veedon fleece

Just heard that - and the track before it- I’m a record store last weekend after not having paid attention to this album in years and was totally knocked out.

Let's say Van's music is like Brazilian pop music.

Astral weeks is Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. It's actually really good and unique! But man, kinda tired of it by now. Pretty overplayed.

Veedon Fleece, on the other hand, is like the first time I heard 'Taj Mahal', but evey single time.

I love you, Veedon Fleece!

In a totally non musical context I’ve used the phrase “don’t push the river”. Never any recognition for one of Van’s best.

Astral weeks is Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. It's actually really good and unique! But man, kinda tired of it by now. Pretty overplayed


no

Put me in the ground the day I tire of Astral Weeks. I may only play it once every year or two, but the first five seconds goes through me every time.

But Vernon Fleece might be as good.

astral and veedon are p distinct vibes to me, astral v much psychedelically overwhelmed at all the lightness and darkness of creation, veedon a few years older and content to watch the grass move and occasionally trip into the cosmic mystery behind it (plus a heartbreaking two-song fugue about paranoia). a side-by-side comparison would prob prove me wrong but veedon *feels* like the quieter album

anyway, couldn't live without either

or common one, or into the music, or saint dominic's preview, or it's too late to stop now, or

sometimes i'm like "maybe into the music is the best one"

You and others stanning for Veedon Fleece and Common One during the VM poll turned me on to the greatness of those albums and now I just love them, too. So thanks!

Grooving to Cul De Sac. It's kinda buried in the middle of side 2 but it's a jam.

massive jam confirmed

This album is just completely totally utterly amazingly the best thing he ever did. Fuck it's SO GOOD.

^hello and welcome to the small but amazing group of VF stans

And we say Geronimwhoa

if i'd seen any of this 74/75 shows, the fact that he played a maximum of 2 tracks from this at any of them would have killed me

side a of this record is one of the best sides of any record. side b (for bulbs) ain't no slouch, either.

fair play to this album imo

This album makes me feel emotions.

Bulbs is one of those songs I put on playlists a lot because people who have never heard it before instantly love it.

My wife created an account on Discogs and bought a NM first pressing for me last Christmas. <3

Not to be too dramatic (ok, yes, too), but the part in Cul De Sac when Van says "you, you, you" and the band all comes down at the same time on three successive beats I feel like time is going to stop between each of them.

a loved one is going through an extremely difficult time, i am merely going through it with them in spirit, and this seems like the only music that can keep me company. i'm coming out of it a bit now, which is probably why i'm posting again, but for several hard days veedon fleece was the only thing worth listening to.

veedon fleece was the only thing worth listening to.

this is kinda sorta the case under normal circumstances for me.

worth mentioning — if you haven't checked out Van's mid-90s rarities comp The Philosopher's Stone, there are a bunch of outtakes from the same era / similar vibe.

^a couple of tunes from Philosopher's Stone to check out (praying to the formatting gods that this works):

Not Supposed To Break Down
Contemplation Rose
Try For Sleep

You just sit there like a butterfly
You're well protected by the glass
You're such a rare collector's item
When they throw away what's the trash
You can hang suspended from a star
Or wish on a toilet roll
You can just soak up the atmosphere
Like a fish inside a bowl