Reviews (page 7 of 9)
This one has been in my listening library for a very long time. it is an excellent album!
Not what I'm used to from Van Morrison but it's raw and emotional and lovely.
Wow! This album is so dreamy. I sank into it’s flow and let it carry me away. Beautiful.
Can't decide on this one. I "kinda" liked it but I also despised most of the songs.
sweet. this will spark my yearly obsession with van morrison again. love the guy some good chunes on this one but i rarely go back and listen to songs that are longer than 5 minutes long.
I'm a bit bias, as my wedding song is in here. Love this shit.
I'd love this if i was found of country music
It was okay
Really good. His stuff continues to blow me away.
Better than the other Van Morrison album I got. Too bad he became an anti-vaxxer weirdo.
This has very poop structure and no melod8to speak of. Not to mention this guy's questionable voice, sounds like Randy Newman on acid
Put into context this album is pretty good. However maybe I need to spend a bit more time with it as I just didn't overly enjoy it. Fave track is Cyprus Avenue. Special call out for Ballerina as when it starts I wondered whose iPhone was ringing.
Hmmmm, it's all quite samey, but it's a nice samey, so I guess I can't complain. Certainly wouldn't object to hearing it again. Fave track - "Sweet Thing" - I swear I've heard this track a bunch in compilations, but lastfm says no - maybe it was a cover? 🤔
I'm actually really glad I don't like this clown's album. Smacks of sophomoric insights and beatnik-level effort. He's managed to accurately portray the sound of singing with your head lodged completely up your own ass.
Enjoyable, but I prefer their hits (I'm worried that will be my review for all 1001 ablums!)
Perfect for the morning, mellow and calming, sleepy-time music
Kinda boring
this is interesting... it took me four days to get through and it is very good at certain points but urgh... sometimes it's just soooo annoying tbh
I understand this album is considered essential and in a way I can get it. Personally though it’s a bit too jammy for me. It feels like so many of these songs just continue on and go nowhere. Maybe it’s a me problem. Essential Track: Sweet Thing (Added to Playlist)
boring
More introspective than what I've come to expect from Van Morrison.
Great album, easily the best pre-1970s album I've had so far in the 1001 albums project. Beautifully tender but with enough substance
Tällästä perus musaa. Ei ihmeellisen hyvä eikä ihmeellisen huono. Taustalla menee. 3/3
Ihan kivat instrut, mutta enpä välitä laulutyylistä ollenkaan. Ihme brassailua.
Todella hieno ääni ja muutenkin jotenkin kauniisti tähän alkusyksyyn sopivaa tunnelmointia. 4/5
Decent enough
mid
Beetje saai
Dit is Kut!!!!
Ok but why is it so boring
Celui qui s'est fait connaître en prononçant son prénom très vite propose ici un album d'assez bonne qualité, toujours dans son style gémissant caractérstique.
J'ai bien aimé écouter Van Morrison gémir pendant de longues minutes, super style.
Never really liked Van Morrison. This album had some interesting moments but it wasn’t for me.
♪ To be bored again~
really boring, 1.5 but im giving it a 1 im feeling generous
My word, what a voice. I don't typically go for Morrison's style, but I can't deny the man can write a song. Madame George is just a wonderful piece of music, and any music fan should be familiar with it. Top tier songwriting from start to finish.
I don’t connect with Van’s vocals, and I find the music to be a bit astral plain.
Van is the best. So soulful. I don't know that any of his albums are better than the others. They're all just solid.
Van Morrison’s whole thing really doesn’t click with me. It feels very boomer core. There’s a lot of press about how important and impressive this album is but for me it feels very rambling and pointless. There doesn’t seem to be much direction or intention with any of the songs, just kind of jamming on boring white guy soul stuff. It’s just not the type of music I’ll ever really pine for.
I quite enjoyed this! It’s not a record I’ve ever listened to and truthfully I’m not super familiar with Van Morrison beyond his big hits either. Great combo of folky vocals and lyrics along with deeper lush instrumentation and a jazzy feel. Really had an ethereal quality to it that got cemented further on my second listen. Several tracks overstayed their welcome a bit but all in all forgivable when listening to it as a whole. I probably won’t give more than half the tracks a listen on their own, but as a full piece I think this record is very effective.
liked it but i didnt love it. felt a little repetitive
I’m going back and forth on this. I can see myself listening to each individual song, but got a bit redundant after an hour. I feel bad doing less than four but can probably do a 3
interesting use of non-traditional instruments in the album. although, truth be told, his voice seems out of place more than i'd like to admit.
A little too folksy for my taste and found myself wanting "more" from this album
Had written stuff out, but got blown away with a single ctrl+r. Oh well. This album tickles my fancy in a very specific way. I'm all about it. Sweet Thing is the most recognizable song, and it is beautiful. Sounds like it wants to explode, but instead channels that energy into flourishes of strings and flute behind the high-hat and guitar strum. Rest of the album is beautiful. Really enjoy The Way Young Lovers Do and how it sort of feels out of place among the rest. 5 / 5.
Not my favorite van morrison album. Not bad. 3 stars
Pretty good album. Don't have too much to say about it though. I like the voice, and the whole album has good flow.
Incredibly soothing instrumentals contrasted by Van Morrison's extremely harsh voice. He voice works well at points but it's kind of tough to listen to a full album of. Overall a good album pretty much exactly a 3 rating
Lots of nice sounding flutes on here. Currently listening sitting in a quaint little coffee shop and its a ~vibe~ I specifically like Cyprus Avenue. The vibraphone on Ballerina is also so smooth. Was honestly heading for a 3 but it was really pleasant to my ear holes, opposite of Throbbing Gristle. And for that you get a 4 you crazy son of a bitch Van.
Fuck no! I was made to listen to this on a loop. No!
the A-side was excellent, "sweet thing" specifically along with the title track, but i found the b-side to be a little bit lacking. still overall quite good but i'd likely only listen to the a-side again.
