Irish Mythen | Into the Mystic.

Van Morrison's Best Songs 1964-1967.

Yesterday afternoon my kitchen was filled with the sound of The Complete Them 1964-67 which is a 3-CD set that I bought in 2015. The reason for playing it was that I remembered that a few weeks ago I said I would write a piece about Van Morrison’s best songs of the 1960’s, (Pre-Astral Weeks) and then promptly forgot about it until yesterday. This set contains everything Them recorded, album tracks, singles, B-sides, demos, radio sessions and rarities., 69 tracks in all. I’m not going to attempt to talk about all of these songs, but I’ll tell you my favourites. 

There are four different versions of Here Comes The Night on these CDs. Written by Bert Berns,, it has to be one of my favourite songs of the Them era. I had a great time yesterday singing along with it and pretending to play the guitar. It came within a whisker of giving Van his only UK number one single when it reached number 2 in 1965. It was only the Rolling Stones that kept it off the top spot. I have shared a video below of Them performing at the NME Poll Winners Concert in 65. That historic performance is the only known footage of Them playing complete songs live. There are other Them videos, but the band are miming in those. 

I have to include Baby Please Don’t Go written by Joe Williams because it is a brilliant version of a great song, and it gave Them their first taste of success. Their management made a big mistake in my view because they put Gloria on the flip side. Gloria is a rock & roll classic and I’m sure if it was the A side it would have got to number one in the UK charts and established Them alongside The Stones and The Animals as one of the top R & B bands. It was also written by Van which would have made his name more widely known as an emerging songwriter. Another song which has the frenetic energy of punk rock 12 years ahead of its time, and some great harmonica playing is Mystic Eyes. A favourite song of mine is My Lonely Sad Eyes. I only started to realise what a great song it is after discovering the fabulous cover version by Maria McKee. 

A song that I also think should have been released as a single is Them’s version of Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. It has to be one of the greatest covers of a Dylan song ever. In the sixties and seventies everybody was having hits with Dylan songs. The Byrds, Manfred Mann, Fairport Convention to name but three. Them should have done so as well. I must also mention Friday’s Child from the Them era which I also think is a great Van composition. If Them hadn’t kept changing their line-up every ten minutes and made wiser decisions I think they would be remembered as one of the greatest bands, but sadly by mid-1966 they had imploded.

I think some fans must see the post Them pre–Astral Weeks period as the wilderness years, but Van wrote and recorded some great songs during this time. Impatient with waiting for a record contract Van moved to the USA to be reunited with Janet Planet and signed a deal with Bert Berns and his Bang label. When you join a record company called Bang what could possibly go wrong? Van’s first album as a solo artist was called Blowin’ Your Mind!. Van didn’t even know that it was being released and when he saw the cover design, he almost threw up. Bert Berns released it to cash in on the success of Brown Eyed Girl which is one of the most perfect pop songs ever recorded and must have made Van’s name known to millions of people around the world. Due to the dodgy contract that Van hastily signed he never received the financial rewards that the song should have brought him. Just the royalties from that one song would have made him a millionaire many times over. However, I bet a lot of concert tickets have been sold over the years to people hoping to hear Brown Eyed Girl. 

Another song that I always like listening to, and think is almost as catchy as Brown Eyed Girl is Spanish Rose. Van is usually associated with R & B, Soul, Blues, and jazz influences, but he has written some great pop songs as well. I Love You (The Smile You Smile) is another very catchy song. By contrast, the blues influence T.B. Sheets is a harrowing, disturbing song about death and guilt. I don’t think anyone could write a song like this without it being quasi-autobiographical. Although I appreciate its greatness, sometimes I find it difficult to listen to. A song I do like from the Bang era which I think is one of Van’s most underrated is Joe Harper Saturday Morning. Lyrically I think it shows the direction he was taking towards Astral Weeks.

