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| The cover image, obviously photoshopped, shows Van holding the 'The Genuine Philosopher's Stone' bootleg. |
'Catalog Strays 1965-2000' is a 3CD, 51track collection set of various unreleased studio sessions, various guest appearances that Van has done on other artists' CDs over the years, and some of Van's CD singles.
The sound quality is exceptional throughout.
Disc One:
01. Little Girl
(with famous "fuck" fade)
02. Bring Em On In
(genuine stereo mix)
03. Turn On Your Love Light
(genuine stereo mix)
04. It's All Over Now Baby Blue
(genuine stereo mix)
05. I Gave My Love A Diamond
(accidental alternate mix to "Story Of Them")
06. Mighty Like A Rose
(from German only "Them Featuring..." CD)
07. Brown Eyed Girl
(instrumental B side)
08. Ro Ro Rosey
(single version with girl singers)
09. When The Evening Sun Goes Down
(single B side alternate take)
10. 4% Pantomine
(from "Cahoots" with The Band)
11. Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive
(with John Lee Hooker)
12. Redwood Tree
(single B side alternate mix)
13. You've Got The Power
(single B side)
14. Caledonia
(withdrawn single A side)
15. What's Up Crazy Pup
(unknown single B side)
16. Tell Me About Your Love
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
17. Mechanical Bliss
(unknown single B side)
18. Sax Instrumental
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
19. John Brown's Body
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
Disc Two:
01. I'm Ready
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
02. Dead Girls Of London
(unreleased track with Frank Zappa)
03. Wonderful Remark
(King of Comedy Soundtrack)
04. Mr Thomas
(unknown single B side)
05. All Saint's Day (instrumental B side)
06. Send In The Clowns (with Chet Baker)
07. Moondance
(with Georgie Fame)
08. Cover The Waterfront
(with John Lee Hooker)
09. I Can't Stop Loving You
(with the Chieftains)
10. All Saints Day
(with the Chieftains)
11. Carrying A Torch
(with the Chieftains)
12. That's Where It's At
(with the Holmes Brothers)
13. Serves Me Right
(with John Lee Hooker)
14. Have I Told You Lately
(with the Chieftains)
15. Full Force Gale
(CD single B side)
16. Look What The Good People Done
(Japanese release"The Healing Game "CD single B side)
Disc Three:
01. Celtic Spring
(withdrawn CD single)
02. St Dominic's Preview
(1996 TV version with Van on acoustic guitar)
03. I Will Be There
(with Pee Wee Ellis and the NDR Band)
04. If You Love Me
(with BB King)
05. The Healing Game
(with John Lee Hooker)
06. Don't Look Back
(with John Lee Hooker)
07. Travellin' Blues
(with John Lee Hooker)
08. Shenandoah
(Long Journey Home soundtrack)
09. I Don't Want To Go On Without You
(unknown CD single)
10a. That Ol' Black Magic
(Days Like This CD single B side)
10b. Yo [Instrumental]
(Days Like This CD single B side)
11. At The End Of The Day
(Japanese release "The Healing Game" CD single B side)
12. The Healing Game
(withdrawn CD Single version)
13. Before The World Was Made
(unknown CD Single)
14a. Turn On Your Love Light
(with Howling Wolf)
14b. Ain't Nothing You Can Do
(with Howling Wolf)
15. Muleskinner Blues
(Jimmy Rogers tribute album)
This freeload has appearances by: The Band, John Lee
Hooker, Frank Zappa, Georgie Fame, The Chieftains, Chet Baker, The
Holmes Brothers, Pee Wee Ellis, BB King, Howlin' Wolf and more.
For the freeload, what other artists would you like to have seen, or see Van work with?
While I feel like Van has lost the thread here of late (going back to COVID), his chops remain undeniable...his duet with Sinead O'Conner was pretty great and I think he woulda/coulda/shoulda paired nicely with Emmylou Harris. I also imagine, in a very different direction, him pairing up with The Replacements. Humor me. There is a wild thread they share, I swear. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteThe COVID fiasco was weird even for Van, who has always struck me as "wrapped too tight" in the first place. Emmylou and The Replacements are pretty cool picks!
DeleteANON RF: South Orange Arena, late 1960's, my 16 year old school buddy went to see Van Morrison. The Man asked early on if there was anyone in the audience who knew his repertoire and played guitar. My friend's hand flew up, as he indeed fit the bill, he was picked out of the crowd and, I hear, knocked it out of the park (or the Arena). Those were the days when magic could flare up out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteWell seeing him front up a line up that included Clapton, Page and Beck with say Alan Price, Brian Auger or Graham Bond on keyboards, Wyman, Entwhistle McVie, Jones (B or JP) and the likes on bass and say one of the likes of Moon, Bonham, Baker, Watts and so forth on drums in a mid 60's supergroup would have been something to behold.
ReplyDeleteWith their shared love of the folk music of the British Isles, a collaboration between Van and Richard Thompson could produce some interesting results.
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising, Van and Richard never collaborated.
DeleteWhen he was in an R&B mood, he would have paired with Dr. John in excellent fashion.
ReplyDeleteHa! I totally forgot about "A Period Of Transition"! I rest my case and try to find my Prevagen bottle...
DeleteAlways liked his stuff with Them. Baby, Please Don't Go...
ReplyDeleteThe Meters
ReplyDeletePretty certain whatever chance that combo would have had when The Meters were a thing, were squashed given the bad blood that existed between Dr. John and Morrison. But, it would have been interesting if for no other reason to have been a fly on the wall when Art Neville would have encountered Morrison.
DeleteOne nigh at The Knigfish The Meters did a 15-20 minute vamp of "Gloria" that took the paint off the walls.
DeleteI heard them perform Glora a couple of times, and really enjoyed their take on it. I have never seen their cover on any bootleg or video stream, though.
DeleteLink
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/fqQq8TVSTQP
For an off the wall pairing, how about Van and Buena Vista Soical Club?!? Ry Cooder may have been able to pull off that combo.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to hear where he was wrong about so called pandemic. 2026 is just around the corner and it seems that you are still totally ignorant. And what about vax injured Eric Clapton?
ReplyDeleteBy the way listen to the experts who are suing the evildoers before the Dutch court.
https://www.youtube.com/@StichtingRechtOprecht
er...sure, dada.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have heard Van duet with Barbara Lewis. They are both still alive so it is technically possible, but that window probably closed decades ago.
Dada needs his mama. Eric Clapton had a bad reaction -- does that nullify the millions who died, the millions who didn't die but suffered greatly, or the millions who got sick from it? Oh, for the good ol' days when ignorant folk were the local eccentrics, and they didn't have the internet to find out the other fuck-ups around the world existed, and they lived their pathetic little lives, died, and life went on, instead of them finding other fools to poison the conversation, medicine, science, and politics (which is toxic enough without them).
ReplyDeleteThis poor-resolution recording of Van and Bob is sublime.
C in California
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gape5ixZDZA&list=RDGape5ixZDZA&start_radio=1
The Pogues might have been an interesting collaboration
ReplyDelete