Reviews (page 7 of 9)
234. ok
I've always been 100% positive towards Van, but some of this is nearly unlistenable.
I saw Van Morrison at New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2019. It was the worst show I have ever seen. Abysmal. Ever since then, I see his name and have Vietnam flash backs to that day.
Ya lo dije antes con Bob Dylan, no me gusta el folk, puede haber excepciones, pero es un NAH casi garantizado en mi. Escuchando con más atención, puedo confirmarlo aún mejor; no me gusta su voz, no me gusta cuando grita. Los acompañamientos de lo que me parece que es un clavicordio o lo que sea en Cyprus Avenue son hermosos, pero su voz no me dejó apreciarlos lo suficiente. Para no quejarme tanto, The Way Young Lovers Do no suena taaaaaaan mal en comparación con el resto de canciones del álbum, no lo suficientemente disfrutable para escucharlo nuevamente. No lo odio, nadie me obliga, no lo escucho con un arma apuntando a mi cabeza, pero me gusta entender mejor por qué no me gustan ciertas cosas, es interesante.
Astral Weeks is one of those albums that's often described as a masterpiece, and while I can appreciate why, it didn't completely click for me. The songwriting is poetic and the musicianship is undeniably strong, with a loose, jazzy folk sound that's different from most albums of its era. Van Morrison's vocals are expressive and the arrangements create a dreamy, almost stream-of-consciousness atmosphere. That said, I found it more admirable than engaging. The songs tend to drift rather than build, and although the album has a unique mood, very few moments really stood out or stayed with me after it ended. I can understand why it's so influential—its blend of folk, jazz, soul, and Celtic influences was remarkably original in 1968—but for me, it was more of an interesting listen than an unforgettable one. Overall, a good album that I respect more than I enjoyed. I can see myself revisiting it someday to see if it grows on me, but on a first listen it was solid rather than exceptional.
Some tracks were good but others I found such a slog to get through
It was a slightly different kind of music for me.
I only knew Van Morrison’s hits so I was excited to listen to this, but it was a huge disappointment. Morrison’s distinctive voice was made for belting but the instrumentation here is mostly that soft, downbeat style that was popular in the late 60’s. The two do not mesh at all. Oil and water. The jazzy “The Way Young Lovers Do” is the only track on here that plays to his strengths. Hopefully this was just the awkward transition album between his pop solo debut album and his distinctive soul sound.
I don't know, man, but for some reason I felt like this was a real slog. I generally like Van Morrison, but I really only know his big hits (Moondance, Tupelo Honey, It's Stoned Me, Brown-eyed Girl, etc.). This was maybe just too deep a cut with no real bright spots that I could hear. The instrumentation was more melodic and bright than I expected, which was nice, but the vocals were just sooo Van Morrison, and after like 2-3 songs they really got tiresome to listen to. It took me a few sessions to get through and by the end of it I was just like, "Finally...". Two stars.
More like astral years amiright? I have long thought that Van Morrison had a voice so beautiful that he could read a phone book and make it sound decent. On this album he decided to test that premise. Honestly, I think a theme of Van Morrison's career is his use of angelic vocals to hide uninspired songwriting.
The more I listen to Van Morrison the more boring I find him.
I'm just glad Brown-Eyed Girl wasn't on this cause I fucking hate that song. His voice is not my favourite
Nice music. Don't care for his voice.
Van the Man is at his screechy best (worst?) here, especially on “Beside You”, which has the capacity to a beautiful song were it not for all the bloody screeching, and “Ballerina”. I know this is considered a classic and, by some, his magnum opus, but, much like Van himself, it’s not an album that has ever clicked with me. It does have “Cyprus Avenue” on it which, as I previously mentioned when I had to listen to a 10min live version of it because of this generator, makes me a little warm and fuzzy about my home (see also: “Madame George”). But only a little.
