Under the radar, a new Van Morrison album has arrived. On Morrison’s website, the release of Live at Orangefield, had been promised for a while, and last month, on vinyl and CD, on Van the Man’s Orangefield Records, it went on sale.
I subscribe to iTunes, and with any artist whose work I’ve downloaded, I will usually find that performer’s latest effort on the “New Releases” tab of my Apple Music homepage. But not always with Morrison, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member who has released an astounding 45 studio albums since 1967.
Morrison, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, also has cut six live albums. His first one, It’s Too Late to Stop Now–an expanded edition was issued in 2016–is one of the best live albums ever. His second live collection, Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast, obviously was recorded in his hometown.
As was Live at Orangefield. The Belfast Cowboy’s first live performance took place with his skiffle group in 1959 at Orangefield High School when he was a student there. In 2014, the school closed, and to salute the school–and even more so Belfast–Morrison, with his always tight band, returned.
A Facebook Morrison group–Van, by the way, is no fan of Facebook–alerted me that Live at Orangefield was available to download. Apple didn’t notify me. Possibly, because both musically and in interviews, Morrison was probably the most strident opponent among entertainment industry figures of the COVID lockdowns, that online slight was intentional. Three Morrison singles, one recorded with Eric Clapton, attacked government COVID-related restrictions. The triple-vinyl album, Latest Record Project Volume One and its follow-up, What’s It Gonna Take?–continued the pushback.
While there were some favorable reviews, most critics savaged, unfairly, that output. Rock critics are mostly an intellectually vapid lot–and like sportswriters, most of them prefer writing about politics when the opportunity arises. Morrison, despite his legendary status, offered those mental midgets a ripe target. But history has been kind to this septuagenarian rebel. At the very least, the COVID lockdowns were an overreach. Still, in the media and the music business, Van Morrison, is almost certainly purposely ignored.
In a Google News search, as of this writing, I could only find two reviews of Live at Orangefield.
And that’s a pity, because Live at Orangefield is an essential Morrison work. While Morrison has a reputation as an aloof and ornery fellow–which is either not true or it is possibly an exaggeration pushed by those self-worshipping rock critics–he offers some charm here.
In a mostly spoken-word piece on this album, “On Hyndford Street,” Morrison calls out to the crowd, “If any of the guys from ‘the street’ are here, give me a shout if you remember this one.”
Playing ’round Mrs. Kelly’s lamp Going out to Holywood on the bus And walking from the end of the lines to the seaside Stopping at Fusco’s for ice cream [loud cheers follow] In the days before rock ‘n’ roll.
I looked it up–I don’t know if the establishment I found online is the same Fusco’s that Morrison and his pals used to patronize, but there is a Fusco’s in Belfast.
Van the Man was born on August 31, 1945 at 145 Hyndford Street. And particularly with “On Hyndford Street,” which as originally released on the Hymns to the Silence double album, but also on other tracks here, listeners get the feeling that they are participating in a walking tour of Belfast–with Morrison as a tour guide.
I’ve only seen Morrison once in concert–he was fantastic. Morrison has a reputation for not playing many of his hits from the overexposed “classic rock” era. But Van is a performer, not a fossil, and if he had fossilized his career, then he’d be on the stale casino circuit along with Lynard Skynard, which carries on even though that band has no original members left on its roster. But they play the hits, as do the Van Morrison tribute bands.
But there are some of those Van hits on Live at Orangefield. The album opens with the instrumental “Celtic Excavation,” and then segues to “Into the Mystic.” Belfast of course is a seaport. I don’t know if this stanza is about Belfast, but it could be.
And when that foghorn blows I will be coming home And when the foghorn blows I want to hear it I don’t have to fear it.
Another hit, albeit a minor one, “Cleaning Windows,” follows. Morrison’s job before becoming a full-time musician was toiling as a window washer in Belfast. Then comes “Orangefield” and “Moondance.”
Other Belfast-related songs include “Got to Go Back” and “Northern Muse (Solid Ground).”
Another highlight here is “That’s Life,” the Frank Sinatra song, which Morrison recorded with Georgie Fame in 1995. Lyrically it’s an important addition to the set list, and musically too. In the 2000s and the following decade, much of Van the Man’s output had a jazzy and swing feel. New age jazz is a genre Morrison worked with in the 1980s; several of the songs I mentioned earlier utilize that sound.
Live at Orangefield is an essential collection for the Morrison fan, and it’s a good place to start, particularly if you enjoy jazz-flavored popular music, if you want to learn more about this fantastic musician.
And if you live in Belfast–then, man, what are you waiting for?
One more thing: Smart people listen to Van Morrison.
