Magic Time cover
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Production info for:
Magic Time
(see Discography entry)

  1. Stranded
  2. Celtic New Year
  3. Keep Mediocrity At Bay
  4. Evening Train
  5. This Love of Mine
  6. I'm Confessin
  7. Just Like Greta
  8. Gypsy In My Soul
  9. Lonely And Blue
  10. The Lion This Time
  11. Magic Time
  12. They Sold Me Out
  13. Carry On Regardless

Produced By Van Morrison for Exile Productions Ltd.

Recorded at The Wool Hall & Windmill Lane
Mastered by Tim Young at Metropolis Mastering, London

Some speculative forensics on the origins of these tracks is here.

Up Stranded
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals
Brian Connor Piano
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums & Backing Vocals
Jerome Rimson Backing Vocals

Recorded by Alastair McMillan & Enda Walsh, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer

Up Celtic New Year
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Guitar
Paddy Maloney Whistle
Dave Lewis Piano & Hammond Organ
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
Jerome Rimson Bass
Noel Bridgeman Drums

String arrangement by Fiachra Trench.
Strings performed by Irish Film Orchestra; Leader - Alan Smale

Recorded by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Keep Mediocrity At Bay
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Harmonica
Brian Connor Piano
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums

Recorded by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Evening Train
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Harmonica
Matt Holland Trumpet
Martin Winning Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Mick Green Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Bobby Irwin Drums

Recorded & mixed by Mick Glossop, assisted by Jerome King

Up This Love Of Mine
Parker, Sanicola & Sinatra
Warner Chappell

Van Morrison Vocals
Matt Holland Trumpet
Martin Winning Tenor Saxophone
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums

Recorded by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up I'm Confessin'
Daugherty, Neilburg & Reynolds
Bourne Inc.

Van Morrison Vocals & Harmonica
Matt Holland Trumpet
Martin Winning Tenor Saxophone
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums

Recorded by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Just Like Greta
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
John Allair Hammond Organ
Mick Green Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Bobby Irwin Drums
Johnny Scott Backing Vocals
Crawford Bell Backing Vocals
Karen Hamill Backing Vocals
çine Whelan Backing Vocals
Olwin Bell Backing Vocals
Siobhan Pettit Backing Vocals

String arrangement by Fiachra Trench.
Strings performed by Wired Strings; leader Rosie Wetters

Recorded by Walter Samuel, assisted by Jerome King
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Gypsy In My Soul
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals
Brian Connor Piano
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums

Recorded by Alastair McMillan & Enda Walsh, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Lonely And Blue
Brooks, Razaf & Waller
Redwood / Memory Lane

Van Morrison Vocals
Martin Winning Tenor Saxophone
Brian Connor Piano
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
David Hayes Bass
Liam Bradley Drums & Backing Vocals

Recorded by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up The Lion This Time
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Michael Fields Lute & Spanish Guitar
David Hayes Bass

String arrangement by Fiachra Trench
Strings performed by Wired Strings; leader Rosie Wetters

Recorded by Walter Samuel, assisted by Jerome King
Mixed by Stuart Bruce, assisted by Marco Migliari

Up Magic Time
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals, Guitar & Harmonica
Myles Drennan Piano
Dave Lewis Hammond Organ
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
Jerome Rimson Bass
Noel Bridgeman Drums

Recorded by Brian Masterson, assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up They Sold Me Out
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Guitar
Brain Connor Electric Piano
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
Jerome Rimson Bass & Backing Vocals
Johnathan Mele Drums

Recorded by Alastair McMillan assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Up Carry On Regardless
Van Morrison
Exile Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing Ltd

Van Morrison Vocals & Guitar
Dave Lewis Piano
Myles Drennan Hammond Organ
Foggy Lyttle Guitar
Jerome Rimson Bass
Noel Bridgeman Drums

Recorded by Brian Masterson assisted by Mark Dwyer
Mixed by Alastair McMillan, assisted by Declan Gaffney

Speculative forensics from Dave of Tasmania:
Funny this, [the track list, and the album production info] really does seem like old material we're hearing now for the first time. Foggy Lyttle did indeed die on Christmas Day, 2003, and we can pretty much guarantee that the three songs he's not on were far older than that. Indeed if you look at who the engineers were, it seems like Just Like Greta and The Lion This Time are Down The Road outtakes.

