Reviews (page 8 of 9)
Not my cup of tea
One of my favorite vocalists ever, and his voice cuts through so cleanly on this album. But, this album left me kind of disappointed. Decent music, but nothing terribly interesting to me. Favorite track: Sweet Thing
Pretty good listen but some songs dragged a bit and would’ve liked more variety. Fav track: Astral Weeks
Sehr entspanntes nices Album!
A very interesting folky-country feel. Nothing extraordinary though.
So awesome
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.
I assumed I would like this album, but I really didn't. It felt like there was a heavy focus on the vocals, but they wandered all over the map and the timber of Van Morrison's voice just wasn't doing it for me. His held notes grated on me at times.
Great album. I do prefer No Guru, No Method, No Teacher.
Simple, classic flower child music
Decent - some good tunes some not as good
All I knew was brown eyed girl previously. This was a great listen.
Great work. Another classic.
És un disc que a l'escolta sempre promet més del que dóna. Curiosament, o precissament per això, sempre s'acaba escoltant de nou, trobant-hi nous detalls per disfrutar
Lacks the genius singles of some of his other albums, but is overall a decent Van Morrison listening experience
I never this was Van Morrison. Lots of sentimentality and candor. Killer combo for me.
so. here's the deal. van morrison was my first album. so whenever this playlist starts I hear. and it stoned me. whenever this playlist I'm building ends I hear. and it stoned me. sometimes I just hear and it stoned me. in my thoughts. this man's voice is in my head a lot. so, now, i like it more thank i did. it.wore.me.down.
Music at its most mystical.
It’s a fine piece of ‘60s folk. Like, it’s been done better…even by Morrison himself. Nonetheless it’s fine.
Already owned, so obviously I quite like it; although it's not in regular rotation and evokes memories of 15-20 years ago. The title track stands out.
Album was weird starting off but finished off very strong. Was going to give it 2 stars but 3 is perfect.
Sounds like Morrison. great background music but nothing i'd probably go out of my way to play, but this album will go on shuffle
PERFECT
Not Van Morrison's best album. Not a bad album though. I am disappointed that this is on here but Blowin' Your Mind! isn't. Decent just not anything special.
It didn't really grab me. It sounds like "here's a bunch of songs, do the Van Morrison thing to them" That's no small feat, but I found that none of the songs stuck with me like they did on other releases.
My takeaway is, listen to too much Van Morrison and it begins to have a bit of an overstaying sameness to it.
Jag gillar ändå honom. Men var är brown eyed girl? den saknade jag.
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for this one, but it didn't blow me away. Several of the songs were very busy musically and had a jazz feel, with Van's voice acting as more of an instrument. Maybe that was the point and I missed it.
I have it a shot but Van Morrison is still not for me
Tough record to boil down into a rating. Its greatest strength is Van Morrison insisting on defying conventions - lyrically, compositionally and structure-wise. This strength also makes the whole thing a bit inaccessible and makes you alter between a calm meditative state and frustration at the repetitiveness and runtime of the tracks. When it transports you to an entirely different state of mind, it's magnificent. I am just not able to stay there for the entirety of the record.
Van Morrisons voice is such an incredibly powerful instrument. They could’ve stripped the record of instruments and it would still sound intriguing. The songwriting is beyond incredible (especially on Beside You), even though the scarce instrumentation is beginning to wear out towards the very end. It’s feels like one cohesive stream of consciousness - and what a journey it is.
This album has a lot of good vibes, and the lyrics are also enjoyable. I don't know if I'm receiving too much folk and folk rock, but even with a musical style that I appreciate, I think this album was a little bit repetitive. I understand why it is part of the 1001 list, but it's not a 5-star due to the repetitiveness.
Clearly something in this album captured people’s imagination and there is something ethereal and unique in the soundscape and Morrison’s impassioned, if imperfect vocals, but I found it an elusive and slippery thing, hard to pin down and become absorbed by. Perhaps more listens are required.
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
Good but needed a more upbeat Van Morrison today
Nothing highly memorable about the album but I did enjoy it more than I thought. Wish I could rate with half stars, because it would be a 2.5, but I'll be generous and give it a 3/5
I honestly haven't ever really spent much time on the music of Van Morrison. Other than having the unpopular opinion of hating Brown Eyed Girl. I guess I'm going to continue to have the unpopular opinions because I kind of just tuned it out while working and hadn't realized that first off I was on track 5, and two that I thought I was still on track one. Sorry gang, he just doesn't do much for me.
Good album, but doesn't do it for me like, say, Moondance does.
Lost my notes! I thought it was beautiful and definitely worth your time. Inventive, intricate folk songs.
I've heard this album several times. It always makes me feel like I'm 12, in the backseat of my parents' car, trying to fade into sleep during a road trip by watching the moon through the moon roof. I'm sure that never actually happened, but that's the part of my brain Morrison's unique drug of a voice triggers.
Van the Man's all time greatest statement, the back story of which is one of the wildest and most batshit insane in all of music. That shouldn't detract from the beauty that still emanates from this album almost fifty-five years on. From the first verse uttered to the last verse sung, Van's voice flows with such grace and effortlessness that one can only wonder... and listen in awe. I still do.
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.
Guitars and auxiliary instruments sound perfect. Almost a little too sprawling, but really enjoyable.
Chilled out acoustic 70s.
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.
it's good
Gave it a couple listens just so I would get the feel of this expansive psych folk release that's so coveted. I think it does have some wonderful moments, though I feel it would take some time to actually sink. Sadly I rather not give more attention to a dude that would eventually turn to a conspiracy nutjob, so I'll give it a 3.
