The second disc of this set, which Van reportedly cut in about an hour to fulfill a contract with the deceased Bert Berns, owner of Bang Records, is just about the funniest thing I've ever heard. Check out some of these lyrics: "jive an' wail... check the mail... go to jail..." (they somehow have that one listed as "Drivin' Wheel" - the compilers obviously weren't from Belfast... ). Elsewhere we hear Van grumbling about a "Big Royalty Check" that never seems to show up, and sarcastically parodying Berns' famous composition "Twist and Shout" many times over. "Blowin' Yer Nose" is a send-up of the title Berns picked out for Van's first album without telling him.

For anyone who really appreciates Van at his eccentric best, this is a must. First time around I didn`t think much of it, and now I can`t seem to get it out of my hi-fi - it`s addictive! As for the Jamming Session, get a few drinks into you beforehand, bear in mind the circumstances under which it was written, and get ready to laugh yourself silly! Quality, vintage Van.

If your a true Van Morrison fan this CD is for you! The musicians playing with Morrison bring his artistry to a new level,the bass playing of Eric Oxendine on "Brown Eyed Girl" plays in my head even hours after listening to the song.

A truly additive album. To be quite honest, I didn't like it much at first. It has come to be my favorite. It is a very raw morrison. I really only like his old stuff. One of my favorites on the album is "The smile you smile". It is a very bad recording, but it sounds like he recorded it in his bedroom. Great album

The liner notes tell it all! This 2 CD set is nothing new. 1 or 2 cuts on the first CD are worth listening to (2 versions of Brown-eyed Girl), other than that, mostly throw-away versions of cuts available elsewhere. The second CD is a TOTAL WASTE. It consists of 31 cuts, all less than 1:30 in length, that were Morrison's way of getting out of a record contract ("we'll let you out of your contract, but you owe us your next 10 songs). Stay Away!