Down The Road in late 2000 and early 2001 was produced by Walter Samuel and Jerome King, and so were Just Like Greta and The Lion This Time, for both the 'Pokers' Down The Road stuff or the Mick Green stuff and everyone will doubtless be delighted to know that these two tracks are with the Mick Green band. So the lineup of released songs from those sessions would be:

  • Down The Road
  • Hey Mr DJ
  • Talk Is Cheap
  • What Makes The Irish Heart Beat
  • The Beauty Of The Days Gone By
  • Man Has To Struggle
  • Fast Train
  • Meet Me In The Indian Summer (orchestral)
  • Just Like Greta
  • The Lion This Time

Interestingly enough, Saint James Infirmary, which ended up being released on What's Wrong With This Picture, was actually a Down The Road outtake, but featuring his live band as does half of that album. So that could be 'added' so to speak to

  • Meet Me In The Indian Summer
  • Steal My Heart Away
  • Choppin' Wood
  • All Work And No Play
  • Whatever Happened To PJ Proby
  • Georgia On My Mind
  • Only A Dream
  • Evening Shadows

though strangely enough, he seems to have swapped engineers for four of those songs. Anyway, I wonder if Georgia On My Mind didn't pip St James Infirmary when they were doing the track list?

Then he switched on What's Wrong With This Picture, for 9 of the 13 songs to being recorded by Mick Glossop and Jerome King, and Evening Train was recorded at some stage there, most likely in 2002 at the same time as Get On With The Show and Stop Drinking which also featured Mick Green on guitar.

The chronology seems clear now, Saint James Infirmary was recorded, still featuring Pete Hurley on bass and Lee Goodall on sax, first on that album, and with the Down The Road stuff. Meaning Of Loneliness is the second oldest song on that album, again featuring Pete Hurley and Lee Goodall, but this time with Mick Glossop recording.

Then he seems to have switched band again, now using only the horn section of his live band but still with Lee Goodall in the group and recorded Little Village and Once In A Blue Moon, then, after David Hayes had come back on board and Lee Goodall had left he recorded Whinin Boy Moan, Evening In June, Goldfish Bowl with that band, then Evening Train, Get On With The Show and Stop Drinking adding Mick Green, and then finally Somerset when Richard Dunne was out of the band for a while at the end of 2002 and was replaced by Gavin Povey.

Okay, so then we get a whole bunch of recordings featuring Foggy Lyttle and a small band and being recorded by Allaister McMillan. The first three of these were What's Wrong With This Picture, Too Many Myths and Fame. Does anyone know when these were copyrighted? I'd be guessing early 2003 myself, and I know that some people here seem to know when certain things were copyrighted, care to help out on that one?

So unfortunately for everyone here, and I don't mean to be a party pooper, but this new Van album seems to feature 2 pretty old songs from Down The Road, one more from the majority of the Picture songs in 2002, and 9 songs that could well have been recorded right around the same time and with the same personel, and more importantly with Van perhaps in the same state of mind, as everybody's least favourite three songs on that album What's Wrong With This Picture, Fame and Too Many Myths!

Considering the titles:

  • What's Wrong With This Picture
  • Fame
  • Too Many Myths
  • Stranded
  • Keep Mediocrity At Bay
  • Carry On Regardless
  • They Sold Me Out
  • Gypsy In My Soul
  • Magic Time
  • Celtic New Year

all of which feature the same nucleus of musicians and no horns. Then there are the three covers which add Matt Holland and Martin Winning.

So all in all, I think I'm looking forward more to the two Down The Road outtakes, the one What's Wrong With This Picture outtake and then I'm gonna be real worried about hearing 7 new songs in the spirit of What's Wrong With This Picture (the song). Doesn't matter, I'll love it anyway.

Part of the van-the-man.info unofficial website