and they had only 4 days rehearsal before the Glasgow gig the night before so fair play to them because they played with a lot of confidence and weren't fazed when Van pointed to them for a solo.I did think though that it showed bad planning to bring in new band members at such short notice.I wondered if Van decided to revert to a brass section because he couldn't hire a first rate violinist.Maybe he should have phoned Toni Marcus who would have been in her element with a lot of tonights songs.I didn't recognise the drummer either who was good but maybe a bit over-enthusiastic at times.I wondered what had happened to Bobby Ruggerio who had seemed to be the music director after Matt Holland moved on.Van filled that role tonight,prowling the stage and coaxing the best out of the ensemble.Anyway i wrote in my notes,'The world stood still' next to Fair Play.I can't remember why i wrote that now but it must have been good!.Keeping Mediocrity At Bay from the Magic Time album was next,not one of my favourite songs by any means but like a lot of Morrison's songs it does grow in stature when performed live.There as some great guitar and harmonica playing on this one.Then it was Little Village another song which was much maligned when it first appeared but has become a concert favourite now amongst the die-hard fans.It was supurb with Van excelling himself on saxophone.After that it was another crowd pleaser Moondance.I have seen some pretty bland performances of this over the years but Van seems to have injected new life into it and the band were relishing the chance to show off their skills during the solos.Then it was time for the Masterclass, All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About.This was so good that even the audience who had come to hear the hits were converted and Van received rapturous applause when he made it real one more time again.What followed was the highlight of the evening for me In The Garden, and the crowd listened to the heavenly music in hushed silence.There was exquisite guitar playing followed by delicate piano and trumpet.It sent shivers up the spine, you could almost feel the presence of the guardian angels that Van was singing about in the room.This was the transcendental stuff i was on about earlier.Van was really on to something in the 1980's when his music could almost be called New-Age music when the music became more to do with meditation and healing and raising conciousness then mere entertainment.I think thats why he had so many instumentals on his albums because he was getting beyond words into the wordless,and him one of the greatest vocalists in the world.He seems to be getting back to enjoying that type of music recently which is why Celtic Excavation followed, moving seamlessly to Into The Mystic one of the greatest songs ever written.This was another highlight for me followed by Ballerina from Astral Weeks the greatest album ever recorded .Van has reworked it without it losing any of its relentless energy and i wrote 'Funky''in my notes.Well it was getting late, just a little just a little and Van brought the energy level down with Have I Told You Lately and Bright Side Of The Road which the audience seemed to love but it didn't do it for me.I did enjoy Keep It Simple though from his unfairly maligned last studio album.I think it is a poignant song which Van sings with real feeling.I knew we were getting to the end when Van launched in the Sonny Boy Williamson song Help Me which has been in Van's reportoire since time began.I always enjoy it though and so did the crowd who cheered loudly as Van left the stage still playing his harmonica.Then Van returned for a rousing Gloria and all the crowd were on their feet and clapping along.I throughougly enjoyed the show.It wasn't the greatest Van concert i have been to but it did have quite a few moments that remind you why you became a Van fan in the first place.Back at the pub everybody was buzzing with the adrenalin that you get from a concert.Nosey said he rated it 6 or 7 out of 10.I would give it 8 out of 10.The pub closed too early at 10.30 which was ridiculous and when we were standing outside the pub saying cheerio to everyone the barman came out and virtually told us to clear off because of the neighbours.What a cheek.Some of the others were talking about moving on to another drinking place but we went back to the hotel and fell asleep into blissful.slumbers.

Vanatic,Episode 47.Van Morrison,Bristol,June 20th 2009.

2011-08-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

I have seen Van in Bristol more times than i can remember.I know i have seen him at Colston Hall or the Hippodrome loads of times in the pre-internet era before i started writing reviews but i can't remember anything about them except i know we were there.Nevermind about that, because for sheer enjoyment of a great show and meeting with brilliant friends nothing has equalled the show in Bristol of 20th June 2009. Our friends Stu and Michelle had jetted in from California and they stayed at Avoncliffe and we had a nice evening out with them in Bradford On Avon the night before the concert.The next day we got on the train at 2.48 and arrived in Bristol about 40 minutes later.A quick taxi to the hotel and threw our bags in the room and set off to cover the waterfront.I was wearing my Hollywood Bowl T shirt that Colleen sent and an American who recognised the T shirt asked if we were going to see Van.This turned out to be Mike from Detroit and i had a chat with him and said i hoped this concert wouldn't turn out to be the 'contractual obligation' gig which i feared.
Then Cuttsy and Maginnity strolled along and after i had prised Kim away from a hat stall we followed them to Wetherspoons pub.One by one the Vanatics started turning up.There was Alan from London.Then it was also great to finally meet Big Bern.John C was there in a THEM shirt and Nosey.Poet Alan Douglas was there and fellow Posh fan Dail and Nell who had come all the way from Australia.There was Peter another Australian there and.Sue with her other half and Phil and his wife who it is always nice to see.The only Bristolian was Gordon.It was always great to see Simon who is responsible for bringing all the Van fans together in the first place.What a jolly gang it was,i wonder if Van is aware of all the friendships that his music has created.It is 30 years since i first saw Van in Bristol,right back when the album Wavelength came out and i can remember Van gigs here when there was only us and Simon at the pre-show gathering so this was easily the best get together i can re-call in Bristol.

The time wizzed by and it was time to set off for the show at the recently refurbished Colston Hall.We walked up there with Gordon.We were in the cheap seats but they turned out to be brilliant with a great view of the stage.This band was a much smaller ensemble than Van had used recently.I think there were eight on stage counting Van.When we sat down Jay Berliner and David Hayes were already on the stage tuning up and then they were joined by Sarah Jory,Bobby Ruggerio,Richie Buckley,Paul Moran and Tony Fitzgibbon.Then it was announced "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr Van Morrison".Van sat at the piano and sang Northern Muse which was quite a supurb opening number although Van did get a bit grumpy during it,i think he was complaining that he couldn't hear the guitar of Jay Berliner.Moondance was next but i thought it was a bit early in the show because i usually like to go to the toilet during Moondance.Paul Moran played some great trumpet during this number.Then we were in for the first stunningly brilliant highlight of the evening,Fair Play from the Veedon Fleece album.I think it was Big Bern who told me later that Van has never played this in concert before.It was sublime and went on and on,the instrumental ending was genius with David Hayes and Jay Berliner and Van improvising like some gypsy jazz combo or something.The band was in the zone and it was quite amazing.When it ended quite a few of the knowledgeable Bristol crowd leapt to their feet and gave the band a well deserved standing ovation.It was quite magical.

All my fears about this concert were long forgotten by now and i had an inkling there might be songs from the No Guru album and this was proved by Foriegn Window which was excellent.
"I think he will do In The Garden",i whispered to Kim.Then there was another surprise when Van followed this with The Mystery from the Poetic Champions Compose album.Tony Fitzgibbon excelled himself on this one,i didn't used to care much for Tony's playing but now i think he is great. Help Me followed which has been a staple of Vans reportoire throughout his career and i always think it's great and so does Van.Paul Moran on keyboards deserves a special mention on this number.Have I Told You Lately? was the best version of this song i have heard for ages because Van sang it as the ballad that it originally was.Mr Moran provided some fabulous piano playing on this one as well.By now i knew i was witnessing something truly special as Van went into his master class with All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About/Rainbow66 .Tony's violin playing was sublime and easily as good as Toni Marcus's playing all those years ago when i saw Van at this very same venue.

Then my prediction of a few minutes earlier came true when the familiar piano intro to In The Garden began.The last time i heard Van sing this was at Exeter University in 1994 and i was beginning to realise that tonight was the best show i had seen since then.The song was amazing with Van just whispering the words at the end.You could have heard a pin drop in the hall,quite incredible.Another song from Poetic Champions was next,Queen Of The Slipstream which Michelle told me was her favouite so i'm pleased he did that one.Into The Mystic followed which to me is one of the greatest songs ever written.Magic Time was the only song from Vans modern era and although it was fine it suffers by comparison with the greatness of many of the other songs of this magic night.

I didn't think Van could produce another great song but he did with And The Healing Has Begun.I haven't mentioned Richie Buckley but he was great all night and especially with his flute playing on this song.The lyrics reminded me that i was going to Glastonbury that week and roam across the fields and stay out all night long and listen to the rock and roll,dig a dig a dig a !.That's where i come from man.
The show was coming to an end and Van left the stage to return with a blistering Mystic Eyes and Gloria .Some people were dancing in the aisles so we took advantage and walked right up to the front and got a really good look at the band.
Afterwards outside,all of the band apart from Van were quite happy to chat with everyone and i got my photo taken with Sarah Jory,what a nice lady she is and Jay Berliner and David Hayes.They are all nice people.Most of the Vanatics went off to a restaurant but we slipped quietly into the shadows and went for a drink with Stu and Michelle.What a great night it was.

Vanatic,Episode 46.Van Morrison,Keep It Simple.

2011-08-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

My copy of Keep It Simple arrived and i eagerly opened the package.The cover of the CD was blue showing that its a blues influenced album i suppose like Veedon Fleece is a nice green showing Irish influence.The album opens with How Can A Poor Boy which i thought was a bit boring in the same way that Going Down Geneva was quite a disappointing opening track on the Back On Top album.The religious imagery reminded me a bit of They Sold Me Out on Magic Time.School Of Hard Knocks i didn't care for either i am afraid.This song is livened by the guitar of Mick Green.The words of the song get a bit wearing with Van moaning and groaning about his hard life.Even his most diehard fans were getting fed up with hearing about it. The next track Entrainment was a vast improvement.The band was stripped back to just four with Van playing ukelele.An unusual instrument mostly associated in Britain with George Formby who partially inspired Van's song Cleaning Windows..Ballerina dance in the lyrics reminded me of the Astral Weeks album. Don't Go To Night Clubs Any More is derived from Duke Ellington's Don't Get Out Much Any More Van doffed his hat to Duke in another song in recent years when he mentioned It Don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.Mose Allison and Georgie Fame get a mention and John Allair plays some great organ.Lover Come Back is much better in my opinion.It has a sort of 50's feel to it i think like The Drifters or Ben E King, reminding me a bit of some of the songs on The Healing Game.The intro sounds quite haunting.Cindy Cashdollar plays on this track as opposed to Sarah Jory on steel guitar which suggests to me that the album was recorded all over the place when Van had spare time between gigs.The clickity clack of the train is reminisant of the clicking clacking of of the high heeled shoes, harking back to Astral Weeks again.

The title track Keep It Simple is great.It is stripped down to keep it simple with just five players including Van on his ukelele and Geriant Watkins on accordian.When Van sings 'You gotta keep it simple and that's that' reminds me of when he used to say 'It ain't why it just is'.I also really liked End Of The Land which featured some nice organ and guitar and is quite Dylanesque to me and shows Van is determined to stick around till the deal goes down.I wish this song was longer though.I thought maybe in concert he would stretch it a bit but it never happened.Van's songs always grow and take on new life when sung live.Little Village was a good example of this.I'm still not sure if i like Song Of Home.This featured Sarah on Banjo and the lyrics are quite banal,The rain in Maine falls mainly in Spain or something like that but maybe its deliberate, who knows?.it is quite catchy though. No Thing is my least favourite song on the album and is more moaning and groaning/.Soul in contrast is really good and very positive and uplifting.This is what Van is really good at, when he lifts your spirits.The best is saved till last, Behind The Ritual is a Van classic.I did wonder where Van met Sally in the alley and a friend of mine told me that Sneaking Sally Through The Alley is an Allan Toussaint song that Lee Dorsey recorded.When Van says that behind the ritual of the drinking there is the spiritual reminds me of going to the pub with my friends for happy hour and we sit out the back and talk a lot of old nonsense and blah blah blah.Strangely enough in a previous episode about Jack Kerouac and Van i wrote about how they both used Blah a lot and now Van came out with loads of blah blah blah .Maybe thats entrainment.
A few days after this album came out i saw Van yet again in Bristol.It was a bitterly cold March day in contrast to the last time i saw Van back in October when it was a golden autumn day of an Indian summer.I nipped into Kevins Menswear and bought myself a nice Irish Aran knit jumper to keep out the cold and emerged from the shop looking like one of the Clancy Brothers.Then i repaired to the Crown pub for a couple of hours kicking my heels waiting till it was time to set off.Eventually i got a taxi to the station and caught the 4.08 train.At Trowbridge my friend Fred got on the train.I hadn't seen Fred for ages so as the train clickety clacked its way towards Bristol we filled each other in on what we had been doing since the last time we met.I reminded Fred that we went together to my very first Van gig back in 79 (See Episode 7) but he didn't recall it as well as me because i'm the great rememberer.

We arrived at Temple Meads station in the great seafaring port of Bristol.and got a taxi to the pub.Fred and i sat in a corner and started skulling down pints of real ale.After about 10 minutes Roger and Phil and their wives arrived.Then eventually Simon and Nosey and a few other people whose names i can't remember showed up.We left the pub and walked down the hill to the Colston Hall.The bar was absolutely wedged with fifty somethings but Fred and i managed to wheedle our way in and buy a couple of drinks.We took our seats with about a minute to spare.I think this was the biggest band i have ever seen playing with Van.I think there were twelve of them on the stage including Van and they sounded great.I think Bobby Ruggerio was the musical director and must have run the band through their paces when Van was busy in the afternoons.

I think the first song they did was This Love Of Mine.Sarah featured on steel guitar and i thought she was really good.Real Real Gone was next i think followed by Stranded which featured some fabulous piano playing.Then there was a great version of Wild Night followed by Tupelo Honey and Why Must I Always Explain..School Of Hard Knocks followed which is one of my least favourite songs off the new album.Then Entrainment which i really like with Van on ukelele.Keep It Simple was next and sounded supurb, it is a great song.End Of The Land had some great guitar from John Platania.Song Of Home isn't one of my favourites..Bright Side Of The road followed with Sarah featured on the banjo.Jackie Wilson Says followed but i have heard it often enough thank you.Georgia On My Mind was great with some supurb keyboard playing.Then it was Moondance so i went for a quick ciggie out in the street.When i got back the security wouldn't let me in till the end of the next song which i think was Who Can I Turn To.Lover Come Back was great as was Soul which Van played some great saxophone on.Then it was Brown Eyed Girl which took me right back to 79 when i first saw Van at this venue.The next song was the one i had been waiting for,Behind The Ritual which is brilliant and the audience loved it .The proceedings were brought to a close with Gloria which was great.Back on the street Fred said he really enjoyed it and thought the band were great.We had a quick last pint in some sleaze hole of a pub and got a taxi to the station and just managed to catch the 10.23 and i was back home by 11.05 and that was that.What a great night it was.

Vanatic,Episode 45.Van Morrison,Nottingham 2007

2011-08-04T03:06:00.000-07:00

Do you remember Dave who i told you about in Episode four when i put his boots on the fire because he wrote all over my Them album?.Well i met up with him again in October 2007 and this is what happened.I set out on Saturday morning from Bradford On Avon to Nottingham changing at Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street.As the little train chugged happily along the ancient steel highway towards Bath i looked out of the window and the world looked extraordinarily beautiful.There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the Indian Summer had turned the trees to a mirage of colour,red,yellow,sienna, ochre, umber and loads of other colours that i don't know the names of.It boded well for the concert that night.I got to Nottingham and got a taxi to my friend Daves house.I hadn't seen him for quite a few years.Dave told me that the last time he saw Van with me was Glastonbury in 87.That was one of Vans finest moments so i wondered what he would make of Van twenty years later.We wiled away the afternoon and set off to meet all the other Vanatics at the meeting place pub. Dail and Simon and an American couple called Michelle and Stuart who had come all the way from San Diego and are the nicest people you could ever hope to meet..Then we went to the show.Dave immediately remarked on how the audience has changed since the last time he saw Van.In those days it was all hippy types now its mainly old gits like me.

Van and his band were on great form in Nottingham.I think there were 11 in the band and it was John Platania on guitar.The first time i had seen him in Vans band.I wrote the set list in the dark in my trusty moleskine notebook..Stop Drinking Wine(nice piano playing),All Work And No Play.Magic Time (Nice keyboards, Sara great, and Van sax),Nothings Gonna Be alright,Bright Side Of The Road (Sara banjo)Cleaning WindowsVanlose Stairway (brilliant),Talk Is Cheap,Moondance (went for a wee) St James Infirmary (Dave liked this one)In The Afternoon (excellent keyboards,Ancient Highway, Raincheck, brilliant),Playhouse,)I Can't Stop Loving You,Precious Time,Standed (keyboards and piano playing,really good)Have I Told You Lately,Help Me (great) Brown Eyed Girl.

I thought it was great,the highspot being Van whispering 'In the mystic church in Notting Hill Gate' at the end of In The Afternoon..After the show we had a couple more drinks then saw Dail off home and Dave and i ended up going back to Michelle and Stuarts hotel and chatting in the bar till about 1.30.Van's road crew were all in there and the bass player.Then Dave and i went back to his and sat up till about 4.00 chatting about the good old days and listening to music.

Next morning who should i meet at Nottingham railway station but Vans guitarist Ned and i told him that i really enjoyed the concert and he said thanks but he wasn't very friendly.Anyway i got home Sunday afternoon at 5.00 tired but happy after a great weekend and a brilliant Van concert.

