On episode 5 of Past Prime, Matty and Steve head back into the Mystic to revisit the album that inspired their website and podcast to begin with -- Van Morrison's "A Sense of Wonder" (1985). The co-hosts admit that they both avoided this album because, first and foremost, it features one of the most unfortunate cover designs and wardrobe decisions ever printed. Van famously looks like a woodland creature on the front and like a Count or maybe Sancho Panza on the back cover. This album also marks a summation of Van's uneven early 80s work and a transition to his more poetic albums later in the decade. Although the music features far more cheesy reverb and New Age searching than Matty or Steve like, they admit that Van is almost always able to get that "feel" that he is so famous for. They do not rank "A Sense of Wonder" in the top 50% of his catalogue but they do admire his workmanlike approach to always following his muse and consistently cranking that albums in a search for the Slipstream. And -- yes -- they talk about the purple leisure suit from "The Last Waltz."

To read more about Van Morrison's "A Sense of Wonder," check out the full essay at Past Prime.