I quite liked the sound of this, though he's a bit shouty at times. I'm not a huge fan.
Positive surprise. Every song had a vibe similar to "Brown Eyed Girl", to the point that I thought it's just one long medley based on the melody from this track. And the melody is great, but it was pretty repetitive. But what was the best on this album was Van Morrison vocal. Just genuinely a treat to listen to. Pretty good album, but rather one and done on my list.
Not badly executed at all, just nothing memorable left with me after a full listen. Could use some stronger instrumental presence or more present lyricism.
I had to listen to this twice to decide what I thought of it and I'm still on the fence after two listens. One one hand it's kind of repetitive and the vocals are annoying. It also feels sometimes like the music and lyrics are strangely detached. However, I also found myself enjoying the slightly depressing sounds and the musicality of the whole thing. I wavered between a 2 and a 4, sometimes in the space of a few minutes in some of the individual tracks. I also felt myself hovering over the like button and then backing out again. I feel a 3-star rating is a bit low, but I probably won't go out of my way to listen to this again.
pure torture. i hate that voice more and more every time i hear it but especially on this record because of how listless and showoffy the melodies are. van morrison is such a one trick pony. and i don’t like the one trick.
mid asf, 2.5
Sounds better late at night when you're very blazed. Apparently some of these songs were written as a stream of consciousness and it really shows.
It honestly makes no sense to me why I’m not a big fan of his music. I’m not being cheeky, either. I really mean that. But for some reason, I’m just not.
This is one of those albums that I have always heard is a clear 10/10 but I just never listened to it. This album definitely lives up to its reputation. The storytelling on this album is fantastic and the vocals and instrumentation blend together to make a perfect album.
I did not really like this at all. I was expecting to enjoy it, but was served up a load of random instruments with some bloke shouting over the top.
Not my favorite Van Album. I have to be in a mood.
Strange one for me this. There was parts of the same songs at times where I just wanted them to end then seconds later they took a turn for the interesting. He’s got a unique voice thats for sure, sounds older than his age here. It’s also a lot more souly than I was expecting. I expected a pure 60s folk album ala Nick Drake, but got something a little different to that. Overall it’s ok, probably never bother again. I’m possibly biased knowing how he’s turned out.
Loved a couple of songs on this (particularly Astral Weeks), found others to not go anywhere and get increasingly annoying (Madame George the worst of the lot). There's clearly far more to Van Morrison than brown eyed girl so in that sense I'm pleasantly surprised but not really compelled to listen to more.
Many of the songs outstay their welcome, but it does contain a couple of interesting, melancholy and melodic tracks. The Way Young Lovers Do is a bit more uptempo, and consequently a bit more memorable. Madam George is too long.
Van Morrison is another that I heard a lot when I was younger. I have also listened to this album in the last year or so. He has an unmistakable voice and style. Really enjoyed most of this, although it doesn't include any of his bigger hits. Highlights: Beside you Sweet thing Cyprus avenue Madame George
Really not good. A couple of songs are high points. But this is clearly thrown together and badly improvised.
It felt like weeks.
pastoral bleats
ikkje for meg
Meine å huska at den eine sangen va 10% kul, men da holdt ikkje mål
Heavenly sounds. The storytelling is so rich and his voice is perfect
It was alright
I love this album (except the whiny track Beside You), and have to be in the mood for it. Except Sweet Thing, which I've always got time for.
A bit too mellow for me but dang what a powerful voice that cuts through the malaise of your morning.
Perfect Album
An album of outros.
Since having the displeasure of seeing Van Morrison live a number of years ago, my opinion of the man himself has soured some. That said...this album is undeniable to me. It's beautiful. It sounds the way coming of age feels. It is so warm, so small yet powerful. Van Morrison himself be damned, this is getting my highest marks. I can see myself listening to this for years and years to come.
-van morrison is tight as hell -vibes are very good -favorites: slim slow slider -these lyrics are also really beautiful -idk if i like this enough to listen again but i’m enjoying listening to it -these older albums sincerely need to stop with the 8+ minute songs. halfway through i have checked out mentally because they have not made it interesting enough to keep the song going that long -sorry i have simply hit my limit
Sorry Kyle, I just cant
fadeouts... eikö osata lopettaa pistää loppua JA LOPPU NÄIN. STOP. eikö osata... noh ei haittaa..kivaa musiikkia mutta pettymystä tunnettu nimi kuitenkin oli korkealla ajatukset, pilvissä (ei hörhöillen) ajatukset vaan... tykkäsin silti, plim plom kellonkolina elementtti heh.. the way young lovers do
Not exactly terrible but it was definitely quite boring.
Meh
Can’t stand his voice. Songs are too long. A prick on stage. Apparently a cranky blunderbuss as a human. Hard no!
baita som, astral
Wat het precies is, een soort singersongwriter-zingzeg-blues? Geen idee. 'Van the man' hoeft alleen zijn smoel maar open te trekken en het klinkt al goed. Enige nadeel is dat het af en toe behoorlijk in de herhaling valt. Het kan niet altijd 5 sterren zijn.
Het album begint lekker. Zonder echt te overdrijven toont Van de kracht van zijn stem. Ook nog lekker in balans met de muziek. Maar dan halverwege het eerste nummer komt er ineens een kwijlend 'Yeah, yeah, yeah' uit (tekst opgezocht, Musixmatch). Alsof zijn mond spontaan verlamd is. Hierna treedt de stem op de voorgrond. Met een restaurantmuziekje op de achtergrond wordt aan het eind van dit nummer een aantal keer achter elkaar 'Beside You' geschreeuw-kwijlt (kon ik nog wel zelf verstaan). Van lijkt het er om doen. Bijna elk nummer moet verpest worden met een klein stukje lamme tong of rare uithaal.
