1. Star of the County Down (2:42)
2. Irish Heartbeat (3:51)
3. Ta Mo Chleamhnas Danta (My Match It Is Made) (3:31)
4. Raglan Road (4:56)
5. She Moved Through the Fair (4:44)
6. I'll Tell Me Ma (2:30)
7. Carrickfergus (4:25)
8. Celtic Ray (3:41)
9. My Lagan Love (5:20)
10. Marie's Wedding (3:15)

Van Morrison – Vocals,	Arranger, Drums, Guitar, Producer, Vocals
Derek Bell - Harp, Keyboards, Timpani, Tiompan
Mary Black - Vocals (Background)
June Boyce - Vocals (Background)
Kevin Conneff - 	Bodhran, Drums, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Martin Fay - Fiddle, Percussion
Seán Keane - Fiddle
Matt Molloy - Flute
Paddy Moloney - Arranger, Pipe, Producer, Tin Whistle, Uillean Pipes, Whistle (Instrument)
Maura O'Connell  - Vocals (Background)
Ciaran O'Braonain - Bass

On their wide musical journeys in the '80s, the Chieftains decided to collaborate with Van Morrison, who had an artistic peak at the end of the decade. The result was a highlight in both of their '80s productions: the traditional Irish Heartbeat, with Morrison on lead vocals and a guest appearance from the Mary Black. Morrisonand Moloney's production puts the vocals up front with a sparse background, sometimes with a backdrop of intertwining strings and flutes, the same way Morrison would later use the Chieftains on his Hymns to the Silence. The arrangement and the artist's engaged singing leads to a brilliant result, and these Irish classics are made very accessible without being transformed into pop songs. Of the ten tracks included, eight are Irish trads. The title track and "Celtic Ray" are written by Morrison, and also appear on Beautiful Vision and Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, but since they are written in a pseudo traditional style, the folksy treatment given them by the Chieftains makes these versions sound as if they were the originals. ---Lars Lovén, allmusic.com

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1.Claude Nobs Intro / All Work And No Play (5:21)
2.Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (Las Vegas version) (4:20)
3.I Believe To My Soul (3:51)
4.Wild Night (3:36)
5.Back On Top (4:37)
6.Georgia On My Mind (5:05)
7.Going Down Geneva / Brand New Cadillac (4:44)
8.Early In The Morning (4:31)
9.Precious Time (scat finale) (3:39)
10.Just Like A Woman (5:07)
11.Help Me (2:41)									play
12.Streets Of Arklow / You Don't Pull No Punches etc. (sic) (8:05)
13.Little Village (7:27)
14.Fast Train (with Solomon Burke) (3:51)
15.Stand By Me (with Solomon Burke) (2:51)			play
16.Gloria / Claude Nobs outro (7:12)

Recorded at the Montreux Auditorium Stravinski, Montreux, Switzerland, July 9, 2004

A Van fan from Switzerland writes: "[This is] a new VM silver bootleg, allegedly produced in Australia, but I think it actually comes from Germany, taken from [an audience recording]. The bootleggers actually did nothing to the recording (which is far from perfect) and the sound is actually worse here than on the original, bass is very heavy and distorts on occasions. Digipack, the inner sleeve has quite a few pictures, none of them from the actual show. There's even Candy Dulfer on one of them (and she was not in Montreux this year), whereas they completely forgot about the great Solomon Burke, who did a great job with Van that night."

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1 Yeh Yeh (5:10)
2 Did Ye Get Healed (4:51)
3 Its All In The Game (4:59) 2:00
4 Here Comes The Night (2:56)
5 Baby Please Don't Go (3:15)
6 Domino (3:31)
7 Jackie Wilson Said (2:54)
8 Sweet Thing (8:54)
9 Star Of The County Down (2:12)
10 Northern Muse / When Heart Is Open (6:21)
11 Whenever God Shines His Light (4:39)
12 Summertime In England (13:02)
13 Caravan (5:47)
14 In The Garden (6:32)

Recorded live in Montreux, July 1990, featuring guest Georgie Fame

Okay, I know I promised some sweet live Boss this week, but my daughter had other ideas for my time. I spend less time writing these Bootleg City entries than probably any other, but they do take a lot of time to format, and the Springsteen we’re talking about (again courtesy of Malchus the Great) is two and a half discs of goodness. In other words, a LOT of formatting. So it’ll have to wait until next week.

But what have we here? Some live Van, courtesy of reader Keith, who beamed this set all the way from beautiful New Zealand for all of you to enjoy on this (where I am, anyway) rainy Friday morning. And he’s even attached the following introduction. Enjoy, friends, and I’ll meet you back here next Friday for our return visit to Bossland! I was a late-comer to Van Morrison: as often happens, I heard a lot about his music from friends and relations.. “Hey, Tupelo Honey is a great record, I’ll buy it for you”… “How can you NOT like Astral Weeks?”… but it wasn’t until I heard It’s Too Late To Stop Now that I realised the greatness of the man.

