Astral Weeks

Alte Musik, nichts Spezielles.

Album No. 0040 on my list. I didn't know much about Van Morrison before (except for "Brown Eyed Girl); Astral Weeks was a completely new listen to me... ... and one that I didn't particularly enjoy. I feel like this is one of those albums where I know that it did have a lot of influence, and where I can appreaciate it, get why it is the case. But for me personally, it's not that great unfortunately. Most songs are feeling rather boring and I didn't particularly like the interactions between what Van Morrison is singing and the music. "Madame George" was my favorite. 2/5 stars.

I like the famous songs I know by Van Morrison, but by god, this album sounds exactly the same from start to finish. So little variation really drags, even for 44 minutes.

I don't know if my feelings are tainted by his anti-vax stance and other bizarre political views, but I found his voice to be grating throughout the album and the songs to be meandering.

High 2. Just feel like I need to try to spread out my ratings a little more evenly, and I didn't mind this album but listened almost 3 times and I didn't save a song. Some were ok. Don't really like the singing style WAAAHOOOOWWW RIVERRRAA CHERRA WHYYYYYNE.

I like a few Van Morrison songs but tbh this whole album got a bit grating as it went along. I liked it at the start but the end I just wanted him to shut up

not rly my style, but it's good music. would recommend to someone who likes folk-ish vibes

not really a fan of this 2

All the ingredients are there for my ideal music but it hasn't ever hit with Van Morrison and it still didn't

Van's voice and intonation grates after a while on this album. The songs are much of a muchness, and meander meaninglessly. I prefer some of his other albums this one. Save by some passages of good instrumental work by the musicians.

Can’t deny VM’s talent but I found myself a bit bored listening to this.

Hm, der Jung kann nicht Schreien, also hört sich für mich so nach "Gaaaaarrjajajaaaaaaa" an :D Kanns gar nicht beschreiben, die Melodien und Arrangement klangen an sich gut, aber man musste sich echt konzentrieren an seiner Stimme und seinem Schreien "vorbeizuhören". Nicht gut

Everybody knows the syrupy Van Morrison hits, but this comes off like young (uncut?) Van at the local Open Mic night where he's hoping to get laid and is ad-libbing his way through the set. So we get lots of repeated lines (“BeSIIIIIDE you!”) and the thing he does with his voice where he, uh, sings harder and more forcefully for emphasis. I have never before explored the VM catalog, and this confirms that I do not particularly care for his voice, which takes on a sharper, grating quality in those moments, which abound. Besides that, I’m struck by how these are less songs with melodies and rhythms that might stay with you, like even some of his more insidious hits, than sketches or fragments that lack structure. Sure, there is plenty to recommend the musical adornments to these tracks, and there’s some nice poetry in the lyrics, but I can’t get past the main attraction. I might like this better if it were sung by someone with more vocal subtlety and nuance — Cat Power comes to mind, or even Bonnie Raitt.

Absolute drivel. 5 of 8 songs are 5+ minutes long and the whole thing feels like an improvised in the studio project, with flute tacked on later. I take back every complaint I've made about Dylan because this is so much more self indulgent and worse.

folky. mellow. chill.

I do not care for this album! The musical skill level is not great, the songs are long and bloated and self-indulgent. I do not think this holds up in 2025

This album is consistently hailed as one of the greatest of all time. Consequently, I have forced myself to endure it multiple times, hoping that it would ultimately “click” and I would get it. This project game me yet another shot on goal for this purpose. Nope. There are things I can appreciate. The backing band, complete with cool instruments like stand-up bass, is top notch. The lyricism is poetic. The mood some of the songs elicit - particularly Cypress Avenue, Madame George and the title track - can be trance inducing. But Morrison’s shrill distorted wail is grating, often pulling you out of the vibe. Most of the song are ill-formed and incomplete - little more than basic chord progressions - and they are almost all too long. You can see what people must appreciate about the record, but the negatives overwhelm the positives for me. I’ll keep trying, but I continue not to get it.

Brown Eyed Girl is not on this album - that's all you need to know.

The album's title implies a dreamy abstract atmosphere that is well captured in the very organic instrumentation, yet the lyrics and vocal delivery are what loose it for me. The strident bluesy vocals overpower the more serene jazz and folksy backing, and the lyrical themes I find largely uninteresting, though the story telling on Maddam George seems it's most inspired. Knowing that in just a few years we would get the likes of John Cale and Scott Walker deadens any impact, knowing that they would do more with the same abstract mix of pop, rock, and classical. It is possible here to hear the precursors of the likes of Talk Talk through the more mellow organic instrumentation, particularly in the few areas here were the vocals hang back then surge forward. In the late 60s, there was a better other Morrison on offer.

