Around 1968 my friend Trev loaned me an old vinyl L.P. record and said 'Listen to this'. I put it on my old Dansette and went to wash in the bathroom. This incredible noise seeped thru the steam, a wonderful voice surrounded by this astounding sound which I found familiar but not. The voice was Van Morrison which I had unknowingly heard before as the singer in a mid-sixties group called them on tracks like 'Here comes the night' and 'Gloria'. His voice on 'Astral Weeks' grew on me and I became an early fan of the Man. Since then I've seen him several times - some sublime, others forgettable. In Norfolk last year I was escorted away by 2 heavies as I tried to record on film my memories at an average gig. I cannot dig the police state thing about not taking photos etc but as an artist I have the perfect foil, I draw them!  So here is one I did earlier, my illustrated songlist.

On Saturday at The Albert Hall I saw someting very special! It was as if he knew all those years ago he had made a large rough diamond which needed cutting and only years of going into the studio and on the road would give him the skills to model the precious jewel until it was right. Van showed us his perfect cut diamond but not before he treated us to a wonderful medley of some of his best songs. He sang what must be my favourite of all his song 'And It Stoned Me' and I sang along like a gud 'un. He put so much into them I wondered when he wandered off grunting and wailing like a lion might if he could possibly have the energy to do Astral Weeks as well? He returned 20 minutes later in an incredibly ill-fitting black leather outfit plus his famous fedora hat complete with white guitar looking like a latter-day Gene Vincent. He jumped into Astral Weeks before his band had caught up. Soon the place was enthralled as his small collection of supremely tight musicians took us thru the classic album. He Slim Slow Rode his way thru those inimical tunes giving them the benefit of his 40 years 'walking the boards'. Or in Van's case standing still on them. He added at the end of 'Cypress Avenue': " Pick them apples...We godda Windfall" and we had! I never realised his singing the words "I just don't know what to do.." surreptitiously ended the album as he slipped silently into 'Listen To The Lion' inside of me, which is from 'St. Dominic's Preview' as if it had always been on Astral Weeks! Then as usual he just walked away stage right. But this time he came back and started singing something that turned out to be 'Mystic Eyes' and the stage was set for Glorious 'Gloria' which got the audience singing the famous lady's name and I'm sure it was my room she came to. He finished with a lovely rendition of 'Who Do You Love' then went. That was a windfall in the Autumn of my days and made me glad I had painted my oil of him holding the sax in 1986, this version is now coiled round with fishes.

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