Vanatic, Episode 44.Van Morrison,Glastonbury Abbey 2007

2011-08-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

We saw Van twice in the summer of 2007.Van played for the second time at Glastonbury Abbey .We set out on the train from Westbury to Castle Cary, it took 18 minutes and got a taxi to our hotel.It was the Meare Manor Hotel which used to be the home of the Abbots of Glastonbury.We were in the Lancelot suite.We chilled out for the afternoon and i tried a local beer called 'Lady Of The Lake'.At 5.30 our taxi arrived to take us into town.Thousands of fans were already queuing up to see Van The Man at the Abbey.The Abbey Ruins was once the most magnificent religious edifice in Britain until destroyed by Henry V111 during the dissolution of the monestaries. King Arthur was buried in the graveyard of Glastonbury Abbey south of the Lady Chapel until the monks excavated the spot. They dug down and unearthed a stone slab. Under it was a lead cross about a foot long, with a Latin inscription: "Hic iacet sepultus inclitus rex arturius in insula avalonia", "Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon". Some smaller bones, and a scrap of hair were explained as Guinevere's. The bones were placed in caskets, and in 1278 they were transferred, during a state visit by Edward I, to a black marble tomb before the high altar of the main Abbey church. There they remained until the Abbey was vandalized after the dissolution. No one has seen or heard of them since. Today a notice board marks the spot of Arthur's final resting-place. Occasionally people lay flowers there to honour this mighty King whose life and death gave birth to so many myths and legends. These mystical tales that still envelope Glastonbury Abbey in a cloak of mystery, add to its profoundly rich and timeless history.Glastonbury and Avalon have been a great source of inspiration to Van who was a well known figure in the area.Avalon Sunset, Common One and Enlightenment all have reference to Avalon.So it was particularly apt that Van should play in the Abbey grounds which is indeed a haunt of ancient peace.

We had a picnic while listening to Corinne Bailey Rae and then Van came on stage.As soon as the first notes of Did Ye Get Healed? started i knew we were in for a special night.It was great and we cleared away the picnic stuff and headed for the front.Magic Time was next and Van sang this brilliantly as well.Have I Told You Lately? followed and it was the dreaded Las Vegas version which i can't abide but not to worry.The next song was Into The Mystic one of the best songs in history, it was supurb and especially moving being performed in the mystical surroundings of Glastonbury Abbey. Playhouse was next and this song is one of my least favourite songs from Pay The Devil but i must say that Sarah Jory excelled herself on this song.She is quite brilliant.Raincheck was next and it was great as well.The next song I Can't Stop Loving You went down a storm with the audience who loved it I didn't recognise the next song which was Baby Want You Want Me To Do? (or something like that).Simon told me later that it was a Jimmy Reed song.Van went back into the archives on the next song Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie.

Stranded was next, one of Van's best songs of recent years, it was performed really well with some great piano playing.Moondance was next and the audience loved it..St James Infirmary was next, a song i have never really liked.Things livened up for Stop Drinkin'Wine.It got all the audience dancing and its a lot of fun.Beauty Of The Days Gone By was next and it was really excellent.Precious Time followed and i was getting a bit fed up with it now but i suppose the audience liked it.The next song though made the whole evening worthwhile and one of Van's best ever songs which i don't think i had heard him perform before Tupelo Honey.This song was tailor made for this band and Sarah was quite sublime on this song. The great songs continued with Why Must I Always Explain.The concert ended with Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria which is what the crowd wanted to hear.The sun was setting over Avalon as a huge firework display ended the concert in spectacular style.I thought it was a quite brilliant performance in very special surroundings and meeting up with some great friends made it even more special.

Two months later we saw Van at Bowood House right here in Wiltshire.The Bowood estate is quite amazing, it was built by the first Earl Of Shelbourne who was British Prime Minister when the Americans beat us 1-0 in the war of independance.The grounds were landscaped by Capability Browne.It is a beautiful backdrop for a Van concert. Bowood House looked really nice all lit up in various colours.it was only a taxi ride from our house to the Landsdowne Arms on the edge of the Bowood Estate where we met up with a small gang of Van fans. Chris Farlowe came on first who i don't care for very much.In my notes i wrote Chris Farlowe, Love My Baby, Yes I Do, and The Thrill Has Gone. Van came on next and sang Enlightenment which was really good followed by Magic Time.I wandered up to the front where Van introduced veteran jazzer Chris Barber who Played trombone on Going Home.This was followed by the Have I Told You Lately?.Next up was Playhouse which isn't one of Vans better compostions but it did allow the band to show what they can do.Sometimes We Cry was next and this is one of my all time favourite Van songs but not when sung with Chris Farlowe.Baby What You Want Me To Do? followed.A real country style Bright Side Of The Road was next and this was quite pleasant and got the crowd dancing about a bit.Don't was next and was ok but a bit boring.Don't It Make Me High followed which was disappointing for me because there are much better songs off Pay The Devil such as Till I Gain Control Again.Anyway never mind.Real Real Gone was next and that was great.Moondance was next which was its usual crowd pleasing but for the die hards boring self.Stranded followed which was nice apart from Farlowes contribution.The next song saved the whole night and certainly lifted my Mood Tupelo Honey,It was great.Hey Mr DJ followed and it was ok The next few songs were quite predictable , Precious Time, Jackie Wilson,Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria.We said cheerio to our friends,got a taxi and were home in time for a quick drink in our local pub.

Vanatic,Episode 43.Van Morrison, Bristol 2006

2011-08-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

Shortly after the excellent Torquay shows Kim was injured in a bad traffic accident which eventually ended her career.It was the worst of times and the even worser of times when i got made redundant from my job of twenty years.Nevermind,there were still Van shows to cheer myself up.Kim wasn't well enough to go to Vans show in December 2006 so my mate Dave came along instead.The pub where we all met up was really nice.I can't remember the name of it now.Phils son owned it and had laid on some food which was great and they played Van cds and dvds.It was the best gathering in Bristol to date.It was great to meet John Gilligan all the
way from New York and Brenda from Holland and my old friend Henrik the viking from Denmark and loads of other people whose names i can't remember.Anyway, it got to show time and Gordon knew the way to Colston Hall."Lead on Macduff",i said.Our seats were in the balcony.It was half empty.We could sit where ever we wanted,there was row upon row of empty seats.It was the most poorly attended show of Vans that i had been to.

On with the music,Ned was singing some song which i didn't like much as we took our seats.Sarah Jurie was on the pedal steel guitar.Van came on and sang Wonderful Remark and then Back On Top,There Stands The Glass was followed by Real Real Gone.Ned played harp on Foggy Mountain Top then Going Down Geneva was followed by I Can't Stop Loving You which i really enjoyed in Torquay but didn't seem so good tonight,i wished Katie Kissoon had been there.Van sang I'm Not Feeling It Any More,One Irish Rover was my favourite song of the night.Moondance followed which was quite boring.St James Infirmary was next.I wasn't in the mood for songs about hospitals thank you very much.Another song about death followed,Precious Time.Dead Or Alive continued the gloomy scene.Beautiful Vision lifted the show a bit but not much.Wild Night,Help Me, Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria brought the proceedings to its predictable end.We had a quick drink with our mates and got the train home.It brought 2006 to quite a disappointing end.

Vanatic, Episode 42.Van Morrison, Princess Theatre Torquay 2006

2011-08-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of 2006 for me was meeting Vans daughter Shana when she appeared at Bristol Harbour Festival. She sang great versions of versions of Sweet Thing and Sometimes We Cry and we met Shana after the gig. I had a little chat with her and i told Shana that the last time i saw her was back in 94 at Exeter University when she duetted with Brian Kennedy.
A couple of weeks later we saw Van again for two shows in Torquay.It had been 9 long months since we last saw Van on a cold December night in Bristol when he first revealed his country songs.The journey to Torquay was nice, once you get past Exeter and the train runs right along the beautiful Devon coast until you reach Torquay on the English Riviera.

I was pleased to see Katie Kissoon back in the band on vocals.I don't think i had seen Katie since 1979.Fame was the opening song and i thought"Oh no,here we go",i usually hate this song but it seemed a lot better tonight.Then a great song Enlightenment,i can't remember when i last heard Van sing this,if ever..This was followed by Only A Dream,one of the best songs from Down The Road.Then Choppin' Wood which isn't one of my favourites.This was followed by I'm Not Feelin' It Any More.I remember Van singing this at his notorious Wembley Arena show in 96 but What Am I Livin' For? was followed by Magic Time and then Moondance with the usual solo spots for most of the band. It was then time for the highlight of the evening,I Can't Stop Loving You with Crawford Bell,Katie and another girl excelling themselves on vocalsThen it was Bright Side Of The Road which is always a crowd pleaser.A nice version of Have I Told You Lately? followed i was pleased that Van had dropped the Las Vegas version.A nice country style version of Precious Time followed then Crazy Love with Van displaying all his vocal brilliance and Katie getting warm applause for her verse.Playhouse followed and for me this is one of my least favourites from Pay The Devil .The tour de force that is Streets Of Arklow followed which segued into You Don't Pull No Punches.Here Comes The Night was next and then Wild Night which was supurb as was Help Me with Van telling the audience that it was a Sonny Boy Williamson song.Then it was the usual finish of Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria.

Sunday morning i woke up feeling all bleary eyed and goopy after being in the pub till about 1.00 the night before.We had breakfast in Wetherspoons and after a couple of Magners Irish ciders i started feeling a bit better.At 6.00 thousands of people lined the sea front for a spectacular flying display by The Red Arrows,the worlds leading aerial aerobatics team.We met up with the gang in the Mambo bar and then went to the show.Our seats were a lot better tonight,right near the front with a great view of Katie in her slinky black dress.She looked great.The performance was even better than the night before.Steal My Heart Away and Ancient Highway/In The Afternoon,One Irish Rover,Wonderful Remark,What Makes The Irish Heartbeat and St James Infirmary being the songs that were different to the night before. Everyone agreed that both shows were brilliant but unknown to me the hand of fate was about to strike

Vanatic,Episode 41.Van Morrison Pay The Devil.

2011-08-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

We saw Van twice more in 2005.In November he played at the City Hall in Salisbury which is only twenty miles from us so that was handy but it was quite a disapponting show.As we took our seats Van was singing 'Everyday I Get The Blues,.Then it was, This Love Of Mine.After that was They Sold Me Out.Teena Lyle was on Vibes and percussion.I hadn't seen Teena for 10 years.Next was Magic Time,followed by Nothing Gonna Be Alright.Then In The Midnight which was nice but i have heard it all before.Then Days Like This and Moondance and Back On TopThen a funky version of Muleskinner Blues with Teena excelling on the congas .Then it was my personal highlight of the night, Philosophers Stone.Georgia On My Mind was next which was ok.Precious Time was alright but things went downhill with Whining Boy Moan and Have I Told You Lately which was not very good but the audience loved.The disappointment continued with Jackie Wilson Says,Stop Drinkin'Wine and Who Can I turn To?.The evening was brought to an end with a nice calypso version of Brown Eyed Girl,followed by Help Me and Gloria.

The year had began for me in Bristol and it ended back in the fine sea-faring port of Bristol in December with a show at Colston Hall. was amazing because it plumbed the depths of awful and reached the peak of great.The concert started with an Intro that i had never heard before and was quite boring.Then Matt introduced Chris Farlowe."Oh god," i thought,"Not him again".Anyway he sang some song that might have been called 'Love You Baby,Yes I Do'.Then Van came on stage to a big cheer.Keeping Mediocrity At Bay was his first song,followed by Fame which i hate, then Too Many Myths which i also hate.",This is the pits".I thought.Then there was a really nice intro to Stranded."brilliant,things are looking up", but no the Farlowe rejoins Van on stage to nearly ruin a great song.Then it was All Work And No Play.Magic Time relieved the agony with Martin, Matt, Teena and Robin playing really nicely as the band all did on Moondance as well.Then Van reintroduced Farlowe as"Little Joe Cook,now Big Joe Cook" for Stormy Monday and Sometimes We Cry.This was becoming the worst Van concert i had ever been to.It got even worse with Walking My Baby Back Home and Have I Told You Lately.Then suddenly as if by magic, Van plucked the evening out of the fire.He introduced 3 songs from his new album which was released a few weeks later in February There Stands The Glass, More And More and Big Blue Diamonds with Teena on backing vocals.Things were looking up now.Real Real Gone was good then a sublime piano intro to All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About which was worth the entrance money alone.

So this might be a good point to talk about the Pay The Devil album.I think it was recorded several years earlier and is Vans Country album.A bunch of English and Irish musicians who are more used to playing other types of music came up with an album as good as anything coming out of Nashville.Mick Green plays guitar on every track and i'd like to say a few words about Micks work with Van.On 1994's live album 'A Night In San Francisco' Van sings 'Shakin'All Over' and he name checks the band who originally recorded the song,Johnny Kidd and The Pirates.It was a UK number 1 in 1960.Little did Van realise that 4 years later he would be recording with the Pirates guitarist Mick Green.Mick was arguably the first British guitar hero with his unique style of playing rhythm and lead guitar simultaniously. The Pirates were Britains first 'Rock' band..I think the first Van song i can recall Mick playing on was 'Going Down Geneva' on Van's 'Back On Top' album of 98.In the song Van sings,'Vince Taylor lived here, nobody's ever heard of him'.That may be true but Mick Green had certainly heard of him because on Vince Taylors best known song 'Brand New Cadillac' the guitar was played by Joe Moretti who i believe Mick replaced in the Pirates.Although Going Down Geneva was by no means one of Van's better songs it certainly displayed Mick's guitar skills.I think Mick played guitar, acoustic or electric on every track on that album including classics such as The Philosophers Stone, In The Midnight and When The Leaves Come Tumblin' Down and he certainly contributed a lot to the rich sound of the album.Another great Van album that Mick played an important role on was 'Down The Road' with Mick playing guitar on 'Hey Mr DJ','Thats What Makes The Irish Heartbeat','The Beauty Of The Days Gone By','Only A Dream,' and 'Man Has To Struggle'.I think in the studio Van brought in Mick to fill out the guitar sound of Ned Edwards.On 'Whats Wrong With This Picture' i think Mick only played on 2 tracks 'Stop Drinkin'Wine' and 'Get On With The Show' but those tracks certainly displayed his skills.Mick returned to play on two tracks on the 'Magic Time' album playing on 'Evening Train' and 'Just Like Greta.

On this album This Has Got To Stop","Playhouse"and Pay the Devil Are the 3 songs written by Van and are probably my least favourites on the album. There are songs popularized by Webb Pierce "There Stands the Glass", Hank Williams "Your Cheatin' Heart", Conway Twitty "What Am I Living For", Emmylou Harris "'Til I Gain Control", Big Joe Turner "Don't You Make Me High' and George Jones "Things Have Gone to Pieces", among others.Your Cheatin' Heart is one of my favourites.Hank Williams was a huge influence on the young Van and he is mentioned in 3 Van songs, See Me Through, Ancient Highway and St Dominics Preview.Also Van recorded 3 Hank songs on the ill-fated You Win Again album with Linda Gale Lewis,,Also the reference to Mansion On The Hill on the Astral Weeks album is a Hank Williams song.Hank was born in 1923 and died in 1953 at the young age of 29.He was born with a mild form of spina bifida which left him in constant pain and led to a dependance on alcohol and morphine.His recording career only lasted 6 years but in that time Hank raised Country Music from being banal to an art form..His tragic early death made Hank Williams the first of many famous singers who died too young.He set a precedent for the likes of Janis Joplin,Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse.Till I Gain Control Again is my favourite which makes the album worthwhile alone.I have previously heard this by Emmylou Harris.In a radio interview Van denied that he knew Emmylou's version.I dont like My Buckets Got A Hole In It. I really enjoy 'Back Street Affair.Its great fun! All in all although i don't like every song on the album i find it most pleasant and enjoyable but definitely one of Vans lesser works.

Vanatic Episode 40.Van Morrison Torquay 2005.

2011-07-31T03:27:00.000-07:00

I like it when Van plays at the seaside rather than the concrete jungle of the inner cities so Torquay was great.We have seen three Van shows in Torquay and they have all been good..In the evening we all met up in the theatre bar for the Wavelength get together.The Princess Theatre is in a beautiful location overlooking the harbour and when it got dark it looked really nice with all the lights twinkling on the water.The concert turned out to be one of the best Van concerts i had been to in 10 years.Van was already on stage as we took our seats singing This Love Of Mine.The band were all the usual suspects but with an extra percussionist.The Beauty Of The Days Gone By was next.Then it was Magic Time featuring Martin on clarinet and Van on harmonica.This was followed by Ain't That Lovin'You Baby featuring Ned on vocals. All Saints Day was next which isn't one of my favourite Van songs.They Sold Me Out was greeted with warm applause by the knowledgeable Torquay audience,Precious Time was also popular with the audience clapping along enthusiastically.Then we came to the highlight of the evening Bring It On Home To Me.In all my 30 years of being a Van fan i had never heard him sing this before,its one of my favourite songs from the best live album ever made.Dare i say this? i thought it sounded just as good as on Its Too Late To Stop Now.Martin excelled himself on saxophone.There was an exquisite keyboard interlude by Mark E Jordan as well.Vans vocal pyro-technics sounded as great as ever.This song was a triumph.