Er is maar 1 Van the Man, en dat is Ruud van Nistelrooy natuurlijk. Ik wilde er eigenlijk verder geen woorden aan vuil maken, maar de muziek vraagt toch wel even om een reactie. Het is een soort klaagzang van een knorrige ouwe man, of eigenlijk meer een krijsende baby, met als enige begeleiding twee violen en een trommel en een fluit. Alles draait om de stem van Van Morrison. 1 nummer kan ik best hebben, maar het is allemaal van hetzelfde en de nummers duren maar en duren maar. Geef me dan gewoon Bright side of the road, Gloria of desnoods het grijsgedraaide brown eyed girl. Maar met dit oeverloze en schier eindeloze gemijmer kan ik helemaal niks. Ik probeer het de volgende ochtend voor een 2e keer en ik erger me direct weer mateloos.
Not my favourite Van Morrison, but good
Songs are a bit long
Not his best album.
Just rubbish
Good production but lead singer’s voice was extremely distracting
Boring...
Nice album, kind of a shame he's a dick on stage
Pleasant but a tad boring
On the one hand I really like the dreamy atmosphere van Morrison creates. Very unique sound. As a an album it becomes a bit boring
Astral Weeks is immortal; and will remain forever one of the finest records of all time. Morrison came of age here, he did it his way combining jazz, blues, folk, poetry alongside the Gaelic notes he had grown with. Listen to "The Way Young Lovers Do" where all of these parts combine into an album highlight, wow how it swings and gets the foot tapping and those fingers clicking. For some it won't resonate immediately, but if you give it time it will reward you and will become a life-long companion. Astral Weeks is like a fine whiskey, it takes time to appreciate it but if you persevere you will love it forever.
very van morrisony. it’s alright
Soft, belle découverte folk, mais sans plus, rien de méga wow, de beaux sons still, balade mélancolie. Vaudrait plus 2.5/5 que 2, mais plus proche de 2 que 3.
Sorry but the wee Belfast boy, Van the Man, will never win the battle of me liking his voice. I find it a really hard ask to listen to him, and he does leave you feeling a tad depressed and melancholy after listening to this album. The album is an eclectic mix of folksy tracks with maybe a hint of jazz or blues... its hard to tell, did I mention his voice, I still can't get that out of my ears. The songs themselves are musically a progession arrangement for 1968, when music was emerging as more expressive than traditional, albeit on a number of tracks there is little synergy between the musicians and it all gets a bit clunky. But the music isnt the bad part about this album, because you just can't get away from that persistent Leeeooowwwwowowwowwahhyeah extensions he adds into way too many of the lyrics, which continually adds to the headache of his grating singing voice. So in summary, it's an album of his early work, it's eclectic, i dont know why people rave on about Van, but laterally he did go on to turn out better albums and some well known popular songs, but for me this Astral Weeks album is just middle of the road, absolutely nothing special, and pretty sure it won't get played again... unless I get depressed and want to add to my woes, then I'll play it again.
I think his best album. So much of this is the classic Van Morrison sound with more of the good stuff than the bad stuff. Could listen to this album on repeat which is a good sign.
Feels like a bunch of vignettes of pretty pastoral landscapes. Beautiful layers, kind of drifting here & there. As much as I may be a fan, sometimes his voice is jarring.
Not as popular as some other albums, but great nonetheless
An absolutely mesmerizing experience. Full synesthesia.
Okay, very artsy and of its time
Own on Vinyl
I really liked Van Morrison but I didn't find any song especially cool.
(2.5) Y a pas de quoi casser trois pattes à un canard
PREFS : Astral Weeks, Cyprus Avenue, The Way Young Lovers Do, Ballerina MOINS PREF : Beside You
I dont this this holds up. Also never been a fan of his voice
Overall an ok album however there wasn't really anything that stood out as fantastic to my ears. Best: Sweet Thing Worst: Madame George
okay so I guess I'm just the big Van Morrison hater of the group. I suppose I have two major problems enjoying this album. The first is what makes this album hard to finish for me. Man the vocal melodies on here are boring. After reading Tim's review I guess I'm just missing the point? To me it comes off as rambling and aimless. These songs are all very long by modern standards and I don't think they have enough material to justify the length. It feels as if I am frozen in time and all I have to guide me is Van Morrsion's scruffy voice. I see people praising the lyrics on here, but it seems to me the story is being told more through emotion conveyed through vocal inflection than by lyrics. He will often hang on the same phrase over and over again and let his vocals to the work. The second major problem I have with this record isn't Van Morrison's fault, it's more of a matter of bias from a modern listener. I find the vocal style popularized by Van Morrison incredibly annoying. It's very "white man with an acoustic guitar showing off" but instead of showing off range or dynamics or melodies or lyrics he's just leaning 100% into vocal inflections. Any emotion conveyed by this style goes over my head and it just feels like he's showing off. This is where the admittedly shallow Ed Sheeran comparison comes into play. "Thinking Out Loud" leans heavily into similar vocal inflections for it's appeal, this was actually just referenced in court during a recent lawsuit. Ed Sheeran's producers apparently referred to it as "the Van Morrison Song." Also Brown Eyed Girl is imo one of the most overplayed cover songs, just like Ed Sheeran's biggest hits, but that's not even on this album so end of comparison. This vocal style also had a big resurgence in the late 90s and 2000s so maybe I have bad childhood memories around it or something. If I was alone in a bubble this would be a 1, but I'll go ahead and bump it up to a 2 out of respect for Tim. Cover Art: 9/10 as much as I dislike the music the cover is actually sick
Super late to this one but I finally got the chance for another listen through. Very much night and day between first to second listen. The album has been hyped up to be very transcendental and I didn’t really understand why at first. On second listen I was driving with my dog on a nice day and it hit me a little more. It’s a very free album lyrically and musically that takes you to another place if you just kinda drive and let it play. A lot of the songs like sweet thing have very all over the place lyrics but all have the same sentiment that tie them together and come off as a stream of consciousness which I think works well. Like if you go into a studio and try to make a happy song but make it into a perfect pop song with everything very neat it loses that carefree feeling which this album conveys very well. The last song is also intriguing cuz it kinda comes out of the blue and has a much darker theme and sound. The only one that still didn’t do mucb for me was madame George. Just dragged on but not in a good way like the first couple. 👍:sweet thing, slim slow slider, astral weeks
This isn’t really my style but I can definitely say there are some cool vocal moments on this record. I really like his use of repetition, it really gives off this vibe of hunger or longing that I think he’s going for. That paired with his strained vocal makes for a super unique sound.
