Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece - what a great album!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tangledupinblue, Mar 4, 2012.

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  1. MonkeysCantSwing

    MonkeysCantSwing Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gothenburg, Sweden
    Late-night reminded me about Robert Christgaus review of the album:

    Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece [Warner Bros., 1974]
    I count it as progress that his muse is feeding him baseball metaphors, but Morrison hasn't vented his Gaelic soul so unabashedly since Astral Weeks. He'd get away with it if there were more than one decent song on side two. Soothing, evocative late-night music that indulges his discursive side. Favorite title: "You Don't Pull No Punches but You Don't Push the River." B+
     
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  2. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
    PATCO Speedline
    :laughup:
     
  3. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    Van deeply resents your interest in his back catalogue and will mountains to ensure that you don't get to listen to it.
     
  4. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    Starts strong. Really strong. Love 'Who Was That Masked Man', and the whole thing peaks with 'You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River'. But after 'Bulbs', side two has the four 'C' songs which aren't particularly noteworthy. I mean, they're good as standalone songs, but after such a great stream-of-consciousness lyric, it's all a bit pedestrian. 'Come Here My Love' is the best of the last four. I'd have preferred if he's stepped it up a gear and had something like 'Autumn Song', something that had a bit more joy to bloom out of the pensive first half, and the upbeat 'Bulbs'.

    For the record, I'd still put this third of fourth out of his 'great eight' stretch from Astral to ...Transition. Common One is the only thing I've heard from after this stretch that's as good.
     
  5. Sandinista

    Sandinista Forum Resident

    Veedon Fleece is easily a top 5 Van album for me.

    Very much agree with the sentiment that Van's catalog is simply overflowing with greatness and Veedon simply is in the shadow of Astral Weeks. Moondance and Astral Weeks cast shadows for just about everything that followed - Astral on the mystical side, Moondance on the R&B, Caledonia soul side.

    Veedon Fleece earns it marks for many reasons - but for me - chief among them is that Veedon Fleece is home to Linden Arden Stole the Highlights.

    It is a singular moment in Van's journey - a beautiful, weird, aching, horrifying, bizarre tale with a melody that idles for a bit, soars majestically and then that's it. It's over. And now he's living with a gun.

    I can easily understand why this is not a hit or even a widely celebrated song but I will admit I've always been a bit befuddled why hard core fans don't praise it more - (maybe they do and I am unaware - but in 30 years of being a pretty serious Van fan I don't remember every hearing anyone speak of it).
     
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  6. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    That’s a very good list right there :righton:
     
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  7. Greenalishi

    Greenalishi Birds Aren’t Real

    Location:
    San Francisco
    When i read through this thread and Vans discogrophy it shows how Van has had such an amazing run of interesting and quality music. Almost compulsive like Prince. I don't always love it all but it's always interesting, to me.

    Vans ability to put new stuff together constantly for years just amazes me.
     
    Fender Relic likes this.
  8. JozefK

    JozefK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dixie
    Hard Nose The Highway sure as Hell ain't
     
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  9. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    Objection.
     
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  10. JozefK

    JozefK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dixie
    Overruled
     
  11. AveryKG

    AveryKG Sultan of snacks

    Location:
    west London
    My favourite Van album too...

    A few more thoughts:

    AW v VF poll
     
  12. zappinnati

    zappinnati Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    This is one of my favorite albums of all time! I still remember the night I bought it at the West End Tower Records in Nashville. This is usually the one I save as the deal sealer when trying to convert someone to a fan.
     
  13. Frawls

    Frawls Forum Resident

    Van got mad at a reporter?!?! I don't believe it!! :)
     
  14. Frawls

    Frawls Forum Resident

    I love Veedon Fleece but it's very moody and contemplative not as fun as the albums that came before and after. Moondance, Tupelo Honey and Wavelength are just easier for marginal fans to listen to.
     
  15. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Oops. Timeline error. You’re spot on.
     
  16. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    Had this lp for years and gave it a listen once when i got it, then forgot it. Glad you guys bumped this thread, as good if not better tha Astral
     
  17. Adamski777

    Adamski777 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    You are so right. I found 2 years ago at a car boot sale a copy that was visually mint but the cover was a bit flaky. Get round to cleaning it a week later and it has the maddest edge warp ever. Nothing could tame it so I gave it to a mate of mine who gave up on it and chucked it. Still looking for another copy...
     
  18. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    I had to spend a loooong time on the Bay waiting for a naive seller with no idea of the scarcity of this record to list one. Finally snagged it for about a tenner. Totally worth it.
     
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  19. Adamski777

    Adamski777 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Gotta love those naive sellers! Bless them.
     
  20. Arkay_East

    Arkay_East Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    This is a great great album but I didn't realize it was difficult to find. I see nice copies pretty often for under $20.
     
  21. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    Many years ago we were travelling by car from Wexford to Dublin and were listening to this album on the car stereo. As if by magic, just as we were approaching Arklow, the song “Streets of Arklow” comes on! One of those moments you don’t forget. Cannot remember much else about that journey now.

    I think he did three albums which took the listener to a place he/she had not been before; Astral Weeks, Veedon Fleece and Common One.
     
  22. moonshiner

    moonshiner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
  23. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    From everything Van says, he's got a back-catalog of great recorded and unreleased material, studio, live, demos. Its time for a Van "Bootleg Series." "Philosophers Stone" MAY be the best of the unreleased stuff (up until that point, at least), but I'll bet he could come up with, at least, three "Bootleg Releases" as good as Dylan's archival stuff.

    I know he's been issuing "going deep" version of many of his classic albums, but I'd rather take entire eras as subject matter - like the "Mechanical Bliss" era between "Veedon" and "Period of Transmission" (SO much interesting g stuff recorded). His current rapid release of new material is, partly, a clearing the vaults move.

    As one of the most unique and iconic singer/songwriters of all time, I'm sure there's a fanbase interest and many revelations to be found.
     
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  24. Yeah I think Hard Nose is better than VF. It’s more interesting to me. More adventurous.
     
    pinkrudy likes this.
  25. Mezzer

    Mezzer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon, UK
    Well, I love them both, but think that VF is probably Van's most ambitious/adventurous album, bar Astral Weeks!
     
    Mazzy likes this.
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