Van then introduced the percussionist as local boy Dave Harvey who i think was in Them at one time.The excellence continued with Here Comes The Night.That song was supurb as was Little Village which takes on new life performed live.Multi-instumentalist Ned played mandolin and Vans sax playing reached new heights.At the end of the song Martin, Matt and Van played together in the centre of the stage.Moondance was next which allowed the whole band a solo.St James Infirmary was next and although it was performed really well i don't like this song much,it reminds me of funerals,but i know some people like it. Another of my less favourite songs was next,Whining Boy Moan but i must say it was performed really well.Then Jackie Wilson Says which the audience loved but i was a bit bored with.Thats Life was next with a really humourous moment when Van forgot the words and burst out laughing.Carrying A Torch was another highlight.It got better and better with Wonderful Remark followed by All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About.Some people in the audience stood up and gave Van a standing ovation after that.When it got to the now traditional ending of Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria i said to Kim "C'mon, lets go up to the front" and stood right at the front with my elbows on the stage about 3 feet away from Van who left the stage in triumph to tumultuous applause after the best show i had seen in years.

Vanatic,Episode 39.Van Morrison In Bangor 2005.

2011-07-31T02:28:00.000-07:00

Bangor

It was on Friday night about 10.00 that i decided that we should go to Bangor because i couldn't bear the thought of missing out..At 11.08 on Saturday morning we set off on one of the worlds great train journeys,Westbury to Bangor changing at Bristol, Birmingham and Crewe.The journey was horrendous, the trains were packed.When we got into Wales though i started to enjoy it though as the scenery got more and more beautiful and we even went through Shotton where i worked in the steelworks 30 years ago which brought back some memories.We got to Bangor at 4.51 and got a taxi to the guest house and found it was locked and we had to phone up the landlady to let us in..The taxi man waited while we threw our bag in the room and then we raced straight to the party that Simon had organised for Vans birthday.There was people there upon my word from every corner of the world.We met people from Britain,Ireland, Canada, USA,Holland, Germany and Norway.It was especially nice to meet Colleen for the first time.Also Dave from CanadaThe party was nearly over when we got there and everyone started heading for the gig.Alan Douglas gave up a lift to the concert in his open top car.Colleen sat in the front and Nosey in the back..Alan played some great doo wop music and we all sang along.It was great.I was a bit worried that the concert would be sold out as we didn't have tickets but my fears were unfounded as there were lots available and we got seats right at the front.Colleen bought a ticket in our row as well.It was great to be near the front but we were on the end of the row so we were looking at the stage at an angle.

The setting for the concert was stunningly beautiful with the mountains the backdrop to the stage.Alison Moyet was on first,I tried listening to her for a bit but got bored.It was more fun to talk to Colleen and Dave.Then it was time for Van.I usually write down the set list but in the hurry to get to the party i forgot my note book.Van was on really good form though.The band was the usual line up apart from Alec Dankworth played bass instead of David Hayes and he was really good i thought.Highlights of the evening for me were Foreign Window,a brilliant Little Village which i havent heard live before, Why Must I Always Explain was supurb and Celtic New Year.He sang lots of songs off Magic Time including The Lion This Time,They Sold Me Out and the title track.Colleen seemed to especially like Days Like This.Van also did a sublime version of Streets Of Arklow. During the encore we went right up to the front of the stage and Kim nearly got in a punch up with a woman who pushed us out of the way.I can't remember half the songs Van did but i know it was the best Van concert i had been to in years.More and more people on the fringes started dancing and they moved nearer and nearer to us.Colleen said they were like the night of the living dead.After the concert we went back to the party hotel where there was a good crowd gathered and we carried on drinking and chatting till about 1.00 before getting a taxi back to the guest house.In the morning we went back to the hotel and had some coffee and toast and said cheerio to everyone and set off for home and i'm really pleased we made the effort to go.The highlight was meeting Colleen.

Vanatic,Episode 38.Van Morrison Glastonbury Festival 2005.

2011-07-31T01:56:00.000-07:00

I saw Van at Glastonbury for the seventh and final time in 2005.This is how it happened

.It was a beautiful hot summers day as we caught the train for the short journey to Castle Cary.The train was packed with hundreds of happy festival goers, most of them 30 years younger than me.At Castle Cary we piled on to the special buses laid on to take us to the festival.The bus driver was really funny and gave a running commentary as we drove through the Somerset countryside.
"If this is your first time in Somerset make sure you drink some scrumpy,i've drank it all my life and i'm 70 and fit as a fiddle".
When the first sight of the 5 mile long security fence came into view the passengers gasped with excitement.The fence glistened in the sun like a great snake and inside you could see the great sea of tents.It looked fantastic.When we showed our workers tickets i was pleased to find out that we didn't have to queue up for wristbands etc and just walked in quickly.The recycling workers and the Oxfam workers campsite was in Tom's Field right up by the farmhouse.It was a long slow trudge up there but camping on the higher ground was to turn out to be a life-saver.We reported for duty and got our ID'S, meal tickets and wrist bands .The facilities were great, there was a restaurant,great showers, bar, music, and they even showed films on a small screen after dark.We camped right opposite the catering marquee.Once we were sorted out we went for a long walk and headed to the Glade which is a stage set amongst trees and really shady from the hot sun.
Later on we had our recyclers meeting and met our fellow team mates.After the meeting we just chilled out in our field, and sat around the camp fire drinking and telling jokes.We went to bed quite early for Glastonbury, about midnight and fell asleep in restful slumber's blissfully unaware of the horror that was about to unfold.
The next morning there was an horrendous thunderstorm which lasted four hours and we were working in it.The festival site was like a disaster zone and some areas became huge lakes.We survived it though and we were lucky to be camped on the high ground.The rain ended by mid-day and Glastonbury 05 got better and better after that.
We met our friends in the Leftfield Bar at 3.00.There was a Cuban band on stage in there who were quite good,i havent got a clue who they were though.Then we headed for the Acoustic Stage to see who was on.It was Alison Moorer from Alabama USA.Steve Earle came on and accompanied Alison on mandolin.Guess what she sang? only Carrickfergus,one of my favourite Irish songs.Time was getting on however and we had to rush to the Pyramid Stage to see Declan McManus, better known as Elvis Costello.He was brilliant, the second best act in my opinion all weekend.

We slept in on Saturday morning till about 9.30.After breakfast my big priority was to get Kim some wellies because the market area's were a sea of mud.It was a beautiful sunny morning as we set off.I didn't think there was a chance of buying any.The day before a lorry load of wellies were delivered and the police had to control the crowd who were desperate for boots.By a miracle though i managed to get Kim a pair at Joe Banana's blanket stall.When i handed her the precious wellies i went up in popularity a hundred fold.The rest of the morning we sat in the sunshine and chatted to our friends until it was time for work at 1.00.As we sloshed through the mud from market to market we did manage to see and hear little bits of the music.We heard a bit of the Kaiser Chiefs.Ash who were old Glasto favourites.We saw a little bit of KT Tunstall who was really popular.The Levellers were singing Its A Beautiful Day on the Jazz stage .In the evening we went to the Acoustic Stage to see an Irish band Jerry Fish And The Mudbug Club.I love the acoustic tent because it is in a huge tent so no mud and not so overwhelming as the Pyramid Stage.We took a long slow walk home while New Order and Coldplay played in the distance.I dont think i particularly liked either.As we fell asleep that night i knew that the next day was to be one of the greatest ever at Glastonbury and i was to be proved right.

When i crawled out of our tent on Sunday morning i just knew that today was going to be special.I'd liked Brian Wilson ever since I Get Around had stopped me in my tracks in 1964.I hadn't seen Brian since 1980 at Knebworth when he was in a terrible state and i had been a Van Morrison fan since a rainy night in Manchester in 1973.They were both on the same stage at Glastonbury.It was almost as if i had chosen the bill.There was a lightness in my step as our little band headed down Muddy Lane following our leader Dave to work.We tore into the cardboard with gusto to get the work done as quickly as possible.At 9.00 the sun burst out and i knew that Brian had brought the California sunshine to Glastonbury.We had all our work finished by 11.30 and headed back to camp.After a shower and a bite to eat i put on my Jelly Roll Soul T Shirt, grabbed my flag and set off for the Pyramid Stage.Jools Holland was on stage when we reached the Cider Tree where we were to meet up our friends at 3.00.Only Andy and Alex showed up.Andy and Alex didn't want to see Van,they set off to see The Beat on another stage and me and Kim headed for the front of the stage.We met some Irish guys from County Monaghan who had a long flagstick with some little flags on it and we added our Irish flag to it.

Van came on stage at 3.45 to a huge Glastonbury welcome.This was easily the biggest audience he has played to in Britain.The festival had changed a lot in the 8 years since his previous appearance.There must have been 100,000 people in front of the stage.Van looked quite relaxed and dapper in a new suit and even Ned seemed to be enjoying himself..The audience seemed to really enjoy what was served up,a gang of mud people near us danced in a big circle and i waved my flag around.I must say though that i was disappointed with Van's choice of songs.There was only one song off the new album and the rest were greatest hits type fare..He gave this particular audience what they wanted which was upbeat danceable music.Van was filmed because we were watching the big screens as well as the stage and the mudmen from Monaghan told me they had seen us on the screens.I found out later that Van refused to allow his performance on the television. I don't understand it.With a huge telly audience he could have sold thousands of albums.I estimate his performance lasted 75 minutes or so and he left the stage to huge applause but it could have been so much better.He didn't do Summertime In England or any other reference to Avalon..For me it was the least enjoyable of all his performances at Glastonbury and i don't think the Pyramid Stage suits him any more.If he ever does Glasto again i think one of the smaller stages might suit him better.I didn't have time to dwell on Morrison's lack lustre performance though because i was about to witness not only the best show i have ever seen at Glastonbury but one of the best shows i have ever seen in my life.

After Van's performance we dashed back to the Cider Tree and looked for our friends and got a drink.Then i heard in the distance Then I Kissed Her."Come on Kim,he's on!" and we dashed back to the front.of the stage.Then i got my first glimpse of Brian in 25 years.It was great to see him and his wonderful 10 piece band on stage at this famous festival.Brian looked really well .Then it was Don't Worry Baby which to me is the greatest B side to any single ever.Then Dance, Dance Dance from the Beach Boys Today album.Somebody said that side 2 of that album is Brian's finest work and i almost agree.Its comparable in greatness to side 2 of Vans Into The Music album.Then it was Darlin'This was followed by two ballads, In My Room and Surfer Girl.The harmonising on these songs and all the songs was simply stunning.Then Wouldn't It Be Nice from Pet Sounds the second best album ever made.Astral Weeks by Van is the greatest in my humble opinion.Brian was the triumph that Van could have been.Brian did about 20 more songs,every one of them a hit and the crowd loved it finally ending with Fun Fun Fun which summed up the most joyous performance i have ever witnessed.Brian left the stage to rapturous applause after winning thousands of new fans.As the crowd dispersed i knew i had just seen one of the most enjoyable performances of my life.After Brians amazing performance we met up with Andy and Alex and we couldn't decide what to watch next so went on a long meandering walk to the small Avalon stage where Sharon Shannon was playing.I love her music,she is to the accordian what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar although she doesn't set fire to it or play it with her teeth of course.Her Irish jigs and reels are the perfect infectious music for a festival.

Monday morning was another hot sunny day as 150,000 revellers began to make their way home.The high point of the morning for me was when Michael Eavis came up to our campsite to thank the recyclers for their hard work and to do a radio interview.Wayne took a photo of me and my sister Margaret with Michael and he signed a programme for Kim and i.I reminded him that we had met twice before and asked if he remembered and he said "No".Later that day Margaret and Wayne offered us a lift home and that was the end of Glastonbury 2005.

Vanatic,Episode 37.Van Morrison & Pee Wee Ellis in Frome 2005.

2011-07-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

In this chapter i'd like to pay a little tribute to my favourite musician in all of Van's bands and that is Alfred 'Pee Wee' Ellis.The man who co-wrote with James Brown such songs as Cold Sweat and Say It Loud,I'm Black And I'm Proud and invented the genre known as Funk..

It's a long way from the famous Apollo Theatre in New York to Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire but While Van' the Man' Morrison was storming the east coast of the USA in 2005 to ecstatic reviews Pee Wee a man who had played such a huge part in Vans success was playing the same weekend in the Riverside pub in the picturesque little town of Bradford On Avon nestling on the river Avon.I saw in the Wiltshire Times that Pee Wee was playing and decided we should go and see him.We arrived at 1,00 and paid our £5 admission and sat at a table at the back.Pee Wee was already on the stage playing with a local band The Riverside Jazz Quartet.Pee Wee was supurb.During one Cannonball Adderley number he took it down so low you could hear the birds singing in the trees outside.When he wasn't playing he stood on stage surveying the audience as serene as the Buddha.The people of this twee little town are priviliged, i thought to myself.For only a fiver they get to see a legendary figure in music.During a 21 year association with Van Morrison he played and arranged some of the finest music from the 70's to the 90's.

You couldn't smoke in the room where Pee Wee was playing so we kept nipping outside to sit by the river in the warm Spring sunshine.During the interval Pee Wee came out and i had a little chat with him and he signed my Healing Game booklet.I chose that album for Pee Wee to sign because it demonstrates his range from the funkyness of Burning Ground to the sweetness of Sometimes We Cry, also a photo of himself and Jackson Browne that i had from Glastonbury 82.I gave him a copy of this that Pee Wee seemed quite pleased with because he had never seen it before.After the interval Pee Wee wove more magic for the small audience and an Australian girl from the audience got up and sang 'My Funny Valentine'.The music was sublime.I sat quietly at the back and let the mellow sounds sweep over me.Listening and watching made me realise just what a virtuoso on the sax this man is.When the session ended at 4.00 He had played for over 3 1/2 hrs with a 30min interval.Afterwards i bought his album 'Ridin' Mighty High' which i am playing now.It is excellent and there is a Morrison link because Vans daughter Shana sings one of the songs. and i had another chat with himself and his lovely wife Charlotte.I said that i'd love to see Pee Wee play with Van again.I also met a lady called Nicki who was Vans PA for many years and amazingly she and her husband remembered me from when i was on the telly because i had said on the telly that i was a Van Morrison fan and they were rooting for me.I can't think of a better way to spend a nice Sunday.Pee Wee told me he was playing Marlborough Jazz Festival and Frome Festival,thats great but i wanted to see him back with Van where he belonged,back on the corner again in the Healing Game.

This came true only three months later when Van played at Marston House near Frome.This was the nearest Van has played to where i live, only 7 miles away,The setting for the concert on a warm summers evening was really picturesque with the beautiful Somerset countryside providing a spectacular backdrop to the stage.It was great to meet up again with quite a few friends off the internet.I felt quite chuffed that they could see i live in such a beautiful part of the country.Most of them had spent the afternoon at the Marlborough Jazz Festival as guests of Pee Wee who was a busy boy that weekend.This evening was his third gig in 24 hours.The audience could not have been more different to the last time i saw Van at Glastonbury a month before.This was the middle classes with their chairs and picnics.Pee Wee's band opened the evening with a nice mellow set,just perfect for chillin'out on a balmy evening."Hello neighbours",said Pee Wee who lives in Frome.Van knows this area like the back of his hand as well with his former studio The Wool Hall just down the road. Pee Wee has a great little band made of the best of local talent with 2 attractive girls in the brass section who did little dance routines when not playing.There was only a rope between the audience and backstage and we could see Van chatting to the band just a few yards from us.He looked really relaxed and cheerful.Then it was show time,i was pleased that Van began with 2 songs of the new album Magic Time,This Love Of Mine and Stranded which i particularly enjoyed with Van singing with real emotion and playing nice alto sax.Then it was Have I Told You Lately That I Love You,most Van fans don't like this Las Vegas version but the audience lapped it up as they did with Bright Side Of The Road on which Martin and Matt excelled themselves it must be said.The mood mellowed out with Days Like This and then Moondance with all the band doing their now familiar solo's.This was followed by Whining Boy Moan,Jackie Wilson Says and Stop Drinkin' Wine.Van had the audience in the palm of his hand now with half of them on their feet and shaking their lardy middle class asses.Then Van invited Pee Wee back on stage to augment the brass section for a great version of Muleskinner Blues.This was followed by a quite stunning version of Georgia On My Mind which displayed all of Pee Wee's brilliance and Van's vocal genius,Ned's guitar deserves praise on this as well.Then the perennial crowd pleaser Cleaning Windows followed by Precious Time with Van happily scatting away at the end.Then Van spoke "Thank you very much,what a night".In all my Van shows i don't think i have heard him do Wild Night before so it was a very pleasant surprise and brilliantly performed.Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it John Cougar Mellancamp.

