VAN MORRISON : LIVE AT ORANGEFIELD - BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

 

  1. Celtic Excavation / Into The Mystic
  2. Cleaning Windows
  3. Orangefield
  4. Moondance
  5. Precious Time
  6. That's Life
  7. Too Many Myths
  8. Got To Go Back
  9. Real Real Gone / You Send Me
  10. Rough God Goes Riding
  11. Enlightenment
  12. Sometimes We Cry
  13. Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
  14. On Hyndford Street
  15. Ballerina
  16. In The Garden

Label : Orangefield Records

Venue : Orangefield High School, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Recording Date : August 23 - 24, 2014

Release Date : July 12, 2024

Length : 79:32

Review (Proper Music) : The Christmas of 1959 saw Van Morrison take to the stage of Orangefield Secondary School for his first ever live performance. Midnight Special, a skiffle group, consisted of fellow pupils, John McCullough, tea-chest bass, Cyril Downey, guitar, Billy Ruth, guitar, and Walter Blakely on washboard with Van on guitar and vocals. In August 2014, Van Morrison returned to perform three shows as a fond farewell to his alma mater as it prepared to close its doors for the final time. Live at Orangefield is a specially curated album, of recordings from these very shows. When it first opened in 1957 Orangefield was a boys' school, then the girls' school was added before both schools merged and remained so until Orangefield was finally closed due to falling numbers of pupils in 2014. Three years later it was demolished. For roughly sixty years both schools had provided an educational and social focus to many thousands of young students from east Belfast and further afield. "When I was a young boy back in Orangefield, I used to look out my classroom window and dream." - Van Morrison. This very special live album on double heavyweight black vinyl & CD is a celebration of his formative years, giving us a vivid access to the past. But much more than that. The energy and drive, the poetic reinvention Morrison brings to his recollections stand out against the ravages of time. His is a voice of exhilaration and dance as well as poignancy and romance.

Concert Review (Dr. Ian Adamson) : It was a bitter-sweet farewell to Orangefield as Van Morrison revisited the scene of both his early inspiration and enduring memories for three special concerts. The weekend pilgrimage was shared by hundreds of former staff and pupils eager to show their appreciation to the iconic singer/songwriter who put their otherwise unremarkable secondary school on the world map. There was no shortage of nostalgia as an inspired Morrison belted out a carefully chosen set list in the assembly hall of the now closed Orangefield High. This was the illustrious former pupil giving something back – happy as always to pay homage to the cradle of his creative genius. The final concert on Sunday night brought the curtain down on a tough, inner city school that punched well above its weight in terms of producing impressive musicians, writers and politicians if not – with a few notable exceptions – renowned academics. Morrison’s performance back where he first took to the stage was the undoubted highlight of the five-day Eastside Arts Festival. Conjuring up images of many east Belfast landmarks, he thrilled the often boisterous crowd with Got to Go Back, Orangefield, On Hyndford Street and Brown-eyed Girl. It was a masterclass in how to rework a back catalogue. Although the original tracks have stood the test of time as well as any, the vibrant, live renditions breathe new life into decades-old Morrison standards. And he has the appearance of someone happy at his work – laughing aloud after some wayward ad-libbing on Ballerina, the first encore. Dana Masters was assured as ever on backing vocals and also performed impeccable solos on Someone Like You and Sometimes We Cry. Sound quality to rival most purpose-built music venues was an added bonus for the appreciative audience – many enjoying their first Van Morrison concert, taking advantage of the cut-price £25 ticket fee for former staff and pupils. Despite becoming increasingly accessible in recent years – with a tendency to perform smaller, more intimate gigs – the enigmatic former window cleaner has lost none of his trademark mysticism or sense of wonder. The years have also been kind to Morrison’s instantly recognisable voice. An unforgettable night was rounded off with two encores, the second featuring a rousing “No guru, no method, no teacher” climax to In The Garden. If Sunday night’s performance is anything to go by, he could bring his brand of Belfast blues to yet another generation.