Actually much worse than I remember. Not particularly interesting. Competent, well-crafted, but mostly manufactured rather than created.

WAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHLLLLLL he likes to yell a lot over the music. Jazzy backing music is nice enough, but he just blasts over it with little regard for tune, timing, or musicality.

Meh. Van doesn't do it for me.

Van Morrison is fine, it's just not for me.

Even if I was listening full blast with headphones and my eyes shut this would still be background music. It's fine just not something I'd listen to again

Ehh, not really my jam

Didn't have the hits, put me to sleep.

Gotta admit that one really disappointed me. I thought I would like it a lot, but somehow found it absolutely boring, almost unbearable at moments.

Not my sort of sound.

1.5

Van Morrison has a series of excellent tunes. Brown Eyed Girl is one of those songs that everyone loves and I have always been a big fan of Into the Mystic. Sadly, nothing on this album remotely comes close to either of those tunes. Frankly, a lot of this comes off as the same song over and over again, becoming a repetitive bore.

Disjointed, warbly, inconsistent. Jazz backing is musically effective, but the vocal performance does not track well. Lyrics forgettable. 2.

Not my jam

Some decent songs, but mostly dross.

This album while not offensive, so very samey, and very woah, woah, whoa-ey. Fine background music for trending cafes, but plenty of other, better albums that would satisfy the mood of this one.

I was not dancing in the moonlight. He sounds like he’s drunk the entire time. I can’t understand a single thing he says. Not a very enjoyable listen. 3/10

This was a waste of the instrumentals (which are what get this its second star). Though at least Van Morrison didn't use the word "doodoo" in his lyrics, like the guy two albums ago. I think.

4/10

Not that keen on this album songs felt like they went on forever

The young lovers song is good. The rest is Dylan-esque whining

Van Morrison? More like Bland Morrison!

Some nice variety but not my jam. 2/5 stars.

Overall, dull. Not bad, just slow, and dull.

He has done some reasonably decent track, shame none of them are on this one. The problem with Van is that after a few tracks his voice really grates, and becomes just plain annoying. 1 would be too harsh, but is it worth a 2? Hmmm, not sure, but I'll let him have them.

Musically it was very good, some nice mellow hippy vibes, then Van the Man opened his gob and continued to do so throughout the record. I wish he had kept it shut.

Look, I’m not too into folk rock, most of this is just a lesser version of the Australian folk rock stuff that has released since, tho kinda impressive for the late 60’s. Liked that one jazz inspo song tho

Compared to what I know of Van Morrison from Brown Eyed Girl, I had high hopes for this album. However, my expectations were not met. A mix of incoherent mess and soulless songs made it feel really lacklustre. Unsure why this album is on the list.

by the second song I started getting angry for no reason. so no I guess.

I had picked this album off of the few I have left because I thought the Mrs. and I could listen to it together. 20 minutes in she says: "Are... we still on the same song?" Almost every song sounded like him meandering. The first two were WAY too long. When I commented that he meandered, the Mrs. said "You... DO know this Van Morrison, right?" The only way I could tell some of the songs were different is the instrumentation: there was one that had a flute, and one with a trombone solo, I think. Otherwise, I just couldn't keep track of any of it. And that's never good. NEXT.

I didn’t know what I expected but I didn’t expect to be bored. Having never listened to a Van Morrison album I think I went in expecting more Brown Eyed Girl vibes. This album just felt thrown together.

I can't believe people truly think this is a better album than "Moondance". I find the vocals here largely annoying, and the songs forgettable. Stop lying, you hipster posers, it's not that good.

Haven't listened to this in about 30 years. Didn't like it much then and don't like it much now. I want to like Van, I probably should like Van, but I don't (with the exception of **Them**).

Jedan njegov album je dovoljan, dva su previše. Prošli me nije ovoliko iritirao.

i am not a van morrison fan. in fact the only song i like on this album is “the way young lovers do”. tis the most upbeat song on the album and it doesn’t sound like any of the other songs, which to me all sound the same.