Most of the audience were dancing by now forcing me to stand up because i couldn't see anything.Then it was All Work And No Play which seems to have been played at every Van concert for an eternity,surely even Van must have been getting sick of it by now.A great version of Help Me followed.Pee Wee had left the stage after Precious Time by the way which was a shame because the next song was And The Healing Has Begun.Van played acoustic guitar on this and it was a quite brilliant performance.Afterwards a friend Phil said to me that it was worth it just for that one song and i couldn't agree more.The evening ended how we knew it would with Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria which were ecstatically received by the audience.I thought it was a great night.Our little gang of mates headed off to a restaurant in Frome but Kim and i headed home.We were back home 20 minutes after we left the grounds of Marston House and headed for the pub after a most enjoyable evening indeed. My abiding memory will be Van reunited with his old friend Pee Wee Ellis.I said 3 months earlier that i'd like to see Pee Wee back on the corner again with Van .Little did i realise that it would come true so quickly even if for only one magical evening.

Vanatic,Episode 36.Van Morrison Bristol Hippodrome and Birmingham 2005.

2011-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

It was a dark and dirty evening in January 2005 when we set off on the 4.08 from Westbury arriving at Bristol Temple Meads at 5.13 and got a taxi to Yates Bar and Simon from Wavelength arrived.After a bite to eat and a couple of drinks we headed for the Hippodrome.The show started at 7.45 sharp. The first thing to say was that the show was advertised as Special Guest Acker Bilk but there was no sign of Acker all evening,and no word of explanation.I was looking forward to that,i thought he might do Stranger On The Shore.Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart was the first number which the people around me ignored and carried on gossiping, SSSH! i shouted, i was tired and irritable.Then Van shuffled on with his sax and immediately hit a bum note but then played some really nice sax .Have I Told You Lately was next.Good, i thought, thats got that out of the way.In The Midnight was next.Talk Is Cheap followed and then Don't Worry Bout A Thing.I dont like either of these songs much. In The Afternoon / Ancient Highway was excellent with Matt and Martin both excelling themselves.What Ever Happened To PJ Proby? was next,another bad choice of song in my opinion.Whining Boy Moan and Fame followed.I dont like either of these songs either.A new song to me followed, which Simon later told me was called Ramblers Blues.I thought it was excellent, Ned played really nice harmonica and David Hayes on bass perfectly accompanied Vans guitar.Baby Please Don't Go was next.Then Choppin' Wood which was ok. The highlight of the evening followed Streets Of Arklow /You Don't Pull No Punches.It was sublime and proves that Van can still do it if he wants.The whole band were excellent with Martin deserving special mention.Fair Play to the band. Back On Top brought me right down after that high.Sometimes We Cry lifted things a bit but then Walkin'' My Baby Back Home and All Work And No Play scraped the barrel for me.Van then thanked the audience for coming and made some remark about there being a Clint Eastwood film on the telly that night.Bright Side Of The Road, Precious Time and Brown Eyed Girl brought the proceedings to an end. I was ordering drinks in the pub next door at 9.20 which is a ridiculous time for a concert to end and i heard a lot of mutterings off some of the fans.There should be a supporting act at least to let the customers feel they have had a night out.Having said all that i am still glad i went out on a rainy Monday night if only for Streets Of Arklow.

We set off for Birmingham in March 2005 full of eager anticipation,looking forward to a great night with the Celtic Soul Brother.I enquired at Jury's hotel if Vans band were staying there but i was told they were at the Hyatt Regency just up the road.In the bar at the Symphony Hall it was great to meet up again with Sue who is a good friend and a few other Van friends. Then it was showtime.We had the worst tickets that i have ever had at a Van show,right up in the stratosphere.I didn't mind that because i had purchased them at only a weeks notice.The band started with Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart which i was getting bored with hearing at the start of every show.Then the awful version of Have I Told You Lately that i had grown to dislike intensely.It Once Was My Life was next, good i thought, things are warming up.That proved to be a false hope because Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing was next.Back On Top and Georgia On My Mind followed.Then the new piano/keyboard player played a lovely piece of piano to introduce The Beauty Of The Days Gone By.For me this was the best song of the night.which indicates what a crap concert it was.Ned played some excellent harmonica on the next song Dead Or AIive.Harmonica was definitely Neds forte.The moribund Birmingham audience suddenly came to life and greeted Jackie Wilson Says with a big round of applause.Sometimes We Cry was ok and Martin was impressive on this.Then things took a slide into the trough of mediocrity with Walking My Baby Back Home, with such a great catologue of songs to sing why did Morrison inflict this on his fans?.Cleaning Windows followed and i cheered when he mentioned Jack Kerouac.Precious Time was nice, i know a lot of fans don't like this song but i do, especially with the scatting at the end.Matt was great on this number.Moondance followed and during this Van wandered off stage to order a pizza or a taxi or something and the band all took a solo to fill in the time till he returned.St James Infirmary was next,i dont like this song much.Bright Side Of The Road followed which went down a storm with the audience.All Work And No Play was inflicted on us next followed by Brown Eyed Girl, Stop Drinkin' Wine and Gloria brought the evening to a close.Morrison left the stage and hadn't spoken a single word during the entire show.By the time Kim and i had descended from the ozone layer of the upper tier all our friends had disappeared.We decided to go to the Hyatt Regency to see who might be hanging about.In the bar we met Martin and Ned.Martin remembered us from our previous encounter in Yeovil and asked if we enjoyed the show.I lied and said yes. We had a little chat, they really are nice people.Two glasses of wine cost us £10.After that we walked back to our hotel and i felt really disappointed.Nevermind,luckily there were far more exciting concerts to come in 2005

Vanatic, Episode 35.Van Morrisson Glastonbury Abbey 2004.

2011-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

As well as playing at Glastonbury Festival seven times Van has also played in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey twice.The first time was in 2004 and when i heard he was there i knew we had to go.We loaded up the Fiat Cinquento with chairs and picnic stuff etc at about 12.30 and gunned that sucker down the Ancient Highway towards Glastonbury.Kim drove and i sat quietly brooding on my thoughts.What lay ahead ?would the concert be something special as Avalon had been such an influence on Vans work such as the Avalon Sunset album etc.When we reached Pilton there was no sight of the 5 mile 12 ft fence that surrounded the site of The Glastonbury Festival. Who would think that the worlds biggest Pop Festival had been here only 5 weeks before. Soon the famous Tor came into view.As we got nearer, tiny figures could be seen walking about on the summit.They weren't the Elfin Folk from the Underworld, they were ordinary people, they just looked tiny because they were a long way away

We arrived at our hotel, The George And Pilgrim, which is about 600 years old and supposed to be haunted,more of that later. In the bar we met Nosey and had a couple of drinks then Simon from Wavelength magazine.My neice Katherine turned up.It was great to see her because she had been away backpacking around Peru, Bolivia Equador Argentina and Chile..My sister Margaret and her partner Wayne also showed up, so we had a merry little gang assembled. It was great seeing all these people but i wanted to meet the Dude from North Carolina who is a legend in his own lunchtime.Finally the Dude and his entourage arrived and i had a quick drink with him. Then we walked across the road for the concert.Chris Farlowe who i don't like was on when we arrived.In the historic Abbey grounds we spotted our friends.
We walked right to the very front where we found Nosey, we were just a few feet away from Van who was wearing his summertime straw hat..All Work And No Play was next,i hate this song.Then Fame, i dont like this either, Jackie Wilson Says was a lot better. Then Van started singing Sometimes We Cry which is a great song, but Chris Farlowe came back on stage and ruined it.Then the pair of them sang Walking My Baby Back Home which was scraping the barrel of awfulness Whining Boy Moan was next and i was beginning to despair,i had looked forward to this for 6 months and it wasn't very good.I went and had a word with Dude.
"This is crap Dude"i said"I've never heard so much rubbish in all my life"
"Relax man, its the summertime!"

"Oh, Alright"
When i got back to the front things suddenly got better.Baby Please Don't Go was brilliant, then Here Comes The Night which was supurb.Then a touch of Van magic And It Stoned Me, it was sublime. Everything was forgiven.Back On Top was nice, Then another magical moment Tore Down A La Rimbaud absolutely great Then Wonderful Remark, another supurb song, followed by In The Afternoon. We walked back to where we were camped and listened to Precious Time which was followed by It's All Over Now Baby Blue, then Brown Eyed Girl and finally Gloria. The crowd loved it,everyone had a really good night.We went to bed.. Soon i fell into a deep sleep.In the middle of the night i was awakened by a noise and a could just make out a spectre of a female figure dressed in white garb at the foot of the bed.
"Oh great", i thought,"A ghost!,i've got my moneys worth".Then i realised it was only Kim going through my pockets and I turned over and went back to sleep.It was a great night with Van in Glastonbury.
We did see Van once more in 2004 on November 26th at the Brighton Dome but it was one of the most uninspired shows i have seen and i can't remember anything worth reporting about it but the following year 2005 we went to eight Van shows and some of them were really memorable.

Vanatic,Episode 34.Van Morrison At Blenheim Palace.2004

2011-07-24T02:05:00.000-07:00

I have been to about 50 Van concerts which most people would think is a lot but that pales into insignificence compared to Nosey who is a legend amongst Van fans and has been to hundreds of concerts in about a dozen countries.I first met him in the Star Inn in Woodstock in 2004 before Vans concert with Joan Armatrading at Blenheim Palace, It is a magnificent venue for a concert.The audience was composed mainly of hooray Henry's all guzzling copious quantities of Pimms and Champagne.Van has come a long way from the teenage rampage of the Maritime Hotel Belfast i thought, playing to this bunch.We sat on the grass by the lakeside because It was quite a nice evening.

Then it was time for the concert.Joan Armatrading was quite good but there was too much chattering and walking about going on in the audience.Joan also said at one point that the people in the front singing along were putting her off.Still it was nice to see her and she was in good voice.After the interval we took our seats for Van and we were seated quite near the back.How can i remedy this situation? i asked myself.Quite early in the set a couple of girls started dancing in the aisles and the security people tried to get them back in their seats but they wouldn't go.The crowd cheered and more people got up and started dancing and the aisles filled up .The security lost control.It was brilliant.

"Anarchy In The UK!" I exclaimed "Come on Kim, we are going to the front".
We got out of our seats and marched down and got as near the front as we could.This is why i like outdoor gigs, theres much more audience participation.Suddenly it was like being at a festival.This audience just wanted to party and Van gave them exactly what they wanted.The highlight for me was a sublime Into The Mystic.When the evening was over Nosey gave us a lift back to Oxford and that was the end of that.

2004 was also the year Magic Time was released and after the disappointment of Whats Wrong With This Picture? this album was a return to form and it went straight into the album charts at number 4 which shows the fans liked it as well.The opening song Stranded is a mellow reflection by Van musing on being left behind while the world changes so quickly.As well as being a supurb singer Van is also a great instrumentalist and plays some wonderful alto sax at the beginning of this song.He is ably assisted by Brian Connor who plays some delightful piano.The next song Celtic New Year is an instant Morrison classic.To me this was his best song since Fast Train three years earlier.There are supurb string arrangements on this evocative song and a really nice touch is provided by Paddy Moloney on tin whistle which is just right for a song about the pre Christian celtic festival of Samhain.In my opinion these two songs are the best openers to a Van album since Beautiful Vision in 1982.There is a change of tempo for the next song Keep Mediocrity At Bay Van plays some great harmonica on this one.Evening Train is another belting R and B type song that reminds you of Vans mid sixties days with 'Them' his band of that era.The tempo slows again for the first of 3 cover versions on the album This Love Of Mine,a jazz club type standard.This isn't the style of music i usually like but it features some great work by Matt Holland and Martin Winning on trumpet and sax.I'm Confessin' is another song that has been covered by many people.The version i remember best was by Frank Ifield.I hated this song on first hearing but it grows on you. The song builds slowly but relentlessly with many great little solo's along the way.

The next song Just Like Greta is an all time great Van song .Van had this song in the can for a few years and i found it amazing to hear him say on the radio that he didn't release it for so long because he didn't used to like it much.Maybe thats because it was recorded originally with Linda Gail Lewis on piano and brought back bad memories.To me this is a Van classic.

Gypsy In My Soul is a great bluesy jazzy number which reminds me of something that i can't quite put my finger on, like Dusty Springfield's song Spooky or something, anyway its great. Lonely And Blue has some nice piano and sax..A humourous ending has Van imitating Louis Armstrong.The Lion This Time is another of the outstanding songs on this album.This features lute and Spanish guitar by Martin Fields and more great string arrangements by Fiachra Trench.The title song Magic Time is next and its a great romantic song.They Sold Me Out is the penultimate song with Van having a moan about the record industry.Foggy Little plays some nice guitar on this soulful song. The album ends on a humourous note with Carry On Regardless with Van utilising the names of the Carry On films in his lyrics.

Vanatic,Episode 33.Van Morrison In Yeovil

2011-07-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

I used to think i was the worlds number one Van fan but i was to discover that there were lots of people around the world even more Vanatical than me.Sometime in the 1990's i started getting this Fanzine called 'The Van Morrison Newsletter' which was run by a fan in Scotland.I think his name was Stuart McGlynn.I bought a few issues and then lost interest.That magazine ended and Simon Gee took over and launched Wavelength magazine which was a really well produced quality magazine.When i got my first copy i was so impressed that i decided to write an article for it and i sat down at the kitchen table and wrote a piece about my adventures at Glastonbury 1982.Simon was kind enough to publish it which i was really pleased about and that encouraged me to keep writing to this very day.As well as producing a brilliant magazine Simon also organised get togethers before the gigs for the fans and lots of friendships started from this.Previously we used to go to the concerts and never talk to anyone but from then on the concerts became great social occasions which i used to really enjoy.The first time i met other Van fans was in Dublin in 2003 at a brilliant pub called Kavanaghs or 'The Gravediggers' as it was known locally.I first met Simon at one of The Larmer Tree concerts.I have seen Van there a couple of times.Neither concert was particularly great but The Larmer Tree Gardens are a beautiful setting to hold a concert.You even had peacocks wandering about and strange pagodas and statues amongst the trees.Also Simon even compiled a great album of Van covers called 'The Van Morrison Songbook' which included such great tracks as Dusty Springfields Tupelo Honey and My Lonely Sad Eyes by Maria McKee.Sadly Wavelength magazine has ceased publication now but Simon has moved on to other projects in the music business.

2003 was also the year that Whats Wrong With This Picture was released on the Blue Note label.Although it was a disappointing album for most fans i think there is still a lot to be admired about this work.Alas there is also some quite ordinary forgettable songs as well.The songs that i don't care for all that much are, 'Too Many Myths','Goldfish Bowl' and 'Fame' in which Van moans on about the hell of being famous and how hard done by he is.I will concentrate on the tracks i really like.The 'Meaning Of Lonliness' is a great song in which Van explores the depth of the human condition without the moaning of other songs.Also he name drops lots of writers like Sartre and Camus and Hermann Hesse.I like Vans literary references and he does seem to have similar taste in books to myself..Its like he is saying "I dig this, check it out".Another outstanding track is 'Little Village' which is inspired by the Sonny Boy Williamson song of the same title.It is wonderful.A lot of Van fans were doubtful about this song at first i think but were won over by the live performances which took the song to dizzying heights of brilliance.My pop sensibility also enjoys 'Once In A Blue Moon' which i think could have been a big hit single if it was released as such.I don't like the abrupt ending though.

Sometimes Kim and i would go to gigs and Simon would be the only person we knew there such as when we saw Van play to about 400 people at the tiny Octogon Theatre in Yeovil a few years ago. Van performed 'Somerset' that night, because Yeovil is the heart of Somerset..Anyway, it features Vans old friend Acker Bilk who wrote the music and guested on an earlier album, and its quite pleasant.The most memorable thing about that night was that after the concert we met Vans trumpet player Matt Holland walking down the road and we followed him into a nearby hotel and met all the band in the bar.They were all really friendly and signed a Ray Charles CD for me that i had bought that day which featured Van and Ray singing Crazy Love.Another belting track is 'Stop Drinking', a Lighning Hopkins song. Another track that is loved by many Van afficionado's is 'St James Infirmary',this harks back to Louis Armstrong and although i must admit it is always performed exquisitely on stage i just find it too gloomy.It does mention me though.

I want a 20 dollar gold piece on my watch chain

So everybody goin’ to know that I died standing Pat!.

Whilst writing these words i have been listening to this album and i must say i do actually quite enjoy it and this is one of his lesser works which just shows how many truly great albums Van has made.

Vanatic, Episode 32.Van Morrison In Dublin 2003.