So when Van toured in the late 80s and 90s, I went to see him. I wanted that Too Late To Stop Now experience, having missed the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. And I did eventually get it. Just once.

He’s a curmudgeon, Mr Morrison. You could argue that he’s earned the right to be one, and you’d have a point. Unfortunately this makes him frustratingly inconsistent in performance. You might just catch him on a night when he’s on fire, but you’re going to have to sit through some distinctly average stuff before you get the goodies. You may have to wait for an array of special guests to finish.. ah.. doing whatever it is they do. Brian Kennedy and Shana Morrison, by way of example, are perfectly adequate singers in their own right, but when I go to see Van, I want to see Van. I don’t want to see Richard Gere (yes, that did happen).

I want to glow, and be healed, no less. And it happened to me, with pretty much the line-up of seasoned pros on the bootleg you are about to experience. Yep, I know what I just said about special guests, but Georgie Fame is there to help, not hinder. The track list is a career-defining cross section (from Them to The Chieftains through mystic soul and jazz). The Man is enjoying himself immensely. The band step up to the mark and follow his every move. It’s a whole lot of fun. --- Jeff Giles, popdose.com

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01. Fair Play – 6:14
02. Linden Arden Stole The Highlights – 2:35
03. Who Was That Masked Man – 2:52
04. Streets Of Arklow – 4:20
05. You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River – 8:47
06. Bulbs – 4:16
07. Cul de Sac – 5:49
08. Comfort You – 4:23
09. Come Here My Love – 2:18
10. Country Fair – 5:39
+
11. Twilight Zone (alternative take) – 5:47
12. Cul de Sac (alternative take) – 2:53

Personnel:
- Van Morrison - vocals, guitar, producer
- Ralph Wash - guitar
- John Tropea - guitar (06,07,12)
- David Hayes - bass
- Joe Macho - bass (06,07,12)
- Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw) - drums
- Allen Swartzburg - drums (06,07,12)
- Nathan Rubin - violin
- Terry Adams - viola
- James Rothermel - flute, recorder
- Jack Schroer - soprano saxophone
- James Trumbo - piano
- Jef Labes - piano (06,07,12), string & woodwind arrangements

The final album of Van Morrison's remarkably prolific and innovative 1968-1974 period (followed by three years of silence), Veedon Fleece brings the singer full circle, returning him to the introspection and poignancy of Astral Weeks. Composed following his sudden divorce from wife Janet Planet and subsequent retreat from the U.S., the songs are subtle and Spartan, the performances deeply felt; though less tortured and cathartic than Astral Weeks, it's a record fraught with emotional upheaval, as evidenced by such superior moments as "Linden Arden Stole the Highlights," "Who Was That Masked Man," and "You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River." That said, this is one of those -- and there are several -- forgotten classics in the Morrison catalog. Because it followed hot on the heels of his universally acclaimed double live album It's Too Late to Stop Now..., released only a month previous, this effort, like its likewise unheralded -- but equally wonderful -- studio effort Hard Nose the Highway, which was issued only six months before, the album suffered from a lack of exposure because of saturation in the marketplace rather than any lack in quality. Veedon Fleece is every bit the creative equal of its more famous predecessors. With its elegiac tone and deeply autobiographical lyrics, this was a Morrison who didn't so readily associate himself with the feel-good, peace, love, and rhythm & blues sound American audiences were used to. If any album reflects a real period of transition for an artist, it's this one. It's brilliant. ---Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

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1 	Tore Down A La Rimbaud 	4:13
2 	Ancient Of Days 	3:41
3 	Evening Meditation 	4:15
4 	The Master's Eyes 	4:04
5 	What Would I Do	5:13
6 	A Sense Of Wonder 	7:11
7 	Boffyflow And Spike 	3:09
8 	If You Only Knew	2:58
9 	Let The Slave (Incorporating The Price Of Experience)	5:30
10 	A New Kind Of Man 	3:30
11 	Crazy Jane On God (Alternative Take)	3:51
12 	A Sense Of Wonder (Alternative Take) 	6:08

Arranged By [Horns], Tenor Saxophone – Pee Wee Ellis
Backing Vocals – Bianca Thornton, Pauline Lazano
Bass – David Hayes
Drums – Tom Donlinger
Guitar – Chris Michie
Guitar, Lead Vocals, Piano, Producer, Directed By – Van Morrison
Musician – Moving Hearts (tracks: 6, 7)
Organ – John Allair
Trumpet – Bob Doll 

A Sense of Wonder is a grab bag of different Van Morrison styles from his earlier 1980s albums – it wouldn’t be surprising if some of these tracks were outtakes from previous records. Thematically, several of the tracks touch on Van Morrison’s interest in poetry – opener ‘Torn Down a la Rimbaud’ references 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud, while ‘Let The Slave Incorporating The Price of Experience’ is based on a poem by William Blake. ‘Crazy Jane on God’, based on a poem by Yeats, was withdrawn from the album at the last minute, and eventually surfaced on The Philosopher’s Stone outtake collection. It’s certainly to the album’s detriment – it’s one of the most memorable, adventurous pieces from the era, with the “all things remain in God” hook.