I've never really been a big fan of Van Morrison and his blend of Folk, Blues, and Jazz - and this album is no exception. I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

Overrated

2.5 Okay cool grandpa music, Van Morrison sounds like he’s got Cotton balls in his mouth even more than he usually does on this album

Overall: 4/10 I think a lot of the instrumentation on this album is interesting and has moments of beautiful brilliance. It's Van Morrison himself that completely turns me off from enjoying this more than I do. The way he "sings" these songs isn't very melodic and feels like a stream of consciousness mess to me. The lyrics themselves are great but he's pretty much just talking over the music the entire time. I found myself getting incredibly annoyed by him at times. It's a shame, because I really wanted to like this one. Fav Song: Sweet Thing Least Fav Song: Beside You

It wasn't until the end of the album that I realized this is the Brown Eyed Girl guy. It's dumbfounding to me how this album is rated so highly. No two songs should ever last 16 minutes consecutively like Madame George and Ballerina are.

Boring

If there were an instrumental version of this album, I'd probably make it all the way to the end. Unfortunately, Van Morrison is vocalizing on it, and his voice is like a cheap door alarm. I just can't.

this was not very good. you can tell it exists in the context of all the cool psychedelic rock of the late 60s but it doesn’t do anything good with it. just boring songs that are 3 minutes too long with Van talking/singing/screaming over the top

Supermarket music.

It honestly sounded like every other Van Morrison album I've ever heard

Wirklich nicht sein bestes Album

It seems like a kind of music that I've listened to before, but I can't recall. Nevertheless, it sounds good. Good vocals, as well. But I feel I won't give it a second play.

meedium mid albumi

We already had Moondance why are you tossing in Astral Weeks too 😭 one Van Morrison album is enough, thanks

my life is a fuck

I thought I like van Morrison more than this. Felt that the songs on here were fairly weak, there was some good songwriting but it got somewhat repetitive. The songs are all like 6 minutes long too, if you cut them all in half I think it would be better.

Good music, hated the singing.

Maybe I'm just not the guy for Van Morrison, but I feel like his voice is grating and it all sounds near enough the same.

Separating the man from the album this is still as consistently boring as I suspected it would be.

Eh

Damn, this is not for me...the volume went softer and softer on my headphones as Van the Man kept screaming and screaming...Just don't like his moaning screams...lower voice, "nice"...one good song for me when the volume went higher : The Way Young Lovers Do...

# 465 : 23/04/2025 : Astral Weeks "The sound of sweet relief" in a light fluffy folksy kind of way. 60 on Rolling stones to 500 Greatest Albums (2020) called it, "The sound of sweet relief" Best track : Madame George

#563. Low budget Rolling Stones. 2/5: weak.

I enjoyed this, but also realized that Van Morrison is best in small doses. Minus a star for all the anti-vax BS as well.

I've never listened to this. Now I know why

вторая половина альбома ярче и интереснее

Today I learned that I can’t tolerate Van Morrison’s voice for more than two songs in a row? I expected to love this, and did not.

Its decent background music... but every Van Morrison song sounds the same. Because of that, I'll give it a 2 - because I enjoyed it, but every song sounds exactly like "Into the Mystic"

really dissapointed with this one as i really like van Morrison and his voice a lot. This is clearly a different part of his career. I don't really see the appeal myself, its very meandering and calm music but at the same time its really jolty. It makes for an experience where i'm bored if i really listen but am annoyed when i don't.

An album that I own, but I'd struggle to recognise any tracks from it tbh. You bounder! You cheat! Yes, tar and feather at the altar of Van. He doesn't half waffle on.

Boring the pants off me since ‘68. Sorry. But I’ve invested way too much time I’ll never get back in figuring out why this particular album. It’s not as though I don’t recognise the talent of The Man (‘TB Sheets’, for example. A masterpiece.) But this is just lachrymose introspection lacking a destination.

Wow, does his voice get on my nerves really quickly.

Yeah, was ok. Has a nice voice.

No, just no.

Not another mid white man who drunkenly sings in a guitar 😭😭😭 what the hell was happening here on this record?! It gets a point for being short and not as a gratuitous as Nebraska looool FAVES The Way Young Lovers Do

Far too many songs where he just cackles and holds notes too long. “Beside You” should be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Another good album, but just not his best in my opinion

Boring

Van Morrison is hit or miss for me. I really enjoyed Moondance, but this one just feels like it’s lacking anything in regards to substance. Everything feels unfinished or unpolished, giving this album a feeling of one of those release that is a compilation of Rarities, demos, and unreleased tracks.

