This came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Back before Beatlemania overtook Britain, the sound of the day was skiffle, a blend of Yankee rockabilly, blues and folk, played on acoustic guitars and heavy on the locomotive backbeat.
And with hits like Rock Island Line and Don’t You Rock Me, Daddio, Lonnie Donegan was skiffle’s king, inspiring countless young musicians — including one Belfast lad named George Ivan Morrison. Four decades later, Van the Man repays the debt and comes full circle, joining Donegan and his longtime bassist Chris Barber on this enchanting live set. Loose and laid-back, these tracks have all the spontaneity and exuberance of a great late-night jam, with the trio calling tunes — and the keys to play in — on the fly, trading off verses and generally having a swell old time revisiting traditional faves from Leadbelly’s Goodnight Irene to Frankie and Johnny. Simply superb.
