Van Morrison
1974-07-20
The Bucolic Frolic
Knebworth house Hartfordshire

Van Morrison -sax, harmonica, vocals.

Peter Van Hook - drums.
Pete Wingfield - piano
Jerome Rimson -bass

Heathrow Shuffle. 
Warm Love. 
Foggy Mountain Top. 
Street Choir. 
I like It like that. 
Its Not the Twilight Zone. 
Listen to the Lion. 
Buffyflow. 

Bulbs. 
Into the Mystic. 
Since I Fell for You. 
Help Me. 
I Believe to My Soul. 
Iíve Been Working. 
Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket. 
Naked In The Jungle. 
Brown Eyed Girl.

90 minutes.Rated A/A-.

This is a great set from Van, it was the only time I ever saw him, but it was a corker. Perhaps having a shouting match backstage with Allan Jones from the Melody Maker before the show invigorated him !

"The first time I try to interview Van, in his trailer backstage at Knebworth in 1974, it ends badly after he mistakes me for someone who's written unflatteringly about him and works himself up into a complete and unnecessary strop. Van's almost pathologically rude, won't listen to a word of explanation and the upshot is, we end up shouting at each other, loudly enough for people waiting outside to see how things go between us to start looking first worried, then aghast.

I eventually storm out of his caravan, slamming a door behind me so hard its hinges nearly pop and the whole thing shakes like a small earthquake's just hit the area, Van shouting something I don't quite catch at my retreating back."
hmmmm....:-)

This set isn't plagued by the annoying wind gusts that spoil most of the other recordings from Knebworth 74, there is also generally a very quiet audience, this is a very good recording for the era, instruments are nicely separated , although it hasn't the clarity of the JK recordings of other bands,the flip side is ,it hasn't got any nasty wind noise.

left: Van and Pete Wingfield. © Art Tumelo

Heathrow Shuffle. 
Warm Love. 
Foggy Mountain Top. 
Street Choir. 
I like It like that. 
Its Not the Twilight Zone. 
Listen to the Lion. 
Buffyflow. 

90 minutes.Rated A/A-.

    This was one of the smallest bands that Van played with in this era. , playing only its third show as a unit . Apparently the band had come together almost by chance, Wingfield was meant to play with the Montreux festival backing band for the US blues legends, but they brought their own musicians , so he was free to be part of Van's band.

    The other members were asked to join when Wingfield met them on the plane to Montreux. After Knebworth, the band toured the Us and Canada and were then laid off .This lineup did record an album with Van but it was never released , no doubt its mouldering in a vault somewhere .....the usual depressing story.

C'mon Van , get your hands out of your pockets and release that thang !

• Van Morrison- sax, harmonica, vocals.
• Peter Van Hook - drums.
• Pete Wingfield - piano
• Jerome Rimson -bass

Reviews.
My personal viewpoint, reviewed from a combination of the aud tape and memory.

    Van Morrison followed and was a complete success, delivering a spirited set with many highlights,  not the least of which was  Into The Mystic  from Astral Weeks. Fronting a three piece band, of Peter Van Hook drums , Jerome Rimson Bass  and Pete Wingfield on piano , Van  said very little to the audience and was as usual pretty nervous looking on stage . He played sax on a few occasions and some cool harp on a great bluesy version of Help Me which had the audience clapping along during the quiet bits  .As the set progressed it became more soulful, Help Me was followed by I Believe To My Soul  with more great piano , in fact one the highlights of this band was the keyboard work , the piano player was really up front in the mix and he was no slouch.
    Next came a blazing version of I've Been Working which was anchored by frantic piano and shuffling percussive work, with Van delivering some short bursts of whooping combined with his frenetic harp . This then segued into Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket , with some great  barrelhouse piano and impassioned vocals from Van. Rapturous applause followed this number, with much vociferous shouting for more and then the band funked away into Naked In The Jungle , which really rocked , with Van hollering repeatedly - Freakout, Freakout, Freakout - and you can hear the audience whoop in agreement .
        Massive applause after this one and then the tape cuts to the encore Brown Eyed Girl which was short ,sharp and oh so sweet. Van definitely made a few converts with this show .