Finally, Van escaped from the nightmare of his contract with Bang and signed with Warner Brothers. One fateful late summer evening on 25 September,1968 he arrived at Century Sound Studios in New York to begin recording what was to become arguably the greatest album ever made. From the raw primitive sound of Them only three years before, Van had made a quantum leap to becoming one of the greatest solo artists in the world and now his career could really begin. So, what are my favourite ten Van recordings pre-Astral Weeks? I might change my mind tomorrow, but today I would say in reverse order.

10^th….Mystic Eyes.

9^th….Friday’s Child.

8^th….Spanish Rose.

7^th….Baby Please Don’t Go.

6^th….Joe Harper Saturday Morning.

5^th….My Lonely Sad Eyes.

4^th….Here Comes The Night.

3^rd….Gloria.

2^nd….It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.

In 1st place. Congratulations to BROWN EYED GIRL Van Morrison’s best song from 1964 to 1967. 

A Sense Of Mells

New Street.

I just thought that I would tell you about our trip to Mells last week because I took a few photos, and it would be a shame to waste them. My friends wanted to see the surrounding area, so as it was a nice sunny day, I suggested we visit Mells as I had heard that there was a nice riverside walk there, and it is only a few miles from Westbury. We parked near the War Memorial which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens the world-famous architect and then walked up the historic and picturesque 15^th century New Street to St Andrews Church. I told Jacky that I would show her the grave of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon because she studied him at school. While we were wandering around the churchyard looking at the headstones, we met two middle-aged ladies.

Edward Horner.

“If you are looking for famous graves, here is one of the Bonham-Carter family. He was the grandfather of the actress Helena Bonham-Carter.”

“I know”, I replied, “He was also private secretary to Herbert Asquith who was Prime Minister when the First World War broke out, and just here is the grave of Ronald Knox the theologian who inspired Siegfried Sassoon to convert to Catholicism, and that is the reason Sassoon wished to be buried here”.

Cross From WW1

The ladies looked quite surprised at my knowledge. I only knew all this stuff because I had been here last year and had read about it. I hadn’t been inside the church on my previous visit because it was closed during lockdown. It is quite fascinating when you see the interior. There is a large statue of a soldier on horseback by Alfred Munnings. It is a memorial to Edward Horner who was slain during the Battle Of Cambrai in 1917. There is a big connection between the Horner family and Mells. It is said that the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner was inspired by one of the Horners. Incorporated into the plinth of the statue is the original wooden cross which marked Edward Horner’s grave in France. It is quite moving, and a timely reminder of the horrors of war which seems to be repeating itself today. On a cheerier note, on a wall I noticed a framed tapestry in the pre-Raphaelite style by Lady Horner which was inspired by her friendship with Edward Burne-Jones the artist and designer who worked with William Morris.

We found a Walled Garden nearby which had a café and had lots of plants for sale, but we didn’t buy any. There was a picnic area with some tables, so we had some food and then set off to find the riverside walk. A short distance outside the village on the road towards Great Elm we saw a sign saying Public Bridleway, so we walked up there along the riverbank. It was quite beautiful in the spring sunshine. Lots of wildflowers were in bloom such as bluebells, red campion, wild garlic, and others that I wish I knew the names of. 

We reached a nice waterfall and passed amazing rock outcrops. Eventually we reached these old abandoned and ruined ironworks which date back to the middle-ages. I love how they are being reclaimed by nature and covered in lichen and moss. Apparently, these buildings are of special scientific interest and are home to horseshoe bats. Eventually we turned back and retraced our steps.

I was tired by now so suggested that we repair to the Talbot Inn for a drink and a sit down. I asked the barman why the Inn sign has a dog on it, and he told me that a talbot was an ancient species of hunting dog similar to a beagle which is now extinct. We sat out the back in the courtyard and enjoyed a glass of cider. This place is well worth a visit. The Talbot was voted Sunday Times Hotel of the Year in 2013. Then we wended our way home after a most enjoyable few hours in Mells. So, if you are out and about this summer and you want somewhere nice to visit, I think you would enjoy Mells which was rated as among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" in 2020.