2011-07-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

The only time i have seen Van outside England was 2003 when we saw him in Dublin.When we set out on that fateful journey little did we realise what lay ahead.In Bristol the train broke down for an hour and when we changed at Newport i realised that we we had missed our connection for Fishguard.When the ticket collector came along he said.,
"Well, i'm afraid that you are not going to Fishguard today".
"We are going to Fishguard today,"I angrily replied ,"I have two tickets here that say we are, we have a ferry to catch and it wasn't our fault we were delayed,so you just go and sort it out".
A few minutes later he returned and sat down next to me.
"You are sitting on my hat!"Kim had bought me a new hat in Kevin's Menswear £39 and this pillock was sitting on it.
"Oh Sorry, well i've had a word with my superiors and if you get out at Carmarthan there will be a taxi waiting to take you to Fishguard".
"Thank you very much",i replied, knocking my hat back into shape.
The rest of the journey past without incident and we caught the ferry on time.Although it was only late March it was a beautiful calm sunny day and we spent most of the time on deck as the boat sped us towards Ireland.It's always a thrill to see Ireland appearing in the distance and when we got off the boat at Rosslare it felt great to be back in the holy ground,the land of saints and scholars.We spent the night in The Rosslare Hotel.This is the hotel where Eamon De Valera spent a night before escaping to France under the noses of the British disguised as a priest.There is a photo of him in the bar.The next morning we explored the pretty town of Wexford.In a cafe i asked the waitress if she knew of any good B and B's we could stay at.
"I'll give my Auntie Josie a ring and she will come and pick you up".
A few minutes later Josie arrived and ushered us to her car,we had no say in the matter.We were staying with Josie whether we liked it or not!
"Have you been to Ireland before?",asked Josie.
"Oh yes ,my family come from County Mayo".
"Oh Mayo, god help us",said Josie,crossing herself.I think this goes back to the famine when Mayo had it worse than anywhere and people felt sorry for them.Anyway, that night we went out on the town and didn't get home till gone midnight and Josie was waiting up for us.When we got in she started pouring us glasses of sherry and wanted a chat.Next morning she cooked us breakfast.The best in the world.The bacon and sausages were supurb and the bread was great.Before we left Josie took our photo which she does with all her visitors and drove us to the station.She was the best B and B lady i've ever met.
The train up to Dublin is a beautiful journey.As we crossed the bridge at Arklow i spotted a cormorant preening its wings in the sunshine and the town looked really nice with all the buildings painted in bright colours.Van visited here back in 73 on his holiday which inspired one of his greatest albums Veedon Fleece.I would have loved to have stopped and wandered the Streets Of Arklow but that will have to be another time,When we got to Dublin i asked a man where the taxi rank was.
"Go left and you'll be right",he replied, the Dubliners are wizards with words,it's no wonder they are such great writers.We arrived at our hotel Cassady's in Upper O'Connell St.I chose this hotel because i like the name Cassady,it reminds me of Jack Kerouac books.At the Gate Theatre opposite they were putting on a Tennessee Williams play which i thought was a good omen for the concert the following night.
Then we set out to explore Dublin.In O'Connell St Kim took my photo with the statue of James Joyce.All the statues in Dublin have nicknames.James Joyce is known as 'The Prick With The Stick',Molly Malone is 'The Tart With The Cart' and a statue of a woman in a fountain is 'The Floosie In The Jacuzzi' or 'The Hoo'er In The Sewer'.

We visited The National Gallery in Merrion Square to have a look at the pictures.Although Ireland is world famous for the richness of its literary tradition its artists are not so well known except for Jack B Yeats,and a few others.In the gallery i was pleasantly surprised to see the wealth of fine paintings on display,particularly of the Irish impressionists.One painting that caught my eye was this one called Military Manouvres by Richard Thomas Moynan.As i gazed at it i felt that it was speaking to me and telling me a story.The people in the painting were not mere images but real people.As you can see the painting is set in a small Irish town and the raggle taggle barefoot children are playing a game of being a marching band.There is an English officer walking along the pavement with his wife and trying to ignore the children who are taking the Mickey out of him.All apart from one that is,the taller kid at the front who is obviously their leader.This is obviously no game to him, this is deadly serious! He is looking directly at the officer with a look that seems to say.

"Get out of my country,"
The girl in the forefront carrying the basket completes the triangle,she is looking at the kids leader as if she knows that one day he will get in a lot of trouble if he isn't careful.I was so taken with this picture that in the gallery shop i bought a print of it and when we got back to England i had it framed, and now it has pride of place in my living room.When we left the gallery i found that all that culture had given me a terrible thirst so we went in O'Donaghues pub.On the way back to the hotel we walked past the Shelbourne and Kim said,
"I want to go in there",
"Why?"

"Glass of champagne, come on ,Van might be in there".
We sat in these huge comfortable leather armchairs in the bar sipping champagne and pretending to be rich.I said to the barman that the chairs were so comfortable i could fall asleep and he said the Brazilian ambassador did fall asleep in my chair the day before.

The Van concert the following night was mainly memorable for a Canadian guy demanding Listen To The Lion and Van singing it. Saturday night at the Helix,a beautiful futuristic venue,we were in second row,the front rows were full of Van listers..The band played a Miles Davis tune from Kind of Blue,then Van walked on,.Only A Dream was the first song,i meant to write the songs down but forgot,20 minutes in i was bored, this is terrible i thought,then a little diamond,Raglan Rd, then a magical moment, one of the Canadians sat in the front row shouted,"THE LION,WE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM CANADA,SING THE LION!" van looked at him,said ok, and did Listen to the Lion. It was great after that,Cleaning Windows,In The Afternoon,All In The Game,Did Ye Get Healed? all brilliant,Afterwards a couple from Florida offered us a lift and we disappeared into the Dublin night. i was really glad that i had seen van where he belongs, in Ireland.

A couple of days later we were sailing away from Rosslare again after our too brief trip to Ireland.The journey home was uneventful until we changed trains at Cardiff and i left my ill-fated hat on the luggage rack of the train.When we arrived at Westbury my hat was probably just pulling in at Paddington and i never saw it again.

Vanatic,Episode 31

2011-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

What a bad way to start a new millenium.I bought this album in a second hand record shop in Trowbridge in 2000 called 'The Record Collector' shortly after it was released.Obviously some poor soul had bought it and realised it was rubbish and got rid of it.I would say it is Vans worst album but i think i have played it more often than a couple of others.This album was a terrible error of judgement on Vans part and i think he realises that because i don't think its even acknowledged on his official website as part of his discography.It is becoming the album that never was.I don't think i have ever heard a Van fan say a good word about it.As you know Linda Gail is the sister of the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis, 'The Killer' who was a big influence on the young Van as mentioned in his song 'The Days Before Rock And Roll', but Linda Gail Lewis is a pale imitation of her talented brother.She can't sing and her piano playing is irritable.The album is only saved from total disaster by Vans vocals.Guitar is provided by Ned Edwards.The sleeve notes are by the sycophantic and fawning Jools Holland who should have known better.There are three tracks written by the great Hank Williams, another childhood hero of Van but i have heard better versions, even The Carpenters did a better job on Jambalaya.I must admit though there have been nights when i have got back from the pub in a merry state and i have put this album on loud and quite enjoyed 'Boogie Chillin' ,the John Lee Hooker song.In the cold light of day though this is a very disappointing album by Van.

We have seen Van at the Royal Albert Hall twice and the first time was in April 2001.We went along thinking that Linda Gail would be playing with Van but she never showed up and there was an electric piano on stage but nobody played it all night so i don't know what happened there.It wasn't a very memorable concert.I spotted Chris Evans seated in the front row with Billie Piper.Van even sang A Frog A Wooing He Did Go,what?.He did sing Madame George though which saved the night.
Things looked up though with 2002's album 'Down The Road'When this album came out out nine years ago i was amazed to see that the front cover was a record shop i knew.Nashers records in Walcot Street in Bath.I have been in there many a time.I noticed that they had cleverly filled the window with albums by people who had been influential on Van.That was a concept used by Bob Dylan on the cover of 'Bringing It All Back Home'.When i was broke one day about 8 years ago i thought i'd sell some of my vinyl albums.I thought i'd get a good price for my Van albums in Nashers because of the Van connection but alas no,the tight gits only gave me about £1.25 each for them.I bitterly regret selling them now.I hadn't got into ebay back then.If there is a theme to Down The Road i suppose it might be one of travel.The eponymous opening track has Van heading off down the road with those worried homesick Jones.Van plays some great harmonica and its a great song bringing to mind another hero of mine Jack Kerouac and his novel 'On The Road'.Van even manages to bung in a reference to Carl Jung with 'Memories Dreams And Reflections',.'Meet Me In The Indian Summer' i like as well because it evokes personal memories which i am sure Van songs do to all the fans.Walking down by the weeping willow trees reminds me of my childhood in Peterborough and the Sunday afternoon walk down to the river and running up to the willow trees and grabbing a great clump of branches and swinging on them.It also reminds me of a glorious indian summer when i was coming back from France in 1979.'Steal My Heart Away' is Vans finest love song of the last 10 years and is quite brilliant.I am quite surprised the likes of Rod Stewart hasn't recorded it for a big Hit.'Hey Mr DJ' is ok and was released as a single i believe without much success.'Talk Is Cheap' is one of my least favourite songs and is Van having a moan about this and that.'Choppin' Wood' is a song that i didn't care for on first listen but i have warmed to it since especially after hearing it live.It is a tribute to Vans dad who went to America in search of work like lots of people from Ireland but eventually returned and worked at Harland and Wolff shipyard.'Makes The Irish Heartbeat' is terrific, i love it.This song gives a hint of the later Country n Irish sound that Van would later develop.This song is about the restless travellings of one Irish rover so far from home.Things take a turn for the worse with 'All Work And No Play' which i have never liked and grew to hate after hearing it performed live Ad Nauseam.If i had any criticism of this album i would say its too long.In the olden days of vinyl Vans albums were a lot shorter.This album weighs in at 67 minutes.If the worst 3 or 4 songs were left off then i think that the hardcore fans would think Down The Road was a great album.'Whatever Happened To PJ Proby' is another song i would leave off.The lyrics are quite amusing though.Can you fix it Jim? is a reference to Jimmy Savile who actually befriended 'Them' when they first came to London and he introduced them on their historical 1965 NME Pollwinners Concert appearance.Also Van seems unaware that Scott Walker has had quite a distinguished career since the 60's.'Beauty Of The Days Gone By' is a great song but i dont particularly care for Fiacra Trenchs string arrangements on it.I think simplicity is better.'Georgia On My Mind' is ok but nothing will ever match Ray Charles.'Only A Dream' is another great song and i like the drumming of Bobby Irwin in particular.'Man Has To Struggle' i don't like but 'Evening Shadows' is really nice with Van adding the lyrics to a tune of Acker Bilk who guests on clarinet.Good old Acker. I think Fast Train is one of Vans best songs of the last ten years.This is a bleak song where the train is going off the rails as it heads through the barren wastes going nowhere.I wish Van did this song live more often.

A year after this album came out i finally bought a computer and my Van obsession would really get out of hand!

Vanatic,Episode 30

2011-07-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

One of the best days of music i ever had was at the Fleadh in Finsbury Park, London in 1999.It was a really hot day, almost too hot.We left our Paddington hotel and caught the tube to Finsbury.The first band we saw were called Lunasa who played some great Irish music.Then we watched a singer-songwriter from Wales who i was really impressed with,his name was David Gray. Little did we realise that he would shortly become really famous.Then we raced to the second stage to catch John Martyn who gave a supurb performance.There was just time to run to the main stage to catch a bit of fine Irish music by Altan.Then back to stage two to see Luka Bloom who as you know is the brother of Christy Moore.Luka said what a pleasure it was to listen to John Martyn earlier.Then we faced an awkward choice,either Eddi Reader or Afro Celt Sound System. We opted for the latter because i had bought their album quite recently. The music of the day was getting better and better.Canadian band Barenaked Ladies were next, they were good fun and i especially like their song 'Lying In Bed Like Brian Wilson'.There was no rest as we chased back to stage two to catch Brian Kennedy who i had got to know through his work with Van.I think my favourite song of his set was the Dusty Springfield classic 'Goin 'Back'.Following this we were back at the main stage for one of my favourite Irish bands THE Saw Doctors.They were supurb, playing such classics as 'The Green And Red Of Mayo' and 'Joyce Country Ceili Band'.Then it was all the way to stage three to see the late great Ronnie Drew, a legend whose band the Dubliners started the whole popularity of Irish music.It was a pleasure to see him.

We were getting tired now, so we took a rest and a bite to eat on the grass. Who should come strolling along carrying his guitar?Only Ronnie! I asked him if i could take his photo and he happily agreed and i said how much i enjoyed his work with Jah Wobble on the Celtic Poets album.

"Oh you liked that one did ya?" said Ronnie and we shook hands and off he went.A great moment.After our meeting with Ronnie we headed for stage 2 to catch most of Lonnie Doneghan's set.He was good but he didn't do My Old Mans A Dustman which i hoped he would.This was the second time we had seen Lonnie that summer.Previously had been at Glastonbury.This was followed by Elvis Costello on the main stage.I lay on the ground for this i'm afraid as i was getting knackered by now.Pop star Ronan Keating of Boyzone fame did a short 15 minute set next which the kids loved.

Then it was time for the act that i'd waited all day for, Van Morrison.This was the first time i had seen him in 2 yearssince Glastonbury 97.We managed to weedle our way right to the front.Van didn't disappoint.His performance began with Baby Please Don't Go,Here Comes The Night and Brown Eyed Girl all in a medley, followed by Its All Over Now Baby Blue.What a great start!I can't remember a lot about the performance now.My main memories are of Lonnie Doneghan joining him onstage for Muleskinner Blues and Elvis Costello coming on to sing Jackie Wilson Says.Elvis stayed for a rousing Gloria to finish the show.I think Van only did an hour but it was great.

After Van there was still The Pretenders and Shane McGowan but we were exhausted by now so we went back to Paddington on the tube before the rush.Sitting in a pub in Paddington i reflected that this was one of the busiest and best days of music i had ever had.

This might be a good time to mention the 'Skiffle Sessions' album.It has occured to me that whenever Van is suffering a bout of writers block he decides to 'visit his roots',and i fear that might be the reason for the release of 'The Skiffle Sessions'.Which is officially by Van,Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber.I first heard of Lonnie Donegan when i was about nine years old when he had a huge hit with a novelty song called 'My Old Mans A Dustman'.All the kids at school knew this song off by heart.Van had discovered Lonnie a few years before this though in the mid 50's when Lonnie had brought songs by people such as Leadbelly to a British audience for the first time and it was the short lived Skiffle craze that lead Van to form his first group 'The Sputniks'. This album was recorded live in Belfast so it must have been quite emotional for Van the kid who played skiffle at local youth clubs to be playing it again live 40 years on with the person who inspired him.But is this really skiffle?I think Lonnie started his career in the Chris Barber Jazz Band.Chris Barber was a very influential figure in the British music scene in the 50's and early 60's and it was he who brought the likes of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee and Muddy Waters to Britain which encouraged artists such as The Stones and Eric Clapton and indeed Van.To get to what i think of the album.I can't say i dislike it because it is quite good fun and not to be taken too seriously.I like Van versions of Goodnight Irene and Jesse James.My favourite track of all is 'I Wanna Go Home'on which Lonnie shows supurb vocal dexterity and it was a song covered by the Beach Boys as 'Sloop John B' which is another reason i like it.I don't know how Dr John got on the album but he is an old friend of Van's and Chris so he must have just been in town on that night.

We did see Van one more time in the 90's.It was a bitterley cold night in Bristol.The first time i saw Van sing with Chris Farlowe and also one of the rare occasions i saw Mick Green play guitar with Van.We left before the end to catch the last train but a new decade of Van concerts and albums was about to dawn and also the Internet age and i would make friends with Van fans all over the world.

Vanatic,Episode 29

2011-07-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Whenever i hear Haunts Of Ancient Peace on the Common One album it reminds me of a little incident that occured in 1999.The story begins in County Mayo, Ireland early in 1999. Overlooking the beautiful Clew Bay is Irelands holy mountain Croughpatrick,It was on the summit of this mountain that St Patrick once spent 40 days and 40 nights.Every year thousands of pilgrims climb to the summit of Croughpatrick,in 1999 one of them was my neice Katherine. When she visited us in Wiltshire a few weeks later Katherine gave us a stone that she had picked up on the summit of Croughpatrick.
                                                 It sat on my mantelpiece for a few months whilst i pondered what to do with it.I did think of building a zen buddist type rock garden and putting it in that but i knew id never get around to doing it, then i had an idea. I had heard that there was a legend that St Patrick had once visited Glastonbury,in fact there is a chapel in Glastonbury Abbey called St Patricks Chapel.Once i had this 'satori' or 'illumination' i knew what i had to do.On the evening of 8th September myself and Kim drove over to Glastonbury and booked into the Bolthole B and B.Next morning about 8.30 i left her asleep and i slipped out of the door.I crossed the road and headed for the Tor, At the base of the tor it was shrouded in mist but as i climbed higher it was a beautiful sunny late summers day,i stopped halfway up and surveyed the scene below,sheep grazed amongst the thorn trees,it was a sublime, pastoral, Blakean almost biblical idyllic picture.The words of William Blake came into my head,
And Did those feet in ancient times
Walk upon Englands pastures green
And was Jerusalem builded here
Amongst these dark satanic mills?
                                                          As i resumed the climb i felt at one with nature and really glad to be alive on this September day. At the summit i consulted my watch and after choosing a good spot known only to me,at exactly 9.09 on 9.9 .1999 i stomped Katherines stone into the ground with the heel of my boot.
I dont know if St Patrick ever really visited Glastonbury but i made sure that part of his holy mountain would always be a part of Glastonbury Tor.It aint why,it just is,and thats all there is to it.Then feeling very pleased with myself i walked back down the hill to Kim and breakfast.
Around the countryside and towns
A song of harmony and rhyme
In haunts of ancient peace.
The holy grail we seek
On down by haunts of ancient peace.
We see the new Jerusalem
In haunts of ancient peace
When i can't find my feet
Oh, when I need some relief
One more time again.
You know I want to go there one more time again.
Be still in haunts of ancient peace.

