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The Philosopher's Stone
Compilation album by Van Morrison
Released	June 16, 1998
Recorded	1971 - 1987
Genre	Blues, R & B
Length	153:07
Label	Polydor
Producer	Van Morrison
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
Van Morrison chronology
The Healing Game (1997) The Philosopher's Stone (1998) Back on Top (1999)

For the Harry Potter book, see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Philosopher's Stone is a compilation album by Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1998.

The songs released on this 2-CD thirty track album were previously unreleased material from 1970 to 1988. The album features twenty-five songs that had never been released and alternative renditions of "The Street Only Knew Your Name", "Wonderful Remark," "Real Real Gone," "Flamingoes Fly" and "Bright Side of the Road".

Van Morrison said about the previously unreleased songs: "It's hard to work out why you didn't put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn't fit....When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist." The Philosopher's Stone Volume One was originally scheduled to be released in July 1996. When it was released, it had been changed and "When I Deliver", "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were deleted. ^[1]

All songs by Van Morrison unless stated otherwise

1. "Really Don't Know" – 3:37
2. "Ordinary People" – 5:20
3. "Wonderful Remark" – 8:01
4. "Not Supposed to Break Down" – 5:24
5. "Laughing in the Wind" – 4:10
6. "Madame Joy" – 4:23
7. "Contemplation Rose" – 5:15
8. "Don't Worry About Tomorrow" – 5:20
9. "Try for Sleep" - (Morrison, Platania) – 6:05
10. "Lover's Prayer" – 3:57
11. "Drumshanbo Hustle" – 4:48
12. "Twilight Zone" – 8:23
13. "Foggy Mountain Top" – 5:27
14. "Naked in the Jungle" – 4:36
15. "There There Child" - (Morrison, Platania) – 3:01
16. "The Street Only Knew Your Name" – 6:25
17. "John Henry" - (Traditional) – 5:48
18. "Western Plain" -(Leadbelly, Lomax) – 5:42
19. "Joyous Sound" – 2:30
20. "I Have Finally Come to Realise" – 5:09
21. "Flamingos Fly" – 6:28
22. "Stepping Out Queen, Pt. 2" – 4:26
23. "Bright Side of the Road" – 4:02
24. "Street Theory" – 4:54
25. "Real Real Gone" – 3:45
26. "Showbusiness" – 9:21
27. "For Mr. Thomas" - (Williamson) – 4:15
28. "Crazy Jane on God" - (Mathieu, Yeats) – 4:05
29. "Song of Being a Child" - (Handke, Morrison) – 4:09
30. "High Spirits" - (Moloney, Morrison) – 4:21

• Van Morrison - vocal, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, saxophone
• June Boyce - vocals
• John Platania - acoustic and electric guitars
• Ronnie Montrose - guitar, background vocals on "Wonderful Remark" and "Ordinary People"
• John Blakey, Herbie Armstrong - guitar
• Toni Marcus - violin
• Jules Broussard - flute, tenor saxophone
• Boots Houston - flute
• Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
• Colin Titon - tenor saxophone
• Pee Wee Ellis - saxophone
• Mark Isham - trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards
• John Allair - piano, keyboards
• Jeff Labes - piano
• Bernie Kraus - Moog synthesizer
• John Klingberg, Bill Church, David Hayes - bass
• Gary Mallaber, Connie Kay - drums
• Jackie DeShannon, Judy Clay - background vocals

Album - Billboard (North America)

• Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7

• Full Track Listings