Just too slow, monotonous and mellow. I don't get the accolades for this one.

Every track is like 4 minutes too long. And the sweeping searching droning does not build to anywhere satisfying.

Weliswaar een classic album maar ik was blij toen het was afgelopen.

1. aztral - 1.5 2. bezide you - 2 3. zuueet - 1.5 4. cyprezz - 1 5. loverz - 1 6. madame - 1.5 7. ballerina - 1 8. zlider - 2

Not for me

mid

Disappointing. Felt like a front of a heart rather than any heart itself.

I understand and respect the experimentation but I sure don’t like it.

I like Van Morrison but a whole album of him shouting with marbles in his mouth... its gets a bit grating.

Distinctive Van Morrison vocals but not as good Brown Eyed Girl or Moondance.

Ehhhhh…I feel like this should be right up my alley but it was just okay to me? Don’t feel the need to listen again. Maybe I’m missing something?

This was a surprisingly hard listen. I've never gotten around to listening to Van Morrison outside of Brown Eyed Girl, but I've come to understand him as 'your favourite singer's favourite singer'. Honestly I found this album to drag and at times sound like a knock-off Bob Dylan. Most songs are waaaaaaaaaay too long.

I really didn't care for this. All the songs just kind of rambled and went nowhere and I got sick of his vocals.

I was looking forward to this album but my god Morrison just “chews” every line so much it was almost unlistenable.

Cyprus Avenue is a good song but apart from that a very dull album. Did nothing for me.

Very dull and not very good, also, I'm sure you hear some of these songs on the live album included on this list? What's with the repeated material? And if I'm wrong, that just shows how uninteresting this music is.

Sådär.

This didn’t stand out to me. Average piano driven pop songs.

Muddy. Not pleasant. His voice is an acquired taste most times, but this is pretty bad.

Just not a fan of this one. I think I need there to be more song structure if there's going to be this much singing.

this was fine but I don't really enjoy this much van morrison, I would like to get off the van morrison ride now, please,

n

not nary an instrument on time, not nary a vocal in tune

It was meh, I’m not a big fan of Van Morrison.

This is #day110 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... where did my review that I saved in this window go? You mean there's no option to save a review now? I'm too lazy to remember what I wrote yesterday. A 2 out of 5 is what I can recall. Looking forward to #day111.

Did not find it interesting

I have the same opinion as to Moondance. The music's ok. His singing bothers me, and it's somehow always the same. The music's ok, somehow each track is different but also somehow similar. Morrison's singing bothers me. It's somehow similar on each track. Didn't care for the lyrics as they were nothing outstanding. Don't get the hype.

One star for the flute and minus a star for the articulation and Just not for me

This was a hard one to finish. Some nice sounds but sooooo repetitive, not his best work

Not my thing

Astral Weeks is a pretty cool tune, a stream-of-consciousness astral journey from the ditch to heaven, but I start to lose engagement quickly after that. His voice often verges into screechy and the wandering music is alternatively intriguing and lost.

I was down for the mellow mood out of the gate. It’s been a busy weekend and I was only planning to kick it anyway. But after the third track of the same song, I was ready to fast forward. A scene flashed in my mind of 1968 trippy folk Van singing this in/to a circle of hippies dancing, smoking grass, all the stereotypical 60s stuff, where these laughably self-serious young adults are having revelations from other planes of existence. Maybe this stuff would fly back then, but its mysticism didn’t grab me.

I'm normally ok with Van, but this was dire. The same low energy, dynamically lacking muzak backing all the way through, with Van pretending to belt out soulfully repetitive lyrics like he doesn't want to wake his parents.

Van Morrison is a repellant human being. But i tried to assess the music independently. Astral weeks is supposed to be this transcendent album that couldnt fail to hook me in, but i didnt think it stood out. Sure its a good voice and the bluesy feel is nice, but i dont get what the fuss was about. A 3 downgraded to a 2 because he is a human turd.

Wow, this album really hits you like a small felt-covered mallet hits the xylophone.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🪴⭕😞 Production (1999 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🍂🪶🥱 Rating: 🌌🌌(🌌)/5

Previously rated: Moondance (4/5) ********************* I heard this once before and didn't think much of it. Wasn't much different this time. It's just a bore. Favorite track: The Way Young Lovers Do

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Astral Weeks Cutting Edge: Ballerina Overall Notes: Really enjoyed the first song but his wailing vocals and the meandering nature of his songwriting kept me from really connecting with anything else, though I see the appeal.

