Van Morrison - Cyprus Avenue (Live)

Loose_Lips

Great write up that.

I’ll give it a listen. I love what I know of him but it’s very limited understanding to his songs.

fuzzy

Brilliant write up. I want to say something about this song and version and Ivan but I’ve had three cans and it won’t do them justice so I’ll return to it.

Jon

Oh boy. I don’t like this version. Lovely write up though.

Misura

Jon my thoughts exactly. A beautiful, heartfelt write up, but he’s butchered the song. The Astral Weeks version doesn’t need adjustment.

Astral Weeks; now there’s a work of genius.

I used to know an accountant that worked at the biggest firm for musicians in that there London. Dealt with all the big hitters, in fact all the huge hitters. He obviously never mentioned figures, but he always said that you’d be amazed at how much Van Morrison was worth/earned. Jaw droppingly amazed.

He also said that he used to wear a bejewelled cock ring (having stood next to him at the urinal a couple of times).

Harvest

Listened to just about everything he’s put out - the good, the bad and the ugly and there’s been a whole load of the latter two. Seen him five times maybe. He’s still at it but it all seems a tad cabaret now.

He was a go to for years and years but in the last couple of years I’ve drifted away a little- no flounce, just a gentle parting. But he’s always there and I’ll float gently back. It’s inevitable really as I’ve been to his house, he wasn’t in.

It’s a great album but I prefer the original track on there. Nice words.

Cyprus Ave 2018

Misura

Harvest #Stalker

Sardine-Tree

Travis_Bickle
I fell asleep at one of his concerts at the Apollo!! Then a couple of years later, spent time at the T&C bar watching from a distance.
Never my cup of tea. Nor his backing band either apparently. I did some portraits of a member a couple of years later, and he told me what they did to his saxophone mouthpiece for the last night of the tour!!!

Rudi

Glastonbury 88 or 89, I was stretched out near the main stage with a few ales and a doobie when on saunters Van Morrison and Georgie Fame. I only really knew their names and not their music at this point. I considered getting up and going down to the other stage to watch Dumpy’s Rusty Wonderful Sex Machine but I couldn’t be arsed to move.
About an hour later Van is doing In The Garden and I’m mesmerised. The next day I bought a bootleg tape of the previous day’s gig and we played it all the way home in the car. From that point on I was devouring his albums. My favourites are Veedon Fleece, Beautiful Vision, St Dominics Preview and Astral Weeks. Saw him another three times, once in Sheffield where he flounced off stage after breaking two guitars and twice in Hull, one time he was incredible, the next time it was like watching some begrudging R&B pensioner go through the motions.
Did a tour with my old band with his road crew once. Told me Van once sacked a tech for talking to a woman at a bar, and sacked another guy whose keyring hung too low from his belt.“No feckin key danglers in my operation.” Reckoned he was on about two bottles of brandy a day. A genius, but flawed, like they all are.

Djpekingman

Rudi Saw Georgie Fame a couple of years back the Ska Festival. While his influence and history cannot be denied or ignored he came across a right obnoxious borderline racist has been. I’ve heard similar about Van.

Jon

Rudi Saw him at Sheffield City Hall once. Two car loads of us went. The only two who seemed to enjoy it were the two drivers. Kept wandering off leaving some lad in a bright red jacket to sing and or his daughter to sing. The most coherent thing he said all night was , ‘Ladies and Gentlemen Georgie Flame.’ I ended up outside wit the smokers.
I like quite a few of his albums. Street Chior is my favourite and I imagine it’s Kevin Rowland’s too.
I knew a bloke who bought the rights to an Irish festival upstate New York. He had grand ideas of getting Van to headline. I remember telling Noah off here about it. His reaction was, ‘I hope he’s got lots of money.’ I don’t remember how much his fee was but it never came to pass. I asked my pal whatever happened to getting Van he just shook his head and muttered something like , Greedy bastard.’

CharlieG

I can listen to Van and quite like a song/album but that’s about it. This is OK but I won’t return to it anytime soon.

Rudi

Djpekingman A lot of the old guard seem to end up as dotty old bitter fuckers don’t they? Weird.

Rudi

Jon He does have something of a reputation as a full-weight Shop Front. This roadie fella told us that Van’s favourite trick was to not turn up for the sound check night after night, then on the last night he would send a spy to check if the crew had fucked off to the pub, and if they had he would head on down to the venue immediately and rant and rave and sack them all on the spot.

Jon

Rudi He sounds like a total idiot. Maybe that’s the price that must be paid for genius in one particular field?

The landlord in our old local had seen him about a dozen or so times and reckoned most of the shows were crap but the good ones were really, really good.

Under-the-ground

I just can’t get on board with it. I have tried. Sorry Van.

Is he a Morrissey type of figure I wonder? You either do or don’t?

90Piesanhour

I like the track. I quite like Van Morrison, and I think I have a CD somewhere, but haven’t played him for yonks. Couldn’t name you many tracks other than the ‘famous’ ones, but he’s a lot better than many groups/artists I could mention. 8/10 for the Pieman.