Live at Orangefield is available in vinyl and CD forms at Van Morrison.com. And you can download it at iTunes and stream it on Spotify.
CBS’ popular series Young Sheldon has been trending on twitter/X last night because the character of George Cooper, Sheldon’s Dad excellently played by Lane Smith was killed off by a heart attack.
It was very realistic in the sense there wasn’t a lot of “drama” involved. No big scene with him, nobody else around, he left for work that morning heading for his job in the knowledge that he had just achieved what has to be the dream of every high school football coach in Texas, being recruited to coach at the college level and just like that he was gone, all of his plans and the plans of his family eliminated in an instant.
All over twitter all kinds of users were in mourning even though it had been established by the parent series “The Big Bang Theory” that Sheldon’s dad died when he was 14. Everyone knew it was coming, although perhaps they figured it was coming next week or they and the fictitious Cooper would get a chance to say goodbye. The series writer Chuck Lorre who has a history of leaving endcards at the end of his shows left this one:
Eighteen years ago , when we were writing and producing The Big Bang Theory, it seemed like a good idea to imagine that Sheldon’s childhood was deeply disrupted by the loss of his father. No one could have thought that someday we would regret that decision. That someday is now.
There were a lot of tears on stage when this episode’s last scene was shot. A reminder that we had all fallen in love with a fictional character Which is itself, a reminder to love the characters in our live who are real. To do otherwise is to live with regret
While I agree with the sentiment I found it rather ironic considering this story from a few days ago concerning Chris Cuomo late of CNN, apparently having nasty side effects from the COVID Vaccine and is taking ivermectin daily, the same drug that the administration along with practically the entire media and entertainment industry and CNN insisted was only for horses and urged the public to avoid.
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo admits he now takes Ivermectin *everyday* to treat his Covid vaccine injury
You can’t make this up
For years, he bashed Joe Rogan & others who took Ivermectin
You were a part of one the most powerful news organizations in the world and you bullied and shamed the genuine questions from the public that you were supposed to be offering unbiased news to. Instead, you all called them “anti vaxxers” and “alt right extremists”. Don’t try and change the story now. Show some humility. People weren’t allowed to sit next to their loved ones as they died because of the propaganda you spread! This phase in major news media history will go down as one of the most embarrassing, destructive moments that cost people’s lives and careers, broke up families and destroyed our economy. You don’t look like a hero now, you look arrogant with no idea how deep this goes for the people this destroyed.
Now for the record Mr. Lorre while supporting Joe Biden, did not attack people who didn’t take the vaccine (putting up a single vanity card making a joke about side vaccine side effects) and I can’t find a single entry in his cards containing the word: “ivermectin”
But I DO wonder how many people in mourning over George Cooper online were part of the crowd that pressured people into taking the COVID vaccines, who went after people who recommend ivermectin, who were part of the crowd who tired to cancel Joe Rogan for speaking the truth about this subject?
I wonder how many of them were hiring managers who would not let people work if they didn’t get the vax, I wonder how many of them were people involved in decision making that penalized and ostracized folks in the medical profession who spoke out about the safety of Ivermectin and how many if they were not part of that decision making crowd, merely added their voices online in support of the treatment of any who dared strayed from the orthodoxly of the message pushed every day by the media, the administration and the left?
I wonder if such people have any grief for all those families whose suffering and grief are real and question, even for a tiny moment, if they had any the slightest part in enabling that suffering and reflect on it.
I suspect such number are few but for those who are self aware enough, particularly those who had the power over others and made decisions that cost lives, be aware forgiveness for these acts is a single sacramental confession away.
To nobody’s huge surprise, “Dr” Fauci revealed that the 6 foot “social distancing” rule was basically made up.
More made-up science. If you doubted it back then, you were ridiculed as anti-science, censored, silenced. Now it becomes clear: “trust the science” really means “obey authority.” https://t.co/pMETn98T4R
Lest anyone forget, there were plenty of 6-foot Nazis that screamed at you for getting inside the 6 foot distance…unless it was at a BLM riot. People were doing all sorts of logical backflips to justify riots while shutting down church services. I remember having to open church doors and stream service using a cell phone, laptop and projector so the people outside could still attend.
What frickin’ rubbish.
But that’s not the point of this article. During this time thousands of service members were dismissed from service for refusing the vaccine, which we are finding doesn’t work well, and that COVID is going to essentially be like the flu: annoying, even temporarily incapacitating, but not really a threat to young and healthy that (at least now) make up our military force. Most of these were General Discharges, which can negate the amount of VA benefits you receive. Worse still, this was done as businesses were recovering from the shutdown, so many servicemembers and their families suffered through unemployment and underemployment.
