Hi °C | Lo °C Van Morrison fans have been given an extra Christmas gift - an unexpected new album. But the double CD, Live at Austin City Limits Festival, won't be available in the shops.
Instead, it will be on sale at Morrison's concerts in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast in February, other gigs and through his official website.
The performance set comes less than a year after Morrison's last official album release, his exploration of country and western music, Pay The Devil.
Recently, Morrison has lamented record companies' refusal to release much more than one album a year and has hinted he may become involved in more special projects.
Among them could be a follow-up to his Philosopher's Stone album - unreleased tracks mostly from the first half of Morrison's career.
Meanwhile, Van himself has turned Santa for his legion of fans with this first official concert album since A Night in San Francisco a decade ago.
The legendary Belfast-born singer has tended to release live sets every 10 years, including the famous Live at the Grand Opera House in 1984, which came 10 years after the classic It's Too Late to Stop Now.
The new album includes a handful of his country album tracks but is more a 'greatest hits' package including Bright Side of the Road, Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl.
The album comes just a few months after Morrison's first official DVD release, Live at Montreux, which has performances from the 1970s and 1980s.
Over Christmas, Gloria Hunniford paid an emotional tribute to her daughter, Caron Keating, by selecting another of Van's songs as a pick on the BBC's Desert Island Discs programme.
She chose Have I Told You Lately That I Love You as Caron and husband Russ Lindsay danced to the song at their wedding. Caron died of breast cancer two years ago at the age of 41.