Albums like these make me feel inadequate as a reviewer. So much I want to say, but no idea how to say it. This album makes me feel everything there is to feel. It takes me everywhere from joy, to love, to despair. From all the van Morrison I’ve listened to, this seems to be his most ambitious project. Every song there seems to be a new sound that catches my interest, so much beautiful instrumentation and such a variety of instruments packed into eight songs. Every time I hear strings or a flute(?) I ascend. Morrison’s vocals are soulful as always. Great songwriting. The whole album has a mystique around it that i can’t quite describe. It gives me peace. It’s interesting how different this sound is from his other albums. Moondance has always been my favorite van Morrison album, but there’s no doubt it’s the more easily consumable of the two. The more times I listen to this, the smaller the gap becomes. To lay this “Ed Sheeran of the 60’s” SLANDER to rest: Morrison and Sheeran both sing and play the guitar. They both belong, at least somewhat to the singer/songwriter genre. That’s where the comparisons end. Ed Sheeran has made the most basic, mainstream radio pop of possibly anyone in the last decade. Astral weeks was and is considered one of the more original, ambitious, and influential albums of the 60’s. Certainly within the sphere of folk/rock. This music wasn’t made for radio plays. Despite its acclaim, it’s never been an overly popular album. I would venture to say that nothing in Sheeran’s and ENTIRE career been as ambitious or impressive as the composition of ANY single one of the tracks on this album. There was nothing that sounded like this at the time, and truthfully, there hasn’t been since. Best: Sweet thing, Cyprus avenue, astral weeks, madam George Albums haven’t been good for MMMs recently and this one is more of the same. There is nothing particularly catchy about this album, considering considering it’s lack of conventional verses/hooks. It’s almost like poetry put to music in some ways. But I digress: no MMM today.
Sort of like alternative soul music. 3/5
The fact that this was recorded in a mere two days does not forgive - and in fact explains - its rambliness, noodlings, and lack of resolution. It's as if a very talented student waited until the last minute to write their paper, then just word vomited and turned it in - passable, but hardly great. It sounds like a session that could have resulted in a couple good songs for a future album and ditch the rest.
Though this isn't my favorite Van Morrison album - that would be his next: Moondance, this is a very unique and brave album. I respect the faith he had in the musicians to improvise the arrangements around his wandering musings. I do enjoy the sound, but they don't necessarily feel like songs, more like emotional landscapes you temporarily immerse yourself in.
Wow I actually really don't like how dramatic this is. Almost a 2 in enjoyment but it's objectively not bad... so 3 I guess but oof.
Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing, Cyprus Avenue, The Way Young Lovers Do (best song), Ballerina and Slim Slow Slider. Good but boring as fuck in some places. The lyrics and vocals are good and I love the jazzy parts of the songs. Especially The Way Lovers Do.
madame george is brutal to get through. this guy made 69 albums and they are all mildly annoying. he made another album while i listened to this. the way young lovers do
Not my cup of tea. Bored me.
Both the lyrics and the music are well written and performed quite well. However, Van Morrison has one of those voices that absolutely overpowers everything else. I wish this album was mixed with his vocals lower in the mix so that some of the instrumentation, which is really interesting, could shine through.
it starts out really good but then after bit you realize every song starts to sound exactly the same. The guy is incredibly talented but it got tedious.
Love Van Morrison voices sounds quite haunting. Lovely short album and very much a 60s record
I love this album so much, and I don’t really know why. It is definitely very authentic.
I have to give this a 5, because it was life-changing. It’s an album which the spirit of it, the underlying story, and the experience of listening to it is more impactful than any one song, other than the two which carry the album, “Astral Weeks” and “Madame George.” Yes, much is repetitive, much is jammed out, a bit same-y, the box of melodies that Van Morrison draws from is a bit limited. The album feels rough around the edges. But it’s more about the album’s free, conscious-less, yet urgent feeling.It's like the ultimate "id" album. It feels like pure gut, pure expression of something beyond the artist. The jazz/folk palette is just the setting, the context with which the album unfolds. What really astounds me about this album, after reading some history about it, is how little personal chemistry there was between the musicians and the artist, and how workaday the recording sessions sound for the session players. They took a couple days, walked in to Van Morrison's world, and came out with a masterpiece, all with such little report, little interaction between them. Just instincts, jamming, and improvisation. No talking, just music. Van Morrison thought the sessions were okay, the musicians were mildly pissed off. But they made some of the most emotional and free-wheeling pieces of music from this period, because the elements were in just the right place for it to happen. That's why this album is so amazing... it's a prototype. Many musicians say they're eternally indebted to this album, and I can understand why. It asks you to walk through the door to this other way of making music, that's much more about the raw, the outbursts of emotion, the jam, the stuff that's rough around the edges. Accessing the spiritual, in the ordinary act of playing together. And that's why I love this album so much. 5/5
At times: wow, what lovely, rich, mystical sounds to daydream along to! At other times: wow, is this song *still* rambling on…? Overall I probably feel similar about this album to how I feel about Moondance. Which is to say, I enjoyed it in parts but can’t quite understand its legendary reputation.