Nice
I remember being blown away when I first heard this, but the last couple of times I've listened it's left me a bit cold. There's some beautiful stuff going on instrumentally but Van's voice is quite abrasive in places (especially on the first couple of tracks) and nothing is particularly memorable
Fav songs: - Sweet Thing
Great little album. Loved the jazz influence.
Congrats for writing the same song 8 times I guess? Oh no wait, there was a weird jazz arrangement in one, my mistake
Didn’t latch on to anything in particular but it was all decent. Maybe a 2.5
There’s not much between this and Moondance in the classic stakes. While a slightly preferred the latter, this is a complete one off.
muito bom mas a concorrência tava o aço
Madame George, dat maakt het voor mij een prachtalbum.
Paar nummers gedraaid, kon me niet echt raken.
Wel ok, maar ook niet heel bijzonder
Mijn held Jeff Buckley heeft veel nummers van Van Morrison gecoverd. Dus 3 nummers van dit album kende ik eigenlijk alleen in Buckley uitvoering. Erg tof om ze nu ook een keer in de originele versies te horen. Prachtige stem heeft die Van.
Wat komt er toch veel goeds uit Ierland. Ik was niet kapot van de plaat, maar die stem is natuurlijk geweldig.
Fantastic album. You feel the highs, the lows, the triumphs of a successful love. For the majority of the LP, I felt as if were walking through an open tree-line thanks to the acoustic guitar. A couple of the songs drag on, but that's supported by the wonderful horn section, and Morrison's rising and lowering voice that keeps the energy of the song intact. Overall, sweet experience.
ZzZzZz
You have to be able to enter Van Morrison's dream space to bear him, but I'm often able to do so and was in an especially good position for it tonight. Highly noodly, the songs hang together in sequence better than they ever do internally. Not a boring dream, musically speaking: We move through substantial terrain.
Fine
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
I think this is Morrison’s best. Tremendous musical range, a cinematic expansiveness in the sound, masterful composition and performance and yet with a genuine feeling of spontaneity and looseness.
I love the conflation in music of sex and religious experience. That album opener is like standing in a violin downpour at night. The instrumentation on track 2 is actually quite experimental, demanding the listener's ear. Then a walk in the wet garden after the downpour. If this music doesn't speak to you, it's because it doesn't speak to your heart. Because that's the only thing this album can speak to. The heart. I think this is the perfect album when you're returning home after staying out all night. I love how the harpsichord goes hard then silent then hard again. If music were an embroidered object, it would be some of these songs. This album is about turning points--when the rain gives way to clear skies, when the night gives way to the dawn--standing on the cusp of love. "Madame George" is spellbinding, the last song you listen to as the dawn comes, when you've been out all night and are dead tired but still enchanted by the memory of the stars. This is falling in love, not with a person but with an experience and a forgotten but remembered snatch of some whispered line. Here's that violin downpour again. Feel it on your face as you turn your collar up, as you turn your face toward home. This is an album detailing the life portals we must all step through, the last being death. I love that final moment of experimental dissonance. The music--like life--is over. The music is disrupted.
One of my all-time favorites, an album my parents played a lot in my house growing up and one I continue to listen to on a regular basis. The music is magical to me. The arrangements are rich and layered but they feel so natural and organic. The songs flow like water. Van Morrison’s vocals are stunning. He bends and stretches his voice in ways I’ve never heard before or since. Sometimes I just have to laugh at the way he delivers a line. He’ll slur through his words and I’ll have no idea what he’s saying but I feel the emotion! It’s an amazing performance. Loose and jazzy and full of life! I definitely have favorite songs and favorite moments but I tend to think of the album as one piece of music. When I think about it, I remember the big, sweeping emotions and the sound of all these instruments (the strings, the flutes, the piano, the guitar) and how they blend together for one unique sound. Just beautiful. (So funny to get this album right after the Nick Drake album after I compared him to Van Morrison.)
He's got one of the best voices in classic rock / rock / folk rock. It's so notable, distinct, and full of emotion. This album starts off with some tracks that have the music underneath his voice sort of meander around and he just kind of "does his own thing" on top. Lots of rubato and free flowing rhythms in his vocal melodies that just sit on top of the chord changes. I'm not sure if the majority of his music/songwriting is like this, but I like it. Sometimes vocalists have such good voices that they really just have the agency to do what they want on top of music without the need for things like structured repeats to enhance the catchy-ness quality of a melody, and this seems like the case with him. He can seemingly just grab a mic and go "lllluuuuuhhhhhh yeeeaaaah" and it sounds great. The one downside of this that I've seen happen is that it makes this sort of disconnect between the vocalist and the band members. I like a certain amount of homogeneity in the vocals and the music; it is just another instrument after all. I don't find it as much of a downside for Van Morrison though because I know that he is a songwriter too and not just someone who gets put on stage in front of a band and told to "do his thing". I think Steve put it well in his review of the last album on the list - (where he ironically mentioned Van Morrison- not knowing that next up on the list WAS Van Morrison lol) this is a great Sunday morning / afternoon album. Put it on while you are drinking coffee and tidying up your place, or put it on while you wait for your grill to get hot and for your friends to arrive. There won't be any objections to the music choice.
I don't always love his singing, but I love his song writing.
more like man this is boring, son
Blah
njä, det här gav väl inte så mycket
The Way Young Lovers Do är en 5:a men resten blir rätt gnälligt.
No particular song stands our, but the passion and purity of his voice put the lyrics to life. It was really enjoyable to experience.
Enjoyable and diverse album with folk, pop, rock, psychodelic elements. No song really stands out but it's an overall great album
Classic Van from before he was eaten alive by his ego.
