From his early days playing with Big Star’s Chris Bell and Jody Stephens, his discovery by Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones), to a storied solo career—which inspired the acclaimed documentary Waiting: The Van Duren Story—Van Duren has earned his spot as a Memphis music legend.

Van also fronted Good Question, a band whose only release in 1986 was only marred by the classic problem of falling through the cracks. In 1991, the band began work on a follow-up, and invited a group of Memphis friends to a performance to showcase the new album material.

The set simultaneously acted as a retrospective of Van’s career as a solo act, featuring material from his albums Are You Serious? and Idiot Optimism, plus a last-minute addition of a Beatles cover, worked up during rehearsals. The second album never materialized, and this performance has sat patiently in the vaults, waiting to be heard.

Cartwheeling: Live In Memphis is that show, presenting that 1992 set from Van, James Lott, Ray Sanders, Joel Williams, with special guest Rick Steff (Lucero). Newly restored and mastered by Grammy® winner Michael Graves, Van contributes new liners outlining the show and its significance.

1. IS SHE EVER
2, I’M LOOKING FOR A WIFE
3. HER NAME COMES UP
4. A MAN WOULD BE CRAZY TO GIVE UP ALL THIS
5. ONE MORE REAL KISS
6. THE LOVE THAT I LOVE
7. TENNESSEE, I’M TRYING
8. CARTWHEELING
9. FOOL FOR THE FACE
10. SUCH A SECRET
11. MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS
12. JANE
13. GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE
14. THE NAKED EYE OF LOVE

This previously unissued live 1992 set from the Memphis power-pop legend opens on the dutiful pop hipsway found within IS SHE EVER and the upbeat rocker I’M LOOKING FOR A WIFE and then brings us the free flowing HER NAME COMES UP, the rambunctious A MAN WOULD BE CRAZY TO GIVE UP ALL THIS, the mid-tempo rocker ONE MORE REAL KISS, and both the accordion-imbibed ballad THE LOVE THAT I LOVE and the finger-snapper TENNESSEE, I’M TRYING.

Along next is the foot-tapper blues rocker, the titular CARTWHEELING and the languishing FOOL FOR THE FACE and they are in turn backed by the rocking SUCH A SECRET, the aching rock yearn within MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS, a dutiful pop bounce found within JANE, the live recording rounding out on the ’80s synth pop flow of the brilliant Beatles cover GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE, closing on the Hammond-hued rocker THE NAKED EYE OF LOVE.

Official Purchase Link