I think "Madame George" encapsulates my feelings about this album well. It's got a nice, full sound and evocative lyrics sung in Van's unmistakeable voice, but it's too damn long. At no point in my life have I ever said "Man, you know what I'd like to do? Listen to a 10 minute-long song." (Okay, that's not entirely true; I've got a 16 minute version of "Rhapsody in Blue" that's pretty awesome, but that's the exception to the rule). On its own, sure, it's fine. But when I listen to music I listen to multiple songs (as pretty much everyone does), and I like the experience to flow. Get much longer than 5-6 minutes and things start to drag. And yet I enjoyed the song and the album, even if they overstayed their welcome a bit. Enjoyment-wise, they were both a net positive thanks to Van's lyrics and delivery. This album isn't something I'd queue up with regularity, but I threw "Sweet Thing" and "The Way Young Lovers Do" into my 1001 Albums playlist on Spotify. And yeah, "Madame George," too.
I enjoy his voice & some of his music, but this was a little on the boring side.
good background/study music
Genres: Folk rock, folk jazz, progressive folk, blue-eyed soul Formed: 1967 Run time: 8 songs, 47 min, 12 sec There are plenty of great Van Morrison songs. This album doesn’t include any of them. Despite that, all the tracks have over 3.5M plays on Spotify. Three tracks have 10, 36 and 78M plays. It was a disappointment to me and I will not be giving the album a second play. My Rating: **
I've tried with this album so many times. I've tried to understand why it gets high up all time lists. It's just a rambling sound that offers nothing. No song structures, no songs. Maybe it's something I can't hear but what I can hear bores me.
Background music at best really
Outstanding music by Van the Man
Split on this. It has atmosphere, but also a lot of wailing. To the extend that my girlfriend made me turn it off as it was pecking her head.
Comes off as Post-Folk as it is obviously tinged with Morrison's older work but there is a much wider range of influences present. A sweeping soundscape of moods, this album came off much better than I anticipated.
6/10. meh no es malo pero no me gusto tanto. aparte las letras qlas el wn repite todo dms y no me lo puedo tomar en serio. to nevanevaneva to nevavava to nevanevanveavamsjsuqbsm
Very good album, with its quiet but skillfully played instrumental background and poetic lyrics. Still, the melodies become monotonous at times and the songs are, in my opinion, too long.
Meinasi uni tulla kun aamusta kuunteli. Sopinee siis esim. rauhoittumiseen oikein hyvin.
Ihan kiva fiilis. Sunnuntaihin sopivaa settiä
Enjoyable overall. The way young lovers do was good
This one was nice but not really for me honestly
What a great album! Who doesn’t like Van the Man! What a voice this guy has really can’t say how much I enjoy Van Morrison. Not the first listen to these songs but first time all the way through at once and god what an album! Will always be down to listen to this guy!
Dit vind ik echt saaie muziek. Soort van singer-songwriter, maar dan van heel lang geleden. *
this is bad.
The song "Sweet Thing" is amazing (and I love the Waterboys' cover as well) and gets this album at least 4 stars even though it's not my favorite Van Morrison album, and even though I'm only rarely in a Van Morrison listening mood. But his poetry and style is so unique, he completely deserves his place on this list. And this album deserves its place on this list.
Beautiful voice. Cool ethereal chamber folk. Foul guy these days.
Peak dad rock but it makes my dopamine receptors go brrrr
boring songs, annoying vocal repetition. 2/5 because some songs had decent music
It just didn’t do it for me.
Enjoyed it, would have given it 3.5 if I could.
More of a grower than Moondance, but great in its own right. Perfect music for wine-and-cheese parties if you want to give the impression that you're a pretentious cunt.
Lovely, not his best but still great. Sweet Thing is the highlight.
I knew Van Morrison's bigger hits but after listening to this album I think I just like his sound overall.
Very unique singer songwriter and folk album with no real choruses, just free flowing lyrics and long run times. I think given more time with the record I will grow to like it more, but it is definitely an interesting listen.
Nice old-school shift rock album
Fuck van Morrison this shit fucking blows
Fantastic album. Love the vocals especially. The songs can feel a bit dragged out though. Definitely want to revisit. 4.5/5
Wow, vraiment un chef d'oeuvre. Quoi dire de plus... la production, chant, musique. Il y a tout là-dedans. 5*
first listen timeless
Is this another artist that people get nostalgic about hence he’s rated highly?
Van Morrison doing his Van Morrison thing. If you like that, you'll like this. It's not my thing.
I thought I liked early Van Morrison, before him and his music turned into a bloated wankfest, but this must be too early
Beautiful
Boring I'm usually a fan of folk type stuff but this was just drab
Pleasant, light, but very samey (just as What's Going On is samey, but still excellent).
Not my favorite Van Morrison
Van Morrison.
This one is not for me. Never a fan of improvisational Jazz, that was clearly a big influence for Morrison. I can understand why this was not a commercial success; while you can hear some of what made Moondance such a hit when it came out a couple of years later, the accessibility and charm of that album are absent from Astral Werks. I found it a little tedious and repetitive. I’ll bet the musicianship was top-notch, but it doesn’t do much for me. Too much harpsichord and flute.
The man is an absolute asshole but this is his best work
Too folky for me
Hab nachgelesen, Album wurde wohl in 3 Tagen aufgenommen. Auf jeden Fall interessant das Ding
zzz
Van Morrison is a great songwriter but I just can't really dig his style of delivering his songs. Another interpret would be great. While Astral Weeks is a gem in its own right, it is not for me.
Tried to get into this a few years back, knowing how revered it is. I bounced off the first 2 tracks then and I do now. Particularly Beside You - the musicianship is great but waaaaa waaaaa waaaa. Each time I listen to this album I recall the same reaction, Oh no, I hate this universally loved classic. but then it continues, and slowly grips me. Sweet Thing allows me in with an actual tune I can wrap my ears around. As it goes on though I grow into it, by Madam George I can float. I can hear some of the seeds of early Spiritualized here.