Vanatic,Episode 28

2011-07-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

I bought this album right here in Westbury in June 1998.A bloke opened a short lived CD shop in that little place next to the Ludlow pub and i ordered this album.I transfered it to cassette and took it along to Glastonbury 98.We were dancing in the mud to 'High Spirits' when the Bishop Of Bath And Wells walked past and grinned at us.
I wasn't expecting a lot from this album,i thought it would be just a bunch of inferior out-takes etc but i was delighted to find it was packed with gems of Van genius that could have graced many of his albums.Firstly the album cover which i really like.It is photo's of the Stones Of Stenness in the Orkney Isles which is off the north coast of Scotland.I don't think the cover bears any revelence to the contents of the album.In my opinion side 1 is a lot better than side 2 but side 2 contains the best two songs on the album.'Really Don't Know' is a good opener but it rains all the way through the song.I remember at Glasto 98 sitting in my tent listening to this and wishing it would stop raining.'Ordinary People' is supurb featuring some great guitar from Ronnie Montrose.I think it must have been recorded about the time of Tupelo Honey.'Wonderful Remark' is brilliant,one of the great all time Van songs.There are many great songs on the Philosophers Stone album,none greater than this song.It was recorded in 1973 but not released till 1998.I really like the flute playing of Boots Houston and the guitar of Ronnie Montrose.You can read all sorts of political meanings into the lyrics.The line 'Some Other Rainbow' became the title of a book by Beirut hostage John McCarthy who presented Van with his lifetime achievement award at The Brit awards in 1994 ,what a great night that was.

This is vastly better than the version i first heard on 'Best Of,vol 1'.Its more of a 'free' thing and not a 'choke' thing as Van might say.'Not Supposed To Break Down' is powerful stuff and really soulful.I can't remember any Van fan ever mentioning this great song.The lyrics with their insight into the human condition remind me of 'The Great Deception' and it was recorded around the same time.'Laughing In The Wind' is ok but i would rather hear 'Madame Joy' which is wonderful.When i first heard 'Madame George' i thought this is what it was called.Anyway, this song is indeed joyous and uplifting.It's stepping lightly and brightly.I thought Van was supposed to be having a bout of writers block around the time of 'Hard Nose The Highway',thats why he put 'Being Green' and 'Purple Heather' on that album but this album is wedged with great songs he recorded in that period.'Contemplation Rose' is another great song from 73.I just thought i'd tell you about my favourite 2 songs apart from Wonderful Remark, ' For Mr Thomas' was written by his friend Robin Williamson of Incredible String Band fame.I think it might have been Robin who introduced Van to his brief flirtation with Scientology.Its a great song with great lyrics all about painting library on the library and throwing bottles at the ferris wheel. I think Dylan Thomas was the greatest Welshman of the 20th century and this song is a great tribute to him.I visired Dylans house once at Laugharne, South Wales. in 1974 and to get to it you have to walk along the beach and i could imagine Dylan staggering back from the pub and falling in the rock pools.

'Crazy Jane On God' is a pome by WB Yeats that Van set to music and is supurb.This is a great song.I think originally meant for the Sense Of Wonder album but finally appearing on Philosophers Stone.Van seems to like Yeats and so do i.One final song worth mentioning is 'Flamingoe's Fly'.This is a great version of that song.All in all this is a great album.There are some weak songs but i havent mentioned them.I am listening to this album right now on a sunny afternoon and i just rememberered that i really like'Stepping Out Queen, Part 2' as well.

Vanatic, Episode 27

2011-07-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

My job is working in a book warehouse.The money is no good but one of the benefits is that i get to read lots of nice books,also i can buy the damaged ones.A while ago for only £1.00 i got a copy of 'Songs Of Innocence and Of Experience' by William Blake.Its a beautiful little book.The pages are an exact facsimile of Blakes original engravings of 1794.It has inspired me to write a little chapter on Blakes influence on Van because as you know Vans albums are strewn with references to Blake Lets look at some similarities between the two.Firstly, they were both visionaries.At the age of eight Blake saw a tree 'filled with angels' on Peckham Rye,their bright wings bespangling every bough like stars.Van experienced similar visions as a child in Belfast.Ordinary streets would become diamond studded highways.These astral states could last hours,days or even weeks.As Vans music developed into a spiritual journey he was trying to find out the reason for the childlike visions that he experienced.He wasn't the only musician to have these visions.Bob Dylan and Patti Smith both reported similar things during their early life.Beat poet Allen Ginsberg claimed that Blake used to speak to him as a child.It was maybe reading the Beat writers like Jack Kerouac and Ginsberg that led Van to Blake.When Van discovered the work of Blake he had found a kindred spirit.Both knew there was only a thin veil between from the 'real' world to across the bridge to where angels dwell.Both Blake and Van were voracious readers and both were influenced by the Christian mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg although Van may have discovered Swedenborg via Blake.The pair of them are also nature lovers with their lyrics celebrating the pastoral English scene with sheperds and sheep on the hillsides in abundance.Both Van and Blake were obsessed with mysticism and were both mavericks in their field.As hard as it is to fit Blake into any school of art history it is equally hard to fit Van into any genre of music.They could be both described as romantics. Van first mentions Blake on the Veedon Fleece album on the track 'You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push The River'.
'Blake and the Eternals oh standin' with the Sisters of Mercy
Looking for the Veedon Fleece, yeah
William Blake and the Eternals oh standin' with the Sisters of Mercy
Looking for the Veedon Fleece, yeah.
During this period Van was embarking on a period of heavy reading and self education which is another similarity with Blake in that they were both largely self taught although Blake had been apprenticed to an engraver.Both displayed amazing maturity at a young age as well.Blake first exhibited his paintings at the Royal Acadamy at the age of 23, a similar age to Morrison when he released Astral Weeks in 1968.So who were the Eternals who Van refers to in the lyrics?.They can be found in Blakes work Urizen-
Of the primeval priests assum'd power,
When Eternals spurn'd back his religion;
And gave him a place in the north,
Obscure, shadowy, void, solitary.
Eternals I hear your call gladly,
Dictate swift winged words, & fear not
To unfold your dark visions of torment.

The Eternals, also called the Immortals, are the four-fold men who inhabit Eternity and make up the body of Christ, "the Eternal Great Humanity".
After Veedon Fleece Van disappeared off the scene for about 3 years but he wasn't idle, he was studying all sorts of subjects and in subsequent albums there are dozens of name dropping literary references.Blake makes his return on 1980's Common One album in the epic song Summertime In England-
Did you ever hear about . . .
William Blake,TS Eliot
In the summer
In the countryside
They were smokin'
Summertime in England.
In the same song Van mentions Jesus walking down by Avalon and again this is very Blakean and is probably inspired by Blakes 'Jerusalem', and did those feet in ancient times etc.If any album could be described as Vans Blake album i suppose it might be 'Sense Of Wonder'.One of the tracks takes its title from a Blake painting 'Ancient Of Days'.The song Let The Slave incorporates 'The Price Of Experience' by Blake and where Van sings 'Everything that lives is holy' is a direct quote of Blake.The song 'A New Kind Of Man' also i believe is the title of a book about Blake but i havent read it.Blake is name checked again on the Avalon Sunset album on the track 'When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God'-
The sun was setting over Avalon
The last time we stood in the west
Suffering long time angels enraptured by Blake
Burn out the dross innocence captured again
This is a wonderful song and a particular favourite of mine as it reminds me of my own experiences of Glastonbury and the surrounding area.The whole album is very Blakean with its romantic pastoral setting.Blake reappears on 'Golden Autumn Day' on Van's Back On Top album.
Who would think this could happen in a city like this
Among Blakes green and pleasant hills,
And we must remember as we go through September
Among these dark satanic mills.
This time though its a much darker scene as Van relates being the victim of an attempted mugging probably in the city of Bath.You don't need name-checks though to see the influence of William on Van.On the track 'Checkin' It Out' on Wavelength Van tells us that there are are spirits and guides along the way who will help us.A lot of people would raise an eyebrow to this but William Blake wouldn't thats for sure.The sad thing for me is that around the mid 90's Van seemed to lose the angel of imagination that was his muse and his interest in mysticism and spirituality generally and his work had suffered as a result.Recently though he has started refering to gaurdian angels again in his live performances so maybe his interest in spiritual matters has returned.I hope so.

Vanatic,Episode 26

2011-07-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

I remember as if it were yesterday the day i bought 'Back On Top',it was the same day i had a tooth out at Adcroft Surgery in Trowbridge.It had been giving me hell for ages and my gum was all swollen.It was a young female dentist that pulled it out,ugh, it was disgusting,she nearly fainted.It was great to get rid of it though.Afterwards i went in Knees department store with my mouth still frozen and oozing blood and bought Vans new album. I don't like the cover much, it reminds me of something like George Smiley in a John Le Carre spy novel.'Going Down Geneva' opens the album not very promisingly with a clumpity clump bluesy song and Vince Taylor is mentioned and how its a shame nobody has heard of him.Well i must admit i had never heard of him either but you can't have heard of everyone.I looked him up on youtube and i still don't think he was a great talent.Van also mentions going down Geneva in the song Foriegn Window on No Guru..He must have a thing about going down Geneva.The next song though is one of Vans greatest songs in all its six minutes of glory.'The Philosophers Stone'.To Van music is a form of magic and Van is an alchemist who takes the various genres of music such as blues, jazz, rock, folk and soul and turns it into the gold that is uniquely his own.This is what he is talking about in this brilliant song from the Back On Top album.It's a hard road daddio.The pace is slowed right down then for 'In The Midnight' which is a really sad song about remembering lost love in the loneliness of night which i have enjoyed hearing Van sing live on many occasions.I never have enjoyed the title track all that much though with Van moaning about the deadbeats at the top of the hill etc.'When The Leaves Come Falling Down' in contrast though is another beautiful ballad which is amongst Vans finest and the sort of song that Vans devoted fans really love.It is quite exquisite with beautiful imagery of Paris in the rain and leaves a tumblin' down.Some fabulous tinkaling piano accompany's Vans walk to the place between the garden and the wall.Chet Baker is name checked as well.Vans great harmonica playing opens 'High Summer'.Van is complaining about high summer getting him down, in other songs he moans about having to get through January and February.He seems to moan all year round.The mansion on the hillside and red sports car seems to hark back to earlier Van songs of yesteryear.'Reminds Me Of You' is a similar song to In The Midnight but even more desperate with Van saying he feels like he is going to hell and when will the pain recede into the darkness from whence it has come.New Biography' is Van taking a swipe at people like me who have a hobby on the internet.Its a bit unfair really because Van has his favourite writers and singers and doesn't mind talking about them so why should he care if people like to discuss his work.Not on my Wavelength is a reference to the excellent Wavelength magazine.Its a great song.'Precious Time' is one of Vans great pop songs which a lot of the fans don't seem to like.It provided Van with a hit single and i like it as it bounces along to a boppy beat while Van muses about death and no afterlife.'Golden Autumn Day' ends the album on a bleak note with Van pretending its paradise on a golden autumn day whereas in fact its grim with Van recounting how he was nearly mugged in a town surrounded by green hills which must be Bath..I never have liked this song much.Anyway not to worry, this album contains some of Vans finest songs and deserves to be included in his top twenty albums.

I bought a couple of other Van albums around this time that i don't like very much 'How Long Has This been Going On?' is one.This album was recorded in one day in 1995 at Ronnie Scotts club in London.In many ways it is a pre-cursor to the 'Tell Me Something'album containing as it does two Mose Allison songs.I havent played this album for ages till this morning.It is actually by Van Morrison ,Georgie Fame and friends.I don't particularly like the influence Georgie had on Van in the mid 90's and the jazzy road he led him down away from the new age influenced music that Van excelled at in the 80's.To be fair though Van had probably reached the end of that rich vein of inspiration anyway.Moondance is given a new outing on this album allowing solo spots for the likes of Alec Dankworth on bass,Guy Barker on Trumpet, Pee Wee on sax etc.This has become a pattern at Vans concerts in recent years with Moondance giving Van a chance to go walk about while the band play solo's.There are a few standards on this album such as the title track written by George and Ira Gershwin,Blues In The Night by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlan and Thats Life which i remember Frank Sinatra singing.I suppose if i had to choose my favourite songs would be the two Mose Allison compositions 'Dont Worry Bout A Thing' and 'Your Mind Is On Vacation' because the lyrics are quite witty.I don't like the Georgie Fame arrangements on many of the tracks and i find the album overall quite uninspiring with no stand out tracks and lacking the sparkle of most Van albums.Some people who are more into the jazz music than me might love it but i find it one of Vans lesser works.

'Tell Me Something' is the other one.I bought this album in the record department of Knees Department Store in Trowbridge in 1997,just after Christmas. I shouldn't be too harsh on this album because strictly speaking it is not a Van Morrison album.Its called 'Tell Me Something',The Songs Of Mose Allison',with Van Morrison,Georgie Fame,Mose Allison and Ben Sidran.It was released on Verve Records in 1996.Van only sings on about 7 of the tracks.Maybe i havent listened to it enough.When i got the album home i think i heard it once and decided it was boring and never played it again for years.I had never heard of Mose Allison before this album.I had heard of Ben Sidran, he wrote The Joker for Steve Miller.Georgie Fame is well known to all Van fans.I love Georgie's organ playing on Vans albums but i'm not so keen on his singing later in his career although i did like some of his songs in the 60's such as 'Sitting In The Park' and 'Sunny' but not on this album.Pee Wee Ellis does add some nice saxophone to a couple of the tracks.Van is a great admirer of Mose and you can see Mose's influence on Van reading through the lyrics which seem quite Vanesque at times, such as 'Back On The Corner'.I did dust this cd off this past week and played it again but i'm afraid i still can't get into it and it remains my least favourite Van album.

Vanatic, Episode 25

2011-07-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

Is it really thirteen years since this album came out?.It seems only yesterday that Kim went away for a week to Torquay with her residents from work.While she was away i redecorated the living room and put a shelf up in the kitchen and bought a new fridge.I was really pleased with myself. When she returned she had bought me Van's new album.I associate this album a lot with Vans performance at Glastonbury 97.It had rained non stop since Friday and the site was a quagmire,it resembled the Battle Of Ypres in World War 1.The sun came out on Sunday afternoon though in time for performances by Sting, Beck and Van.Van started his performance with Rough God Goes Riding,the opening track on this album.The lyrics seemed strangely appropriate refering to the 'mud splattered victims' which was us.I remember that performance vividly because during Van singing 'Its A Mans Mans Mans World' he stopped and asked the audience "Who is the godfather of soul?".Quick as a flash i shouted out "JAMES BROWN!","Thats right",said Van.Lots of people looked at me and i felt really brainy.Van closed that show with a great slowed down version of 'Burning Ground',lifting the mike stand above his shoulders before finally smashing it down on the stage and walking off in triumph with the applause of at least 50,000 people ringing in his ears.Another thing i remember about Glasto 97 is that this girl Sherie asked us if we would look after her cat for a fortnight.We still have the cat 'Murphy' 14 years later.Anyway, that is by the by,i digress.About the album.I think the rough god refered to in the opening track has something to do with a Yeats pome.I find the lyrics of a lot of the songs on Healing Game a bit esoteric and i'm not sure what Van is on about sometimes but this song seems to be about the day of judgement being at hand but it might be about Van having a go at the press who gave him a hard time the previous year.'Fire In The Belly' has the same title as a book by Sam Keen,i don't know if thats where Van got the idea from but its a more cheerful song than the opener and has the famous refrain 'Gotta get through January,gotta get through February'.'This Weight' is Van complaining about the weight of being famous and all he wants is anonimity.'The Waiting Game' is another of the songs where i am not sure what the lyrics are about.I can't make head nor tail of them with references to the brother of the snake etc.Its a great song though even if it is an enigma inside a mystery.It also incorporates one of Vans favourite images of leaves coming tumbling down.

'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' is a great song based as you know on Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame.It is very Irish in flavour featuring Vans old friends Phil Coulter and Paddy Moloney.I think Van was commisioned to write this song for a filum but it never worked out so it ended up on this album and makes a nice contrast to the heavier songs.'Burning Ground' is a really powerful song driven along by some awesome sax playing by Pee Wee and Leo Green.I have read lots of discussion of the meaning of the lyrics and what dumping the jute means etc but i can't be bothered to enter into all that now thank you.'It Once Was My Life' is one of the more light weight songs on the album and i find it a bit repetitive.Then we get to one of Van's all time great songs 'Sometimes We Cry'.This is a masterpiece.From Alec Dankworths opening notes on the bass to Pee Wee's exquisite solo and Robins piano playing it is faultless.I am listening to it at this very moment and its supurb..On a more cheerful note i met Pee Wee in a pub in Bradford On Avon a couple of years ago and he signed my Healing Game CD booklet on the Sometimes We Cry page and he put 'Thanks, Pee Wee Ellis'.Why did he say thanks?,it is a sign of his great humility, what a great person he is.'If You Love Me' is another quite light song before the tour de force of the title track 'The Healing Game' which is another of Vans greatest songs.I first heard it a year previously at Wembley Arena when Van appeared with Ray Charles.It brings a great album to a close in style.That brings my review of the Healing Game to a close.

