Love and Mercy - Brian Wilson

Van & The Science of Mind.

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

Ernest Holmes

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

Van at Agape.

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

Van, Roma Downey

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

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

Review: Will Varley, Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes Like Me.

Wednesday was a good day for me because a signed copy of Will Varley’s brand-new album popped through my letterbox. It is the fourth album by Will I have purchased in recent years and is called Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes like Me. It is a most welcome addition to Will’s oeuvre. I thought that Postcards From Ursa Minor was my favourite album by Will, but this new one could be a contender for that title because it contains so many great songs which are immediately accessible to the listener. Also, compared to earlier albums such Kingsdown Sundown this is a lavish production. A lot of time and trouble has obviously been spent on it. Recorded in Will’s coastal stamping ground in Kent Machines is co-produced by Will and his collaborator Tom Farrar who also plays on the recording and co-wrote two of the songs. James Hatton plays drums throughout the ten tracks.  

Long Way Back To Now opens the album displaying Will’s distinctive world-weary plaintive vocals and acoustic guitar. Different Man is more upbeat and given the full band treatment. I have enjoyed watching the youtube video of this tale of hard life on the road for several weeks now because it became the album’s first single release. I loved Home Before The World Ends from the very first time I saw Will perform it onboard the Thekla in Bristol a few weeks ago. It features the backing vocals of Dan Smith from the band Bastille, so hopefully might introduce a new audience to Will’s music. Never Get Tired Of Loving You is probably Will’s wife’s favourite song I would imagine. I bet BBC radio won’t play End Times which is one of the stand-out tracks here. It features the unmistakeable vocals of his friend Billy Bragg. The song shows how Will’s song writing has matured, reflecting how any parent with young children must feel when they look at the news and wonder what sort of world they are bringing their children into. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Gaza with lyrics of famine, stealing of the land, and are we on the wrong side?. Musically I loved the Neil Young style harmonica sound. (See video below)

Will & Billy Bragg.

The title track Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes Like Me has Will musing about Artificial Intelligence and the future having already arrived. I agree with him because it is often the mistakes in art that make it more human and real and AI can’t replicate that. Only Louise is another splendid song about being on the road and feeling homesick. The choice of the name Louise immediately reminded me of Visions Of Johanna by Dylan, but that might have been deliberate. It’s not the first time I have thought of Dylan when listening to Will. Venus Returns is possibly my favourite track although that might change tomorrow. Some of the lyrics such as ‘All I want is peace’ echoes the same sentiments as End Times. The rhythmical faster paced Everything Has A Heartbeat features Elini Drake on vocals and Simon Bloor on slide guitar. I think audiences would love this song at the festivals this summer. It leads effortlessly into Whatever’s Left which brings this most enjoyable album to a close. I’m looking forward to seeing Will next month on the Greenpeace stage at Glastonbury, so I hope he features some of these great songs. Highly recommended.

End Times by Will Varley

Will Varley & The Southern Rust, The Thekla, Bristol, April 2025.

I first became aware of the music of Will Varley about three years ago through a mutual friend. After being impressed with his songs on youtube I bought his 2015 album Postcards From Ursa Minor. I enjoyed every track on that album, and thought to myself, “Why isn’t this guy more famous?, he is just as good as Ed Sheeran or George Ezra or any other of the modern crop of singer-songwriters”. I subsequently acquired two more excellent albums 2016s Kingsdown Sundown and the most recent 2021s The Hole Around My Head. I also saw a great solo live show at the Tree House in Frome, and Will’s performance on the Leftfield Stage with his band at last year’s Glastonbury. Will’s band is called The Southern Rust. When I saw they were hitting the road for a Spring tour and would be playing The Thekla in Bristol I knew I had to get myself a ticket. It was a beautiful sunny warm afternoon when I arrived at Temple Meads station. 

I had two hours to wile away before meeting my friend Pete, so took a leisurely stroll to the harbourside where I found the Thekla. It is a former German cargo ship which was launched in 1958. It ran aground on the Norfolk coast in the 1970s and then spent seven years rusting away in a dock in Sunderland before it was purchased by Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band who sailed it to Bristol and converted it into a Night Club and theatre. Last year it celebrated it’s 40^th anniversary as a famous venue. I think this is the first time I have ever been to a gig on a boat. 

After that interlude I sat outside a pub by the harbour called The Ostrich basking in the sunshine and watching the world go by. It was quite idyllic. Eventually it was time to meet Pete at another nearby pub called The Golden Guinea in Guinea Street. This street is very interesting historically. It is named after the African country of Guinea and has unfortunate associations with the slave trade. Pete pointed out to me 10 Guinea Street which was featured in the TV series A House Through Time. I met Pete around the campfire at Glastonbury about 12 years ago. He is a member of our annual Quiz team The Glastafarians. Anyway, we had a drink and a chat about Glasto and other important matters until it was time to make our way to The Thekla.

Stephen Kellogg

It is quite a small ship of only 52 metres, but quite roomy inside. Strangely for such a small vessel it is quite easy to get lost on board with all the various levels, decks, doors and corridors. It was packed with people in front of the stage, but Pete knew a gallery upstairs where you could look down on the stage, so that is where we watched the show from. When we arrived there was an American singer-songwriter called Stephen Kellogg on stage. I didn’t know anything about him but quite enjoyed what songs we heard. I think he and Will have toured together in the states.

Will Varley

Finally, it was time for Will Varley & Southern Rust to take the stage. I did intend to write a setlist, but soon gave up on that idea because I didn’t recognise all the songs. Will has a new album coming out in May called Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes like Me and I think he featured some of the new songs. Songs I did know included Send My Love To The System from the Ursa Minor album, A Different Man because I have watched the video several times recently, the very political We Don’t Believe You, I was very impressed with a new song which I think is called I’ll Be Home Before The World Ends. I filmed a couple of minutes of that song (See video below), 

I especially enjoyed Only Louise which I think is a new song, Pushing Against Us from the last album, and Talking Cat Blues which a lady shouted out as a request when Will forgot the words to the song he was singing. Will was on great form and in good humour. It must be exhausting playing a tour like this, travelling to a different town every single night, but he seems to enjoy it, and the audience certainly do, singing along with songs they knew. We had to leave just before the end because I wanted to catch my train at 10.25. I was a bit disappointed not to hear Seize The Night. I’m sure he sang it as an encore, but I was already on my way to Temple Meads station. It had been a brilliant day in Bristol. Thank you very much Will Varley & Southern Rust.

 

Will Varley: I'll Be Home Before The World Ends. Thekla, Bristol, April 2025

Van Morrison - Bring it on Home to Me