The poetry and vocal delivery while very emotional, does nothing to compensate for the lack of musical cohesion. The songs that do stand out from the wave of disjointed jazz are not sticking with me. Was this influential? Yeah perhaps, but that's not what I'm rating here.

Today I found out this guy (WHO??) has more monthly listeners on Spotify than DAVID BOWIE. Like... what!?!?!

The word meandering represented in album form. Whatever you hear in the first 20 seconds you will hear until the song ends. None of these songs needed to be over 5 minutes, yet some of them are nearly double. Normally I would give this a low 3, but it gets minus 1 for being an antivax idiot. Low 2.

Here’s what I can muster for this: it was ok.

Luckily in this case I don't have to worry about separating The Man from the art, as I find both annoying.

Boring?

Beetje vervelend album eerlijk gezegd. Beside you als absoluut dieptepunt tot nu toe, waar ik zn stem echt verschrikkelijk vind. Blijkbaar ben ik een uitzondering want de beste man gaat L O S met zn stem. Ik kan me niet goed herinneren of ik het vorige album me ook zo heb geirriteerd aan zn stem? Want god, deze man heeft echt een stem als een rasp en dan voor mij althans niet positief bedoelt. Dan ook nog eens nummers hebben die rustig 5 tot 9 minuten zorgt er voor dat dit voor mij echt to-taal niet werkt... Favoriet is The Way Young Lovers Do, een nummer wat veel jazzyer is tegen de soul en blues die verder het album domineert. FAVO: The way young lovers do,

Same as previous comments, nice but does nothing for me

..

2 not his best. His voice is grating at sometimes and the music isn’t the most interesting

A bit interesting but definitely not astral lol

Quite pleasant to start but then his voice got annoying

Uso do vocal impressiona, mas não empolga.

VM is tolerable performing actual songs; like The Way Young Lovers Do or Madame George. But so much of this album comes across as free-form modal jamming from a bunch of stoned hippies led by a bleating billy goat. Whenever I'm in the mood for mandolins I reach for Rod Stewart, and then for Moondance; never this album.

Meh. I get why this is here but its not for me. It just feels overwrought and of a specific time.

Chiedo scusa alla gorgeous and proud nation of Ireland

Nothing really standout and a lot of his songs just droned and droned on. He is not my favorite performer and this album just left me wanting much, much more.

Boring.

What plaintive drudgery.

I don't like Van Morrison's music. Brown Eyed Girl is one of the most boring classic songs that sees regular play today, and now with 2 of his albums via this playlist, I'm still not a fan. This album is a lot more jazzy than I expected, but it still isn't for me. If I had to pick a favorite track from here, I'd go with The Way Young Overs Do.

The instrumentations are inoffensive enough for the album to have been listenable on repeat plays, but Morrison’s mumbled, slightly grating voice (part of that might be the mix, though), uninteresting lyrics, and his repeating his repeating his repeating his repeating words words words make this difficult to revisit.

The catalog says there are eight songs on here but I'm not sure I hear more than one. And a whole album of that plaintive wail is a bit much - I like Morrison, but only in small doses, apparently. Nothing here as appealing as Brown-Eyed Girl.

Just find VM a bit boring, despite it not being boring music. Can't quite put my finger on it. 2.5*

Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.

So over rated this guy

45 minutes of being whined, whispered, and wailed at by a man who either has or, even worse, is pretending to have a speech impediment.

Was stoked for this one but I don't get the hype. He's just hollering with some flute accompaniment, or in the case of 'Ballerina', what sounds like a junior highschool band.

Für ein 68er Singer/Songwriter Album ungewöhnlicher Stilmix/Instrumentierung. Leider sind einge lange Titel dabei die wenig abwechslungsreich sind. Und die Stimme von Van Morrisson ist mir persönlich zu quäkig/aufdringlich.

Это вообще не мое. Если убрать пару песен, то это слабенькое 3, но вместе с ними выдержать даже час прослушивания этого блеяния очень сложно. Не понимаю тех, кто говорит, что это прекрасный альбом для того момента, когда у тебя родился ребенок. Скорее, наоборот, это альбом для женщин в момент, когда они рожают ребенка.

