Van Morrison book-ended his incredibly prolific and stylistically diverse 1968-1974 period with two of the most innovative and sublime albums in the pantheon of modern popular music.
Beginning with the improvised, acoustic jazz paean to childhood memory and the emotional vicissitudes of adolescence in “Astral Weeks”,
Morrison’s period of great aesthetic development and creativity led him in quick succession to the spiritual beauty of “Moondance”,
the joyousness and spontaneity of “His Band and the Street Choir”,
the charming valentine to peaceful domesticity in “Tupelo Honey”,
and then to the rich textures and transcendent emotions of the majestic “St.Dominic’s Preview”.
A misstep in the form of the somewhat less than inspired album “Hard Nose the Highway” was then followed by an outstanding double live album, “It’s Too Late to Stop Now”,
before finally ending this period with the under-appreciated masterpiece, “Veedon Fleece”. This album displays some similarities to his touchstone “Astral Weeks” album, but in other ways it reaches a level of depth and scope both lyrically and musically beyond even that seminal work.
“Veedon Fleece” represents the pinnacle of Van Morrison’s artistic achievement and vision, in spite of its initial commercial failure. It marked a return to his place of birth, as well as to the elliptical, poetic sensibilities of the “Astral Weeks” album. It is an album born out of the anguish of his failed marriage to Janet Rigsbee, and is infused with the turmoil of mixed emotions caused by returning to Ireland after a self-imposed exile, attempting to reconnect to his ancestral and musical roots. It also reflects an artistic and musical evolution whose cohesiveness and sophistication surpasses the youthful exuberance and spontaneity of its famous predecessor, even as it perfectly compliments it.
To appreciate more deeply the merits of this classic album as a whole artistic work, one that I rate at the absolute apex of this or any other genre, one must perhaps begin by analyzing each of the songs individually, though hopefully not at the expense of appreciating its air of mystery and poetic sensibility.
The album begins with a languid mid-tempo track, “Fair Play”, featuring lilting piano lines with jazz inflections, meandering along through lyrics which speak of a relationship, with a vaguely discernible tinge of conflict or disagreement concerning where their journey might take them, especially where the couple should reside together in the future (Ireland or their former home in San Geronimo, California). The “architecture I’m taking in with my mind” refers both to the churches and old buildings in the town of Arklow, as well as the beautiful and statuesque woman walking alongside him through the streets of the township. He then proceeds to chide her for obstinacy and argumentativeness, of having “the mind (of a) child to carry on”, but then professes love for her sense of fun in the gentle mocking of “tit-for-tat” games which the couple play as they take in the sights and sounds around the town. In spite of the idyllic surroundings, and thoughts of “Poe, Oscar Wilde and Thoreau” filling his “mind with tales of mystery, and imagination”, he seems torn between the renewed stimulus to his artistic vision in an Ireland replete with history and natural beauty, and the feelings of comfort and the sense of belonging found in his adopted home in California. “I wish we could be dreamers, in this dream” sums up Morrison’s feelings of euphoria and peaceful tranquillity in his surroundings, and one senses he is at ease for the first time in some little while in the company of this woman, who stimulates him in conversation and in her attitude to life, while also attracting him both emotionally and physically.
Linden Arden is seemingly a mythical character of Morrison’s invention that he utilizes in the next song, “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights”, as a symbolic narrative device. It highlights his fascination with the inherent contradictions found in the behaviour of his Irish brethren, while Morrison also perhaps refers obliquely to himself, with the Linden Arden character as somewhat of an alter ego or possibly merely a caricature of his perceived personal failings. The capacity of the Irish for hard drinking (“the morning sun and whiskey, ran like water in his veins”), brutal violence and even in the title character’s case in senseless murder, contrasts heavily with the creativity, compassion, tenderness, devotion to family and the religious faith with which the Irish are also imbued. Rather than a call to arms for patriotic rebellion, as W.B.Yeats’ famous and influential poem “Easter, 1916” (which this song echoes in both tone and context) suggested, Morrison instead prefers to reflect in this song on the consequences of centuries of rebellion and political upheaval on the national psyche, and the subsequent social toll it has taken upon Irishmen, who often take “the law into (their) own hands”. In so doing, they are often driven to living as “outlaws” and outcasts, and feeling fundamentally disconnected and to some extent emotionally detached from their friends, their loved ones and the broader society as a consequence.
This song segues directly into its companion piece, “Who Was That Masked Man”, through repetition of the last line of its predecessor, where “Someday it may get lonely, now he’s livin’, livin’ with a gun” becomes transformed into “Oh, ain’t it lonely, when you’re livin’ with a gun”. This emphasizes the shared theme of loneliness and paranoia one finds when living outside the fringes of social acceptance, apart from the mainstream milieu. This brilliant, unheralded song captures the artist’s feelings of disenchantment at the breakup of his marriage, his feelings of isolation as an exile returning belatedly to his homeland, as well as being a prisoner of his own public persona. The contrast between the 2nd stanza (“You just sit there like a butterfly, and you’re all encased in glass” suggests being trapped or imprisoned) and the 4th (“You just sit there like a butterfly, you’re well protected by the glass” suggests being in a sanctuary or refuge), for example, demonstrates his ambivalence and the dichotomy of emotion felt when viewing his life in the public eye, drawing parallels but also showing empathy to an anonymous listener’s circumstances. The whimsical tone of the last half of the song’s lyric, singing of playful ghosts and drawing idiosyncratic analogies (“You can hang suspended from a star, or wish on a toilet roll”), and even referencing the Lone Ranger beloved of his childhood memory in the title, suggests a playfulness, joie de vivre and wry humour that gives the song added resonance, balanced as it is with achingly beautiful yet delicate musical accompaniment, and Morrison’s brilliant falsetto voice expressing the full gamut of his emotions. The closing line reflects his ambivalence to his fellow man (and therefore echoes the sentiments expressed in the preceding song, thereby providing further thematic reinforcement), recognising quite correctly that “No matter what they tell you, there’s good and evil in everyone”.