I don't know what to make of this. This wasn't bad but I already can't remember any of it. I kinda just felt like 40 minutes of Van wailing. I'll get back to it eventually, but my first impression isn't that convincing.
I just love Van Morrison's profound and meaningful lyrics : "Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Dry your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Say goodbye to Madame George And the loves that love to love that loves to love That loves to love the loves that loves to love The love that loves to love Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye"
Not bad, but not that good neither.
I really like the "disjointed but worked" aspect of Astral Weeks. It's full of little instrumental arrangements here and there, but it never seems completely written. Van Morrison seems to have no qualms about expressing himself a bit more eccentrically than other folk singers of the time. I wouldn't listen to this record every day, but I always liked it.
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.
I enjoyed it and everything suggested subsequently! Would listen to more. : ]
The songs all sound the same to me and while I’ll dig any by itself, I’m not a fan of the album.
Finally go through this. It took me three tries. Overall it's a pleasant and creative album. Once I read that it was a stream of conscious style concept album the repetitiveness made sense. But I can't see myself putting it on and just listening to it or having it as background music. Hence my low rating. It truly is just too repetitive. The one song that made me sit up and listen was The Way Young Lovers Do which is excellent, and I imagine in my head that Stufjan Stevens listened to this album and it inspired the band in Illinois.
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…)
pleasant, classic vocals
Probably one of the greatest albums of all time. Constantly in my Top Three
Astral Weeks is one of my favorite albums, one I can listen to endlessly on repeat. It's such a pleasure to hear. This is an album very much of its era, but somehow also out of time. I love the intermingling of jazz and folk, the delicate little baroque touches, the use of flute and vibes and that marvelous double bass. The style of the album is distinctive, improvisational, loose and dreamy. Morrison's lyrics are an eloquent stream of consciousness, best enjoyed as impressions of memory and feeling rather than analyzed for their content. The album was a deeply personal expression for Morrison, and it feels intimate to listen to, like we're privy to his deepest memories. I can't think of another album like it. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Astral Weeks, Madame George, Ballerina, The Way Young Lovers Do, Sweet Thing, Cyprus Avenue, Beside You, Slim Slow Slider
Eh, I got kinda bored halfway though, it's not bad
Il m'a fallu quelques écoutes et la lecture de l'article de Wikipédia pour comprendre l'intérêt de cet album (que je connaissais déjà pourtant). Le processus créatif auquel ont pris part des musiciens de jazz lancés sans trop d'indication dans des chansons folk aux structures simples produit un effet très original. L'envers de cette excellente idée est que les chansons sont plutôt redondantes.
Not my favorite
2/5 29/04/22 Alright, not my type of music, but it was okay.
The way young lovers do and sweet thing are definitely my favorite (maybe because they're the shortest in the album lmao) but Ig that won't be my favorite album of Van Morrison
Shame he's such a shitbird and anti-science. 1 sad little star.
I wonder what we'd think of Van Morrison if we didn't have Brown Eyed Girl. Personally I like his 1979-1991 period the best, but this is a great, great early album.
Alright. Bit boring for me
A goto sunday morning album. The way the songs hold together is spectacular. There are places where it feels that it could unravel but beautifully manages keeps it together.
Mega-cheelin
Easy classic. A quite singular creative vision
Helt swag... fångade mig inte helt dock.
Canciones largas, me gustaron algo
I give it 9/5 but I’m extremely biased..Van has been my favorite artist since 1970( have all his music plus bootlegs). This is a very good album but in my humble opinion not his best.His songwriting/ poetry is inspiring, love his horn playing.I’ve seen him 3 times in concert( 2nd row in Toronto)…love him…..
Great album. A little meandering at times, almost sounding like some stream of consciousness from Van, but it works. 4 stars.
Mystic. Cosmic. Ecstatic. Romantic. Contemplative. Meditative. Pastoral. Joyful.
Hard to describe in words, but the serenity and melancholic charm is undeniable. Love it.
Meh
agætt en ekki my shit
Growing up in the 70's and 80's, this album was always put as a top ten album of all time. For some reason in recent years, you don't see it quite as high; I'm not sure why? It still sounds great and original. I don't feel this has aged any. His second album and a big change from his first more-pop oriented ("Brown-Eyed Girl" one). A fusion of Van's "Blue-Eyed Soul" and jazz musicians. Van would roughly play each song on an acoustic guitar to the musicians and they would construct the songs from that. Van stayed in a separate room from the musicians and would improvise the lyrics from the music played. Additional instruments were added after. Yeah, lots of history on the recording. Although not an overarching connection between songs, each song is almost its own separate story, the flow of the album has a distinct feel to it. Each song seems to be about romantic fantasies and/or past romantic occurrences. His lyrics tend to use imagery of nature and surroundings and improvised thoughts to progress the story: a definite poetic approach. Additional strings appear to have been added to accentuate certain parts of the songs and adds to the jazzy feel. Song highlights include "Sweet Thing", its majestic feel, "Cypress Avenue", fantasies about a girl from school, and "Madame George", don't know what it's exactly about but Van's most paasionate and emotional singing. This albums stills sounds like a masterpiece to me.
One of my all time favorites!
This may be #19 on Rolling Stones' 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, but I haaaaaate it. Van's voice is all over the place and the instruments sound equally haphazard; every musician seems to be in their own little world. The harpsichord on 'Cyprus Avenue' is insufferable, partly because the song is 67 minutes long. Oh, holy shit, 'Madame George' is even longer. Really not looking forward to when his other two albums pop up after this miserable mess.
