Van Morrison doesn't ''intellectualise'' music.

The 'Brown Eyed Girl' hitmaker doesn't like to analyse tracks he listens to because it ''takes away'' the connection he has with songs, but insists he does take on such an approach in other aspects of his life.

He said: ''I don't intellectualise music. For me that spoils it, if I'm trying to analyse it and break it all down. It takes away whatever you connect with.

''I'm very intellectual in my approach to a lot of other things, but not music. I'm a Virgo and Virgos have analytical minds.

''But I have to leave that behind with music, because it doesn't work for me.''

The 72-year-old singer released his debut album, 'Blowin' Your Mind!' in 1967, and admits he loves music ''just as much'' as he did when he was a teenager, ''sometimes even more''.

Speaking to the Financial Times newspaper, he added: ''The teenage thing is another myth.

''It wasn't just that we were teenagers who loved this music. We liked it all our lives. I like it just as much now as I did then, sometimes even more. Our heroes were not people in the top 10. They were black guys who were much older.

''I still like Little Walter as much as I liked him then. Maybe even more.''

The star's latest release, 'Roll with the Punches' - an album of blues covers - is his 37th studio album, but he recently admitted he finds the recording process ''boring''.

He said: ''I don't enjoy recording the tracks, but then the mixing and all the rest of it, it's so boring.

''People would not believe how boring it is. I used to enjoy making albums, but the whole process of doing it now, I don't enjoy it at all.''