On which Morrison is less Van the Man, the Celtic Soul Brother and more the ruminative Irish poet child of nature...it's difficult to describe this wonderful record in a few sentences. It's very much in the English Nick Drake/Pentangle tradition, which is not to say that it's traditional folk music. It's got strains of R & B, jazz, and even country running through it, and was a logical, if unexpected progression of Van's music at the time. It's closest in feel, in the Morrison catalog, to Astral Weeks; it shares the mostly acoustic, jazzy feel of his Warners debut but is a more mature and introspective work. Morrison had, after the relative aesthetic failure of his otherwise fine Hard Nose The Highway album, begun to get a bit restless artistically...if I recall correctly, he took a trip to Ireland to get back to his roots (so to speak) after spending many years here in the States, and when he returned this is where his muse led him. He recieves stellar backing from his road band on this album, especially the underrated pianist Jef Labes.

There isn't a bad track here. I love them all, but I especially love the moody "Streets of Arklow", with magnificent recorder accompaniment by Jim Rothermel; the breezy opener "Fair Play" in which he begins his penchant for name dropping his favorite writers, clever at first but eventually run into the ground later in his career... "You Don't Pull No Punches...", in which he sings about a quest for spiritual enlightenment, known here as the Veedon Fleece; the jazzy "Cul De Sac" with a fearless, amazing vocal, "Who Was That Masked Man", in which Van does his best Smokey Robinson impersonation, and the closer, the gorgeous "Country Fair" which evokes a late summer evening vividly. It's a haunting tune you won't soon forget.

I could go on and on and probably still not adequately describe my affection for this album. Ever since I picked this up off the rack at age 15 (because I liked the beautiful cover-I had never listened to Morrison before!), I have considered this my favorite album. Sadly, I was one of the few...its commercial failure led Morrison to attack Warners for not promoting it and caused him to spend three years struggling with writers block to finally issue its follow-up, the more conventional A Period of Transition-a lackluster LP light years away from its predecessor. Veedon Fleece is a once-in-a-lifetime work that sounded like nothing out there back then and still sounds unique today, even when compared to Van's own catalogue.

I hope, that if I convince you to take a chance on this album, that you come to love it as much as I. If it was possible I'd give it ten stars.

Veedon Fleece is THE album in my collection that I keep coming back to over and again. I listen to it almost on a daily basis, and have been doing so ever since I bought it just about a year ago. This is the closest anyone has ever come to making a flawless album. The vocals are truly astounding, it's almost like if Van reaches a state of higher consciousness while singing. No one can sound like this but Van.

From the opening laidback masterpiece Fair Play to the beautifully soothing closer that is Country Fair, Veendon Fleece takes you for a ride that interacts with just about every emotion you have in your body. Linden Arden stole the highlights presents a totally jawdropping melodic transition between verse and chorus, Bulbs is just irresistibly joyous and catchy (albeit embedded in sarcasm), and Cul de Sac evokes the image of a protagonist singing with his heart hanging from a big black hole in his cheast.

Veedon Fleece is easily the best (and most underrated) album I have stumbled upon so far in my life, and I sincerely recommend it to everyone. Buy it, and it will soon become the one thing you take with you to a deserted island. Trust me. :o)

when in 1975, I decided to buy my first van the man album (being hooked on Moondance after toe-tapping my way through the Gloria and Browen Eyed Girl days) I went to the bargain bins at the Record Service in Champaign and saw Veedon Fleece ... far different than what I expected, (and, owing to its placement in the bargain bins, the public, too) it lulled me, massaged me, then reeled me in and has become my all-time favorite album, and now, after three worn out copies, CD.... it became a ritual: at night, i used to listen to side one "the Fair Play" side, to fall into pleasant slumber, then, when I woke up, flip it to the "Bulbs" side for a nice pick me up, perk-me-up start of the day... the wide ranging music both stirs and soothes my soul, and Van's "barking" (or, as one reviewer called it, " the aargh" ) on side two is primally joyous... this album is simply beautiful

"Veedon Fleece" was never one of Van Morrison's best-known albums, probably because it's difficult to categorize among the rest of his work. It's got soul, no question. But that trademark R&B-influenced belting Van's known for is tempered here by a quiet pastoral elegance. It's much folkier than anything he's done before or since.

This album's natural companion in the Van Morrison catalog is definitely "Astral Weeks." The acoustic-based folk sound of that landmark album is in abundance here. But where "Astral Weeks" veered off into breathtaking impressionism, "Veedon Fleece" keeps things relatively grounded, albeit with a sense of aloofness. You can't quite figure out what exactly Van is singing about most of the time, but that's probably part of the mystique...and one of the things that makes this brilliant album so compelling.

I've only given it two or three complete listens so far, and my immediate impressions are strong. My favorite song so far is probably the most upbeat one, the country-flavored "Bulbs" (it sounds a lot like the Band). Elsewhere, the jazzy, soulful opener "Fair Play" and the gorgeous "Cul de Sac" are other highlights.

It's definitely not Van's most commercially savvy release, but that's never something he's cared about. Van Morrison has always taken chances and strived for beautiful music over sales figures.

Everyone knows Moondance and Astral Weeks are great records -- but how about this one? Isn't it great to come across a forgotten treasure that hasn't been played to death on classic rock stations and flaunted on Hollywood soundtracks? I mean they're using Nick Drake to sell cars for chrissakes. OK...Back to the issue at hand-- this could be Van Morrison's most mature and satisfying record. Indeed, it doesn't have the stylistic variety of His Street Choir or St. Dominic's. And there's no "Domino" anywhere to be found. What Veedon Fleece does offer is a smooth, seamless masterpiece from start to finish. Every song is wonderful and leaves you wanting to hear the next. Just try and turn it off halfway through a side. The simple offhanded, impressionistic beauty of Come Here My Love just astounds me everytime I hear it. In someone else's hands this song could be a throwaway but Van creates a masterful inkwash sketch of sound.

BTW - My other nominees for great albums no one's heard are Paris 1919-John Cale and Henry the Human Fly-Richard Thompson. Any others?