Well the title track really lulled me into a false sense of security. I thought I was going to hate this before pressing play, but I really enjoyed the title track. I thought track 2, Beside You, was absolute bollocks. I got irrationally annoyed by the mixing of track 3, Sweet Thing, particularly the very loud triangle in my left ear at the beginning. I liked The Way Young Lovers Do but that was mostly despite Van than because of him (yay trumpets!). I get really annoyed by how he drrrrrrraaaaaaagggggssss oooooouuuuttttt tthhhhhheee voooooooocaaaaaaaals one minute, then suddenlysayssuddenlysayssuddenlysayssuddenlysays the same couple of words repeatedly and very quickly. In one song it'd be fine, but he repeats the same trick again and again and it's really irritating. On the basis that I can't give an album a 1 where I liked two tracks quite a lot, this should feel lucky to get a: 2/5
I read about this album when I was ~16, went and listened to it, and decided it was too mature and meditative for my young brain. I’ve just tried again at 27 and I can confirm that it still mostly sounds like rambling bullshit. Maybe I’ll give it another shot next decade.
You hear one Van Morrison song and you basically have heard them all
It’s like he purposely is making an enjoyable folk-pop song, then doing everything he can to turn it into something completely unlistenable.
Okay
Albums like this always introduce internal thought in me about what makes an album "good". I feel like, for everything I could say against this album, there are albums that I like that I would say it either doesn't affect my enjoyment of the album or is a bonus for me. For example, I could say that everything on this album sounds the same, but I love artists like Future or Bob Dylan, who also make very homogenous albums. I could say I don't like the style he's doing, but a quick look through my other ratings makes it pretty clear that's not true. I don't get why this album doesn't do it for me, it just doesn't though. It doesn't have that factor that makes it stand out. Favorites: Sweet Thing, The Way Young Lovers Do
Ни о чём
No sorry, I'm not having that
Het Luc de Vos probleem: zoveel focus op teksten en zelfexpressie, dat hij vergeet muziek te maken die ook nog ergens naartoe gaat. Maar serieus: zou de man helse pijnen lijden als hij een refrein zou schrijven?
Not for me. Nothing I can connect with here. He's just rambling on
I really dislike you Van Morrison. 2/5
No
Love the music , hate the vocals and lyrics
I’ve heard this before, but only a few times a long while ago. This doesn’t have any of his hits on it and I don’t think I’ve heard any of these songs on classic rock radio, which is understandable since none of these songs have any hooks to them, in fact I don’t think any of these songs have a distinct vocal melody and it seems mostly improvised around a general feel of a melody. There are only a few songs with drums on them which leaves the rhythm all to the guitar, which is buried in the mix. The strings feel almost tacked on and I think I’d like the album better without them, it seems like they’re added to give some kind of structure to the songs when that should be left to the guitar and it takes away from the improvisational style of nearly everything else going on. There’s some beautiful songs here, but everything seems just partially thought out and they all run together, and it ends up being a big mess.
Probably one of the most overrated albums of all time
Ehh
A folkier Van here, for sure. I dig the direction and at times I really vibed with the lyric/guitar mix. But it's just something about his voice that doesn't do it for me. Feels performative. Highlights: Beside You
not my type of music
That was tedious.
No me ha gustado nada
I love Van Morrison and this is a beautiful album but the songs are too long for what they are
It was fine. Not something I’d come back to but I didn’t hate it. ⭐️⭐️1/2
Madame George was a banger, but the rest of the album made me feel like I'd done something to upset the man. The sound of his voice was uncomfortable for the most part, like some god of mischief's early attempt at making the world's most painful/annoying sound that he later surpassed by chance when he tripped, but was able to catch himself with his nails on a chalkboard. Maybe Morrison is that trickster? The rest of the band played some really nice music, so it would certainly explain the marrying of such beautiful sounds and horrible, grating, plunge-your-head-into-a-garbage-disposal-to-escape inducing pseudo-musical voicings that exists in most of these songs. Maybe he's his band's own Yoko Ono? I wish I had the language to leave an appropriately scathing review of the musical qualities of his voice, but alas I don't and the only thing left scathed is my psyche.