Vanatic,Episode 24

2011-07-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

I bought this album one rainy Saturday afternoon in 1995 in a town near us called Melksham .I got it in cassette form and played it in the car on the way home.My initial reaction was that it was the first Van album i had been disappointed with since 'A Period Of Transition' 18 years earlier.Since then though i have grown to really like this album and i think it contains three of Vans greatest songs.

Firstly the cover.It shows Van and Michelle on the cover with a pair of greyhounds and this immediately reminds one of the cover of 'Tupelo Honey' from back in the mists of time with Van and Janet and the horse.The opening track 'Perfect Fit' i have never been enamoured with..'Russian Roulette' is ok but its Van doing his moaning and groaning before he really got bitter and twisted. 'Raincheck' is quite a good song.We used to go in a wine-bar in Bath called 'Raincheck' which was named after this song.He was a well known figure around Bath at the time.Kim was in Bath one day and stopped at the traffic lights and this figure crossed the road,"It's Van The Man!", shouted Kim and Van turned around and gave her a withering look as only he can do.'You Don't Know Me' with daughter Shana is a quite insipid version of a Ray Charles song in my opinion.'No Religion' is the song that really disappointed me on first listen because i had been buying every Van album for years religiously (!) to see where his spiritual quest would lead .It was like reading all the Jack Kerouac books to see what adventures he and Neal would get up to next and then to my chagrin Van announces there was no religion here today.Oh thank you very much mate.I now think it's a great song and also i must mention what a great band Van had for this album especially Pee Wee but i must say there is times on this album when i find Brian Kennedy's warblings a bit irritating when he keeps repeating everything Van sings.Brian has a great voice but you can kill it with publicity sometimes.'Underlying Depression' is another really good song with Van baring his soul about being born with the blues.

'Songwriter' i have never liked.It is like Van showing off ,"Hey look at me am i not clever, i can write songs".'Days Like This' the eponymous title song though is absolutely brilliant.One of Vans greatest pop songs which has helped him become world famous.The title is stolen from an old song by The Shirelles but that doesn't matter, Van is an old hand at taking other song titles and writing brand new songs out of them.This song became an anthem for the peace movement in Northern Ireland.This is followed by another not very good duet with Shana 'I'll Never Be Free',some nice harmonica though.'Melancholia' is another exploration of his psyche like 'Underlying Depression'.This is followed by one of Van's greatest and underated songs
'Ancient Highway' which is my favourite song on Days Like This and i've sometimes wondered what it is all about.It is a very sad song which seems to border on desperation.I think it might be about somebody battling against alcoholism.In the lyrics it says,'And I'll be praying to my higher self,don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground'.I have known people who have gone to Al Anon and Narc Anon and they have said that you have to call on your higher power.The lyrics also refer to Georgie Best whose problems with booze had been well documented for many years..In the song as well Van sings about 'All the sadness that Hank Williams knows', and one of Hanks major problems was his addiction to alcohol.Anyway, maybe i'm reading too much into the lyrics.Another great song ends this uneven album which veers from the banal of Songwriter to the sublime of Ancient Highway.'In The Afternoon' with Van maybe recalling Daring Night of a few years earlier.

One of the strangest Van concerts i ever went to was at Wembley Arena in summer 1996.Van was in a double bill with Ray Charles so i felt we had to go .That morning in the paper i read that Van had been awarded the OBE in the Queens birthday honours which i thought was a really good omen.How wrong could i be. We arrived at Paddington Station and booked a room in a crummy hotel. All the decent ones were booked up.As soon as we got unpacked we headed for the West End .In the tube station i could hear raucous singing in the distance which echoed along the tunnels and got louder and louder.Suddenly we were surrounded by about 1,000 Scottish football fans all wearing the tartan and kilts and carrying flags. It was like a scene from Braveheart.This was the day Scotland were playing England in Euro 96. At Wembley Stadium right next door to the Arena where the concert was.

"Oh no",I said to Kim,"This is all we need," It didn't bode well.
In Trafalgar Square there must have been at least 20, 000 Scots who had completely taken over the place.It was all good natured though,for now.We hurried to my favourite London watering hole The French House In Old Compton Street, Soho.Its a tiny pub but i like it because it is frequented by actors, writers and the like and there is always somebody interesting in there to talk to.On one occasion a few years previous i met the famous illustrator Ralph Steadman in there and i nipped to a nearby bookshop and bought a copy of Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas which he had illustrated (The Picador edition )He graciously signed it for me and did a little Ralph Steadman original doodle in it for me.
We bought a bottle of Chardonney and sat at the bar. We got chatting to one of the clientele and told him that we were going to see Van. He was really interested and we ended up having a really long strange conversation about Madame Blavatsky,The Theosophical Society, Krishnamurti, The Golden Dawn and The Rosecrucians etc. It was really wierd.I had only wanted a quiet drink. I asked him what he did for a living and he smiled wryly and said he was a piano tuner.I think he was telling fibs because i think i saw him once playing bass in a band but i'm not certain.Eventually it was time to leave for Wembley and we hailed a taxi. The taxi driver was a very timid little Indian man and as we drew near to the stadium he refused to go any further when he saw the thousands of football fans streaming down the road from the game that had just ended.
"They will kill us"He moaned.
We got out of the taxi and went in a large pub that was packed with Scottish and English fans.
"I'm going to get battered in here" I said to Kim.

The Scottish fans were really amiable.It was the English i was scared of, they were all quite intimidating .Luckily though England had won 2-0 so there wasn't a bloodbath.The atmosphere in there was really tense. We left the pub breathing a sigh of relief. Walking up to the Arena we saw the coach carrying the England team leaving Wembley and while queuing up outside we saw a long white stretch limo arriving. I bet Brother Ray was in it,i can't imagine Van riding around in one of those. Van was on first which is a sign of his humility because he was a much bigger artist than Ray in terms of record sales.Van and his band were in a row across the stage in front of a curtain which was really strange.He looked really uncomfortable in this venue which is like a vast shed.The first song was'Not Feeling It Any More' which was an odd choice to start a concert with.This was followed by 'Raincheck' I wont let the bastards grind me down.Van made a long rambling speech and then almost dispairingly asked if there were any requests.The only song i enjoyed that night was 'The Healing Game' I had never heard it before. It was nice to see Ray Charles but i wasn't in the mood by then and left before the end to avoid the rush.

The next day before we caught the train home we went for a walk.We looked at the paintings along the Bayswater Road, went for a stroll in Hyde Park and looked at an exhibition in the Serpentine Gallery.The football madness was over for another day and peace had returned to the capital.As i reflected on the concert the night before i realised that if Van isn't in the mood then he just can't do it.It was the first concert of his that i hadn't enjoyed, but ever since i have gone along not expecting anything and so i have never been really disappointed.

Vanatic,Episode 23

2011-07-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

I gave up buying music papers in the 1970's so in those far flung days before the internet i never knew when new albums were coming out.One day in 1994 i was browsing through the music department in WH Smiths in Trowbridge and Hey Presto!,a new double album by Van and it was at a bargain price as well for a double album.That summer we were living in Maristow Street and i used to set up the speakers outside and we used to listen to the music out on the lawn.It was great and our neighbour at the time was into Van as well so we used to have little parties outside.One of the reasons i really liked this album when i first got it was that it reminded me of one of the best Van concerts i ever went to in February of that year in the Great Hall at Exeter University.The set list was very similar to on the album.That concert was the first time i ever saw Shana and She sang Beautiful Vision and duetted with Brian Kennedy on Have I told you lately.That concert as well was well over two hours long,maybe nearly two and a half hours the same as this album.It was the longest Van concert i have ever been to.The highlight was Van singing In The Garden.It was the best performance i have seen him do of any song ever.The stage was dark apart from a blue spotlight on Van and he appeared to be in a trance like state as he sang it.It was a quite extraordinary performance.We were right at the very front and and when Gloria started Van started to speak and i knew what he was going to say and shouted out "It's time for your elocution lessons" and Van gave me a dirty look because i'd stolen his line.At the end of the show we even had the pleasure of Michelle reciting some WB Yeats as well that night.

The album starts brilliantly with Haji Akbar introducing Van who plays sax and sings a great version of Did Ye Get Healed?.Then 'Game' and Make It Real One More Time.Then Candy Dulfer guests on I've Been Working.What a great start to an album.The band Van assembled were supurb with Georgie,Haji,Kate St John,Ronnie Johnson,Teena,John Savannah,Nicky Scott and Geoff Dunn.Also James Hunter and Brian Kennedy,Shana on one song and guests,Candy,John Lee Hooker,Junior Wells and Jimmy Witherspoon.I can't be bothered to review every song because this album is too long.My favourites are Vanlose Stairway medley,So Quiet In Here/Thats Where Its At,In The Garden/You Send Me etc.The album does seem to lose it way a bit at times and i'm not too keen on the Georgie Symphony Sid stuff but it must have been great to have been at these two concerts from which the album was made.The album for me is nowhere near as good as Vans live double album of 20 years earlier which was all Van and not a revue type show as this was but i still like this album although i don't play it very often these days,not like in those halcyon days of the summer of 94.

Vanatic,Episode 22

2011-07-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Van has graced the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury more times than any other artist and i am pleased to say i have witnessed all seven of his appearances.We were there again in 92 and 93.I particularly remember the 92 appearance.It was scorching hot and we were at the very front.The stewards were spraying the crowd at the front with water and handing out cups of water to keep everyone hydrated.Van played just before Tom Jones.His band in those days included Haji Ahkba, Ronnie Johnson, Nicky Scott, Teena Lyle, Jonn Savannah, Geoff Dunn, and Kate St. John who gave the audience elocution lessons during Gloria.I can't remember any incidents about the 93 show at Glastonbury but i do remember clearly a show Van did about a month later at Lydiard Park near Swindon.and only a stones throw from Vans house at Little Somerton. I think that was the first ever gig Brian Kennedy sang with Van.Brian sang some songs with Van then one of his own called'Captured' which was quite captivating.This was one of the great 'lost' Van concerts,I don't think a tape exists of it but it was great, you could walk up to the front and stand just a few feet away from Van and dig the music.Thats why i loved those outdoor Van gigs in the summertime in England when Van cuts loose and blows a fuse around the regions again.I did notice a change though that night in Vans audience which was less of the hippy types and more of the Radio 2 chattering classes and this was to get worse as the years went by.That particular night if my memory serves me well Van opened with the title track from his new album 'Too Long In Exile and 'Ball And Chain' and later did 'Lonely Avenue'.These songs are all great!. To get to the actual album,it starts really promisingly with 'Too Long In Exile' which has a great relentless beat,nice harmonica and mentions some of the great Irish heroes such as Georgie Best, Alex Hurricane Higgins and Sam Beckett.Then one of Vans Better Whingeing songs which recall his years at Bang records.Big Time Operators.What do you expect when you sign to a company called 'Bang'?.'Ball And Chain'is greatThen a nice version of 'Lonely Avenue'.

Things take a turn for the worse then.'In The Forest' is a remake of Orangefield and 'Till We Get The Healing Done' is an attempt to recapture former glories of Vans spiritual quest but Van had reached the end of the road in that search and was just forcing the issue here.The tracks with his friend John Lee Hooker are not very good.'Gloria' is not a patch on the original so why bother.I think Van should have done a whole official album with John Lee which might have been a classic.I love their version of 'I Cover The Waterfront'.The outstanding track on this hotch potch of an album which does seem to be unsure of itself is 'Before The World Was Made', in which Van turns a great poem by WB Yeats into a supurb song.I love this song which seems to be more at home on the album 'Now And In Time To Be'. a tribute to WB Yeats. In summery then, i think there is some great music on this album but it lacks consistancy and doesn't seem to know where it wants to go.

Vanatic,Episode 21

2011-07-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

I remember when i got Enlightenment,i was living in a bedsit round in Church Street and Kim got me it for Christmas.That was in 1990.I thought it was great on first listen and still like this album a lot.With the start of a new decade a change in the energy of Vans music could be seen.During the 80's Van was preoccupied with spiritual new age type music and this can still be seen on Enlightenment with such tracks as 'So Quiet In Here','Avalon Of The Heart' and the title track.There were signs as well though of Van returning to his R and B and Soul roots with tracks like 'Real Real Gone','Start All Over Again','She's A Baby' etc and one flash of experimental avant garde genius with 'In The Days Before Rock And Roll'.
Van the name dropper is on show here.In two songs he names about 20 people for you to check out.Real Real Gone is a great opening track for the album,really catchy and upbeat.Its a song that Van had recorded many years earlier in his career but not released until he reworked it for this album.Enlightenment is one of my favourite Van songs although the tune reminds me very much of Redwood Tree from a much earlier album.This song suggests that Van might be coming dissillusioned with his spiritual search"Enlightenment don't know what it is". As Van says "It's up to you, the way you think, Wake Up!"There is a book by Jack Kerouac called Wake Up which is maybe where Van got it from.So Quiet In Here I love..It reminds me of quiet places of solitude like churchyards and monestaries and old ruined Abbey's etc.I suppose everyone has their own mental pictures of the songs.

I like Avalon Of The Heart as well because i like anything to do with Glastonbury.The title comes from a book by Dion Fortune published donkeys years ago.Van is like a magpie, he takes things from all over the place but he reassembles them brilliantly.When i think about it there isn't a bad track on this album.Youth Of 1000 Summers mentions Sweet Bird Of Youth which is from a Tennessee Williams play but Tennessee pinched it from Shakespeare and so it goes.The Days Before Rock And Roll is a brilliant off the wall effort with Irish poet Paul Durcan.I wish sometimes that Van would take a few more risks in his music like he did with this one.

By 1991 things were looking up for me,i had moved out of my crummy bed-sit and moved into my flat in Maristow Street.It was a vast improvement,i even had a garden.In the evening i could sit outside and watch the swifts darting around as twilight descended while the sound of my new album 'Hymns To The Silence' floated through the ether.What can i say about this album?.It reaches heights of dazzling brilliance which Van has not equalled since but also contains some quite ordinary songs.
The album opens not very promisingly with 'Professional Jealousy'.Its not really good with Van saying the only thing that matters is delivering the product on time..'I'm Not Feeling It Any More', is another Van moaning song but this one i like, it's of the superior varietyThis theme is carried forward in the next song,'Ordinary life', 'Be my rock in times of trouble, Bring me down to earth, keep my feet on the ground'. Van has always tried to lead an ordinary life when not performing.When he lived in Bath he was often spotted in the second hand bookshops and record shops mooching around.A friend of mine was in a cafe in Bath one day with her son who was about 10 at the time and she spotted Van who was having a cup of tea and a tea cake.When Jean was leaving she said hello to Van and said her son would like to shake hands with him.Van wiped his hands on his serviette and shook hands with him and said "How do you do"which shows he isn't a bad old stick.Its just what he does for a living as far as Van is concerned.Van bares his soul even further on the next song 'Some Peace Of Mind' 'You see me on the stage, doing my job, learn to do it well, keep on singing the song, but sometimes it gets, so lonely out there'.This is taken even further on 'So Complicated' when Van says 'Better get into a new frame of mind When I don't have to think about the business no more ,Cause I just wanna blow my horn'.

The next song 'I Can't Stop Loving You' with The Chieftains is a complete change.I'm not sure i like it all that much.It's not a patch on Ray Charles original. 'Why Must I always Explain' is a great Van song,'Well it's out on the highway and it's on with the showAlways telling people things they're too lazy to know,It can make you crazy, yeah it can drive you insaneTell me why must I always explain'.
'Village Idiot' I suppose could be Van's equivilant of The Beatles Fool On The Hill.'Don't you know he's on to something,You can see it, you can see it in his eyes,Sometimes he looks so happy As he goes strolling by'See Me Through/Take Me Back are outstanding tracks.

'By His Grace' is a great song with Van preaching to the flock.'Open your mind to the wisdom, When you try for the kingdom,on high'.Georgie Fames influence on Van can be felt very strongly on 'All Saints Day'.I don't think i like it all that much.By the way i think All Saints Day is November 1st which in the old pagan days was Samhain the start of the celtic new year.
The title song 'Hymns To The Silence' is next and what can i say apart from that i think it is amongst Vans finest work ever.Neil Drinkwaters piano is wonderful,you can hear Van go "yeah" during the piano bit.The great mood of Contemplation created is continued on 'On Hyndford Street' with just Vans speaking voice accompanied by Derek Bells synth which has total empathy with what Van is saying.I think Van has a great speaking voice when he doesn't rush at it.If Van ever made a spoken word album, reading his favourite pomes or prose i would most certainly buy it.These two tracks add up to about 15 minutes and sadly i don't think Van has sustained 15 minutes of sheer bliss like this on any album since.That is not to say that he hasn't written lots of great songs since then.'Be Thou My Vision' i don't care for much because it breaks the spell for me created by the two previous songs.

