VEEDON FLEECE

'''Veedon Fleece''' is the eighth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in February, 1974 (see 1974 in music). The album was recorded shortly after Morrison's divorce from wife Janet (Planet) Rigsbee and subsequent retreat to Ireland on vacation with his new fiancee and his manager, Stephen Pillster. He wrote all of the songs on the album (except "Bulbs", "Country Fair" and "Come Here My Love") plus one that would evolve into "The Street Only Knew Your Name" in less than three weeks time.^[1]

Contents

Songs

Critical appraisal

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Notes

References

External Links

Songs

The opening track, "Fair Play" derived its name from Morrison's Irish friend, Donall Corvin's habit of using the Irish colloquialism "fair play to you" as a wry compliment. Morrison goes into stream of consciousness mode and conjures up some childhood games and expressions such as "Geronimo" and the The Lone Ranger's cry of "Hi Ho Silver".^[2]
"Linden Arden Stole the Highlights" segues into "Who Was That Masked Man" (sung in falsetto) which has an identical melody. The story line is about a mythological Irish expatriate living in San Francisco who when cornered turns violent and then goes into hiding, "living with a gun," and once again references a childhood interest in The Lone Ranger. Morrison described the anti-hero Linden Arden as being "about an image of an Irish American living in San Francisco - it's really a hard man type of thing, whilst the latter was a song about what it's like when you absolutely cannot trust anybody. Not as in some paranoia, but in reality."^[3]
"You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River" is often said to be one of Morrison's most accomplished compositions. He revealed that it owed a lot to his readings in Gestalt therapy. It begins as a love song celebrating a young girl's childhood, then goes into a journey along the west coast of Ireland and then suddenly goes into a mythological search for an object he calls the "Veedon Fleece". Musically, it combines a woodwind section and strings, both played in blocked chords. The transition between the real and mythological phases is transmitted in a dramatic fashion with the use of flute and strings.
"Streets of Arklow" describes a perfect day in "God's green land" and is a tribute to the Wicklow town visited during this vacation trip.^[4]
On the second side of the album the songs "Bulbs" and "Cul De Sac" focus on emigration to America and homecoming. "Comfort You", "Come Here My Love" and "Country Fair" (with the latter two using the traditional Irish ballad style) are meditations on Ireland and love in a pastoral setting.^[5]

Critical appraisal

Critics initially reacted by underrating or ignoring the album, as it was such a departure from Morrison's more familiar R&B and soul genres. Both Rolling Stone and Melody Maker printed reviews that were dismissive. However, the current ''Rolling Stone'' biography of Morrison hails the album as "the culmination of everything Van was doing up to that point, all celtic mystic tumult in the vocals and pastoral beauty in the music" and ranks it among "his most majestic music".^[6]
Scott Thomas states in his review: "Veedon Fleece is one of the most ambitious albums ever made and one of the greatest: inexhaustible, eclectic, inspiring, beautifully performed, intellectually challenging, it remains the pinnacle of Morrison's art."^[7]
Johnny Rogan concludes that "If Morrison had never recorded again, ''Veedon Fleece'' would have served as an exquisite requiem and epitaph."^[8]
Elvis Costello has been quoted as referring to this album one of his favourites.

Track listing

All songs by Van Morrison
'Side One'
#"Fair Play" – 6:12
#"Linden Arden Stole The Highlights" – 2:36
#"Who Was That Masked Man" – 2:42
#"Streets of Arklow" – 4:32
#"You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River" – 8:48
'Side Two'
#"Bulbs" – 4:15
#"Cul de Sac" – 5:42
#"Comfort You" – 4:21
#"Come Here My Love" – 2:18
#"Country Fair" – 5:35

Personnel

★ Van Morrison - guitar, keyboards, saxophone, vocal

★ David Hayes - bass guitar

★ John Tropea - guitar

★ Jeff Labes - keyboards

★ Joe Macho - bass

★ Jim Rothermel - flute, recorders

★ Nathan Rubin - strings

★ Jack Schroer - piano, saxophone

★ Allen Schwarzberg - drums

★ David Shaw - clarinet, percussion

★ James Trumbo - keyboards

★ Ralph Wash - guitar

Charts

'Album' - Billboard

Year	Chart	Position
1974	Pop Albums	53

Notes

1. Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, pp. 277- 278
2. Rogan, No Surrender, p. 298
3. Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 279
4. Rogan, No Surrencer , pp. 299-300
5. Rogan, No Surrender, p. 300
6. ''Rolling Stone'' biography of Van Morrison
7. Scott Thomas Review
8. Rogan, No Surrender, p. 301

References

★ Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7

★ Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison:No Surrender, London:Vintage Books ISBN 9780099431831

External Links

Scott Thomas Review and Lyrics