Beautiful album. Enjoyed the music and the lyrics
I find something new in every listen. A brilliant and truly timeless album. Easily top-10 of the entire list.
I don’t really know how to talk about this album but I can say it was more of an experience than anything else I’ve rated so far. Still not into singer-songwriters, for the most part. Best song: Sweet Thing
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.
Rock de Van Morrison. Demasiado lento para el vinilo.
Thought the album was nice, though maybe the songs a bit too long at times. 7/10.
Hit or miss - sometimes it sounds like he's just yelling into the microphone, and other songs are nice to listen to. All unmistakably Van Morrison, but wish he'd leave the yelling to other artists.
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…)
I don't get the hype. Had Nick Drake earlier this week and enjoyed that a whole lot more. This album rambles, the flautist seems like he's playing in a different band entirely. And Van, could do without his voice warbling all over the place. Horns sounded good though.
I never really understood people's obsession with Van Morrison. I don't think his music is bad, but I really don't think its any thing special. Maybe I'm missing something.
Decent 70s chill.
An all time classic
Boring
I loved this album. Polarising as an individual but musically what a talent.
This is a classic album. For me no other VM album comes close. I love the jazzy arrangements especially the opening title track which I can listen to over and over again. Other hilights; Sweet Thing, (which some younger listeners might recognize from The Waterboys brilliant cover), Cypress Avenue, Madame George, damn I could probably name every song. The arrangements are always tasteful and interesting. The guitar playing also very impressive as is all the playing on this excellent album. 5 🌟
Wandering mystic isn't my favourite Van Morrison mode--and by wandering, I'm talking more about the tunes. Lyrically and thematically, he's always a nut, and I love that. Fundamentally, I just find the exuberance and repetitiveness of the pop song form (everything on Moondance, for example) more soulful and big-hearted than this quieter, more circuitous fare. However, Astral Weeks completes a trifecta from artists who work in this mode (the other two from John Martyn and Nick Drake), and while I don't love any of them, they've been a welcome reminder that I'm more receptive to the style than I thought. I have only one example of when Astral Weeks soars (by no means the only time it does, just the only one I wrote down). That's the strings on 'Sweet Thing'. In a pop song, they'd probably sound great, if not a little expected. But here, in the middle of a rambling song, they totally cold cock you. Not just the first time, but every time.
for some reason i really didn't care for the back half of this, but the first songs were really good, nice aesthetic and pretty lyrics. the vocal style where he just repeats a phrase over and over with increasing intensity can be pretty annoying. 6/10
6/10. Why does this list need more than one Van Morrison Album?
It sounds nice but it’s so slow. 6/10
Amazingly chill album. One of my favorite albums to listen to on a Friday evening while chilling.
Album starts off decent. Noodling on flute, acoustic guitar and bass on Astral Weeks is interesting, maybe a little disjointed. Love the vibrophone on Beside You. Cyprus Avenue is a mess; each performer is doing their own thing and the harpsichord is just plain distracting It sounds like Van Morrison recorded himself first then everything got overdubbed afterwards. I read the wiki article on the recording sessions after listening and it's close to what I guessed; Morrison recorded in a separate iso-booth while the rest of the session players recorded together in a room. The session players were all jazz musicians, which explains the constant noodling, and most tracks were done in a single take. Overall a super-meh album. None of the songs beyond the first three stood out to me at all other than the constant distraction of trying to figure out why everything sounds so off. Could potentially be better on further listens.
Weird album. I liked it, but it was also pretty same-y. There was some weird things with desyncing between instruments in like, Madame George. That was off-putting a bit, as it just seemed clumsy and didn't add to the music. Also, Slim Slow Slider just fucking ends. It has a little weird freakout and then quick fade. What a weird way to end an album. 3/5
Great depth and layering in the production and that's about the only positives I've got. The vocals are annoying and the whole things sounds like a jam session more than anything.
Van Morrison may be an anti-vax asshole, but damn if he’s not able to write a good melody. I do prefer Moondance, as the tracks here go a little too long for my tastes, but the songwriting is just splendid throughout. B
Van Morrison is very boring to me.
Some of the instrumentals are alright, but Van’s vocals are atrocious and annoyingly repetitive. I listened once through and that was very generous of me. This list can definitely be cut to 1000. 0/5
Oh do shut up!
No where near as good as Moondance, the symphonic additions were way too much. Incredible stereo mix though
This album stinks
Loin d'être autant remarquable que Moondance. Des bons moments mais des moments oubliables aussi
an incredible waste of new headphones.
Classic Van Morrison
i didn't' listen but i don't like van morrison
I liked this. It was a little meandering at times, but it was very emotive in the storytelling and made me nostalgic (?) for a time I wasn't even alive and for things I didn't actually experience.
It made me feel exactly what I imagined being in my twenties in the 1960s would feel like
Not one of my favourite
Pleasantly surprised as an only-brown-eyed-girl-knower-normie
Sucks
alright
van morrison is just not my thing. still good, and chill to listen at. not any bad songs too.
There's dull, really dull, and this, extremely dull. LSD has a lot to answer for.
Xx
-Every song is like acoustic guitar + man singing + one other small element like slow violins or drums or something -Honestly mega boring
Didn't know the artist, this album is a nice surprise !
Loooong songs
Decent, not really my style of music, but not bad
Pretty nice
He sounds funny
I really like Van Morrisons vocals. First album I've listened to.