Recalling the poetry of his fellow Irishman W.B.Yeats once again, Van Morrison’s evocative lyrics on the album’s next track, “Streets of Arklow”, depict the sensual and intellectual delights derived from wandering, “as the color of the day wore on”, through the streets of Arklow township. The author loses all sense of time as he wanders throughout the day into the night and “on to dawn”, his senses being enlivened to nature and to his own poetic vision, and his creative energy is restored. It becomes a spiritual journey of rejuvenation through returning to his Celtic roots, which has left both Morrison and his companion invigorated and viewing the world with renewed clarity. Morrison’s vocals are impassioned and emotive, surrounded by glorious sweeping violins and Jim Rothermel’s brilliant recorder flourishes, which swirl and prance around the abrasive staccato of Morrison’s insistent percussive guitar playing, and with the murmuring piano and bass lines bubbling along behind, simulating the sound of a river flowing in the background. The penultimate lines are repeated in an incantation to pastoral beauty, surrounded by an eerie vortex of violins that sound like the beating of the wings of angels, while the beautiful recorder lines ascend heavenward in a moment of complete transcendence in the song’s finale.
The centerpiece of the album is the remarkable 8 minute 48 second stream of consciousness meditation, “You Don’t Pull No Punches, But You Don’t Push The River”. The song incorporates a driving and insistent rhythmical base as it meanders through dissertations on his lover’s childhood memories, Morrison’s personal influences and inspirations, his quest for knowledge and enlightenment, and the vagaries of his current relationship after the failure of his marriage. The title derives from the work of famed Gestalt therapist Barry Stevens, who was influential on Morrison at this time, and the central theme of the song revolves around his personal conflictedness and crisis of identity, a battle that would eventually lead him to a three-year hiatus from recording once this album was concluded. Morrison blends these insights into his troubled relationship and his inner turmoil with an ambitious musical arrangement utilizing propulsive acoustic guitar work, with swirling strings that rise and fall then wash in and recede like the tide. Alternating these violin accompaniments with Rothermel’s estimable flute and recorder, these elements weave around the rhythm and form an integral part of the overall cathartic emotional effect of the piece.
When Morrison opines that “it takes the child in you to know the woman, and you are one”, he is suggesting that he can only understand his girlfriend’s feelings by understanding how her formative years shaped her, but simultaneously he believes that she needs to recapture some of her child-like innocence and perspective to help her to gain greater insight into their relationship also. When he intones about “going as much with the river as not”, Morrison is chastising himself for his intransigence and contrariness, while perhaps also intimating that he and his mistress are often at odds with one another needlessly rather than striving for common ground. When he sings passionately of being “behind the sun”, he seems to be subtly hinting that he is struggling in his quest for enlightenment, eclipsed by a lack of comprehension of himself and more especially by the whole dynamic of the relationship in which he currently finds himself engaged.
Finally, this complex song references his chief inspiration and mentor in the poet William Blake (the Four “Eternals” include the god ‘Urizen’- the embodiment of reason pictured above- and refers to the complex mythology of Blake’s poetry and paintings), whom Morrison clearly sees as a visionary icon of creativity and poetic vision, while juxtaposing “the Sisters of Mercy” who represent the religious faith and belief that was instilled in him from his childhood growing up in Ireland. The theme of the song therefore seems to be Morrison searching for the means and the inspiration to meld his faith and his poetic vision to his physical being, to his persona as a musician of some renown, as well as to his relationships with his loved ones. He mentions “contemplating Baba” which surely refers to his openness to wider spirituality beyond his religious roots, while the elusive “Veedon Fleece” would appear to be a personal symbolic invention of Morrison’s, an idiosyncratic hybrid of the quests for Jason’s Golden Fleece and for the Holy Grail, which serves as an unattainable ideal of his own design and choosing, but which remains forever beyond his reach and ephemeral as illustrated by the song’s denouement, winding its way onward down its own path until finally fading off into the distance in hushed and whispered tones at the conclusion.