More like Asstral Weaks

Chiedo scusa alla gorgeous and proud nation of Ireland

The less I paid attention the more I enjoyed it

Not a big van of this one I’m afraid

It's pretty... that's it. As someone who always feels sick with nostalgia at the best of times, I really don't need to be listening to an hour's worth of reminiscing. I also don't want to listen to someone who sounds like he has mouth full. The one positive thing I will say is that this sound is timeless and if you told me this was released in 1998 and not 1968, I'd believe you.

Seichter Folk Rock.

Hm Van Morrison...do I even know any of his songs? Guess we'll see. Why do I think this is the singer from the doors. Oh haha Jim Morrison. Oh yeah Brown Eyed Girls, of course! But it's not on this album it looks like. Meh, it was alright. Nothing that stood out to me much. It was a bit monotonous, I don't know what it is about "song writers" that I just can't get into. oh well. 2 stars.

This one is a true sleeper, but not in the good, unknown way. It will literally put you to sleep. Later Van’s song writing and voice are so much more lively, richer, and just in general better that we’re really questioning if the 1001 list was put together by length of album or picking the worst album by the artist. He has way better. This one (1.9*s)

This album is pleasant enough, good for a spring day outside, but overall pretty forgettable. Most of the songs are too long and sound more like drafts of songs than full fledged compositions. The whole album is just a 2-string backing track with Van mumbling over the top (and he has a mouthful of mashed potatoes 85% of the time). This felt a bit too improvisational with some wailing and horns thrown in for my likes. It's still better than a lot of other albums in this list though.

Van the man's a poet no doubt. Peaceful, serene album that makes you want to lie in a field surrounded by nature. Most songs were a little too slow, rambley, and drawn out though.

I didn't recognize a single song. Despite this Van Morrison has a very distinct voice that makes most of his work pretty instantly attributable. There's some decent stuff in here but overall I lost track of the individual songs. I imagine if you are a Van Morrison fan this is right up your alley. I think I tend to prefer his pop radio hits over the more folk/blues deep cuts from VM. Astral Weeks wasn't something I need to hear again. I'll stick to the greatest hits rather than dive into 50 years of his prolific discography. 1.80 stars

I love Brown-Eyed Girl and Moondance from Van Morrison, so I was really hoping like this, but it’s not quite there. The lyrics are rambling, he does his raspy scream way too much, and the instrumentals vacillate between too boring and too jazzy and weird.

I'll admit, I closed my mind to this

The vocals aren't my jam.

Flat

I have not heard of this album or artist before. I wasn’t sure how to interpret it but either way I couldn’t really enjoy any of the songs. Very boring and its song length didn’t help. I won’t listen again.

Van Morrison is a real bag of dicks and not my favorite of the folk musicians of this era, but when he hits he hits and I won't discredit that. I feel sometimes his shout/talk/sing move works well and other times it feels like it just isn't a song for him to sing, so it is about alignments and tracks because otherwise he sounds samey or off. Like, Beside You sounds like yell-whining to me while Sweet Thing sounds like an actual song. Highlights - Sweet Thing, Madame George, Slim Slow Slider.

meloso

Fine

This didn't really stick to me at all. I thought it was meandering, almost sounding lost. "Madame George" didn't need to be 10 minutes long. I feel let down, or like I'm missing something. Highlights: I'm going to listen to Moondance again

Okay, hat mich aber komplett kalt gelassen.

- Wiedermal ein Debütalbum - Ich mag Van Morrison eigentlich, aber das Album kam mir leider sehr langatmig vor und hat mich emotional leider nicht abgeholt. 2,5/5

Because the artist is such a prick, I was concerned this album was going to be amazing, partly because I know it was such a big influence on stuff I love, like bruce. However I was relieved to find it quite average. Its good, but I was expecting it to be incredible. Instead it's fine, nothing stood out, nothing made me wanna come back to it at any point in the future. It is what it is, and what it is, is okay. 2.9?

Musically and lyrically, it's great. He sang runs before runs were cool, and I still don't like them. Also, it really got whiny at the end.

It's really not bad but its still folk and I hate it.

Me aburrió, lo agarré en mal momento...