Good listen, few songs i hadn't heard
Chyba najprzyjemniejszy odsluch wyprawy, ale i tak mocno sredni, o wiele za duzo jak na jeden krazek, zaczyna sie jak folk, a konczy niebieskookim bluesem czy soulem, taki blend konceptow na jednym krazku, na plejke otwierajacy trak
It was okay kinda boring
Flawless
I know this album has received a lot of praise, but not immediately after its release. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be able to enjoy this album more unless the album generator (1001AG) starts slowing down...
I listened to this a lot 30 years ago and expected to like it again instantly. I was put off a bit by not remembering how waily beside you becomes, but the rest of the album holds up extremely well. Layered/complex, even the long songs (Madame George) still hold their way through 9.5 minutes. It's passionate and soulful. Amazing album.
It's a lovely sort of ramble that sounds to me like a Sunday afternoon. I'm guessing it takes a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate.
I've enjoyed many other Van Morrison albums more than this one. It might take a bit longer to appreciate this one. 2/5.
The music gods were smiling this morning as they gave me Astral Weeks for album of the day on the morning my daughter was born and this album is perfect for holding your newborn baby...
I used to love this album, but it sounds a bit tired and dated now.
Rating: 5/10
Sé alveg hvernig fólki getur fundist þetta sjarmerandi og þetta var greinilega nýtt spennandi á sínum tíma. En ég get ekki sagt að ég hafi mikla þörf á að hlusta aftur.
Van has one vocal tool, a mumbly repetition of a syllable or short phrase. Fine in moderation, but it seems to be most of every song.
What a pleasant album! Astral Weeks is a great track to start this off. Very easy to listen to.
I liked a lot of it musically and instrumentally, pleasant sounding strings and flute and harpsichord-sounding thing. I really had a hard time enjoying his voice on this album; sometimes I liked it, but often it pierces my ears and was too loud in the mix. He sings with much passion though, I must give credit for that. Some of the songs were a bit too long without enough change imo (I love a good long song, but not as much if it doesn't change much the whole time). Fav song was "The Way Young Lovers Do". I appreciate it aesthetically, there is tenderness and sweetness.
Never experienced this chapter of Van Morrison. I was impressed. Can’t call it classic rock cuz I’d never heard it.
I've heard that seeing Van Morrisson live is extremely disappointing. I don't let that affect my judgement because Van Morrisson is the godfather of emo. This album, and frankly any album of his that I've heard is just amazing. Due mostly to his ability to build from a soft to a powerful and unrelenting climax that seems to go on forever. I am so easily exhausted listening to him but somehow he continues unabated and inevitably I break. There's something about these songs that transports you back to your early 20s. When life is still fun but quickly becomming complicated. These songs emulate the elation and struggles of young adulthood. The struggles that seem insurmountable in the moment but are somehow overcome. The struggles that, when overcome, fill you with a sense of pride as you marvel at your fresh battle wounds. Those memories of early adulthood are indelible, yet hidden only to be mysteriously unlocked by listening to a Van Morrisson album like Astral Weeks.
My wife had a friend in college who was a huge Van Morrison fan, and hated that all anyone ever knew of Morrison was "Brown-Eyed Girl." Well, that would've been me. For as iconic as Morrison is in his era and genre, I'm surprised I don't know his other work. Or don't know that I know it, at least. I was going to follow this up with some kind of poorly introspective mumbo-jumbo about his songs and lyrics, but in the middle of struggling to write it I Googled Van Morrison and now I am forced to write about Janet Planet! Janet Rigsbee was Morrison's first wife, who he married to avoid deportation. At least, according to an article from ecelebrityspy.com. I'm going with ecelebrityspy, in spite of it's horrible writing, because there is no Wikipedia article about Janet. Even though Morrison re-christened her Janet Planet. Even though she went on to have a career in music after they divorced. But ecelebrityspy devotes as much time to her music career as the items in her Etsy shop. She doesn't go by Janet Planet anymore. Finally, the visual I had of Morrison in my head was him in the 60s. Turns out I also knew what he looked like later in life, but had no idea it was the same guy. Some in the public eye cultivate a look and style and then hang on to it until long after it stops working for them. At least Morrison didn't do that.
It took 4 listens to figure out my thoughts on this album… First, I love Van Morrison’s voice. I feel genuine emotion throughout. I can feel it in my gut when he lets loose. One minor complaint is that he mumbles at times. I have no idea what most of the lyrics mean on a comprehensive level. They are “conceptual.” Whatever, it doesn’t bother me. The musicians were damn good given that Van gave them no direction on what to play. They essentially jammed to figure out the music. Considering that, Van’s lyrical delivery has a bit of an improvisational feel at times that fits. The blown out brass section on The Way That Young Lovers Do is another minor complaint. 🙏🏼 1001 albums list. Thanks, never would have listened to this and I’m happy to continue listen.
Very pretty sprawling music with diverse instrumentation which van Morrison uses as a background to repeat himself and make the WAHHH sound every 3 seconds
Algjör Strandarmúsik, skítfínt
Super not into it.
As intellectual as the lyrics are, poetry is not my jam. The music blends together, seeming one big song of an album. It's not bad, it's actually probably quite good and important, just not my taste of folk rock. Highlight Track: 5
The Van Morrison songs I am more familiar with are more structured. The vocals on this album seemed to ramble with annoyingly dynamic spikes in volume.
Awesome, loves it!
I will not listen to this orange bastard
Nice album.
Makes me want to live at that time and in that place.
Not impressed
I guess I just don't get it.
Enjoyed this much more than I expected. Brown Eyed Girl might on one of my least favorite/overplayed songs, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much this sound was appealing to me. 3/5
felt like a well balanced album. liked it. nothing much more to say.