After such a complex and emotionally challenging song, the jaunty “Bulbs” changes pace dramatically and stands in marked thematic and stylistic contrast, in much the same way that “Astral Weeks” was linked at its fulcrum by “The Way Young Lovers Do”. Rather than the starry-eyed naivety and energetic jazz stylings of that track, “Bulbs” tempo and tone are set somewhat at odds with the lyric, which seems to indicate that his mistress is preparing to return back home to America, back to family and loved ones on the other side of the Atlantic. “She’s screaming through the alley way, I hear her lonely cry” suggests that an argument has ensued between them forcing her to flee in distress, but after her anger and overwrought emotion has subsided she has been left a lonely figure, sadly ”standing in the shadows” under the burning streetlights which have “all turn(ed) blue”. Perhaps the emotional strain of Morrison’s inner conflict has made his lover reconsider their relationship, but she has stopped short of leaving him because she still remains fond of him and perhaps holds onto the faint hope of rekindling their romance. It is quite noticeable that the tone of Morrison’s singing on this track begins somewhat tentatively and haltingly, but eventually the tempo of the lyric (and also its musical accompaniment) increases and his tone becomes more ebullient and effusive as the song progresses, perhaps reflecting his relief and joy at resolving their impasse, and thereby reconciling at least temporarily with his beloved.
This directly links thematically then to the following song, “Cul De Sac”, whose lyrics again show a duality of meaning and revolve around relationships. On the one hand, it shows Morrison imploring his lover to come back with him to their hideaway, reminding her of shared experiences at California’s Palomar Observatory, where he exaggerates in almost John Donne-like fashion that he has “travelled far, to the nearest star” just to be with her, so questioning why would she not “double back” to nestle once more in comfort and security with him. The secondary meaning is also implicit in the cul de sac metaphor, with a relationship that perhaps is now at a dead end, that doesn’t have anywhere further to go having reached its maximum potential, but that Morrison wants to see it through regardless and try to enjoy their romantic connection while he still can. Vocally, Morrison veers wildly between the soft and melodic tones which predominate initially, to variations of rapid-fire scatting and ever more joyous and rollicking grunting, growling, caterwauling and even howling in delight, all of which gives the song an unexpected edginess and idiosyncratic flavour that is truly memorable and somewhat remarkable in its visceral appeal.
“Comfort You” is by complete contrast a deceptively simple and straightforward love song, where Morrison pledges his devotion to his mistress, and promises to ameliorate her pain and support her when she is saddened by life’s travails. He encourages her to “just let your tears run wild, like when you were a child”, once again reiterating his belief that she is too restrained and needs to engage her childlike emotional core more openly. The incantation “I want to comfort you” is repeated four times with differing emphasis each time, with differences in implicit meaning apparent according to the subtle variations Morrison employs. The lilting and warm quality in Morrison’s voice, combined with elegant acoustic guitar embellishments make for a persuasive and soothingly soulful mood piece.
“Come Here My Love” is lyrical and beautiful, sung in honeyed and hushed tones, with spare and simple acoustic arrangement that allows Morrison’s impassioned vocal to predominate in splendid isolation. “This feeling has me spellbound” is Morrison’s awestruck response to the baffling torrent of emotions he is experiencing (“I’m mystified, oh, by this mood”), until he reaches his emotional epiphany by merging his feelings of love for his lover with the pervasive influence of the innate beauty of the natural world around him, by becoming “enraptured by the sights and sounds, in intrigue of nature’s beauty”. He talks of his relationship to her as a “storyline, in paragraphs laid down in sand”, and relates the joys found in sharing their quiet solitude, enjoying the luxuriant bounty of nature enveloping them, and spending their days “contemplating fields and leaves, and talking about nothing”. The delicate and refined sensitivity and restrained passion pervades the piece and resonates long after the last few slightly dissonant chords of the song have fallen silent, the harbingers of what is unfortunately to come.
The final stanza of the “Veedon Fleece” album, the wistful “Country Fair”, ends on a note of resignation and regret which bears striking similarity to “Slim Slow Slider” which closes the “Astral Weeks” album. This elegiac song serves a similar function to its counterpart, acting as a muted but evocative coda to conclude a brilliantly conceived and internally cohesive song cycle. “Country Fair” dwells on the recognition of the fleeting nature of relationships (“sand like time slipping through our hand”), of being “too young to really know” what they might be opening themselves up for emotionally, and ruefully of having “never thought that it would pass”. When recalling memories of laying “in the long green grass” and counting “pebbles in the sand” with his beloved, Morrison speaks metaphorically of how they “stood and watched the river flow”, as if to suggest that the couple are now consigned to be merely helpless bystanders, powerless to avert their fate in the face of the inevitability of the passage of time. The “cool night air” and “the sweet summertime” are now a distant memory as their relationship dwindles, as was perhaps inevitable from the hints of discontent and conflict that were readily apparent in the beginning of their journey, as conveyed in the opening song of the album, “Fair Play”. This compelling finale is accompanied by a doleful yet inspired recorder solo of great beauty which gives way to a cacophony of erratic and discordant notes at the end which leaves the listener in no doubt of the fate of the lovers being one of turmoil and emotional upheaval.
As can readily be seen therefore, Van Morrison is an eccentric and idiosyncratic artist whose musical ambition and perceptual awareness is somewhat unique in modern popular music. Even though it may seem to some eyes, in light of the above analysis, that Morrison could potentially tend toward the pretentious or contrived, I suspect that his poetic sensibilities are more intuitive and instinctive rather than preconceived, and with that in mind his artistic choices on the “Veedon Fleece” album are uniformly on point. This landmark album remains an impressionistic masterpiece of splendid cohesiveness and sophistication, with subtle variations in mood, theme and execution which comprise an immersive and satisfying listening experience that succeeds on multiple levels in ways very few other albums can hope to match. It is therefore deserving of a far wider audience than it has gleaned thus far, even surprisingly amongst those otherwise quite familiar with Morrison’s music, being an album which, in the opinion of this reviewer, achieves a level of artistry beyond reproach and of the highest possible calibre.
