Happy Video Birthday 2008 to Irish Keltic Shaman Van Morrison

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we send a huge happy shout-out to one of the ultimate musical talents in history, the incomparable Van Morrison. If Van The Man had written only "Gloria" or "Brown Eyed Girl," his place in music history would have been secured forever. When you add "Astral Weeks," "Madame George," "Moondance," "Into the Mystic," "Caravan," "Wild Night," and dozens of other amazing compositions, this guy is for the ages. Today I have some extraordinary videos of this extraordinary man.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and raised on American blues legends like Jelly Roll Morton, Lead Belly, Muddy Waters, and Ray Charles, this unique singer, songwriter, poet and Master of Celtic soul became one of the best of all time. Reclusive, temperamental, eccentric, the Belfast Cowboy is a true genius of our times. "All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other..." Wow. He ranges across all kinds of musical styles from scat to rock to Keltic to blues. His music is deep, moving, infectious, and you can bet he's NEVER done a performance on autopilot.

The videos all come from his official website, vanmorrison.com, which of course you should visit for the latest on Van the Man. They are fairly dark, and unfortunately many require that you wait for them to load, then when they begin to play you must hit the pause button and wait for at least 2-3 minutes for the entire thing to stream before hitting the play button. Otherwise they stop part way through several times. The YouTube videos are the same videos that don't require as much load or stream time, but some are obscured with his logo and the Exile label.

And so, on with the show! (Magical lyrics to 2 of them below the links)

You Tube's Brown Eyed Girl - An unbelievable early performance from London 1973. Awesome! For the video from Van's site, Brown Eyed Girl

Here's the You Tube version of Gloria from a 1979 Belfast concert. Stunning performance from the man who wrote this classic! Here's the link to Van's site - Gloria.

Live in a studio from 2006, here's the magical Wild Night - Lyrics below.

For your enjoyment, a live 2008 performance in Spain of the title track of one of the greatest albums ever made, Astral Weeks

This is one of my personal early favorites. A live 2008 Chicago performance of Madame George

I was a BIG fan when this came out a long time ago. A live 1996 studio performance of the title song of a great album, St. Dominic's Preview. Here's the version from Van's site: St. Dominic's Preview.

There are plenty of other videos on his site of newer material, including such video gems as Tupelo Honey, Keep It Simple, In The Afternoon, Lover Come Back, Fire In The Belly, As Young Lovers Do, and many more. By all means, enjoy tripping through the unbelievable art that is the life of the amazing Van Morrison.

Thank you for being alive and "blowin' your mind." You have made my life and the lives of millions happier and more mystical for your love of bein' yourself. Happy Birthday!

Copyright © 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Here are two of my favorites from his earlier years.

ASTRAL WEEKS

If I ventured in the slipstream Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me? Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down In silence easy
To be born again To be born again
From the far side of the ocean If I put the wheels in motion
And I stand with my arms behind me And Im pushin on the door
Could you find me? Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down In silence easy
To be born again To be born again
There you go Standin with the look of avarice
Talkin to huddie ledbetter Showin pictures on the wall
Whisperin in the hall And pointin a finger at me
There you go, there you go Standin in the sun darlin
With your arms behind you And your eyes before
There you go Takin good care of your boy
Seein that hes got clean clothes Puttin on his little red shoes
I see you know hes got clean clothes A-puttin on his little red shoes
A-pointin a finger at me And here I am
Standing in your sad arrest Trying to do my very best
Lookin straight at you Comin through, darlin
Yeah, yeah, yeah If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dreams Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop Could you find me
Would you kiss-a my eyes Lay me down In silence easy
To be born again To be born again
To be born again In another world
In another world In another time
Got a home on high
Aint nothing but a stranger in this world
Im nothing but a stranger in this world
I got a home on high
In another land So far away So far away
Way up in the heaven Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven Way up in the heaven
In another time In another place
In another time In another place
Way up in the heaven Way up in the heaven
We are goin up to heaven We are goin to heaven
In another time In another place
In another time In another place
In another face

WILD NIGHT

As you brush your shoes And stand before the mirror
And you comb your hair And grab your coat and hat
And you walk, wet streets Tryin to remember
All the wild breezes In your memry ever.
And evrything looks so complete When youre walkin out on the street
And the wind catches your feet And sends you flyin, cryin
Ooh-wee! The wild night is calling.
And all the girls walk by Dressed up for each other
And the boys do the boogie-woogie On the corner of the street
And the people passin by Just stare in wild wonder
And the inside juke-box Roars out just like thunder.
And evrything looks so complete When youre walkin out on the street
And the wind catches your feet And sends you flyin, cryin
Ooh-wee! The wild night is calling.

Comments

[Inanna]

Hello Robert,
Thanks for the lyrics. Van Morrison is the poet-shaman who wrote in his youth "Into the Mystic" and later in life "The Healing Game".
Often it is the beauty of the day or the turn of an elequent phrase that gives balm to the pain and the fear of the moment, dispelling the illusion of our being separate.
I am off to the beach to release an old wound of "undeserving of being loved", a feeling of being too strange, too different, too separate. I hope to call in my guides and allies to guide my prayers. I want to use the current pressures to ride the high seas of sudden divorce after 18 years. My husband's charts seem show him to be riding well and gaining in energy. My charts full of squares and darker challenges, it is easy for him to blame me for the dissolution of our marriage. I am looking for that important place of Self Love and knowing that I did my best, don't take it personally, and make no assumptions. DOB 8/30/1953 usa CST
I am beginning to learn about astrology and have enjoyed the open classroom here. Hoping to add useful insights to the discussion in the near future.

[Robert]

Hi Inanna - Van's lyrics bent with his marvelous voice can truly bring us to altered states! Shamans do that. Enjoy the beach and communing with Divine Mother in her vastness. We're all "too strange, too different, too separate" until we claim our uniqueness. Divorce is painful, but frees us to dance with the wind on the beach with anything and anyone that calls our heart to the mystery of eternal growth. You probably don't know what he's going through or will, despite appearances. Squares challenge us to put the brakes on old unproductive tendencies and turn corners at Eternity Boulevard. If it takes two to make a marriage, it takes two to create the conditions of separation. You probably did do your best, since if you could have done "better" you would have. The part about not taking things personally and making no assumptions shows you've been reading a very good text. Impeccability in one's word is often the source of many separations from others. That's how we learn who the others on our Soul Ray path are and aren't. Saturn on your Sun shows you've hit your limit about what you can and cannot live with since everything you defined about your light since the late 70s has now been fulfilled, for "better" or for "worse." In any case, you've matured, and can now shine your light with greater authenticity than ever before.

[Sandy]

Hi Robert,
There’s a Van tune for every mood. Magical is a great description for his music. I am blessed to have seen him perform a number of times. One memorable show was in the late 80’s, in the DC area, with Roger McGuinn and Richard Thompson each playing a set before Van took the stage. It was the last concert I attended with my first husband. Inanna’s words reminded me of many things; some of them, painful. So thanks, for the words of wisdom for those of us who have traveled the sometimes necessary road of divorce, for the links to possibly my all time favorite artist, and for the chance to say Happy Birthday, Van.

Namaste

[Robert]

Hi Sandy - I believe Van the Man to be one of those rare beings who stirs deep things in everyone who listens to his music. Maybe the ancient magic of the Kelts lives on in him, and reawakens in all of us who participate in the blessing. While divorce is painful, it also opens the door to new relationships that reveal us to us. Eventually we find our Twin Flame, and then divorce no more, in this life or any another, since the conjunctio is as forever as we can imagine while we're still in a body.