Pleasant folk rock/jazz. Dream like at times, album highlights Van Morrison's vocal talents. A record meant to be listened to front to back with each track carrying into the next with good continuity. Standout is "Sweet Thing"
Obnoxious
It took me 4 separate listening sessions to get through this album. hated it from front to back
His voice is the biggest draw back to me. It's great for one song, Ok, for a few songs, then just get's old for me after that.... Standouts: None Still, it's good music. Just like to hear someone else sing the songs! 3.5
Yep I liked this. Good acoustic/ folk-y sounds Didn’t have any of the Van Morrison hits I was familiar with and I was happy to discover these tracks 4/5
jesenska bajka
Listened to on 2/21/23 4/5 Favorite song: Cyprus Avenue, astral weeks This album wasn’t as great as moondance but I still really adore Van Morrison
Ett nästan banalt album, varje låt är otroligt Van Morrison. Det är inte särskilt spännande eller "kreativt". Låtarna smälter ihop på ett väldigt tråkigt sätt, det blir som en enda lång smet av okej texter och melodier.
I don't have much to say about this one but it was pretty alright. I blanked through most of it but it definitely wasn't awful. Too many of the songs were too long, though. Fave track(s): The Way Young Lovers Do
Pretty
Peaceful and calming, would listen again
I just didn’t like it at all. There I said it. A pain to listen to.
This is a beautiful album. You really gotta dive into this one to appreciate it, it’s complex with well crafted instrumental arrangements to accompany Morrison’s steady stream of lyrics. The lyrics sound nonsensical and mythical for sure but it’s awesome nonetheless. Not one track on here I don’t enjoy, 5 stars
ничего не поняла))
Kind of a snooze. I feel like this needs to be listened to in a meadow somewhere. Nice sounding but every song sounds the same and his vocalizing gets to be a bit much.
Stuuningly beautiful album. From start to finish.
1968. Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing
Certainly more muted than other entries in Van Morrison's catalogue. Astral Weeks doesn't really have that Into The Mystic on Moondance or Domino on Domino-style song, but the album as a whole was fairly relaxing, which I definitely needed yesterday. Standouts: Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing
Great album. I switched to headphones about halfway through and it really makes the listening experience better (at least with high quality ones). My favorite song is ‘The Way Young Lovers Do’; I really like the horns on that one. Acoustic instrumentation is high quality all around as well.
great
7 Minute Songs but Nothing really happens
Van Morrison being his usual maudlin self.
I only knew a few of Van Morrison’s hits coming into this one. This was my first time listening to this one, and it didn’t really do much at all for me. Will definitely be going back for future listens in the near future
Un disco que suena como el mix raro entre música blanca y negra. Fue extraño, pero es positivo, adornos y arreglos que se no son de la época, pero eran futuristas para la época. Sorprendido y me llevo a un buen artista 8/10.
Bonito. "Astral weeks", "Sweet thing", "The way young lovers do". No es la octava maravilla pero creo que si es un disco a escuchar.
Lauluääni. En kestä.
What an impossible album to rate. It's the sound of driving through dappled sunlight through the trees in an open-top car on a warm summer day. Anyway, four stars.
Amazing.
One of the greatest masterpieces in the history of contemporary music. Breathtaking and groundbreaking record.
No me convenció la voz del pibito
Great song writer. Not my favorite style but can still appreciate how great he is at it.
Liked it more than I thought I would
The songs on this sound fine, but most are needlessly long. Why is Madame George almost 10 minutes long when the last half is just an endless loop?
I just really like his style.
Part of this is motivated by nostalgia, since this album meant _a lot_ to me when I was in high school; but Way That Young Lovers do still bangs, and the title track, Cypress Avenue, Madame George, Slim Slow Slider are all great.
So it turns out Van Morrison has a really annoying voice? It works in Brown Eyed Girl but a whole album of that... not thrilled.
A few good songs does not a cunt redeem.
This is a beautiful folk album, great mix of music and Van really shows off his voice on this one, and the songs just blend so well together. Just a shame he turned into a Covid denying nutter.
These songs kinda meandered along and I found them to be pleasant but forgetful (with the exception of a couple). Highlights: Sweet Thing Cyprus Avenue
I think this would be pretty nice on an early summer morning. A bit long winded at times for me.
Ahh I found this album annoying but I feel like I shouldn't have haha. It's kind of jazzy influenced free form folk music with a heck of a lot of feeling which sounds right up my street on paper but it's really not in reality. I found it so annoying and boring at the same time if that's possible. Maybe it's because I haven't heard this before knowing that Van Morrison became a bit of an anti-vaxxer douche... maybe it's purely the music I don't like for some reason I can't pin point.
I really like Van Morrison, I find his songs soothing and easy to listen to. I think what sometimes makes his music a little different is sometimes the kind of jazz like structure, repetition and hanging onto a riff for a really long time. Its good!
I bloody love this album. Instantly takes me back to when I got into Van Morrison when I was about 17/18 and I love it.
Ok
Sir Ivan er eitthvað svo kósí, þrátt fyrir sína mjög sérstöku rödd og raddbeitingu. Fíla þetta.
Beautiful, heartfelt and soulful
Being a music-first, lyrics-later kind of guy, I've always had troucle understanding the impact this iconic album made on people over time. It's not that the music is not good, it *is*. But the tracks on this album are more like *exquisite* extended jams than songs proper. *Exquisite* because the performances are amazing, and they manage to draw from *very* different genres (soul, traditional folk music, jazz, rock...), gathering them into a cohesive, quite personal whole. But as hard as I tried getting the nuances in those performances, the lack of chord variations has always been an impediment on my appreciation of what Van Morrison attempted to do here.I've just realized that if I follow the (partly improvised?) lyrics while listening to those tracks, *Astral Weeks* takes on a whole different dimension. It's probably the 'stream-of-consciousness' feel of those lyrics, mirroring a vocal performance where Van Morrisson literally uses his voice the way a jazz sax player would use his instrument. This record is one-of-a-kind, there's no doubt about that. In spite of my previous problems with it, I'll give it a 4/5 or 4,5/ grade, rounded up to 5/5 here because of its originality and cultural impact. I might not *fully* get *Astral Weeks* yet. But for once, I'm pretty sure it's because of my own mindset whenever I listen to it, and not because of any intrinsic artistic *flaws*. Sometimes mystery makes you return to LPs you still cannot fully grasp. This is rare, but when it happens, you just *know* they're actually "essential" albums... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
Didn’t make it all the way through. The wailing on track two really got to me.
