Van Morrison "A Sense of Wonder"

On episode 5 of Past Prime, Matty and Steve head back into the
Mystic to revisit the album that inspired their website and
podcast to begin with -- Van Morrison's "A Sense of Wonder"
(1985). The co-hosts admit that they both avoided this album
because, first and foremost, it features one of the most
unfortunate cover designs and wardrobe decisions ever printed.
Van famously looks like a woodland creature on the front and like
a Count or maybe Sancho Panza on the back cover. This album also
marks a summation of Van's uneven early 80s work and a transition
to his more poetic albums later in the decade. Although the music
features far more cheesy reverb and New Age searching than Matty
or Steve like, they admit that Van is almost always able to get
that "feel" that he is so famous for. They do not rank "A Sense
of Wonder" in the top 50% of his catalogue but they do admire his
workmanlike approach to always following his muse and
consistently cranking that albums in a search for the Slipstream.
And -- yes -- they talk about the purple leisure suit from "The
Last Waltz."


To read more about Van Morrison's "A Sense of Wonder," check out
the full essay at Past Prime.