I have a vague recollection of listening a long time ago, because I was told “you have to listen to “Astral Weeks” because it’s considered one of the greatest albums ever made. Wow! This will be great! As a teen I remember thinking what the hell is this. So, of course I knew this was coming and maybe I will appreciate it more now that I’m so much older. It’s true, I think I do appreciate the music more but the vocals I just can’t stand. It’s like the music and vocals don’t match up. He seems to be singing the same song and the band changes the tune. And after a few songs it just gets so irritating for me. I tried, I really did, it just when I hear his waling for an hour it wears on my eardrums. Even his hits I’m just not a huge fan of, but can understand why people would like his style. But what happened to this dude, has nothing to do with the album, but seems he kind of turned into a really grumpy old dude. Album cover is bad, just bad on every level. And I get he was going for the nature thing but it’s bad.

C'est tellement plate que j'ai pas envie d'élaborer plus que ça

Laulelua extraordinaire.

I did not care for this very much, the tunes are pleasant and simple but his voice gets grating after just a few songs. Not very enjoyable to listen to, felt like a chore after awhile.

Didn't pay too much attention to this one, but maybe that says something about the album 2.5

This album is not my favorite of Van Morrison, but without doubt a great musician.

It was ok. Not in any rush for a second listen.

This is clearly a very good album that I just don’t need to hear again. Maybe that’s just the effect of the day and other things going on, but I wasn’t into it and just don’t see myself appreciating it for the skill involved

This was a bit much. It just all kind of sounded like one really long song that didn't have much variation. It was fine, and I bet it's rewarded on closer listenings. Van Morrison isn't really for me though.

Easy listening, unique voice but not really my thing. 2/5

2 Some interesting sounds and songs, but never really does much other than be van morrison.

I really don’t enjoy Van Morrison’s vocals. They grate on me. The music is fine, songs well crafted but I just can’t get passed the whining

His voice is the opposite of soothing, but the acoompanying music is folksy and soothing. It's a weird mix, not my thing. Why is this "one of rock music's most important records"? It's just some dude doing his weird thing. As an example, Neutral Milk Hotel is even more weird and artsy but Jeff's voice is more palateable because he is not always yelling at me.

Not my thing

Pretty weak for Van Morrison, not a patch on his more famous work, his voice remains outstanding but the whole thing doesn't get very far as an album.

A bit forgettable to me.

Not nearly as good as the other album on the 1001 list. Slightly disappointed.

Beetje zeikerig, grote naam wel maar meh

Nja, det var allt lite trist.

J'en avais un meilleur souvenir

Meehh barely paid any attention ..

I enjoyed the first two Van Morrison albums in this project, and in their reviews I noted that I had to rethink my dislike of Van Morrison. This album reminded me of what I disliked. Ack! I did not like this album. His meandering, squawky voice in the long wandering songs made me want to punch someone...hard. I didn't even really like the flute bits, which is the sort of thing that usually wins me over. There was precisely one song I liked on this album, "The Way Young Lovers Do," but that was largely by comparison to the rest of the album.

Can't decide on this one. I "kinda" liked it but I also despised most of the songs.

It was okay

This has very poop structure and no melod8to speak of. Not to mention this guy's questionable voice, sounds like Randy Newman on acid

Kinda boring

Ihan kivat instrut, mutta enpä välitä laulutyylistä ollenkaan. Ihme brassailua.

Beetje saai

Ok but why is it so boring

Never really liked Van Morrison. This album had some interesting moments but it wasn’t for me.

♪ To be bored again~

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.

A little too folksy for my taste and found myself wanting "more" from this album

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.

mid asf, 2.5

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.

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.

It felt like weeks.

pastoral bleats

ikkje for meg

Meine å huska at den eine sangen va 10% kul, men da holdt ikkje mål

An album of outros.

Sorry Kyle, I just cant

Not exactly terrible but it was definitely quite boring.

Meh

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.

Songs are a bit long

Just rubbish

Boring...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Meinasi uni tulla kun aamusta kuunteli. Sopinee siis esim. rauhoittumiseen oikein hyvin.

This one was nice but not really for me honestly

this is bad.

boring songs, annoying vocal repetition. 2/5 because some songs had decent music

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.

Boring I'm usually a fan of folk type stuff but this was just drab

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.

Too folky for me

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.

Obnoxious

I just didn’t like it at all. There I said it. A pain to listen to.

1968. Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing

Van Morrison being his usual maudlin self.

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?

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.

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.

Ok

Didn’t make it all the way through. The wailing on track two really got to me.

Not for me. Everything just sounded the same

Meh

Dreadful cover

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.

saai

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.

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.

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.