⭐️⭐️1/2 Some songs insist upon themselves but there’s a lot I like, too. Could grow on me over time. I kept thinking that I was loving the instrumental portions of the tracks despite his voice. Man his voice is grating when he’s going on and on with the same lyric. It crescendos nicely with the instrumental often, though. The back half of the album is not as grating, but maybe the Stockholm Syndrome has fully kicked in at that point.
Oof. Not for me.
Cheeky little flute always keeping you on your toes. Very necessary as Van Morrison's singing is just not very interesting to listen to, even with all the emotion he puts behind it. At least it's not terrible, just very monotonous. Standouts: Astral Weeks • The Way Young Lovers Do
meh
not a fan of this
Sounds good but I was not in the right mood to listen to folk, I'll try again some day. Favorite Songs: The Way Young Lovers Do
This sounded like someone listened to bob Marley and tried to make it as white as possible. I’d go as far as to call this a historical “Monica by Jack Harlow” moment
I respect the album musically for its expansive, freewheeling, folky elements but hate hate hate it for the vocals. A great white-knuckly NNNNGGHH AAAAGGHHH WELL WELL WELL WOAH WOAH WOAH Quasimodo of the folk genre.
I have mixed feelings about this record. On one hand I love the jazz elements being combined with traditional sounding folk rock, and it gives a preview of where Van Morrison wanted to go with his sound. On the other hand, a lot of this is very boring, generic, run of the mill, nothing to write home about acoustic folk rock. So overall it’s meh. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not anything I think I’ll ever go back to. If I’m going to listen to Van Morrison, it’s going to be “Moondance”.
it's van the man. unique but mostly sounds the same to me
I don't really like his voice.
parece o tipo de musica q os velhos ouvem e falam "NA MINHA EPOCA isso era musica", n é pra mim infelizmente
mix is terrible. i get what’s happening here, but the mix is terrible
Ok album...no great songs but like his voice
Meh. Nothing grabbed me. My kid said VM sings like he’s missing five teeth.
Maso
No me gustó, pero si puedo notar que cada canción tiene algo muy especial
good lord. So much flute??? I don’t enjoy his voice, so the super extra instrumentation feels like too much frosting on a mud cake. Get it away from me!
My third Van Morrsion album. I have HATED the previous two, how is this? It's the earliest-released, and his voice hasn't got as weird as it is in the later albums, so it is marginally less grating. The sound is more jazzy and big band at times too. Ballerina sounds like Penguin Café Orchestra at times, although with the unwelcome addition of Van Morrision singing over the top of it. If this had been my first exposure to Van Morrison on this list, I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. Overall MUCH better than the other albums. Two stars!
Album #80: Astral Weeks - Van Morrison Genre (W): Folk rock, folk jazz, progressive folk, blue-eyed soul No singles. I have listened to this album once. Thoughts?: Morrison’s lyrics, most of the time, are very poignant. I love the arrangements! This kind of reminds me of Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan did more psychedelic/experimental material. Some of these songs require one to be patient, and I feel they drag for too long. Favorite songs: Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing, The Way Young Lovers Do
Man could not enunciate for his life and was just kind of yelling. I have heard this genre be done so much better and this album was 47 minutes too long.
Bleating like a sheep man stfu. I've heard this genre be done much better. What a slog of an album.
Pretty dull offering from the “fat monk singing Gloria” ©️the late great Shane MacGowan 🤣
A little one dimensional; the songs all sound very similar, and his voice is the same throughout. Kind of boring, would probably not listen to again.
This Van Morrison album kind of drove me nuts. His voice got to me. Maybe it was because the songs sounded soooo similar.
My second Van Morrison. Still not for me
I remember this was one of my Columbia House CDs when I was like, 12. God I must have been disappointed.
This guy sings way to much like Laura Nyro for be to enjoy it.
Do you like Jazz? I do. This isn't Jazz, but it sure as hell tries to be. I don't know, something about the songwriting just doesn't work for me. I can recognize a good record here, but it fails to appeal to me much. Key tracks: Astral Weeks The Way Young Lovers Do
My god he just continues on and on the same, track after track. He has a nice voice but there is little variation. 2/5
A bit too much ethereal star gazing by Van on this, could not tell if he was singing or having a stroke on some of the songs
Honestly not liking this at all compared to the last album. Like dude shut up.