‘A Sense of Wonder’ strikes a nice balance between his more exploratory works and a commercial pop sound, and the two opening songs bring enough energy to work; the opening track ‘Torn Down A La Rimbaud’ is the most notable song on the record. The song was started during Van Morrison’s period of writer’s block in the mid 1970s, an interesting parallel for Morrison to draw on, given that Rimbaud quit poetry writing in his twenties after running out of inspiration. ‘Evening Meditation’ sounds like it could have come from Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, but doesn’t sound as daring in this context. There are covers of Ray Charles and Mose Allison. Elsewhere, it’s very smooth and safe sounding; coupled with the Christian themes, like ‘Ancient of Days’ and ‘The Master’s Eyes’, A Sense of Wonder wouldn’t be out of place in a Christian bookstore.

It’s worth hearing highlights like ‘Torn Down a la Rimbaud’, but Van Morrison has recorded a lot of albums and A Sense Of Wonder isn’t one of his more notable ones. ---albumreviews.blog

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In The Beginning:
01. Astral Weeks - 7:00
02. Beside You - 5:10
03. Sweet Thing - 4:20			play
04. Cyprus Avenue - 6:54

Afterwards:
05. The Way Young Lovers Do - 3:10	play
06. Madame George - 9:36
07. Ballerina - 6:56
08. Slim Slow Slider - 3:17

Personnel:
- Van Morrison - vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jay Berliner - guitar
- Richard Davis - bass
- Connie Kay - drums
- John Payne - flute, soprano saxophone (08)
- Warren Smith, Jr. - percussion, vibraphone
- Larry Fallon - harpsichord (04)
- Barry Kornfeld - guitar (05)
- Lewis Merenstein – producer

It is one of rock’s least-likely masterworks. Van Morrison had made a name for himself as the lead singer of the Belfast bar band Them, which achieved immortality with the garage anthem “Gloria.” He then signed a solo deal in the US, skimming the Top Ten with the irresistible singalong “Brown-Eyed Girl,” but he dismissed the album that came from those sessions. Signing with Warner Bros. Records, Morrison then assembled a bunch of jazz-based players, took them into a New York studio, and emerged two days later with Astral Weeks, a languid, impressionistic, utterly gorgeous song cycle that sounded like nothing he had done previously — and really, nothing anyone had done previously. Morrison sings of lost love, death, and nostalgia for childhood in the Celtic soul that would become his signature. Astral Weeks didn’t reach the charts, but its mystic poetry, spacious grooves, and romantic incantations still resonate in ways no other music can. ---Alan Light, entertainment.time.com

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01. Domino – 3:07
02. Crazy Face – 2:55
03. Give Me A Kiss (Just One Sweet Kiss) – 2:30			play
04. I've Been Working – 3:25
05. Call Me Up In Dreamland – 3:51
06. I'll Be Your Lover, Too – 3:53
07. Blue Money – 3:43
08. Virgo Clowns – 4:09
09. Gypsy Queen – 3:15									play
10. Sweet Jannie – 2:09
11. If I Ever Needed Someone – 3:46
12. Street Choir – 4:49

Personnel:
- Van Morrison – guitar, harmonica, tenor saxophone, vocals, producer
- Alan Hand – piano, Hammond organ, celeste
- Keith Johnson – trumpet, Hammond organ
- John Klingberg – bass
- John Platania – electric & acoustic guitars, mandolin
- Jack Schroer – soprano, alto & baritone saxophones, piano
- Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw) – drums, percussion, bass clarinet, backing vocals
- Judy Clay, Emily Houston, Jackie Verdell - backing vocals (11)
The Street Choir: Larry Goldsmith, Janet Planet, Andrew Robinson, Ellen Schroer,
 Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw), Martha Velez

His Band and the Street Choir appeared at a time--1970--when Van Morrison was building on the great critical successes of Astral Weeks and Moondance. His third Warner Bros. album contains a number of radio-friendly tracks clearly aimed at the singles market and few clues of the serious, brooding melancholy of Astral Weeks. Kicking off with the jaunty "Domino," the album is generally dominated by uptempo swingers such as "Call Me Up in Dreamland," "Give Me a Kiss," and "Blue Money." The cover photography and liner notes by then wife Janet Planet reveal a smiling Morrison and hint at a newfound personal contentment. This mood did not last long after Van left the artists' community of Woodstock. But even here, in "I'll Be Your Lover Too" and "Crazy Face," there are moments that are essential listening for fans of his sullen splendor and mysticism. ---Rob Stewart

After the brilliant one-two punch of Astral Weeks and Moondance, His Band and the Street Choir brings Van Morrison back down to earth, both literally and figuratively. While neither as innovative nor as edgy as its predecessors, His Band and the Street Choir also lacks their overt mysticism; at heart, the album is simply Morrison's valentine to the R&B that inspired him, resulting in the muscular and joyous tribute "Domino" as well as the bouncy "Blue Money" and "Call Me Up in Dreamland." --- Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com

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