Boring, samey, bizarre lyrics, nowhere near as good as I was expecting from its reputation.

Vaaaaan moooorriiisooooon

Not my cup of tea

Doet mij niet veel. Saai again.

Not my cup of tea

I had listened to this album some years ago and I had liked it. This time though I could stand it - the singing just sounded like the incoherent warbling of a chronic alcoholic. Shame - the backing band is sharp as a tack.

My takeaway is, listen to too much Van Morrison and it begins to have a bit of an overstaying sameness to it.

Second Van Morrison album this list has recommended to me so far, and I remain indifferent to him as an artist. Nothing particularly impressive on this album, in my opinion. 2/5

Sleepy folksy ballads, although performed passionately. The musicianship is good, but suffers from a lack of direction and arrangement. Found myself tuning out most of the album, with the exception of "The Way Young Lovers Do" which was a much needed pick me up.

his voice is an abomination 😟. no offense it isn’t my style but i cannot fathom how anyone would enjoy his singing. the music had potential but other than that ..

Another album I've heard about for decades but never listened to - I know Van Morrison's big hits but not this - first pass: it's way better than "Brown Eyed Girl" that's for sure. Overall it's nice; very of-the-era (60s) mellow and almost optimistically beautiful at times - yet I think I'll never fully embrace it. Van's voice is epic and immediately identifiable and classic...until the point where it gets annoying. And I find that I'm there on many if not most of these songs. First/title track is really nice but "Beside You" is awful - frankly it's entirely his vocals. Ugh. The initial chords/guitar playing in "Sweet Thing" really makes me think of Joni Mitchell (although they were contemporary so who influenced whom here I guess?) which is nice. ehh I don't know what to think - maybe it's just the music that doesn't hold me? It just seems like a lot of these are 2 or 3 chord songs (with nice flourishes over them, to be fair) that get really repetitive - look at "Madame George" especially - it's almost like each song grabs me in some part but in the end I can't remember any of them; maybe he needed some searing out-of-nowhere arena guitar solos. :D jkjk (i think) OK upon further review it is his vocals. I don't like them. Too loud/warbly and the music is mediocre - not for me. 4/10 2 stars.

Congrats for writing the same song 8 times I guess? Oh no wait, there was a weird jazz arrangement in one, my mistake

Paar nummers gedraaid, kon me niet echt raken.

Wel ok, maar ook niet heel bijzonder

ZzZzZz

Had this since I was 17 - only ever played 2 tracks. Listening back, I understand why. Lovely where it counts, not that interesting anywhere else

more like man this is boring, son

njä, det här gav väl inte så mycket

Thought I was going to enjoy this more.. But every song felt the same. And a bit boring overall. But can’t deny, he has a great voice.

The songs all sound the same to me and while I’ll dig any by itself, I’m not a fan of the album.

I was really intrigued by the bits I read ahead. Maybe a victim of my expectations, but this was a bit disappointing. I get the poetic elements, but the vamps (lyrical and musical) just peter out all the momentum of the art, several times. The two tracks with a bit more structure, instrumentation, and a hell of a lot better economy, are Sweet Thing and Young Lovers. And an album more like that would have been four stars. Can an artsy, jazzy, indulgent and pensive rock album ever be amazing? (YES! and speaking of which, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira had better be on this list somewhere…)

2/5 29/04/22 Alright, not my type of music, but it was okay.

Meh

This whole list made me realize that there's too much folk rock in the world and that it all sounds exactly the same. I'm on album 95. This is my 12th folk rock album.. that's around 13% of everything so far and I literally don't remember any song, any word spoken, any note played from any of the boring "acoustic guitar + guy singing" combos I've had to endure (Except for PJ Harvey - Let England Shake, I quite liked that one). One good song ("The Way Young Lovers Do"). "Madame George" was also pretty enjoyable, but then it just kept going and going for 9 whole minutes. The rest is just more forgettable folk.

I was really intrigued by the bits I read ahead. Maybe a victim of my expectations, but this was a bit disappointing. I get the poetic elements, but the vamps (lyrical and musical) just peter out all the momentum of the art, several times. The two tracks with a bit more structure, instrumentation, and a hell of a lot better economy, are Sweet Thing and Young Lovers. And an album more like that would have been four stars. Can an artsy, jazzy, indulgent and pensive rock album ever be amazing? (YES! and speaking of which, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira had better be on this list somewhere…)