(*) Footnote:
In response to Carol Guida’s comments below, it would be more accurate to refer to her as Van Morrison’s fiancée at that time, rather than as a “girlfriend” or “mistress”.
Furthermore, I would like to add that I am not suggesting that the narrative thread of this album necessarily reflects a realistic depiction of his relationship with Ms. Guida at that time. I believe it merely serves as a starting point for Van Morrison to tell a fictional story, much as a novelist might take characters they know in their own personal lives and then twist certain aspects of their character or particular events to be woven into a storyline that suits the themes they are trying to communicate.
I believe that the lyrics of this album clearly speaks of the emotional vicissitudes of an ultimately doomed relationship. In spite of this implicit meaning within the album’s narrative, I would like to stress that this does not mean that this theme is in any way a reflection upon Morrison’s feelings toward his fiancée (Carol Guida) at that particular time.
I have apologised to Ms.Guida in the comments below the article if that was the implication she believed I was making. I can certainly understand her thinking this based on what I have written above, and I have therefore sought to correct this impression in this footnote, while keeping largely to the original wording of my review.
1984redux 
Seriously? Wow, you have a very vivid imagination!
Carol,
I can see from your comment that you are unconvinced by my appraisal of the album.
I would like to say that most of my interpretations are backed up by quoting the lyrics themselves, plus my knowledge of some of the background detail to Morrison’s return to Ireland in the period immediately after his marriage broke down, as well as his deep abiding interest at the time in Gestalt therapy.
In my defence, I would also point out that “Veedon Fleece” is the favourite album of (among other notables) Johnny Depp, Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist) and Sinead O’Connor, so clearly I am not the only one who rates this album so highly, or finds the poetic sensibility on display to be so compelling or engaging. Nevertheless, if we all liked the same things, or interpreted literature or musical works in the same way, it would be a very mundane and tedious world.
I hope you can give the album a listen again some time in the future, mindful of at least some of my research and interpretations, whereupon perhaps you might gain at least some of the pleasure this particular album has given me over the years.
Thanks anyway for commenting.
Dear Winston,
Upon reflection, I see that my comment was rude. I apologize. You obviously did a lot of research and worked hard on your review.Thank you for loving the album. I also have …” knowledge of some of the background details to Morrison’s return to Ireland in the period…” I was THERE!
Anyway, sorry for my snide comment. Most of your remarks were actually spot on., Although I take issue with your “Cul de Sac” interpretation.your reference to the “Geronimo” lyric is totally accurate. Almost no one ever gets that right, so, Fair Play to You. But I laughed out loud at being referred to as a “mistress.” I don’t believe I’ve ever been called that before!
Much gratitude for your exhaustive research on this fine album. All the best,
-Carol Guida- Marin County, California
I apologise, Carol, for not recognising your name when you first replied to my post, and yes, it would certainly have been more accurate to refer to you as his fiancée. I am sorry for my lack of attention to detail in that instance, and also for any offence I may have caused you through that inaccurate description.
As you no doubt have guessed, I am a very passionate advocate for the Veedon Fleece album, and am grateful you thought to comment on my opinion piece, as clearly any interpretation I may have cannot compare, as you say, to someone intimate to the situation at the time.
Thank you once again for taking the time to comment, and I hope I have not caused you any distress.
I’m really inspired with your writing abilities as well as with the format in your blog. Is this a paid subject matter or did you modify it your self? Anyway stay up the excellent high quality writing, it’s uncommon to see a nice weblog like this one these days..
Thanks for the read…I love this album and can´t really understand why it doesn´t get much more recognition that it deserves. It´s nice to read someone who actually at least attempts to write “what” the music means to them, rather than just post another sleeve face on Instagram ( I do little pieces of what my collection means to me – the good and the bad! – as “vinylreader” on insta but most of the stuff there is just another pic of Led 1V or whatever. I don´t know about you, but I spent enough of my childhood/youth in record shops to know what various album sleeves look like from memory! 😉 ). Kudos also for the conversation between you and Carol….it´s nice to read people come at things from differing opinions and views and discuss it amicably in these days of internet madness. Shame there´s not a lot more of it, we could certainly benefit from a lot more like it.
Thank you, Lee, for your gracious and thoughtful comments.
Being in my mid fifties, I come from an era during my childhood and adolescence in the late 60’s and early to mid 70’s when popular music was more than just a product purely formulated at the whims of accountants and A&R men at the major record labels. Van Morrison, along with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Beatles and several others, adopted almost a novelist’s approach to the narrative structures of their albums, and their song lyrics exhibited a craft and subtlety that is generally lacking in popular music today.
I also haunted music shops in my youth, as you did, pouring over not only the new releases, but the reissues of classic vinyl from 50’s Jazz icons or remastered recordings of those old time Delta and Chicago bluesmen who were the pioneers who laid the foundations for that truly great era of expansion in musical expression.
Anyway, I’m glad to share my thoughts in this article with someone who has a similar background and appreciation for what I believe to be, unfortunately, a vanishing art.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
This is obviously an older site. But, as I sit here listening to Veedon Fleece as I get ready for bed, I would like to say I totally agree. My favourite of all time. Fair play is so complete, I feel as though it is from my own life, just change the names. Loved the review.