Its okay, a couple of stand out tracks, 2.5
too many flutes, only critique
pretty forgettable 2.5
Just don’t like him
I just did not like it at all
Classic folk rock
Surprisingly enjoyable
I'm a Van Morrison fan (musically, not personally), but I don't think I've ever listened to this album all the way through. I already liked Sweet Thing, but I really like the title track. The rest of the album is okay, but those two songs in particular are excellent.
Classic wandering Van album. In a lot of people's top ever albums. I like, but don't love and prefer other albums from '70s/'80s
oh good, more folk rock. and it's the brown eyed girl guy! haha. I think it's almost been 3 days since my last folk album here. 2/5.
Funny, love van the man.. But this is to jazzy.
I'm not sure if I've listened to this album before or not. I know that this album is regularly cited as some of Van Morrison's best work. All the tracks felt new to me, but they also had a familiar 'Van Morrison' sound. I could easily listen to this album again.
Gorgeous.
great album
favorite songs are beside you, madame george, & slim show rider. has jazz/blues elements, stream of consciousness style of writing.
An almost perfect folk rock album with jazz and blues influence. Each song flows into the next, forming into one continuous musical experience rather than a conceptual album. The instrumentals backing Van Morrison's stream-of-conscious vocals and varying tone paint an image with each lyric. From start to finish, the album takes you through an emotional journey and the depth of it gets greater with each subsequent listen. Favorite tracks: Astral Weeks, Beside You, Madame George, Ballerina.
Очень понравился альбом
Lejrbålsmusik møder cirkus. Dejligt legende og svævende. God stemning hele vejen igennem
Folk/blues. Ikke så hit agtigt som Brown-Eyed-girl, men stadig med charme!
umiddelbart ik fan
60’er folkrock, udmærket lyrik, halvkedeligt
I wish that - at least once - Van would sing a big long high note on the syllable AAHH.
Interesting album. Thoroughly enjoyed start-to-finish, although one or two songs could have ended a bit sooner. Minor complaint overall.
Boredom incarnate
Mix of jazz, folk, soul, rhythm and blues to create something unique and beautiful. With delightful poetry. Top marks
I can't stand his voice and the constant slurring of words. Things improve on the few songs that have something resembling a structure but that's few and far between
Largely just rambling over completely disconnected freestyle jazz background music. He has some brilliant songs in the catalogue but spared them from this muck.
Vantastic
5/5 - Excellent
This is another I've always known is an Important Album. I love Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance, but Van Morrison's reputation as a bit of an arsehole has always kept me from bothering. Excited to see what this is all about. Astral Weeks (the song) is certainly a statement of intent. Loose and rhythmic with intriguing string arrangements and good, Dylanesque lyrics. At 7 minutes it maybe starts to outstay it's welcome, but by less than I expected. More Velvet Underground indulgent than say, Yes. Cyprus Avenue sounds a bit Cat Stevens (or Cat Stevens sounds a bit Van Morrison?) which is no bad thing! Again, it would be better if it had been around the 4 minute mark, rather than 7. After two good, but overlong tracks, Beside You is shorter, but Van Morrison's nasal whine becomes very grating. The awful noise is supposed to represent passion I'm guessing. Sweet Thing is nice. The arrangement feels a bit Nick Drake, and in a softer voice I imagine it'd be beautiful. As it is it is still good. The Way Young Lovers do is a much better match for Van Morisson's vocals and a return to excellence for the album. It's jazzy lilt and occasional viewing close to anarchy making for a great song. I note with dread the next two tracks last a combined 16 1/2 minutes. Madame Joy is nice for three minutes, but could have built and resolved itself much faster than it did. The last three minutes are intensely repetitious. Slim Slow Slider is just okay. Blander than the rest of the album but a shockingly short 3 minutes long! This, in theory, is a great album. Had it had a producer that was willing to be firm on song length, it probably would have been. As it is, there are some brilliant songs that I'd love the radio edits of, but that ultimately come across as bloated and indulgent (and I say this as a prog fan). A 30 minute version of this album would get four stars, but as it stands at 47 minutes, very much a three star album.
Not my cup of coffee…
They always say to try and separate the art from the artist but as someone from Northern Ireland who has had to listen to the drivel coming out of "Van the man" in the last year and a half and having friends who have had the misfortune of trying to serve him in the various cafes and restaurants he frequents it is hard to appreciate the music when the man behind it is just such a massive ballbag.
I generally love Van's music. This one was worth the listen and felt more personal than some of his other albums but just lacked the enthusiasm and energy overall. Many of the songs were a bit rambling and seemingly aimless at times. Not bad, just... Incomplete? Felt like a warmup or practice album for what was to come on Moondance.
I'll say a 3. It's pleasant enough, though a bit dull. Nothing I plan to revisit but it's not bad.
Enjoyable psychadelic folk, but I didnt want to listen to it again. Didnt click with me i guess.
