Some of them, like Van's impersonation of Bert's seemingly manic style of production in 'Thirty Two,' feel almost like performance art. While these tracks were never intended to be studied as any of Van's greatest musical achievements, they still offer a window into his creative process, showing what it sounds like to come up with songs on the spot. One is left to wonder whether anyone listened as far as 'Freaky If You Got This Far' the tapes didn't see the light of day until they were mastered and released in the nineties. Others – such as 'The Big Royalty Check' – are more pointed jabs at Bert and Ilene. Sheets' by pointing out that 'you could have had something worse'), pull lyrics from whatever came to mind at the time. Some, like 'Want a Danish' and 'Ring Worm' (which breaks the bad news of your diagnosis, referencing the more dire 'T.B. Some songs – like 'Twist and Shake' and 'Hang on Groovy' – are obvious riffs on some of Bert's earlier hits. Van honored the contract, but in so doing brought a new meaning to the term 'contractual obligation album.' Recorded in what was most likely one afternoon, the 31 songs – all obviously improvised in one take – become increasingly unhinged over their span of roughly half an hour. As Ilene was about to learn however, sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. Having taken over operations at BANG, Bert's widow Ilene Berns insisted Van honor the contract and record the remaining songs before recording Astral Weeks or performing live at all. Bert died only months later, which put an end to their creative disputes but not the legal ones the contract was still in place. Leaving BANG Records was easier said than done, however. Rumor has it that Van only learned about the release of Blowin' Your Mind! when a friend found a copy of it in a record store. Angry and disappointed, Van looked to break his contract and move to Warner Brothers for his next studio album, the seminal Astral Weeks. Adding insult to injury, Van hadn't received any royalty payments for the songs he'd released. Without consulting Van, Bert released the songs originally put out as singles as the album Blowin' Your Mind!. Unfortunately, Van hadn't realized how much financial and creative control he had surrendered to Bert. Things were going well at first working with Bert Berns, the legendary songwriter and producer responsible for hits like 'Twist and Shout' and 'Hang on Sloopy' seemed like a great opportunity. Having just struck out on his own after leaving the band Them, he moved to New York, hastily signed onto BANG Records, and got to work recording hits like 'Brown Eyed Girl'.

1967 was a turbulent year for Van Morrison.

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