I like other Van Morrison albums but not this one - no matter that the critics somehow really like this one.
Decent, but definitely my least favorite of the three albums on this list of his so far.
I think Van Morrison should give instrumentals a try.
2 out of 5. A bit slow for my tastes but enjoyed some of the instruments used.
This disappointed me actually. It appeals to much less than his other stuff on here. Put me in mine of Joni Mitchell, his voice annoys.mre on this oneand that meandering style is clearly not for me. 2.5
Too slow and not my jam
Need to revisit
This was an unpleasant day to have ears. It’s not worth a 1, but I sure was tempted. At least if it was bad I could laugh about it, but it’s just so boring. 2/5 ⭐️ 65/1089
I had a brilliant review written all about how in my first year of university, one of my new friends asked me if wanted to go see John Martyn who was playing there. Having heard the whining drone emanating from his room from time to time I declined. The punchline was that I was wise beyond my years. When I posted it I realised this is actually a Van Morrison album not John Martyn But to me the two are indistinguishable. And I'm sure some of the wailing coming from that room was Van Morrison anyway so I stand by the original review. So I'm still wise beyond my years
Fell asleep during 'Madame George '
ai q capa é essa FAVS (top 3): sweet thing, cyprus avenue, madame george mençoes honrosas: ai gente dava pra morrer sem ter ouvido esse sinceramente um album bem normal, não é ruim mas nao é um marco nota final: 2/5
I was positive going into this; Van Morrison has a great voice. By the middle of the album, I was dying for it to end. A good voice with neat guitar playing isn't quite enough to sustain my attention. I was bored shitless listening to this. A bit harsh maybe, but true. 'Sweet Thing' was pretty good. Some of the songs started off interesting, and quickly become dull or meaningless. This genre, country/acoustic (however you want to call it) is not really for me anyway. It takes something particularly excellent to capture my attention, and this wasn't it. I only really know Van Morrison for his big hit song, Brown-eyed girl. Perhaps I would have been happier only knowing him for this. Because of how much I was willing this to end, I have to get it two stars.
Unenjoyable
Why is there so much sing-talking? And not in a way like Slint’s Spiderland. Utterly forgettable 2/5
It felt like it had a lot of potential, but it was kinda talk-y with the occasional trying to reach for notes, meh. At least it wasn't that long. 2*
Weird that I didn’t like this that much
Don't think I'm a Van Morrison person. Only track I liked was The Way Young Lovers Do, the rest bored me
A bit annoying, a lot of boring. 4/10
Notable Textzeile: I know you're dying, baby And I know you know it too I know you're dying And I know you know it too Every time I see you I just don't know what to do Ich bin eher bei der Panflötenmeinung. Und bei quäckige Stimme. Und zu sehr wie Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
i think there was one song where i wasn't bored
The Way Young Lovers Do
I generally like Van Morrison, but I don't understand the love for this album. It's boring and most of the singing sounds like it was inspired by a doctor putting a tongue depressed in his mouth.
Not quite my van Morrison
This being called an album is a stretch. More like an improvised moaning stream of consciousness. Yes Van the Man has a unique voice and way of “singing”, but with very little song structure and even less melody, it made for a pretty forced listen. Props to the session players hired to try and follow this rambling.
I tried. Really, I did. I knew going in that I'm not the biggest fan of Van Morrison, but 125 albums in I have genuinely become more open minded in my musical listening. The first 30 seconds of the first song were going pretty well, too - trying to digest the lyrics, appreciating a nice melody. After about 5 minutes (of this 7 minute long song) I realized...the music hasn't changed. We're getting the same short chord progression over, and over, and over. And I can't take the constipated singing any longer. And the lyrics don't resonate with me at all. So this ended up being a tortuous voyage through Van Morrison's navel gazing. And to be fair, I don't feel too bad. After all, COVID unleashed Van Morrison's inner conspiracy theorist identity, including putting out an album decrying all the ways he is being oppressed - including by Jews. Once a pos, always a pos I suppose.