 

The Unthanks - King of Rome (2012 Folk Music Awards)

A Trip To Bath To See The Unthanks.

Sorry I haven’t written anything for a while. I have had two of my friends visiting for a few days, so we have been out and about every day and I haven’t had time for writing. On Tuesday afternoon we went to the beautiful city of Bath. We whiled away a pleasant hour by the river outside a pub called The Boater. Then went to The Salamander near Queens Square for some food. I have liked this pub ever since I came to this area over 40 years ago. Highly recommended if you are ever in Bath. 

After that I showed my visitors some of the magnificent Georgian splendor of Bath such as the Royal Crescent and the Circus which has that name because it is a perfect circle of Georgian houses designed by John Wood The Elder and built between 1754 and 1768. After wandering around Bath, we eventually made our way to The Forum which is fast becoming my favourite music venue. I have seen lots of great bands here over the last few years. 

We were a bit early, because when we took our seats in the front row I thought the show started at 7.30, but it was actually 8.00 when The Unthanks and their 11-piece band appeared on the stage. It was well worth the wait. The band were magnificent, among the instruments they played were piano, two violins, viola, trumpet, guitars, bass and drums. They were rehearsed to perfection because they had recently been in the studio recording their forthcoming album Sorrows Away. I was particularly impressed with the trumpet player Lizzie Jones who gives an evocative gritty northern feel to the music. The music director would appear to be the pianist and composer Adrian McNally. The focus of the whole group is the two sisters Becky and Rachel Unthank whose harmonies are spellbinding. As well as their astonishing singing ability they even did a bit of clog dancing during the show. They were assisted on some songs by Niopha Keegan who also plays violin. She sang a magnificent version of the McPeake Family song Singing Bird.

I didn’t write down a setlist because I only have two of their albums The Songs Of Molly Drake and The Unthanks Memory Box, so I didn’t know the titles of all the songs. It was five days ago now, but I’ll just tell you what I can remember. The opening song was called The Great Selkie Of Sule Skerrie. The Sandgate Dandling Song was written by Bobby Nunn. I remember a different version by Cilla Black called Liverpool Lullaby. I much prefer to hear The Unthanks sing the original lyrics though. The King Of Rome is one of my favourite songs. It is about a pigeon who won a famous pigeon race from Rome to Derby in 1913. I first heard Magpie when it was featured in Mackenzie Crook’s TV series The Detectorists. (See video below) 

The Bay Of Fundy is the new single from the album and is an instant classic in my opinion. You can also hear it below if you scroll down. Rachel and Becky encouraged the audience to join with the chorus of Sorrows Away. I’m still not sure what Gan To The Kye is all about or if I have spelled it correctly, but it sounded really nice. I think they said that A Whistling Woman was written by their friend the actress Maxine Peake. Lucky Gilchrist is a song about a friend of Rachel’s who died, and it mentions Freddie Mercury. Isabella Coke Ovens reminded me of when I used to work in the coke ovens at Shotton steel works. Mount The Air is the title song to a previous album and was performed sublimely. There were lots of other songs, but I can’t remember what they were called now. There is no other band in the world anything like The Unthanks. Although their roots are in folk music, at times you can hear elements of progressive rock, classical music, minimalism, and ambient music. They are very proud of their northern roots and uncompromising in singing in their northern dialect. If you want to see them for yourself, they are playing all over the country on this tour. You won’t regret it. Thank you very much to The Unthanks for a great concert in Bath.

Review: Wayward, Just Another Life To Live, by Vashti Bunyan.

