We've seen Van 3 time. Astral Weeks in Chicago was the last. Before that Montreux Jazz Fest with Patti LaBelle and Solomon Burke. And the 1st time? Auditorium Theater in Chicago for No Guru "tour". I think he did like 5 US dates with band and string quartet. I think of NGNMNT as Van's last Celtic Soul album and In The Garden as the functional title cut. This song is sublime. I will assume that it ties in to the tir na nOg legend. The idea of sacrificing enlightenment/heaven/oneness for the chance to be reunited with the object of our love - be it a person, family, a place - resurfaces numerous times in this period. Beautiful Vision to No Guru is, IMO, the best period of VM's career. And "In The Garden" is among the best of the best.
We've seen Van 3 time. Astral Weeks in Chicago was the last. Before that Montreux Jazz Fest with Patti LaBelle and Solomon Burke. And the 1st time? Auditorium Theater in Chicago for No Guru "tour". I think he did like 5 US dates with band and string quartet. I think of NGNMNT as Van's last Celtic Soul album and In The Garden as the functional title cut. This song is sublime. I will assume that it ties in to the tir na nOg legend. The idea of sacrificing enlightenment/heaven/oneness for the chance to be reunited with the object of our love - be it a person, family, a place - resurfaces numerous times in this period. Beautiful Vision to No Guru is, IMO, the best period of VM's career. And "In The Garden" is among the best of the best.