Thanks for the supportive comment Michael,
I’m glad to see that this fantastic and under-appreciated album has left such an indelible impression on you, as it clearly did for me. I certainly hope that my personal review of it only adds to your listening experience, rather than detracts from it.
Thanks Winston and thanks Carol. Superb article, great thread, and what an extraordinary album of pastoral genius. Surely Veedon Fleece is the somewhat hidden masterpiece of Van’s unbelievably fecund 1968-1974 creative period and sustained run of albums – Hard Nose the Highway notwithstanding. For me it’s the consistency of creative vision throughout the album that I find rewarding and as Winston suggest takes one immediately back to Astral Weeks. Unsurprisingly I really back into this album having move to a regional setting in the spa country of central Victoria. Veedon Fleece makes a lot of sense in this setting.
Thanks Keir for taking time to comment.
Veedon Fleece is an album that not only sums up many of the themes and ideas found in all those albums, it is also a reimagining and a response to his touchstone Astral Weeks album, complimenting it with a more mature perspective.
Where Astral Weeks is like a variation on James Joyce’s “The Dubliners” translated to a Belfast setting, the Veedon Fleece album seems instead to evoke W.B Yeats’ poetry, not only in the story of the Linden Arden character, but also in its general sensitivity, romantic flair and pastoral beauty.
The greatest pity in my view is that Morrison clearly became very discouraged by the negative critical response this album received, and has rarely played any of these beautiful songs since. Such a shame as they clearly deserve a wider audience than they have received up till now.
I was only 14 when I first experienced this music. My cousin Garry had lost his dad in a bushfire and I had only got back from the UK and Europe as my dad an English teacher and lecturer who had a great interest in Shakespeare and Blake had taken all 4 kids and mum on the Fairstar to the UK and back. It took many years to actually uncover this album on Spotify. I am grateful regardless of what the music means and whether it was inspired by a break up sadly we all get hurt by ourselves and others. So as a would be recordist and pianist I simply can listen to this great album thanks to the band.
Wow, this is exactly the kind of analysis of this album that I was looking for. Of course there is room for many interpretations, so I don’t regard this piece as definitive, but you’ve fit it all together and made sense of it. Your comment afterwards about Veedon Fleece being a work of fiction, even though it is based on real events, is an important one. People so often overlook that fact and adopt a reductionist approach, where they are merely trying to connect lyrics to real events. It becomes a game–a game which is very limited in scope.
I especially appreciate your explication of “You Don’t Pull No Punches, But You Don’t Push The River.” That song has always seemed so opaque to me, and because it is the centerpiece of the album, I’ve been somewhat frustrated by it. Now it makes a lot more sense. I also appreciate how you fit “Bulbs” into the context of the album. I’ve often wondered if this song really related to the rest of it at all, as it is so different musically. I thought it may have been included because it was thought to have potential as a single or just because it’s such a great song that it had to make it onto an album. (I recently learned that this song was originally recorded for Hard Nose The Highway, which Van wanted to make a double album. Using this song and several from the outtakes compilation The Philosopher’s Stone, I have reconstructed my own double-length version of Hard Nose The Highway, which I believe would have worked far better than the single-length version and would have been an important addition to Van’s legacy. But I digress.)
Before reading your piece, I read the Rolling Stone review of Veedon Fleece. They panned it. At the time this album was made, I think many people had become tired of this kind of introspection, which is one reason why punk rock was to have such an impact in the coming years. So it took awhile for people to come around to fully appreciating this album. But it’s happening. I just read a ranking of Van Morrison’s albums on Stereogum, which was done in 2014 (one year after your piece was posted), and Veedon Fleece was #1.
Thanks Greg for taking time to comment, and with such a detailed response at that.
I was very interested in your comments regarding “Hard Nose The Highway” as a reconstructed double album, as I always felt that the album was not so much a misfire as more of an unrealised or half-hearted effort, something I had put down to emotional turmoil Morrison may have endured at the time in his personal life. Clearly though, this could just as easily have been the result of artistic compromises with record executives who may have thought an introspective double LP would not sell.
Needless to say, that album tanked anyway as a single LP, at least on an artistic level, but your comment causes me to re-evaluate those initial impressions I had of the album.
If it is not too much trouble, Greg, are you able to post up the track sequence you have come up with for your “reconstruction”, as I would appreciate the opportunity to see the album in a different light, rather than the grave disappointment it has always been up to now?
Thanks again for providing your valuable input into the discussion of this seminal album in Van Morrison’s extensive canon.
Side one:
1. Snow In San Anselmo
2. Contemplation Rose
3. Hard Nose The Highway
4. Not Supposed To Break Down (total running time: 20:20)
Side two:
1. Warm Love
2. Laughing In The Wind
3. The Wild Children
4. Madame Joy
5. Lover’s Prayer (total running time: 20:11)
Side three:
1. Bulbs
2. Wonderful Remark
3. Don’t Worry About Tomorrow
4. The Great Deception (total running time: 22:30)
Side four:
1. Green
2. Autumn Song
3. Purple Heather (total running time: 20:23)
As you can see, I left side two of the original album intact and used it as side four. I think those three songs fit together well. I used the same opening track as the original album but scattered the songs on the original side one throughout the first three sides. In general, the songs on my side one are contemplative and serious, side two leans toward lighthearted love songs, and side three is more serious again. I’m still road-testing this album, and I’m not yet sure if side three works for me. The straightforward blues of “Don’t Worry About Tomorrow” may be out of place. But maybe not.