I stayed up late last night until about 2.00 in order to finish reading an autobiography called Wayward, Just Another Life To Live by Vashti Bunyan. I had seen an advert on the internet that it had been published and you could buy signed copies, so I ordered one and it arrived on Monday. I have been a fan of Vashti for about fifteen years, ever since I first heard her album Just Another Diamond Day which I am listening to at this very moment. The music is perfect for a spring morning with the weather getting warmer. I already knew that Vashti had led an unusual life, so knew it would be a good read. It is a very attractive book just to look at with the dust jacket having a beautiful photo of Vashti gazing wistfully at the camera. Inside, the pages are tastefully illustrated with photos and drawings by Vashti herself. She seems to have had quite a middle-class childhood. Her father was a dentist and part-time inventor, and her mother had an interest in music which was never fulfilled, which seems very similar to Nick Drake’s mother Molly. Vashti attended Ruskin School of Art in Oxford where she was befriended by Michael Palin & Terry Jones. 

It seems to me that people from these sorts of backgrounds often have fortunate chance meetings with people at parties. Vashti met an agent who introduced her to Andrew Loog Oldham the manager of the Rolling Stones. She made a single of a Jagger/ Richards song with one of her own compositions on the flip side. It didn’t get anywhere. She was compared to another Andrew Oldham prodigy Marianne Faithfull which irked her, and she told friends that Marianne didn’t write her own songs. (That isn’t quite true because Marianne co-wrote Sister Morphine, Broken English and others, but Vashti wouldn’t have known that at the time) When I wrote a piece about Vashti a few years ago I also said that she reminded me of Marianne, (sorry Vashti). This period seems to have been quite an unhappy time in her life. You get the feeling that a lot of events were too painful to write about, or they are just hinted at, such as when she mentions ‘the little ghosts of lost babies’. Her mental health declined, and she had a bad experience with LSD which seems to be a similar story to another singer who disappeared for decades Shelagh Macdonald.

She met Robert Lewis when he was hitch-hiking, and they eventually got together. Through a friend of Robert’s, they knew Donovan who had plans to start a commune on The Isle Of Skye. Donovan lent them £100 towards the cost of a horse called Bess and a wagon which was made from an old baker’s van.  Together with a dog called Blue they set off on their epic adventure to walk from London to the north of Scotland. Along the way they picked up another dog, a crazy Afghan hound called May. The journey took nearly two years, with stops along the way. This is the best part of the book in my opinion with vivid descriptions of the people they met, and their trials and tribulations, bad weather, accidents, hospitality, and inhospitality. Their horse Bess is the star of the story for me. 

It was on the journey that she wrote the songs that became Just Another Diamond Day. I did know about their journey previously, but reading the book dispelled any romantic ideas I had about it. It was often a very hard life, but I think it was good for Vashti because being so close to nature, having to survive from day to day, and having animals and later children to look after stopped her from dwelling on her own problems. On a trip south she met the famous music producer Joe Boyd and a year later recorded her album. It featured Robin Williamson of The Incredible String Band. He was into Scientology and in one amusing episode she found Robin had wired Robert Lewis up to an E- Meter. She got to know the ISB very well indeed because later she lived at Glen Row cottages in Scotland which they owned. I see that Mike Heron of ISB is thanked in the acknowledgements. Also on the album were Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention who Vashti says she had never heard of. Robert Kirby famous for working with Nick Drake also arranged some tracks. Joe also arranged a song writing session for her and Nick Drake which ended in failure because of them both being so introverted.

The album flopped as usual, due to no marketing. Vashti had other priorities by then because she was expecting her first child. She gave up all interest in music making and three decades went by. Then in 2000 the album was re-released to rave reviews and was championed by the likes of Devendra Banhart among others. Live performances followed, and two more albums to critical acclaim, and now this wonderful book has been published. I enjoyed it immensely. I think that part of the reason I liked it so much is because it reminds me of a time when lots of us were young idealists who would have liked to have lived a nomadic existence or lived in a commune away from society. We never did, but can live it vicariously through those who had the courage to try. Thank you very much Vashti Bunyan for telling us your brave and fascinating story.

The Unthanks - The Bay Of Fundy (Official Video)