"Slim Slow Slider" is the closing track on the 1968 album ''

Astral Weeks ''Astral Weeks'' is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Rec ...

'' by

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

singer-songwriter

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

Recording and composition

As the final song on the album, "Slim Slow Slider" was also the last song recorded on the final session on 15 October 1968, at Century Sound Studios in New York City with Lewis Merenstein as producer. John Payne, who played soprano saxophone on this song, says there was a long section at the end of this song that was cut off. "It was five to ten minutes of instrumental jamming, semi-baroque and jazz stuff." In Morrison's words, the subject of this song is "a person who is caught up in a big city like London or maybe is on dope." Brian Hinton describes it as being an intrusion between the two poles of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and America in the other songs. "The craziness of "

Cyprus Avenue "Cyprus Avenue" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1968 album ''Astral Weeks''. It refers to Cyprus Avenue, a residential street in Morrison's hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In perfor ...

" has come home, so that the streets of Notting Hill become 'some sandy beach', in the junkies eyes....We are back in the world of "

T.B. Sheets "T.B. Sheets" is a blues-influenced song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Bang Records issued the song on his first solo album, '' Blowin' Your Mind!'' (1967). It later appeared on the Bang compilation '' T.B. ...

", and a twelve bar blues, and Van's chuckle is truly nasty. After all those rebirths, here is a song about winter, "white as snow", and death..." The song ends abruptly with Van slapping on the side of his guitar.

Other releases

"Slim Slow Slider" was also featured on Morrison's 2009 album ''

Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl ''Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' is the fifth live album recorded by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, and released in the UK on 9 February 2009, and in the United States on 24 February 2009. It was recorded during two li ...

'', recorded forty years after the classic album ''

'' was first released. Morrison changed the song's placement on this album to the third song instead of the final song, adding also to the length and content, entitling the new addition "I Start Breaking Down".

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic guitar * Richard Davis – double bass *John Payne – soprano saxophone * Warren Smith, Jr. – percussion

Covers

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

named his 1970 album, ''Slim Slo Slider'' and included two versions of the song. Tom McShane performed a live version of the song. It was among the acoustic covers recorded by Peter Laughner in his bedroom on the night he died, which were later collectively released as ''The Last Recordings''.

Notes

References

* Heylin, Clinton (2003). ''Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography'', Chicago Review Press, * Hinton, Brian (1997). ''Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison'', Sanctuary, * Rogan, Johnny (2006). '' Van Morrison: No Surrender'', London: Vintage Books {{ISBN, 978-0-09-943183-1 1968 songs Van Morrison songs Songs written by Van Morrison Song recordings produced by Lewis Merenstein