There are two more songs to work with from The Philosopher’s Stone, “Try For Sleep” and “Drumshambo Hustle.” The first is a long one (6:06), sung in falsetto. Not bad, but hard to fit in. The second is a bitter rant against the record industry, similar in theme to “The Great Deception.” It’s catchy, but the chorus features a line, “You were puking up your guts,” that’s a non-starter for me. I’ve read that “Country Fair” was also recorded during the Hard Nose The Highway sessions, but I don’t think it would have fit into the album at all.
I doubt that anyone else would come up with the same double album that I did, but I think mine is reasonable, and I had a lot more fun doing it than I did when I reduced The White Album to a single, which was ultimately an unsatisfying exercise. (When I looked up other people’s single White Albums, I wasn’t crazy about any of theirs either.)
I think a double Hard Nose The Highway would have been panned by critics and would have been a commercial failure as well (at even more expense to the record company than the single album was), but it would have grown in stature over time because double albums are special. Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, for example, is a rather choppy affair, and song-for-song it does not compare to the two blockbuster albums that preceded it, yet it has a certain mystique about it because of its sheer size and has become well-loved by most fans over the years. With a double album, self-indulgence is part of the game.
This double Hard Nose The Highway actually is pretty strong song-for-song, in my opinion, and I think it smooths out the choppiness of the original album’s side one by spreading those songs out and placing them alongside songs that complement them better. Of course, anyone who disagrees can either create their own version or dismiss the whole exercise as a waste of time. Thanks for asking me about this. I hope you didn’t regret it!
No regrets whatsoever, Greg.
I’ll try to listen to the sequence you’ve suggested over the coming weeks and I will see if that overcomes some of my previous misapprehensions about the album in its initial release format. It’s an interesting exercise from my point of view anyway, so I appreciating your passing this information on to me.
Thanks again for your contribution to my blog post.
Greg,
I have listened to your sequence as suggested and I would like to give you feedback for your thought and effort in compiling it.
It is indeed a much better album for the changes you have suggested and flows well from song to song with better thematic links than the rather unfocussed and disconnected feel of the original release. I feel that Side 4 remains a weakness for me personally, with one’s appreciation of the album hinging on what connection the listener might have to both “Green” and “Autumn Song”, before culminating with the fine traditional cover of Wild Mountain Thyme: “Purple Heather”.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, and certainly my view of the “Hard Nose The Highway” album has been enhanced by your unauthorised “reconstruction”.
Thanks for listening to my Hard Nose The Highway double album. I agree that the main weakness is on side four, although I will say that I have gradually come to accept “Bein’ Green” as a lighthearted but enjoyable song along the lines of “I Will Be There” from Saint Dominic’s Preview. That still leaves me with “Autumn Song” though, which is too long and mellow for my tastes. It gets kind of dull, especially the second half. I kept it on there because I figure that if Van included it on the single album he would have also included it on the double, and there was not much more material to work with. Also, I may still learn to appreciate it on some level. By the way, I noticed that the cover art on the Hard Nose The Highway vinyl album is all one picture that wraps around from front to back, so it would’ve worked great on a gatefold sleeve.
As a 17 / 18 year old, late night Irish radio brought me some of Van Morrison’s more popular tracks of the time e.g Coney Island and Real Real Gone, Enlightenment and In the Days before rock and roll. I thought this guys good. In 1991 Astral Weeks came to my attention. I thought this guy’s really good.
As a long term champion of Veedon Fleece (I first heard the album 26 years ago), it remains the most intruiging work (apart from of course Astral Weeks).
I like how it is has become regarded as one of Van’s underground classics. Astral Weeks (which I first heard 28 years ago) used to be in that category until it became somewhat ‘mainstream’ alongside the ever popular Moondance. Could even the awesome Astral Weeks lose some of it’s allure the more popular it becomes? Though, for me, it will remain Van Morrison’s greatest work.
Apart from the aforementioned LP’s, for me, others that exemplify his genius are Tupelo Honey, St Dominic’s Preview, Wavelength, Into the Music, Common One, No Guru, No Method No Teacher, Poetic Champions Compose, Avalon Sunset, Hymns to the Silence and Magic Time. Live, It’s too late to stop now and Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast, excel. Collaborations, it has to be Irish Heartbeat with The Chieftains.
It will interest you and readers that I learn today that Veedon Fleece is to be re-issued on green vinyl. Hoping it’s not a false alarm.
Michael,
Thanks for taking time to comment. Certainly I agree with most of your shortlist of favourite Van Morrison albums, although nearly all of his other “lesser” ones have moments of sheer brilliance and consummate musicianship.
I would probably add the Philosopher’s Stone album to the mix as an excellent and revealing album of alternate takes, as well as those tracks that didn’t make it to the final album, but which were still of prime quality worthy of release in an appropriate format.
I certainly hope that my Veedon Fleece album review enhances your appreciation of it still further, at the risk of preaching somewhat to the converted, given your long standing appreciation of the Veedon Fleece album.