Plenty of Republican lawmakers are making it easy for those members to return to service, and most are…not taking it. These same lawmakers are proposing legislation to open VA benefits to these servicemembers and discharge upgrades. I don’t have an issue with any of this, except that this is first aid, and in reality people should be fighting back.
First aid helps people that have been hurt. In this case, servicemembers got screwed out of good jobs, retirement benefits, VA benefits, and all the other things they were promised if they raised their hand to defend our country. Restoring those things will help in the near term, but its not going to repair the long term damage done. Look at how poorly our recruiting efforts are going. More than a few young people watched how a loved one was poorly treated and said “Gee, I’m not signing up for that!”
First aid isn’t enough. People need to fight back.
Every official that pushed this nonsense needs to be punished.
Court martial flag officers that pushed for General Discharges. At least the Navy had the good sense to use Honorable Discharges for most of its folks. Every flag officer that used a General Discharge knew they were screwing people out of benefits, and even late in the game they continued to push for it. Court martial every, single one of them. For the ones already retired, bring them back and charge them, which is still legal (although perhaps bringing back a few admirals and generals will get this thrown out).
Fire the civilian leaders that pushed this nonsense. Their zeal and glee in punishing people needs to be matched with stiff fines and jail time.
First aid doesn’t save you when you’re being assaulted. Only fighting back will.
This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency.
Taurus Killgaren: [last words] This destiny of greatness is yours and yours alone, Syzygy. You can’t paint me a Villain trying to steal your place of glory. Once it becomes clearer to you you’ll realize your fate is one not many would covet. I know I’m about to die, but even so I’d not trade places with you for all the Treasures of the Universe.
The Price Jim Starlin 1981
It’s almost superfluous to start this post saying that I feel bad for LeBron James and wish the best for his family in general and his son in particular and hope that he still manages to achieve the goal of at least one NBA game if not a full season playing on the same team as his son Bronny.
As a father of two sons I’d hate to be in the position he is today worried about his sons health after a heart attack (or “cardiac arrest if you want to split hairs). It’s actually something I’ve thought about more than once. My father died of a heart attack at age 66 and had them regularly during the final five to ten years of his life, I’m only six years younger than him right now and run about 280 lbs. There is every probability that I will share that fate (although perhaps a bit later as I never smoked and rarely drink as he did for most of his life) and as both of my sons are bigger than me both in size and weight there is a possibility that I could live to see one of them have a heart attack. It’s not a pleasant thought.
But lets be real, I’m a sixty year old man from a family with a history of heart problems who is very overweight and I’m telling you right now if I was morbid enough to have approached a bookie a week, or a month or a year ago and put up $100 that Bronny James, the physically fit all American NBA prospect son of the greatest star in NBA history who is still active (I’d still take Russell over him all time) would suffer any kind of “cardiac arrest” or heart attack before I or one of my sons did today I’d be collecting enough money today to retire comfortably. The odds of that would seem astronomical, but there is of course one vital difference between myself, my sons and young Mr. James.
LeBron James declared that the COVID Vaccine was the right decision for him and his family and I’m sure this decision caused others who were hesitant to take the covid shot(s).
LeBron James says he got the COVID vaccine despite initial skepticism: "I felt like it was best suited for not only me but my family" https://t.co/xDXtGa5xV8
And that is why I would hate to be Lebron today. He of course will be able to make sure his son gets the best medical care available in the world but a scenario where he might not be able to play basketball again at the college level or at all on the professional level is a real possibility and of course like any father he would gladly take that possibility in a second over anything worse that’s life threatening.
There is also the possibility that there will be no further issues with Bronny’s heart and we all hope that is the case here but regardless of the result it’s very likely that for the rest of his life LeBron is going to be second guessing his decision to take the shot and have his family get it. The fact that he also spent years carrying water for the Chinese communists who made the virus and did so for cash likely isn’t playing well with him either. I suspect these things are going to be a source of horrible pain, pain that I wouldn’t wish on anyone and I certainly wouldn’t trade places with him today, money and fame not withstanding.
But I’ll tell you this, as much I’d hate to be in Lebron’s shoes today I’d hate to be the Fauci and his vax pack in media and medicine who pushed this on people. They are likely the only people praying for Bronny’s full recovery as hard if not harder than the James family because if LeBron decides to blame these liars for misinforming him he has the cache to not be ignored or cancelled for it and thus is in a position to make things miserable for them for decades, and if he does a lot of other regular people who have been silent might just pick up the pitchforks behind him.
God help the Vax Pack if Bronny takes a turn for the worse and James decides he wants vengeance. Imagine a person with that kind of reach deciding their goal is your destruction.
Closing thought: I wonder how many professional sports players who had themselves and their families take the jab are jealous of Kyrie Irving today?
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