One of my favorite folk albums. Previously only known for pop hits "Brown-eyed girl" and "Moondance," I was pleasantly surprised by how perfect these tracks are. The music is often described as impressionistic, which means emotions are conveyed through characteristics of the music rather than the melody or lyrics themselves: The dissonance in "Beside You," the raunchy vocals in "Ballerina," or the dreamlike imagery of "Madame George." Often I hate long tracks, but there is so much variation in each track that it keeps you engaged, especially as the tracks become increasingly emotional as they go on. The opening title track is the best example of what this album is about. Masterful crafty lyrics with a higher spiritual sound, often using experimental instruments or techniques, and a highly emotional voice to reflect on the deep lyrical content. Looking at "Beside You," I notice the instruments purposely clash to create a pleasant experience. I'm no art analyst so I can't explain how it works, but I believe the lighter instruments create a busy atmosphere for the vocals to break through gasping for a platform to let out his troubles, hopes, or frustration. Segments like "you breath in, you breath out..." demonstrate the latter. Then we have the most popular song, "Sweet Thing." Unlike the others, this one is optimistic, full of aspirations of the future. My favorite instrumentation, and I love that heavy string arrangement sound bit that interrupts the lyrics. I also really like the trend of the instruments and vocals getting increasingly intense as the song goes on, only to often get a avant near the end. "Cyprus Avenue" also has pretty instrumentation work between the double bass, harpsichord, and flute. How often do you see these guys working as team players? It's like a classical arrangement but also jazzy and also blues-like. Next song is an out-of-place but still excellent short jazz arrangement. Sure it doesn't fit, but I think it's inclusion helps break up two deeply emotional and pretty tracks that reminds me of Sufjan Stevens. The next track, "Madame George," is another favorite of mine due to its nostalgic yet often distracted lyrical content. The next song "Ballerina" has my favorite vocals, changing emotions so much in those 7 minutes. Last track doesn't do anything special the others haven't already, but I do love the solemn, abrupt ending. Those last few seconds almost sounded like Velvet Underground, which indicates to me drug addiction, but then again I'm not sure VU was influential at that time. Anyway, love this album from start to finish, with something interesting about each of them. Mostly coherent (that heavy jazz track). This is something I'd only play to pay attention to, as a pleasant way to pass the time or take inspiration from.
2/5 nah
The "Vertigo" of Albums: Few cared about it when it was released, but many now consider it one of the greatest albums ever made. It's not on this album, but "Tupelo Honey" is possibly my all-time favorite song. At least it is on most days. There are hints of "Tupelo Honey" here. But his next album is really when he gets into Tupelo territory. Like Hitchcock's "Vertigo", I think this album has been overpraised to the point where it's a tad overrated. The real magic awaits on Van Morrison's follow up. There are three types of women in this world: Those who think "Brown Eyed Girl" is about them (this group has never heard of Astral Weeks); Those who only know Van Morrison's "hits" and are aware that "Brown Eyed Girl" was recorded and sung by Van when he was a member of the band Them (these women don't especially care for Brown Eyed Girl); and those who own Astral Weeks on vinyl. If a woman in the latter category invites you to her place, chances are she'll put this on and pour country club portions of red wine until one of you cries listening to young Van marvel at the way young lovers do. But there's a good chance you'll get laid before "Slim Slow Slider". So at least you have that going for you.
Opening song is unreal. Reminds me of Tony B Rip
No.
This moist-eyed camera hogger again. He's recently started texting me again, trying to rekindle our relationship. I'll tell you now, I am not getting back into bed with this superficial, self-obsessed jizz-whistle. His breath stinks of cabbage too.
https://youtu.be/OaqxIXs_mn4 ^sums it up
A list of vans in my order of preference: 5. Van Halen 4. Van Morrison 3. Van Gogh 2. The A Team van 1. The van in which SHACK picks up the kids.
nope
Thought I was going to love this but the guys voice man... No thanks
A man chats over boring music. Occasionally he sings and it's somehow worse. Boring shite and too long
This was terrible, was looking forward to listening to the great Van Morrison, but this was terrible...didnt make it to the end!!
My favourite Van Morrison albums and one of my favourite albums full stop. A thing of beauty. A masterpiece
An astonishing album to this day.
Never been much of a fan of Van's voice. It's a tad shrill for my tastes. But this was a decent album.
It’s pleasant enough and all signature VM sound. Just nothing really stood out for me.
Needs more listens
Bit of a slog
Started decent, but dragged a bit.
Shame he's a massive whopper
kurwa co za gówno wydaje mi się, że od słuchania tego cofa mi się muzykalność xD
Interesting blend of orchestral sounds against the backdrop of Morrison voice. Would listen to again
Favourite tracks: Beside You; The Way Young Lovers Do. Cool sounding acoustic guitar that works together very well with the other instruments to project a very smooth and slightly melancolic feel. It also sounds very warm at times, kinda reminds me of The Beach Boys in that aspect. This album works well as an experience, but I think some songs carry it and make it way more catchy and compeling. FI: 6/10
A near perfect album of melody, instrumentals, lyrics, and harmony. Van Morrison has a great ability to captivate with his music. This is his most well crafted album. 9.8/10
Some decent stuff on there
Bien
Meh. Not my favorite.
Nothing stands out as amazing but it was good relaxing background music. Had a sound and feeling of the late 60s.
Nice
Not a VM fan to begin with - trying to have an open mind. Astral works was ok. Beside You gave me a rash. none of the rest caught my attention.
Uhhh...nothing really stuck with me for this one.
not really my style
Classic rock. Favourite track The Way Young Lovers Do. Needs a relisten.
Great singer and songwriter(?). Can see this as a late night album to listen to when chilling or cruising. Not my every day style but I know it's innovative and unique.
Didn’t listen all the way through. I don’t like jazzy Van Morrison. Don’t like jazz.
It feels like the album name - astral. Love it. Hard to describe what it is as it's just different.
Nice album, quite emotional, and relaxing
Van is the man, amazing record
Just an alright album. I did not find it memorable.
It's fine.
Early, raw Morrison. Very lyric heavy, fairly slow. Good listen.