Yes as it happens it was only after my entry to your Blog that I thought I should have included The Philosopher’s Stone 2 cd of alternative takes. We are on the same Wavelength.
Thanks for your quick reply.
Your Veedon Fleece Review is great and very detailed.
Of course there are many other albums that possess ‘sheer brilliance’. For me these are, in particular (excluding output with Them), Blowin’ Your Mind, His band and the Street Choir, Hard Nose the Highway, A Period of Transition, Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech of the heart, A Sense of Wonder and Enlightenment. More ‘recent’ albums Days Like This, The Healing Game, Back on Top, Keep it Simple, Born to Sing – No Plan B and Keep me Singing are also good (when I say ‘good’ I mean by Van’s standards).
Don’t forget ‘Duets’ (2015) album either. Good to see Veedon Fleece is not overlooked on Duets as it contains ‘Streets of Arklow’ with Mick Hucknall. It was the standout track for me on that album.
Your Review has of course got me thinking. I would position the Veedon Fleece tracks in my own order of preference (I have also ‘grouped’ the tracks) as follows:
1. Cul De Sac
2. Fair Play
3. Streets of Arklow
4. Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
5. Who was that masked man
6. Bulbs
7. Country Fair
8. Comfort You
9. Come her my love
10. You don’t pull no punches, but you don’t push the River (though Veedon Fleece’s epic track it just gets too involved for me. I realise that is the point but I do not enjoy it near as much as Van’s other epics such as Almost Independence day and Listen to the Lion, ‘When heart is open’ and ‘Summertime in England’.
Hi there,
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this in-depth, well-researched and enlightening review of Veedon Fleece. I am a big Van fan and have found his mysterious and implicit poetry/lyrics as a large part of why I love his music. Trying to understand the meaning behind his music is part of the fun and I am so appreciative that you have helped me do that.
To me, the influence of his relationships is fascinating and important to interpreting his music. The albums influenced by Janet Rigsbee are particularly close to my heart because it is filled with such optimism and romance and an impressionistic, magical view of life. It is clear that their love was extraordinary and boundless and I feel the need to thank Janet as well as Van for the love songs that are so dear to me.
I am appreciative of Carol Guida for commenting on this fabulous review because I feel like there is little known about that relationship. I would love to hear more about their time together and how that influenced his work.
I will admit, until recently I was less acquainted with Veedon Fleece because in many ways it remains “underground.” However, after diving deeper into the album, it has taken a special place in my heart. It feels like Morrison is looking for something new with a crestfallen outlook… The complexity of the instrumentals and the lyrics are wonderful.
Thank you again for taking the time to post this review!
Best,
Caroline
Boston, MA
Thank you for your comments, Caroline.
It is always a pleasure to hear from people such as yourself who relate to this music on such an emotional level.
Having listened to Van Morrison’s music across the breadth of his considerable catalogue for most of my adult life, from adolescence to my mid 50’s, I believe his singular gift as a song writer is the deeply personal and yet subtle implications he makes in his lyrics, which simultaneously shines a light on his internal perceptions of his memories and life experiences, whilst being sufficiently accessible and universal to the listener that they can draw meaningful parallels to things that are dear to the listener’s heart, without a trace of being even remotely cloying or manipulative.
I hope my interpretation of the Veedon Fleece album enhances your experience of this seminal work of art, an album that I rate at the apex of not only Van Morrison’s considerable oeuvre, but of popular music generally.
At this rather troubling time, we need these emotional connections to what is important to us now more than ever.
All the best to you also, Caroline
Winston
Terrigal, NSW, Australia
Thank you for your kind response, Winston! I couldn’t agree more… Van’s music is both sophisticated and accessible… it is romantic but authentic… I really appreciate your interpretations – thanks again! I hope you are well during this time.
Sincerely,
Caroline
Hello Winston, I’m coming across your excellent and interesting review of VF here in the Halloween of our Year of the COVID. I’ve been captivated by VF for about 42 years, and like others I suppose I felt somewhat alone as lost in the beauty of an incredible musical experience which not a lot of people chose to access.
I was a freshman at the University of Buffalo (UB) in the Fall of 1974, and in that semester the album was available, discounted, at the UB Record Coop, a great student service that was quickly sued out of existence by a local record store in Buffalo, Cavages. I did not spring for the album at that time, I knew who Van Morrison was but had not yet been much exposed to his music. Two years later, while attending another college, I fell under the Van Morrison spell, with Moondance being the gateway drug, the performance at The Last Waltz, and Wavelength to quickly follow. I dove deep, and never resurfaced.
VF is truly magical. I was pleased that Carol Guida chimed in, I never knew the name of that mysteriously beautiful woman in that photo with Van during the castle/dogs photo shoot. Thinking of the cover photo, I remember back in 1974 at the UB Record Coop wondering “what is this dude doing, wearing his Sunday clothes and posing with dogs outside a castle?”
