(click on cover image for larger version)

Soul Labyrinth
(bootleg CD)

1. Out of Sight (Wright) (2:45)
2. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (Otis/Hunter) (2:41)
3. Baby Please Don't Go (Williams) (2:35)
4. Who Do You Love (F. McDaniels) (5:53)
5. When the Healing Has Begun (5:27)
6. See Me Through (9:00)
7. Some Piece of Mind (4:48)
8. Enlightenment (2:53)
9. Caravan (6:52)
10. In the Garden (6:43)
11. You of a Thousand Summers (3:08)
12. Whenever God Shines His Light (4:02)
13. Vanlose Stairway (6:04)
14. Full Force Gale (2:32)
15. Moondance (11:15)
    Total time: (76:45)

Musicians:
Van Morrison: lead vocals, sax, guitar
Neil Drinkwater: piano, synths, accordian
Arty McGlynn: guitar
Clive Culberton: bass
Roy Jones: percussion, drums
Dave Early: percussion, drums

Review and notes by Niall Connors:
Soul Labyrinth bills itself as recorded at the Fleadh & Feile Festivals in London and Eire 1991. We know from Nathan's set list and Simon Gee's December 1998 Wavelength (page 25) that Van did play a Fleadh at London's Finsbury Park on 2-Jun-91, and Van did play a Feile in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, Eire on 4-Aug-91. However, I have suspected (and Van-Lister dcat has confirmed this through Brian Hinton's Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison) that at least some of Soul Labyrinth is from the 31-Mar-91 show at Den Haag, Netherlands, the evening before the legendary Pagan Streams show.

With clearly nothing better to do with my life, I matched up Nathan's set lists and Simon Gee's comprehensive recap of the 1991 tour in the aforementioned Wavelength, and coupled it with a close listening of the CD. The first ten tracks are from Den Haag and feature -- at least on the first four tracks -- Howlin' Wilf and The Vee Jays. (Van introduces them as he takes a break during "Who Do You Love".) Well, boys and girls, Howlin Wilf only played with Van in 1991 on 30-Mar, 31-Mar and 1-Apr, so I have no idea why the boot is mislabeled in terms of location.

Additionally, the crowd reaction to these ten tracks is not what one would expect at a Fleadh or Feile, which can be rather boisterous. The sound on the Den Haag numbers is quite good for a 1991 audience recording, perhaps a notch down from Pagan Streams. But my big complaint for the compilers: if you are going to boot a show, give me the entire show! Throw in some filler tracks if necessary to fill out the second disc, but at least provide one complete show.

I am unsure where tracks 11-15 were played, although the sound would indicate tracks 11-13 were from one concert, and 14-15 from another. The last two tracks have that outdoor, rowdy Feile feel, and "Moondance" and "Full Force Gale" are also listed on Nathan's Thurles set list. That being said, the sound on the non-Den Haag tracks is somewhat average.

Den Haag Musicians (in addition to Howlin' Wilf, and as announced by Van during "In The Garden"): Haji Akhba, Richie Buckley, Dave Early, Georgie Fame, Howard Francis, Steve Gregory, Ronnie Johnson, Nicky Scott. "Full Force Gale" and "Moondance" musicians (as announced by Van during "Moondance"): Georgie Fame, Bernie Holland, Neil Drinkwater, Haji Ahkba, Dave Early, Alec Dankworth (I think).

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