Great stuff.
I really like Van Morrison's voice. Super unique mixture of southern rock, soul, blues. With this album specifically though, the songs seem to go on just a bit too long. "Beside You" is teetering on the edge of being too long but the one I saved to my library. I like Wikipedia's categorization of the album "prog-folk" haha. It is different than other albums in 1968 though and I enjoy it.
I have a deep-rooted love of Van Morrison. His raspy whiskey soaked vocals take me to a special and joyful place. He has a prolific catalogue of poetic songs and emotionally stirring instrumentation. I just love listening to him. Moondance is a vastly superior album, but I like this one a lot too. It’s a shame his brilliance is currently being channeled into seriously problematic new music. I’m not going there though, I’m just gunna kick it with 60s and 70s Van, the sweet and soulful artist I admire.
>..<
Van Morrison himself may be a bit of a c u next tuesday, but this is a perfect album, and one of the best of all time.
Not for me. Everything just sounded the same
favorite tracks - astral weeks, sweet thing least favorite tracks - beside you, ballerina Loved the fingerpicking and vocals from van. every track was 3-4 minutes too long
Pretty stereotypical acoustic based jam band. Songs too long, and don’t feel like it added much to the genre. Though probably was a bit new for it’s time.
Good, Didn't grab me.
Meh
It’s a shame that Van Morrison is a wanker these days. This record is pretty good. I feel like he was trying to pull a Tim Buckley with the jazz/classical elements to his folk rock. He pulls it off quite well. While Morrison’s voice isn’t the best, the songwriting is pretty good. There’s also a tinge of psychedelia in the overall sound of the record. But hey, it was 1968, what do you expect?
not my preferred style of music, but i can tell it is quite good. still i couldn't make it through the whole album.
Beautiful! I am a starting to become a Morrison fan
This one definitely had a slower, more soulsy vibe to it than moondance or brown eyed girl and I appreciated that more than I fully enjoyed it. I much prefer his more upbeat stuff but this was still good. Sweet thing and it’s instrumentals was the standout
mixing is kinda weird i think but idk the instrumental is nice voice a little jarring
A contemplative album from Morrison that ventures into Jazz and Soul rather than his more recognizable rock tunes. This only further heightens his range as a writer and composer though, as he has multiple singles and classics as he muses and works through an album of longing.
I wasn't excited going in, but I ended up really enjoying this.
Just an amazing and my favorite Van Morrison album. It's just a great album to listen to start to finish but it hits the peak with Madame George and Ballerina. The recording and production is outstanding, plus all the various instruments used, strings, harpsicords, flutes, vibraphones, they just create this wonderful tapestry that perfectly accompanies but never steps on Vans vocals. This is the perfect album to set back and let spin on vinyl. Easy 5+++ stars.
Beautifully recorded and some of Van Morrison’s strongest songs. But his vocals/phrasing and songwriting are what make this album special.
Completely unexpected.
Really surprised by how much I liked this album. I don't know much about Van Morrison outside of his few hits. But this whole album works. Good stuff here.
Of its time - not the best thing I've heard. Bit folk-y for me.
Dreadful cover
The album is at times marred by some unexploratory tracks that seem to drag on a bit (Madame George), as well as the relegation of many of the more interesting instrumental parts to the background of the mix. This is redeemed in part by the more experimental textures present throughout the record. A lively rhythm section (Richard Davis' bass in particular) is put to good use on higher energy tracks like 'The Way Young Lovers Do', however opportunities for them to stretch their legs are unfortunately limited. Another strong point of the record would be Morrison's abrupt and keening vocal delivery of his casual, at times motivic lyrics. Favorite Tracks: Beside You The Way Young Lovers Do Slim Slow Slider
What is better: A song that could have been good, but was twice as long as it needed to be and got ruined? Or a song that sucked in the first place, but you still had to listen to it for double the length it should have gone?
This was just. so. BORING. Nothing will drag me back to this, but it wasn't truly an atrocity to a point of a 1.
Liked some songs more than others, but overall a pretty good album. 4/5
This is such a brilliant album. A revelation when I first heard it. I'm not even a Van Morrison "fan", but every song on this album moves me. Beautifully arranged and produced with flourishes of folk and jazz and classical each listen yields something new and fresh to enjoy. The title track and Sweet Thing (try the Waterboys cover of Sweet Thing too, it's excellent) are obvious standouts but to single out any particular song does the album a disservice. It really should be taken as a whole piece. The definition of a timeless album. 5 stars
haunting and lyrical
saai
Nothing much to say about this. Good songwriting, competent performance, but not outstanding. Nothing that is going to be added to my playlists, but nothing that I would skip if presented to me.
I've never given Van a chance! I think I wrote him off as a hippie, Bob Dylan wannabe, but he's so much more. What a nice surprise!
Cypress Avenue is a 3 chord vamp for about 20 minutes. Van Morrison is one of those artists that I just can't like. He made Brown Eyed Girl, but honestly. This album in particular I find bland and boring. classical instruments noodle aimlessly, while Morrison plays 4 chord songs and prattles on while occassionally screeches.
Er nu wieder. Ganz nett, aber irgendwie immer das gleiche Gejaule auf gehaltenen harmonischen Spannungsbögen.