Meh
Sorry to my man Van Morrison but this don’t work for me
Twas ok
PIPES!! Man’s got pipes. Bit of same-song too tho. I did not find this album matched its reputation. Dos estrellas
Panflöten.
alsof je op een kat zijn staart staat en blijft staan...
5'5" Irish garden gnome who needs to ease up on the vowels
seine Stimme gefällt mir persönlich nicht so und die Lieder sind jetzt auch nicht besonders spannend
I wouldn't listen to the whole album but I added one song to the playlist called beside you,very chill vibes and I like that.This guy has better songs on his discography than this album
All the songs are just Van Morrison singing randomly with pretty much no sense of melody. I guess I didn’t hate the flute and acoustic guitar backing. Those songs did not need to be that long.
Sounds like someone doing a parody of Van Morrison.
Kan inte någon knäcka den där jävla flöjten mitt itu? Här finns en bra låt och det är The way young lovers do. I övrigt är det ett evigt flöjtande, fiolande och gnolande i låtar utan slut. På Moondance, som kommer fyra år senare, har Van Morrison fått styr på grejerna och levererar sånger med början och slut och däremellan riktiga melodier. Men här finns än så länge bara embryon till detta.
Not much to say. Just a little too boring and a little too long. Another mediocre folk album.
I don't really have much to offer here. Can't see a time when I would actively reach for this. Not terrible, but the tracks seem a bit drawn out. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 50% Revisit ❌️ Default ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 194 Already owned : 44 Purchased : 8 To buy list : 4 Nope : 138
His voice is just bad, right?
Not for me. Oops.
Nasal, warbled, hippy-dippy lyrics ("the dynamo of your smile caressed the barefoot virgin child to wander" FUCK OFF) sung over music provided by a crack selection of jazz musicians (bassist Richard Davis, drummer Connie Kay, guitarist Jay Berliner, flautist John Payne and percussionist Warren Smith, Jr.). Unfortunately, they don't sound much like jazz musicians on any of these songs except on "The Way Young Lovers Do" (easily my favorite song on here). It would have been great to get an actual jazz album out of this group without Morrison, but they are mostly confined to playing lilting, meandering, folk-ish background music to some truly terrible, self-indulgent singing. Morrison clearly loved the sound of his own voice and could stretch a single sentence over twenty miles of audiotape. Even Richard Cohen's sleepy, quarter-time singing is better than this. The (mostly-improvised) backing music is impressive, and there's one good song, which saves this from one star, but on the whole, this is an easy pass for me.
The music itself isn't too bad, but those vocals... JFC.
Tiesin Van Morrisonin nimeltä, mutta musiikkinsa on jäänyt pimentoon. Tämä levy oli materiaaliltaan tasapaksuhko ja hitit puuttui. Parasta oli akustisuus ja Van Morrisonin karhea laulusoundi. Siitä tykkäsin.
Considering how much I love Moondance I was surprised by how much I DIDNT like this one. His voice is meandering and borders on grating
Pretty nice vibes but prolly not gonna listen to again :)
man can i be so for real right now ........ i just dont see it at all, i dont get it in the slightest bit and think he actually just sucks ass and the only interesting thing on the album is the celtic folk elements
Surprisingly this one falls flat for me. I love Moondance but the pace of this is too slow and Van Morrison’s wailing doesn’t strike the same as it will there. Maybe with more listens it will grow, but after 10 years of having it on vinyl I would never pull this one out to play if not prompted.
p154. 1968. 2 stars. Fine lyrics and voice, let down by below par songs. Go on, whistle the melody to anything on this after one listen. See what I mean? And no-one needs multiple 6+ minute songs.
Otro más de este sujeto? No está mal, pero no da para tener otro disco en la lista.
