CD cover
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No Pain, No Gain
(bootleg CD)

Doberman 291/292/293
(Released sometime in 2001. First reported February 2002)

Disc One:

  1. Midnight Special
  2. Dead or Alive
  3. Tore Down a la Rimbaud
  4. Back On Top
  5. Talk Is Cheap
  6. Rainin' In My Heart
  7. All Work And No Play
  8. Did Ye Get Healed? / Yeh Yeh (instrumental)
  9. St. James Infirmary
  10. Days Like This
  11. Goin' Down Geneva / Brand New Cadillac
  12. And The Healing Has Begun
  13. Precious TIme
  14. It's All In The Game / You Know What They're Writing About / Make It Real One More Time

Disc Two:

  1. Celtic Swing (instrumental)
  2. Days Like This
  3. Back On Top
  4. Someone Like You
  5. Tore Down A La Rimbaud
  6. Goin' Down Geneva / Brand New Cadillac
  7. That's Life
  8. Sweet Thing
  9. Why Must I Always Explain
  10. Into The Mystic
  11. Philosophers Stone
  12. It Once Was My Life
  13. Precious Time
  14. Bright Side of the Road
  15. Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
  16. Thank God For Self Love

Disc Three:

  1. Cleaning Windows
  2. Muleskinner Blues
  3. Don't Worry About A Thing
  4. Reminds Me Of You
  5. If You Only Knew
  6. In The Afternoon / Big Joe Turner Sings / When Heart Is Open
  7. Madame George
  8. All Saints Day
  9. Georgia
  10. Burning Ground
  11. Jackie Wilson Said
  12. When You're Smiling
  13. Brown Eyed Girl
  14. Outskirts Of Town / Long Distance Call
  15. Boogie Chillen'

Disc one recorded at the Pavillion in Ross-on-Wye during the Early show on Friday, August 24, 2001

Disc two recorded at the Gerrards Marquee in Hay-on-Wye during the Early show on Friday, June 1, 2001

Disc three tracks 1-13 recorded at the Gerrards Marquee in Hay-on-Wye during the Late show on Friday, June 1, 2001. Tracks 14-15 recorded at the Pavillion in Ross-on-Wye during the Late show on Friday, August 24, 2001

Musicians:
Van Morrison: lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, saxophone
Richard Dunne: Hammond organ, grand piano
Ned Edwards: backing vocals, lead and acoustic guitar, harmonica, violin
Lee Goodall: backing vocals, saxophones, flute, penny whistle, rhythm guitar, percussion
Matt Holland: trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals
Pete Hurley: electric bass
Bobby Irwin: drums
Martin Winning: tenor saxophone, clarinet, penny whistle

Liner notes:
Since July 2000 Van's live shows have split the opinions of his seasoned followers down the middle, resulting in more negative than positive comments, as he promoted the country rockabilly covers album You Win Again. This album featured country starlet Linda Gail Lewis (brother of Jerry Lee) and Welsh pub-rockers The Red Hot Pokers. Linda Gail overstayed her welcome and after leaving (or being sacked) ran into the arms of the tabloid press with her "kiss and tell" story of life with Van. Van's response was to stoop to the same level and issue a writ for libel. The Pokers could never transcend their mediocrity to reach the heights necessary to do justice to Van's songbook.

There were some highlights - Swindon and Cheltenham in December 2000, and Oxford in February 2001. These were negated, however, by terrible performances at Ross-on-Wye 2000 and Nottingham in March 2001 (a few personal experiences).

If you really want to experience a Van show with Linda and the Pokers, then search out the Swiss radio broadcast from Basel that features a satisfactory performance in excellent sound.

As in the past, Van and the band shone at his perennial visits to the International Festivals at Hay-on-Wye in June and August 2001 respectively. However, contrary to previous years the set lists were less varied and the performances at the early shows were the ones not to miss. The Red Hot Pokers' name had been dropped and so had their drummer. The remaining members were augmented with quality players to add depth and colour to the performance, which returned to the revue format. It also included a selection of new songs, making the Ross 2000 debacle a distant memory.

So it's with great relief that we are able to enjoy Van and his bands' return to form - well almost! This release features the complete early shows and highlights from the late shows of these two concerts on the banks of the River Wye. We are treated to an atmospheric "St. James Infirmary" (some great acoustic guitar / organ interplay); an acoustic reading of "And the Healing Has Begun" (spoiled by some pedestrian violin playing); a very appropriate "That's Life"; a homorous "When You're Smiling"; an enthusiastically received "Madame George"; and "Boogie Chillen'" (the only reference to You Win Again period).

Van followers have had a torturous twelve months and in the words of one of Van's new songs - "No Pain, No Gain". Here's to a musically brighter 2002.

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