His preacher-like frontman attitude here comes off as clumsy and quiet, the “amen” elongation presenting little in the way of quality. What does Morrison offer here that other editions of this track do not? Vocal defences cannot be levelled here, where Morrison sounds quiet and droning. Legacy like that is neither hit at nor appreciated by Morrison’s vacant presence here. What is true though is the legacy of the track, the diction simple and cutting through as an effective march for the Civil Rights movement.

This Loving Light of Mine has the usual run for a track Harry Dixon Loes may have a claim to writing. Blinking and flickering that light may be for Morrison, his voice is his reliant tool, absent here and muffled by poor mixing.ĭrowned out by skiffle beats and backing singers, Morrison finds his vocal intrusions cut short in the cutting room and mixing arena. Moving on Skiffle has little chance of that and recent single This Loving Light of Mine is as flatlining as it gets for the Astral Weeks legend. Either to capitalise on the success or to truly try and move the genre. Morrison does it, unexplainably and rigidly. Bruce Springsteen marked it as the first time he had relied solely on himself as a frontman, and Bob Dylan consistently draws from the American songbook as a way of touching deeper with the roots of his music. Moving on Skiffle has neither the charm nor clarity of contemporary covers experiences. Van Morrison and his twee little covers project rattle on and present another decimation of a classic track. That troubled troubadour expects an audience once more.

Van morrison interview astral weeks