Van Morrison - Marin San Francisco Sept -71 -20... Extra Quality Jun 2026

: A relaxed, atmospheric opening that showcases the horn section. "Ballerina"

In these recordings, you hear the band workshopping the title track, "Tupelo Honey." It is not yet the polished radio hit; it is a looser, more gospel-inflected creature. The song, written about his wife, encapsulates the Marin vibe—a paean to simple love, nature, and the "wild honey" of the California landscape. When Morrison sings, "You can take all the tea in China," over the laid-back shuffle of the band, he is rejecting the industrial grind in favor of the Marin ideal.

, alongside soulful covers like Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" and Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog". Van Morrison - Marin San Francisco Sept -71 -20...

The recording was made before an intimate audience of approximately 200 people. The studio, which had been used by the Grateful Dead for Workingman's Dead , provided a high-fidelity environment that resulted in one of the best-sounding live recordings of the 1970s.

When fans search for the "20..." they are often looking for the extended jams and the loose, warm atmosphere that permeated these West Coast shows. The recording quality of these tapes—often labeled as "Pacific High" or "Sausalito" dates—captures a room sound that feels intimate and alive. You can hear the chatter of the crowd, the clinking of glasses, and Morrison’s unmistakable sighs and vocal improvisations that turn songs into spiritual quests. : A relaxed, atmospheric opening that showcases the

By September 1971, Van Morrison was 26 years old but already a decade into a turbulent career. He had left Them, conquered the rock avant-garde with Astral Weeks (1968), and scored a commercial breakthrough with Moondance (1970). Now living in Marin County – specifically a boathouse in Sausalito – he was soaking in the post-hippie, pre-cocaine-excess atmosphere of the Bay Area.

Running time on the most cited bootleg: . Hence “20...”. When Morrison sings, "You can take all the

in San Francisco (actually located in Marin, CA) is widely regarded by critics and fans as one of the finest live recordings of Van Morrison ’s career Internet Archive Originally broadcast on

But the "Sept -71" era wasn't all soft focus. Morrison was also road-testing tracks that would eventually appear on Saint Dominic’s Preview . This was the

Morrison, notoriously mercurial, booked studio time for to finish tracks for Tupelo Honey (released October 1971) and to experiment with loose jams that Warner Bros. deemed too meandering for the final cut.

Notably absent was (later of The Doobie Brothers), who played on much of Tupelo Honey but was not present for the September jam sessions.