E Salbi für mis Trommelfell. Aber wer brucht hützutags no Salbene? simmer 13i? Allgemein chli z herzig und z lieb für min Geschmack und den dezwüsche Lieder wo mi biz zfest gestresst hend für de hüttig mood. Sorry Morri. 2 ich-freu-mi-sehr-fest-uf-baldigi-Ferie für dich
Just confirming my thoughts that I find Van Morrison boring.
I really dislike his singing style. He's certainly pretty talented, and the arrangements are great, but his hit-the-beat-every-once-in-a-while cadence while overemphasizing certain words in a half shout/half groan just grinds my gears. I can't imagine any scenario in which I'd want to put this album on.
This is some meandering ass shit. I have yet to hear a distinguishable verse chorus verse structure. I like Van Morrison sometimes. But he can be butt puckeringly cheesy or overly unfocused at times. And this feels like the latter. I challenge anyone to try to distinguish songs from each other after one listen.
I listened to a 100 minute podcast episode about this album/title track and it did nothing to make me interested in Van Morrison. Neither did listening to this album. Why does he sing like that? Why are the songs so long?
Every soft song on this album sounded the same to me, granted it was a pretty good song. "The Way Young Lovers Do" was solid, I wish there were more like that on here.
this was a rough listen, very grating
Found this to be very mediocre and samey
Not for me. Though it's better than Moondance by a long shot.
Not a fan. Sounds like the 60s.
Yeah I get it: It's semi improvised, free form pop became a incidental classic etc blah blah. But seriously folks, it's boring, meandering and his voice is annoying. A young man in his 20s sounding like a grumpy old man, harping onabout fuck knows what. Critics favourite, my arse.
I'm not a fan of Van for a whole load of reasons, including his music. Somehow this doesn't seem quite as annoying as the other albums I've heard, but I still don't like it much
More Morrison innit?
This does not feel finished. Something about the incessant shaking and the half open guitar strumming on the first track made it absolutely claustrophobic. There's just non-music everywhere, and it's 10 layers deep. The rest of the album is somewhat better, but why does every single miserable track include a god forsaken recorder of all things? Who enjoys that?
Lidt for uslebet. Ikke lige så godt, som det album, der allerede har været med ham.
i feel bad for not liking this cause i thought i would but i REALLY didn't care for it unfortunately. im unfortunately picky about singing voices and this guys voice was just super obnoxious to me. every song felt way too long and repetitive. the instrumentals were alright though. sorry van morrison :(
Maybe I have had enough of Van Morrison. Didn't do too much for me but wasn't completely offended.
Dreadful (although for reasons unknown to myself not a 1)
For someone with such an enormous ego, Van Morrison really is very mid-talent. Forgettable pap from an insurmountable cunt.
I did not especially like this album. At his best, Van Morrison can be very jazzy. I liked one song on this album, They Way Young Lovers Do. It has a more upbeat jazzier vibe to it with horns. That song doesn't even sound like it came from the same recording session as the rest of the songs. The rest of the songs just sound like jams that don't really evolve into interesting songs. And I'm convinced that no matter what the band is playing, Van Morrison is just singing the same song. This is all so samesy. After the first listen I was a 3. After a second listen, I became more annoyed with his voice and lyrics. Half of it sounds like stuff he's just making up on the spot and repeating over and over. Sorry Van. Just not into it.
Yaaawwwwnn! That was one heck of a nap this album put me into. This feels like one of those albums that take years and many dozens of listens to “get” and once you do, you’re a life long die hard fan. I have several of those already but I’m old now and I don’t care to invest that much time into a record that, aside from interesting instrumentation here and there, goes nowhere.
This record is so meandering. Van’s singular voice does so much heavy lifting. I might have been in a bad mood when I first listened but I was hating it haha. There are stoner tree-planter bands in Vic that kinda sound like this tbh. Fav songs: Cypress Avenue, Ballerina
Un álbum fallido, creo. La intención es buena, pero falta calidad y sonido. Probablemente Van Morrison debería haber rebajado su ego en este disco... Cosa que no pasó jamás por ninguna causa.
The level of improvisation drives me mad
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.