A couple of questions/observations, should you come across my comment and wish to respond:
a. Carol remarked about your insight regarding the “Geronimo” lyric. I could not find any reference from you about that lyric, which is prominent in “Fair Play.” For me it was one of many non sequiturs on the album — which is not a pejorative observation — and I happily followed it, and several others, down the rabbit hole of the album lyrics. Do you think Carol was remarking on your description of the song “Fair Play” when she indicated you “got” the meaning of the Geronimo lyric? Just curious.
b. Not so much a question perhaps, but an observation: Some reviewers (not you) appear to assume that, in “You Don’t Pull No Punches,” Van was referring the the West Coast of the United States (i.e. California) when singing about going down to the “west coast, to the real soul people, to the sands…), etc. I initially assumed that as well, but more lately have come to understand it as the ancient west coast of Ireland. Carol might have some insight there, should she choose to jump in again.
c. Bulbs — from all reports, this New York re-recording was tacked on to the beginning of side two as part of some sort of compromise/bone to throw to the record company looking for a single to throw into the marketplace. Although I enjoy almost all Van Morrison recordings on some level — with the exception of the truly whiny, woe is me stuff he has occasionally sent our way over the last 20 years — I never have warmed to Bulbs. It’s out of place on the album, and does not bridge the incredible ending of “side one” with the treasures to be found in the rest of “side two” – IMHO anyway. Just like some respectable reviewers have opined that “Rolling Hills” should have been left off of “Into the Music” completely, I feel similarly about “Bulbs” — I’d rather it stayed a B side, or an extra to later make it onto something like The Philosopher’s Stone, or something like that.
I also appreciated Greg C. in his comments about Hard Nose the Highway. I’m one of the few people apparently who really enjoys HNTH, while still acknowledging its flaws. It has one truly poor song idea — “The Great Deception” — while the rest of it is stellar, and side two is divine. Yes, I am the kind of guy who finds 10 minutes of “Autumn Song” utterly transfixing, setting a mood that a year later he would extend to virtually the whole album of his Veedon Fleece masterwork. Those who found side two of HDTH to be lightweight fluff, children’s songs followed by aging hippie wine music and fake pastoral nostalgia all around the blooming heather listened to it all very differently than I did…and still do…especially since, in “a week or two will be….Halloween.”
Thanks again for your great writing.
Jim Eddy
Ann Arbor, MI
Hi there Jim,
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my review.
In response to your question about the significance of “Geronimo”, I would draw your attention to Carol Guida’s currently living in Marin County California, and the San Geronimo Valley (and the town of the same name) is not coincidentally located within Marin County.
Clearly then, the reference would appear at least in part to be of Van Morrison and his fiancée having the choice of making their home either in San Geronimo in Marin County, or returning to Ireland, the country of his birth, and therefore back to his spiritual and ancestral roots.
The dual meaning inherent in this comes from saying “Geronimo!”, something invoked when taking a blind leap of faith, which is embodied in the act of embarking on a new life together and settling down to make a home in California.
As to the “Hard Nose The Highway” album, far be it for me to discourage your undoubted appreciation of that LP, but I will admit that I prefer Greg’s reimagining of it as a double album, the altered sequencing and extension of which seems more cohesive and engaging for my personal taste in that format.
Nonetheless, the beauty of Van Morrison’s diverse and broad musical palate, and the sheer extent of his canon is such that there is something for almost every taste and expectation in any number of his individual compositions and albums.
Wishing you all the best in this current pandemic,
Winston
Terrigal, NSW, Australia
PS: I’m quite a rarity in Australia being an avid Buffalo Sabres fan, having been in awe of that great ice hockey player/icon Gilbert Perreault whilst living in Canada in 1974-76, around same time you mentioned you were at the University of Buffalo. It can certainly be a small world in some ways.
Great stuff Winston, thanks.
I’ve come across the “Geronimo” reference perhaps being specific to Meadow’s Way, a street in San Geronimo, an “Easter egg” of sorts inserted into the song, which as you point out reaches the listener on a couple of levels.
If Van Morrison is one of my very favorite artists — which he is — then the Buffalo Sabres are my unquestioned favorite hockey club. Yes, I grew up with the team, starting with their initial expansion season in 1970 when I was 14 years old, so my formative years were enriched by watching the brilliance of The French Connection — and I assumed that this type of magic would always be.
Perrault, Robert, and Martin — I’ve never seen anything like them, and never will again.
Fair play to you — I’ve enjoyed my visits to NSW, and again I’m glad I stumbled on to your excellent blog. A small world indeed!
Jim
Thanks Jim,
Always great to talk to a kindred spirit of sorts, even from half a world away.
And yes, the “French Connection” were truly something else. We’ll probably never see their like again. More’s the pity, but then luckily they are indelibly etched in my memory. I feel I was very fortunate to have witnessed their magical association and sublime skills in their prime.
Happy trails, Jim.
Great article on one of my favourite albums. I’ve linked your post in my own. I hope that’s okay. I’ll remove it if it’s not. Cheers. Mick.
Thanks, Mick.
I’ve left a comment on your blog post, and clearly we have similar perspectives on the album, and some of the detail found in your post fleshes out some areas where I could have been more comprehensive.
All the best,
Winston
Thank you for the heartfelt appreciation and insight into to this amazing work. I have this in my car now and spent a great deal of time driving today looking for the Veedon Fleece. His music, in it’s totality, is a journey. IMHO, as a poet, songwriter, a musician, a band leader..Van is without equal in his or any generation.
Thank you for taking time to comment, Rhonda.
I hope my review enhances your appreciation of this masterful album.
Clearly, we are in agreement regarding Van Morrison’s standing as a supreme artist, whose body of work has a breadth and scope that few, if any other popular music icons can hope to match.