Astral Weeks - amazing song Sweet thing - very solid song. fun guitar work Cyprus Avenue - fun song The Way Young Lovers Do - really good song. jazzy
Great Van album
Van the Man has been Van the Crank for about as long as he was great at this point, but his first Warner Bros. album is one of his all time best. It is etherial and hypnotic and hazy and clear all at the same time. "Sweet Thing" is probably the best Van Morrison song and that is with some tough competition. For better or worse (and I think most likely for better), this album was of the "calm down in case of panic" albums in constant rotation on my ipod during my first year of college.
Here's a bit of songwriting advice: if you don't write a chorus or ever repeat a melodic line, your songs are going to be forgettable because there's nothing for the memory to snag on and hold on to. And that's where this album suffers. There are no hooks, melodies, choruses, or structure of any kind. You can't whistle any of these songs. You can't sing along. There's nothing memorable about any of them other than they just kinda sound like a Morrison track. This was a thing during this time period and it bugs me. The sheer arrogance of Morrison and his ilk putting out songs like this is daunting. They legitimately believed that people would flock to record stores to buy an album that's just an hour of tuneless wailing just because... because why? Because they have unique voices? Because the words might be well put together? I don't know but I'm not here for it.
Van Morrison should really stick with the horns section he rarely uses. It always sounds the best of all his songs. Sadly he instead thinks aimless guitar playing a yell talking counts as music and just bad poetry with annoying sound.
3, its okay.
almost perfect
3 Great album
9/10 super fun I just think Van Morrison’s voice gets a little annoying after a while but yeah the music was great!
It’s good but not great.
Holy cow, this album must be responsible for the conception of so many children.
I hate Van Morrison and his music is overrated.
Artsy! Sounds like something that people who smoke cigarettes and drink wine listen to.
Nice album. Enjoyed it on my autumnal walk!
Best Song: The Way Young Lovers Do. The most interesting and dynamic instrumentation, especially on the bass. Worst Song: Astral Weeks. I swear to God, at 3:22 it sounds like he's trying to sing with his tongue sticking fully out of his mouth. Like a goat. Man's out here bleating. Overall: What I initially thought was just a brief glimpse of accidental goatiness in the opening track, I came to realize that it's just how the man sings. Unfortunate. Doesn't help that he sings like he's the most important thing in the room, when the surrounding instrumentals were actually my favourite parts. An exercise in over-singing.
Aardig, maar veel nummers veel te langdradig
ha la voce di Mick Jagger, molto più psichedelico e arzigogolato
I just love Van's voice so much
Slow dive and MBV are better
Boring, samey, bizarre lyrics, nowhere near as good as I was expecting from its reputation.
Folk rock with jazz influence? Sign me up for that! Love the mix of styles here and his lyricism seems fantastic. I should dig in more.
No mistaking this is a Van Morrison album…but I don’t know if this is one that I was missing out on or should listen to per se. It has a lot of his signature wailing cries which is great of him to lay down here, but the songs kind of all sound the same in the sense they’re hard to make out the lyrics and don’t stand out from one another. One listen and it’s easy to see why it wasn’t loved on its release, and why I couldn’t find a reason to rank this any higher. It didn’t need to have “Brown Eyed Girl”, but even one song with more pull would have been nice. On the upside, this album is a must listen for anyone who loves Morrison and is looking to really immerse themselves in his music.
Was dreading when this one was going to appear. it was actually more tolerable than I was expecting.
Sounds like 1968. Bluesy acoustic guitar and flute. It's OK, I guess. I file this under "Sunday morning household chores" music. There are a lot of stories here - not unlike a Bruce Springsteen album I was forced to endure earlier in this project.
What more can you say about this. Beautiful, devastating, a masterpiece. I’ve listened to this record hundreds of times yet I’m overjoyed to have it pop up here so I can listen again.
Decent enough but nothing stood out. His voice was pretty good back then.
As much as I like a soft acoustic album with a wide range of instruments playing beautifully, I cannot stand Van Morrison's whining vocals. That and the fact the beautiful arrangements felt so repetitive made this experience an overlong drag. The only element here I can think to appreciate is Morrison's guitar playing which fair dues, but still doesn't save it.
Meh, no me gustó mucho
Decent.
Vaaaaan moooorriiisooooon
definitely not something i would have picked but i really enjoyed it more than i thought i would, especially about halfway through the album :))
Can’t work out if I love this, hate it, or just think it’s mediocre. First impressions weren’t great, but I’ve listened to ‘Astral Weeks’ several times now, and what I can tell you is that it does get better and more enjoyable the more time you spend with it, although it does feel unfinished in parts. Could it ever become a desert island disc for me? Jury is still out on that one. I do love ‘Sweet Thing’ though, which is just beautiful and my favourite song on the album.
Good style enjoyed its folky ness
Not my cup of tea
not his hits but a good album none the less. liked it.
It's a nice album but I've maybe never really been a big Van Morrison fan outside of the most popular songs
I thought the songs were nice sounding but I was confused by the lack of structure in a lot of them
An album that seems to spring out of a place and a time. An organic music cycle. I would consider this a continuous suite more than a series of songs. Much of it seems improvised and most of it is excellent. Cleary Van's muse took him many places over his career. Here, the focus is inward, but not in a spiritual way. It is more inner observations set to a combination of folk, jazz, rock and soul. The songs themselves always seemed to me built on simple structures that progress as a series of layers. It is haunting and meditative at the same time.
At first I was going to give this a 4, but after a second listen, I think it deserves a 5. Morrison covers a variety of ground from folk rock to Soul/R&B to almost Jazz and it all flows together seamlessly. There are a couple of really great songs like Astral Weeks and Cypress Avenue and everything else is really good. Too bad he's turned into a curmudgeon.
Just an unbelievable album and one of the best "vibe" albums of all time. Van Morrison and his band take you on a musical journey which at times feels both timeless and otherworldly. While clearly influential on Bruce's The wild, the Innocent I can't think of anything else that sounds like it. The fusion of folk, jazz, soul, rock, and pop is simply remarkable and his voice is not bad either. Easy 5.
Doet mij niet veel. Saai again.