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Van Morrison Discusses the 'Poetry and Mythical Musings' of a Classic

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Van Morrison discusses Astral Weeks, which he'll perform at the Hollywood Bowl

If necessity is the mother of invention, it might follow that desperation is the father of inspiration. That was certainly the case 40 years ago, when Belfast-bred blue-eyed soul singer Van Morrison found himself broke and stranded on the East Coast despite coming off his first hit as a solo artist, the Top 10 single “Brown Eyed Girl."

I call that 'The Money Song' -- because they got all the money, and I got none. I was broke and depressed and remained that way for many years after that, and I just decided to make a stand for myself and do things my way, not theirs.
Van Morrison- From Northern Ireland in a rare interview.

The result of doing things his way was Astral Weeks, Morrison's widely revered 1968 release. Four decades later it is regularly cited as one of the greatest albums of the rock era, though it never sold enough copies to show up on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.

So, despite the awe the album inspired among music aficionados for its remarkable depth -- Morrison was only 22 when he made it -- he was never able to go on tour and play the songs live the way he wanted. He'll realize that long-standing wish on Friday and next Saturday when he performs “Astral Weeks" live in its entirety over two nights at the Hollywood Bowl backed by an orchestra and two of the key musicians, bassist Richard Davis and guitarist Jay Berliner, who accompanied him so many years ago.

“I am not 'revisiting' it really, as this is a totally different project," Morrison said, responding by e-mail so he could consider each question put to him. “I had always wanted to do these songs fully orchestrated and live, [but] I never got around to it. Then I thought, well, we have lost the great [drummer] Connie Kay already and Larry Fallon the original arranger, so I thought I should probably get to it now."

He plans to record the Bowl concerts and release them on his own label on vinyl, CD and DVD around the first of the year. Despite its vast size, seating almost 18,000 -- he's usually played indoor theaters with anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 seats on recent U.S. tours -- the Bowl appealed to Morrison for this event “because it is outdoors and live sound dynamics can be interesting outdoors in the cool fall breeze. And the Hollywood Bowl has a lot of interesting history."

In the intervening years, Morrison crafted an astoundingly rich body of work. It encompasses some of the catchiest singles of the rock era ("Moondance," “Domino," “Wild Night," “Jackie Wilson Said," “Bright Side of the Road") as well as some of its deepest musical and spiritual pilgrimages ("Listen to the Lion," “In the Garden," “When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God"). Like Bob Dylan, he's periodically delved into the various strains that have most influenced him: British skiffle, American country music, blues and jazz. Inevitably he finds his way back to his signature amalgam of soul, rock, R&B and Celtic folk.

A seminal album

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