'Carrying A Torch is a song that Van wrote for his friend Tom Jones .Van and Tom have worked quite a lot together over the years.Tom also recorded 'Some Peace Of Mind' and 'I'm Not Feeling It Any More' from this album.I like Carrying A Torch and have enjoyed hearing Van sing it in concert a few times.'Green Mansions' is the title of a book by WH Hudson which was made into a film starring Audrey Hepburn.I don't think there is any connection between the song and the book,i think Van just stole the title to write the song which is quite pleasant without being spectacular.'Pagan Streams i like because of Vans mention of searching for white Horses on surrounding hills.I am convinced he is refering to Westbury White Horse which is only a mile away from where i am sitting at this very moment.The white horse commemorates the Battle Of Edington when King Alfred dumped the Jutes (The Danes) on the burning ground.It can be seen for miles around,easily from Vans former recording studio The Woolhall at Beckington.Honey Street is also a little village near here on the Kennet and Avon Canal.There is an excellent pub there The Barge Inn, so if you are ever in Wiltshire repair to Honey Street!. 'Quality Street' is written by Van's old friend Doctor John and again is quite a nice song but nothing special.'It Must Be You' features some nice alto sax from Candy Dulfer which livens up another quite ordinary song.'I Need Your Kind Of Loving' again features some pleasant flute playing but is quite forgettable.

I suppose this flawed diamond of an album ends quite disappointingly for me but i think it has times of genius on it and there is no track on the album that i would say was bad.Hymns To The Silence has my seal of approval.

Vanatic,Episode 19

2011-06-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

I first went to Ireland in the summer of 1990.I caught the train to Swansea to catch the Swansea -Cork ferry.Ireland were playing in the World Cup that afternoon.They were playing Romania for a place in the last eight. In a Swansea pub i asked the barman could he put the telly on so i could watch the match."Oh we are not interested in football in here,you have to put 20p in the charity box for mentioning football".I ignored him and sat in a corner,a coven of old witches were seated at a table next to me slagging off somebody who wasn't there,somebody called Dorothy.Then she came in and they said how nice it was to see her. It was all very depressing and i was glad to get on the boat.It was very strange though because all the crew were Greek.The boat had been chugging around the Greek isles before it was sold and the crew had come along as well.After a couple of pints i fell asleep in a reclining chair.The Irish Sea was as smooth as a mill pond and i slept really well. When i awoke it was light and i looked out of the window and there was Ireland in the distance.It was really exciting, my first sight of the land of my ancestors.It looked beautiful, all rocky and green.Before long i had disembarked and set foot on the holy ground.As the bus carried me in to Cork i noticed one or two statues of the virgin Mary by the side of the road and i knew that i was in a spiritual land and not a god-forsaken heathen place.When i arrived in the fine city of Cork i noticed that everybody was smiling.The country was going mad, Ireland had won the match and incredibly were in the quarter-finals! At the big cinema in the town centre they had taken down the name of the filum and in great big letters it now said,
GOOD LUCK TO JACK'S LADS-GIVE IT A LASH.

Although it was only about 10.00 in the morning i thought a quiet pint wouldn't do me no harm.Seated on a bench at the side of the bar was a little old man who looked about 80.We got chatting and i told him i had just got off the boat.
"Do you like Ireland?"
"Oh yes, my parents are from Ireland".
"But would you like to be buried here?"
"It's a bit early in the day to be thinking about that sort of thing, have you always lived in Cork?"
"Most of it, i have had a most unfortunate life. When i was young i was really popular,i used to play the accordian at all the weddings and then i met this woman.Everybody told me to have nothing to do with her but i was young and foolish and i went and married her.She suffered terribly with the nerves,my life was a living hell, i never went out for about 40 years".
We had a great chat,he bought me a pint and i bought him one and he told me his whole life story.Although he told me his life was one misery after another i could tell he was half joking.After an hour i thought i should be going.I told him i was on my way to County Kerry to visit some friends and he told me i should go to County Clare,half of them were mad and the other half were school teachers! and to visit his friend Two Acre Mc Dermott who grew two acres of spuds and couldn't sell them so he had to eat them all himself.I said cheerio to my new pal and caught the bus to the outskirts of Cork.On the Killarney road. I stuck my thumb out and quickly got a lift with a travelling salesman.He was listening to the radio.Ireland is the home of the phone in radio show.All day is like one long conversation.A bank manager had phoned in about the Irish fans out in Italy who had expected to only be away a few days and now it was going into weeks.The bank manager said he had some advice for the fans,
"Come home lads,you can't afford it, for gods sake come home!"
The man who gave me a lift asked if i had seen the match the day before and i told him i had missed it,thinking back ruefully to the pub in Wales.
"Oh it was great, the best game of football i've ever seen,the atmosphere was unbelievable!"
Then he proceeded to give me a commentary on the game from the kick-off.He described it brilliantly.He suddenly noticed somebody he knew walking along the road and stopped for a chat.
"Hello there Michael, hows the form?"
"Ah,taking it easy and doing a bit".

I had never seen this in England,people stopping a car to have a chat with someone, they talked about the weather for about 10 minutes including the long range forecast and they said goodbye and he carried on his story.
"Now John Aldridge had to go off with an injured foot,Jack Charlton was faced with a terrible dilemma,should he bring on Ronnie Whelan although he wasn't match fit".This went on and the way he related the penalty shoot out at the end was better than being at the game.
"And David O'Leary stepped up and buried the ball in the back of the net,Ireland had won a great victory".
He went right out of his way to drop me at the Blackwater Bridge Inn to meet my friends and wouldn't accept anything in return.What a great country this is i thought.I've only been in it a few hours and made two friends already.My friends lived in a little cottage in a valley surrounded by the most sublime scenery i have ever seen.They didn't have a telly though so Steve and myself went to the pub to watch England play Belgium.We were still in there at 1.30 in the morning.The Landlord said,
"Well, i'm off to bed lads,help yourself to a drink and let yourselves out through the shop".
I'd never seen this in England either, being left in a pub to help yourself.Its called trust.An hour later we put the money on the counter and quietly closed the door behind us as we left.The next few days i saw as much of Kerry as i could.Steve drove me around the Ring Of Kerry which has everything, lakes, mountains and beautiful beaches to explore.On one cliff-top i came across some words carved on a large stone, it said something like.Somedays i hitched to the pretty town of Kenmare and go into Crowleys pub and help Mrs Crowley with her crossword or Dan Murphys in Sneem.The time passed really quickly and a few days later i was back in Cork.The place was buzzing with excitement.Tonight Ireland were playing the Host nation and Favourites Italy for a place in the semi-final.I watched the match in a pub called The Phoenix.Italy took the lead through a goal by Scilaci and Ireland battled away, but try as they could, they couldn't break down the Italian defence.Also a major weakness in Irelands team was that they lacked an effective striker.With ten minutes to go they brought on Tony Cascarino and i thought this is ironic, the Irish man with the Italian name will score.It wasn't to be however and Italy hung on for victory.The dream was over,but for a couple of heady weeks in 1990 Ireland had been on the world stage along with the great footballing nations.The next day i was sailing away from Ireland, back towards Swansea where they dont like football.I had spent all my money so i sat on deck and watched Ireland disappear in the distance.I knew in the bars they were having a drink and taking it easy and doing a bit and i knew i would return.I most certainly did!
The Van album that i most associate with Ireland apart from Irish Heartbeat is Veedon Fleece and i haven't mentioned it until now because although i bought it on Fatty Wells record stall on Peterborough Market in the mid 70's i didn't really get into it.

I played it a couple of times and decided it was boring and it languished in my album collection unlistened to for decades.It is only in the last few years and especially since i started buying all Van albums again on CD that i have finally come to realise what a fine album it is.Veedon Fleece was years ahead of its time for fans, critics and me alike. The cover is really nice with Van photographed with two Irish wolfhounds.They are brilliant dogs.When i was a kid growing up on the mean streets of Peterborough there was a recreation ground near us that was known as Woodston Rec (Opposite the Cherry Tree pub on Oundle Road).Next to that on Queens Walk was a big house called Fletton Towers owned by Miss Hartley who was the sister of LP Hartley who wrote 'The Go Between'. Anyway in the grounds of her house she had about 6 of these wolfhounds roaming about.I was a bit scared of them, they seemed huge.The back of the album cover is a nice green colour which is quite appropriate because this album is definitely tinged with green.

I think the reason i didn't get into this album initially is because there is no upbeat poppy hit single type song on it to grab the attention.That is one of the strengths of the album though because in terms of consistency of mood it is almost comparable to Astral Weeks.The album came about when Van made a trip to Ireland in 1973, his first visit since his move to America 6 years earlier.He was worn out by work and the break up of his marraige.He visited Cork, Cashel, Killarney and even the Blarney Stone (It didn't give him the gift of the gab though!).Seeing his native Island again through fresh eyes was the inspiration for this album.After a lifetime of looking towards the blues and jazz of America Van was beginning to go through a change in which his celtic roots would come to the fore.Lets have a listen to the songs-

Fair Play to you is an Irish expression, eg "I'll buy you a drink", "Fair play to you, i'll have a Guinness".Fair Play is a wonderful opening song which sets the tone for the album.Killarneys lakes so blue is mentioned.There is a smattering of Vans literary name dropping again with Poe, Wilde and Thoreau.Also Geronimo and High Ho Silver .Cowboys and Indians crop up quite a lot in Vans lyrics,a throwback to his childhood no doubt.'Linden Arden Stole The Highlights', is a much darker song.I wonder what in Vans subconsious made him come up with the name Linden Arden?.In Notting Hill where he lived at one time is a street called Linden Gardens.'Who Was That Masked Man?' carries straight on with the theme of living with a gun and Lone Ranger imagery again and is a tale of paronoia about not being able to trust anyone and Van sings about being so fragile you might break which suggests it is about a personal crisis in his life.

'Streets Of Arklow' is next which is a classic and a song Van has returned to his reportoire to huge acclaim from the fans in recent years.It begins with a sombre acoustic guitar intro before Vans vocals accompanied by a flute.

You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push The River' is another masterpiece.The only thing i don't like about this song is the length of the title!.I have a book at home by Barry Stevens called Don't Push The River (It flows by itself) but i still havent read it yet.Maybe thats where Van got the title from..This song seems to be an aural sketch describing the beauty of the Irish countryside,the real soul,i mean the real soul, people,and meandering like a river through the visions of Blake and Eastern mysticism of Meher Baba.William Blake and The Eternals is not a soul band like Gladys Knight And The Pips, this is the poet, painter and visionary William Blake.This is the first time Blake is mentioned in a Van song but in the years to come Blake was obviously a big influence because Vans songs are strewn with references to him.'Bulbs' is possibly the most catchy song on the album and was issued as a single with 'Masked Man' on the flip side.The lines 'The one shot deal don't matter, And the other one's the same' seems quite Dylanesque to me. With the references to football games and light bulbs i'm not sure what it's about but it seems quite a bitter song.'Cul De Sac' is an enigma to me as well.That doesn't mean i don't like it.

The last three songs though, 'Comfort You', Come Here My Love' and 'Country Fair' all flow together beautifully in a sustained atmospheric languid twelve minute passage of brilliance.Van seems to stretch and search for adjectives, as i do who doesn't know many,Just layin' down in shades of effervescent, effervescent odors And shades of time and tide.I must say the last three songs are quite exquisite with the flute playing on Country Fair just perfect.It might be a recorder actually but the album just ebbs away and fades into the distance wonderfully.

This album wasn't received all that well by the public and critic's.Van wouldn't attempt another album as experimental for several years and following its release Van disappeared off the scene for three years and the kid who left school at 15 to become a window cleaner went through a period of self education and personal growth before emerging stronger than ever.

Vanatic,Episode 18

2011-06-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

Whilst on the subject of Glastonbury when i first went to Glastonbury Festival in the late 70's early 80's i used to get in a terrible state.I would get there and drink a gallon of cider and get into a complete mess.As the years went by though i learned to pace myself.One thing that kept me on the straight and narrow was my little bookstall.All year i would buy books in charity shops,jumble sales and car boot sales and sell them at Glastonbury.I used to take about 7 or 8 boxes of books and lay them out on a blanket and it made a very attractive display.I was clever see,i knew the sort of people who went to Glasto and what they were into,so i did really well.One year i made about£100 within 20 minutes of setting my stall up.If there were any books left by Sunday evening i used to give them away.I always went home broke but my bookstall paid for the festival.I had quite a few famous people visit my stall.John Martyn was one,he just rummaged through my books and buggered of without saying a word.Another was actress Margie Clark., the most famous person to get into Glastonbury by climbing the fence.The best of all was Julie Felix.You might not have heard of her.Julie was an American folk singer who came to England in the swinging sixties and became famous on a programme called The Frost Report with David Frost where she was the resident singer.That programme on BBC was de rigeur viewing on Thursday nights after Top Of The Pops and The Man From Uncle.Anyway, this lady came up to my bookstall and had a browse and i noticed she had an artists pass around her neck.I asked her what she did and she said she was a singer.
"Whats your name?", i asked
"Julie Felix", she replied, taking off her dark glasses.

I immediately recognised her and we had a nice chat.Anyway,i am digressing,before i move on to the 90's i must mention two more Van albums that i bought in the 80's.I don't think 'A Sense Of Wonder' got a lot of publicity when it came out.I think i just went in a record shop and there it was.I can't remember where though.I can usually remember exactly where i bought a Van album.The cover is amazing.How Van who is usually shy of having his picture taken agreed to pose wearing this strange garb is beyond me.Especially the photo on the back cover where he looks like Zorro or some character from Saturday morning pictures.The cover also contains a short story that Van wrote called Boffyblow And Spike.(Spike might have been influenced by Spike Milligan) that reminds me a bit of a story that Bob Dylan wrote for the cover of one of his albums,i think it was John Wesley Harding.

To the music,'Tore Down A La Rimbaud' is one of my favourite Van songs.Rimbauds influence in modern literature, music and art has been pervasive. His life in Paris was dramatized in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio called Total Eclipse.Rimbaud influenced French poets in general, the Surrealists, the Beat Poets, Henry Miller, Anais Nin, William S. Burroughs, Bob Kaufman, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mário Cesariny de Vasconcelos, Klaus Kinski, Patti Smith, Bruce Chatwin, Penny Rimbaud, Jim Morrison Bob Dylan, Richard Hell, Joe Strummer, John Lennon and many more.As you know Rimbaud was a great poet who developed writers block at the age of 20 and gave up being a poet and moved to Africa to become an arms dealer.I think the point Van was making in this great song was that he was also struggling with writers block/All great writers have the same problem .It can't be easy thinking up new songs all the time.'Ancient Of Days' is next and the lyrics of this song appear quite vacuous and repetitive but as this time Van saw lyrics as secondary to the mood of the song which was to lead the listener into a meditative state which we get with track 3 which is purely instrumental 'Evening Meditation'.He got the title Ancient Of Days from a painting by William Blake who was a big influence on Van in the 80's.Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech and Sense Of Wonder can be seen as a trilogy of albums where Van uses songs as a device for lulling the listener into a contemplative mood.'The Masters Eyes' is a nice song. The mood is continued brilliantly with Van adapting the Ray Charles song 'What Would I Do' to exactly fit the vibe of this album.The next two tracks feature the Irish folk band Moving Hearts.I am a big fan of Christy Moore who was in Moving Hearts but i'm not sure who was in Moving Hearts at this time.Anyway, thats neither here nor there.'A Sense Of Wonder' is a great song with Van fondly recalling images of Ireland and mentioning Soplia the goddess of wisdom.The instrumental 'Boffyblow And Spike' i'm not that keen on,it seems out of place with the mood of the album.'If You Only Knew' is a Mose Allison song that was put on the album to replace 'Crazy Jane On God' when permission was refused for its inclusion.That was a real shame.'Let The Slave' is quite brilliant with Van again showing his Blakean influence by reciting the words of the great man.'A New Kind Of Man' brings the album to a close with an excellent self penned song by Van.As i sit here typing these words and listening to this album twice i must say to myself, "This is a great album!".

Well, what can i say about Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart?.When i first bought this album the first thing i noticed on the cover was 'Special thanks to L Ron Hubbard'.This was released when Van was dabbling in Scientology.I think it was his friend Robin Williamson of Incredible String Band fame who got Van interested in this subject.Although Van later denied that he got that deeply into the movement.The previous album Beautiful Vision had a track 'Celtic Ray' which suggested Van was returning to his Irish roots after his long sojourn in America and this theme is continued on Inarticulate Speech with such tracks as 'Irish Heartbeat' and 'Connswater'.The previous album had the Instrumental 'Scandinavia',and four of the tracks on this album are instrumental.This is continued on the following Sense Of Wonder album.I think at this time that Van toyed with the idea of making a purely instrumental album.This from someone gifted with one of the finest singing voices ever.I think though during this period of spirituality Van saw music as an aid to meditation and contemplation too.I think thats why a lot of the lyrics are sparse and repetitive,not really songs at all.So what about the tracks?.I think the oustanding track on this album is 'Rave On John Donne'.In this song Van alludes to the subjects that were interesting to him at the time.Such as Theosophy, The Golden Dawn,The Rosecrucians,Yeats and The writing of A Vision.Van was doing some real heavy reading and studying during the early 80's but it translated into some great music.The other outstanding track for me is Irish Heartbeat which Van repeated later to great effect with the Chieftains.Anyone with a Celtic connection will love this song.'Cry For Home' and 'The Streets Only Knew Your Name' continue this theme of yearning for home.As for the mainly instumental tracks, apart from 'Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart' with Van singing'I'm a soul in wonder',i find them pleasant but sometimes leaning towards being boring,but it depends on your mood at the time.Sometimes late at night with some wine in you it could be just what you need.

I think that brings to a close the 1980's.A new decade was to begin and what an exciting decade it was to be!