Fav tracks: beside you, madame george, slim slow slider, have i told you lately that i love you (hermosa canción, suena a amor puro) Me gustan los arreglos de guitarra, violines, saxo la reverb del saxo paneada a un lado suena genial es el tipo de música que hubiera hecho si hubiera nacido en los 70 De hecho, algunas canciones de Podría terminar pronto... tienen detalles parecidos Música para viajar en carretera por zonas desérticas, rurales, etc...
3.5
Arduous and thin in writing. And the in and out belts on tracks like “Cyprus Avenue” were beyond irritating and makes me believe there was an pathetic attempt of imitation of bluesy singers like Mavis Staples. Just some gross ass minstrelsy throughout. The production was buried to a degree too.
I'm a fan of old grumpy-boots and I know this is generally accepted amongst the cognoscenti to be his magnum opus, but frankly I don't get it. I was hooked after 3 seconds of the opening bars but after that there was a long wait to hear anything approaching coherence. The influence reaches down the decades though - just try playing David Gray's version of Say Hello Wave Goodbye then Madame George (that's only one example from that album, there are loads). At least half of this album is effectively just a two-chord backing track with The Man wailing nonsense over the top. What a beautiful noise he makes, though. At 2:30am after a couple of spliffs it can't be beaten; at 5:30pm over fish fingers and beans, it just doesn't have the same effect, but still, what a voice. There are better albums in his catalogue, though. Checkout 'Dweller on the threshold' from the opera house live in Belfast rather than this. Of course I could be wrong; I'll just play it again to be sure. Oh wow, that opening track is fantastic..
This album is a classic and it is evident why. Everything about it is gorgeous. Van's soulful vocals and heartwrenching lyrics. Rich strings and brass sections. Fantastic production. Just a completely beautiful album.
im sure there are some great guitar bits in there but nothing caught my attention and i wouldnt listen again
Super chill vibes from this album, but not my kind of music. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it! It transports you to a simpler world - "in a different place, in a different time".
ganz nett anzuhören, spannende Mischung mit Cembalo und teilweise Jazz :)
Good - enjoying it
Sounds pretty good and original, but a bit repetitive.
3/5
once again can’t fault it can’t necessarily praise it either
Astral Weeks is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history, but for all that renown, it is anything but an archetypal rock & roll album. It it isn't a rock & roll album at all. Van Morrison plays acoustic guitar and sings in his elastic, bluesy, soulful voice, accompanied by crack group of jazz studio players. Astral Weeks is a justified entry in pop music's pantheon. It is unlike any record before or since; it mixes together the very best of postwar popular music in an emotional outpouring cast in delicate, subtle musical structures.
Not really my thing
not very jolly
Whiney poor man's Bob Dylan. But okay.
Not for me.
Usually I quite like this kind of music as long as it's decent quality - and the well-known singer-songwriters usually are. But with the really grating vocals and the completely unimaginative, minimalistic, yet also squeaky instrumentation - no. Just a big and easy, definitive no. There are albums that I hated more than this one but gave a 2 (such as a Jay Z album just before this one). But those may have had at least some redeeming qualities, despite me disliking them. This one just seems bad in every way.
Sounds interesting, would like to have another listen as it is pretty densely packed songwriting
One song was good.
Supposedly, there has never been an album like Astral Weeks--certainly, I've never heard one. Compositionally, the songs are dead simple--they're just vamps, repeated endlessly over which Van Morrison vocalizes his poetry. There aren't a lot of real melodies--rather, Van Morrison improvises modally over the vamps. And these songs aren't short either--the longest is almost ten minutes and three others top the seven minute mark. So it's a minor miracle that Astral Weeks isn't a complete snooze. Why not? Well, probably the credit can be split between arranger Larry Fallon and the band. The band consists mostly of jazz musicians, which doesn't mean this is a jazz album in any way. It's pure, if ruminative pop. Rather, the musicians percolate through the vamps with subtle variations that average session musicians wouldn't have been able to manage. Bassist Richard Davis gets the honors here, with his full round bass tone and aggressive attack. And the inventive and tasteful arrangements of Larry Fallon makes these skeletal vamps seem more like full fledged songs than they have any right to. Okay, I'll give Van Morrison himself a little credit, too. His lyrics, mostly ruminations about places and people from his past--if you're in the mood to drift with the atmospheric vamps--weave an undeniable spell. And his vocalizations disguise the threadbare character of the compositions. I don't hear folk or the blues here, by the way. I'm more reminded of Sam Cooke's vocal inflections. So, how to rate something like this? Considering what Van Morrison is going for here, it's how to imagine how it could have been better done. But would I choose to listen to an album of poetry sung over vamps, however pleasant? Probably not. As usual, I'll try to err on the side of generosity.
Continues to make me cry. Main building at Vassar College, 3rd floor Nicks room heard from my 2nd floor corner. Kelly Nick and I sharing that. Special as heck.
Primeira musica Astral Weeks eu ouvi logo depois de acordar e foi maneira, mas meio parada pra ouvir no trabalho... A maioria das músicas são mega contemplativas e meio piradas, são legais nos primeiros minutos mas enche o saco no final. Não foi bom de ouvir trabalhando mas se pá num fim de tarde é maneiro Não é um Cazuza mas foi gostoso de ouvir, tranquilo
I liked his high vocal range. Didn't pay much attention to the lyrics. Some songs seemed pretty similar to me.
Sweet Thing is pretty sweet
I really loved this whole album. It's such an interesting mix of folk, blues, jazz, and other styles. I think Brown Eyed Girl is probably my only real exposure to Van Morrison, but this album really got me.
Zacht en mooi.
Zeer rustgevend album, met een pure sound
It's not as good as Moondance or Blowin' your mind but it's still damn good
Some nice most ok. Long duration
Love this. Van Morrison is the best