van morrison - cleaning windows (studio-1982) w/mark knopfler throwing down wicked licks ...

[mr_lebowski]

Just a couple of working men in their prime ... rocking a kickass groove ... this ones for all the working people out there!

As usual, best enjoyed LOUD

Oh, the smell of the bakery from across the street
Got in my nose
As we carried our ladders down the street
With the wrought-iron gate rows

I went home and listened to Jimmie Rodgers in my lunch-break
Bought five Woodbines at the shop on the corner
And went straight back to work

Oh, Sam was up on top
And I was on the bottom with a V
We went for lemonade and Paris buns
At the shop and broke for tea

I collected from the lady
And I cleaned the fanlight inside-out
I was blowing saxophone on the weekend
In a down joint

What's my line?
I'm happy cleaning windows
Take my time
I'll see you when my love grows

Baby don't let it slide
I'm a working man in my prime
Cleaning windows

Dig this ...

I heard Leadbelly and Blind Lemon
On the street where I was born
Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee,
Muddy Waters singin' "I'm A Rolling Stone"

I went home and read my Christmas Humphrey's Book on Zen
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Kerouac's "Dharma Bums" and "On The Road"

What's my line?
I'm happy cleaning windows
Take my time
I'll see you when my love grows

Baby don't let it slide
I'm a working man in my prime
Cleaning windows...

[polichick]

1. Great stuff, and love that Belfast accent at the end - dig this, indeed!

[mr_lebowski]

2. For real it's one of my all-time favorite songs, not just of Van's, but ... ever ...

The interplay between Knopfler's licks and the horn section, Van's soulful, nostalgic delivery, plus just the overall funky groove they're locked into as a band ... it's a majorly under-appreciated classic track in my book.

[polichick]

3. Yeah, it's perfect - you can hear how stoked Van is on this one...

One thing YouTube is great for is finding videos of Van with people he loves to work with - one where you can see the joy on his face is with his buddy Tom Jones singing “I’m not feeling it anymore.”

[mr_lebowski]

4. For sure ... I watch a LOT of youtube music vids, seen some great live Van vids, I'll look for

the one you're referring to, doesn't ring a bell offhand.

I dig Tom Jones, too. Kinda grew up listening to him, he was my mom's favorite artist.

Come to think of it, he was pretty much the only artist she was into ... I think he was her 'freebie', if you know what I mean

It's funny, I didn't realize he was Welsh until the last couple years, I always thought he was American for some reason. I'm sort of 'into' knowing these bits of music trivia ...

Anyways, fortunately both my dad and stepdad had much more varied taste ...

[polichick]

5. You can't even hear Van on this but Tom really belts it and Van is thrilled...

https://m.

They still sing together sometimes.

[mr_lebowski]

6. That's dynamite, I love it!

Tom kills it, man ...