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Moondance

There are 246 versions of Van Morrison's Moondance listed on Discogs, and I'm not sure mine is quite an exact match for any of them. I could of course submit it as a 247th variant, but it's just one of a plethora of subtly-different German-pressed re-issues of uncertain vintage, one of those where Side 1, Track 1 is given incorrectly as 'Stoned Me' on the sleeve and differently wrongly on the label as 'And I Stoned Me'. I don't recall exactly when or where I acquired it, but there's every chance it's one of Derek's records.

Derek, I gather, is the proprietor of a London record shop, who, once a month or so, drops off some excess stock at St. Mary St. Collectables in Chepstow, where one can buy one album for £4 or three for £10. Presumably Derek must have some connection with Chepstow - otherwise, why would he do this? Whatever his motives, he's been doing it for at least 7 years without there having been any change in the asking price, first at the now-defunct 'Serendipity' junk-shop, and now across St. Mary St., upstairs at 'Collectables' with an a. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a third part of my present vinyl collection was picked up there.

I've known and loved Moondance for decades - I first had a copy of it on cassette. I've no original remarks to add to what's already been written about the album. These days I suppose it serves as a reminder that even the now dangerously-cantankerous & embittered Mr Morrison was once young, in love & richly inspired.

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