Veedon Fleece
| Veedon Fleece | ||||
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| Studio album by Van Morrison | ||||
| Released | October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | November 1973 and spring 1974 at Caledonia Studios, California and Mercury Studios, New York | |||
| Genre | Folk jazz | |||
| Length | 47:36 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Van Morrison | |||
| Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Veedon Fleece | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Retrospective reviews | |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ |
| Q |  |
| Record Collector | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Veedon Fleece is the eighth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in October 1974 (see 1974 in music). Morrison recorded the album shortly after his divorce from wife Janet (Planet) Rigsbee. With his broken marriage in the past, Morrison visited Ireland on holiday for new inspiration, arriving on 20 October 1973 (with his fiancee at the time, Carol Guida). While there he wrote—in less than three weeks—the songs included on the album (except "Bulbs", "Country Fair" and "Come Here My Love").
It has been compared to Astral Weeks with the same "stream of consciousness" lyrics but musically it is more Celtic, acoustic and heavily influenced by Morrison's Irish trip. It has been called a genuinely underground album that he seemed to disown quickly after recording and has been referred to as Morrison's "forgotten masterpiece".
During the summer months of 1973, Morrison had embarked on a three-month tour with his eleven-piece band, the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. Although the resulting concerts and live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now, have come to be known as a performing high for Morrison, the tour was physically and emotionally exhausting. Morrison decided afterwards to take a vacation break, returning to Ireland after a six-year absence obtensibly to record an RTÉ national TV show. Having gone through divorce proceedings earlier in the year, Morrison was now accompanied by his new fiancee, Carol Guida. The vacation visit lasted nearly three weeks during which time he only toured the southern part of the island and did not venture into his native Northern Ireland as the province was engulfed in the Troubles.
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