Moondance

I lost my virginity to Van Morrison. To be clear, I don't mean whilst listening to Van Morrison, I mean he stuck his knob in my bum. 'Twas the summer of '71, me a shy farm hand on the verge of becoming a man, him an established musician using his power and influence to take advantage of a pre-pubescent stable boy. The memory still lingers like a dark, unwavering trauma. He needs to be stopped.

Five seconds into "And it stoned me" and I'm like, OK I get it, the rest is going to be like this then. Just one 38 minute long folky-rock track, I'm probably just going to let this wash over. Then Moondance comes on and *jazz hands*. Alright 'Van', let's see what's going on, my ears are open. Unfortunately it didn't pique my interest much after that. Very enjoyable, easy listening but I've got to say, none of these tracks are going to make my most listened 2021. Nevertheless, I respect your talent Mr Van and, perhaps most importantly, you are not Iron Maiden.

Sawdust core

Love it. When ever I think of a "perfect record" this is one that always comes to mind. The use of saxaphone really thickens up the sound. And the mix in general is just stellar. Fantastic song writing. What else could you want out of this album? Nothing. Perfection.

A passable album does not a cunt redeem.

Love this album. Gems all the way through (except maybe Everyone). Poetic stories in a signature tone - although the falsetto on Crazy Love is also nice. Every instrument and background vocal serves a purpose, and they always seem to weave in and out of the songs in a way that's just right but also often feels subtle and effortless. To me, there's really nothing else to ask for here!

In my reviews of albums and bands I often talk about energy. Well, what about the bands with more mellow vibes? Van Morrison's 3rd album is a perfect example of a mellow album that still has plenty of energy and life within its chill collection of soul/jazz/r&b/folk rock. It's all so incredibly catchy, the instrumentation works great together and the vibes are on point. And again, it's mellow but there is no doubt that the album has a lot of life to it. That is the energy I usually am pontificating about.

Van morrison sounds so much like the era in part because he helped define the music of the late 60s early 70s. More than 50 years later, I found it to be mostly ignorable, if still pleasant, background music. It's not bad at all. It's just not awesome. Kinda boring. Minus one star for committing the sin of using flutes in rock music.

One of the best storyteller songwriters ever. Pretty much every song on this album is great.

Well written and executed. Cohesive as a concept. It also had a considerable calming effect on my wife, earning it the coveted fifth star. Congrats Van.

Nah, not having this. Music for nonces.

The horn accompaniment (and every other accompanying instrument) couldn't be a more perfect addition to his beautiful guitar playing and story telling. A perfect album to watch the world go by out the train window, especially after a big (one of the biggest) day at work. His voice is simultaneously velvet and gravel all the way through. Crazy that he's Northern Irish, would never have picked it. Aside from the two perfect tracks mentioned below, Caravan would have to be my highlight, amazing how well it controls the timing and pace of the entire record. Moondance is a 10/10 track but it invariably gives off Buble vibes (through no fault of the van man). Still a very rare perfect song. The Flute accompaniment on it is totally underrated, not to mention the piano solo. Crazy Love is even better though, what an incredibly moving and in no way tacky (ver rare) love song, the range he demonstrates on it is straight up tear inducing. Lots of my five out of fives aren't perfect, but this one most definitely is.

What a bloody lovely album.

Absolutely love the album despite the artist having turned into a full-blown anti-covid whacko.

I've never really cared for Van Morrison aside from thinking his songs are "nice". I still feel that way. Songs are nice, album cohesion is nice, not much to complain about. Nothing particularly exciting either. Just nice.

Moondance I’ve never been a massive fan of the title track, I do appreciate it, but I’m not as keen as I am on the rest of the album, which includes a couple of my favourite VM tunes - Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic, Everyone and Glad Tidings. It’s easy to see it as suffering in comparison to Astral Weeks, but even though it is the follow up it’s a very different proposition, and of course a fantastic album in its own right. Whereas AW is more impressionistic, ethereal and abstract, MD is more concrete and conventional, although you can still hear the threads of AW in some of the jazziness and the horns and in the philosophical delicateness of tracks like Into the Mystic. And it Stoned Me is kind of emblematic of the departure from AW; a little bit of jazz but mainly a kind of soulful r’n’b folk rock with more traditional structures. Love the rolling piano. Like I say I’m not a huge fan of Moondance, although I can see why its popularity has endured, but Crazy Love is an absolutely superb song, again kind of wonder how such a knobhead could write so tenderly. Caravan is great, The Last Waltz version is possibly even better than this, but it pairs brilliantly with Into the Mystic. I’ve already mentioned it twice, I know, but it’s absolutely superb - mesmeric and strange, but with palpable warmth and sense of magic. I never tire of hearing it. Come Running works really well with These Dreams of You, great bits of soulful folk pop. Come Running in particular is very catchy. Lovely bit of slightly bluesy business on Brand New Day and some super backing vocals. Everyone, another super track has that lovely harpsichord and a great upbeat melody. Great use in the Royal Tenenbaums. And I love Glad Tidings, the bass really drives it forward and the horn arrangement and answering motif to the ‘la la la la’ is great. Also used really well in The Sopranos, particularly the ‘bring you glad tidings from New York City line’. Because I love Astral Weeks I sometimes forget what a fantastic album this is, it’s been great listening to it today. Can’t be anything but a 5. 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙 Playlist submission: Into the Mystic

LOVE!! Such a classic and totally deserves to be on any best-of list. Great songwriting, super creative and beautiful incorporation of jazz without being cheesy. And there’s that voice. Every song is a masterpiece.

Probably one of my favorite albums. Van Morrison makes some of the most soothing and relaxing songs that feel personal. The lyrics are great. The jazzy instruments are wonderful. It’s a tough call between this and astral weeks but both are top notch. 9.3/10

A surprisingly short album but an absolute corker. Also, Moondance was the first dance at my wedding. A fact I never forget.

Veedon Fleece is my go to Van Morrison record, but Moondance is pretty great, too. But let’s be honest here, no Van Morrison record will ever capture the magic of his performance of Caravan, clad in a maroon sequined getup, from The Band’s Last Waltz. If you’ve never seen it, stop reading this now and go watch it, I’m sure it’s on YouTube. It borders on unhinged and is one of the greatest rock performances ever captured on film. Coked-out-grandma-pantsuit Van Morrison is the best Van Morrison. SWITCH ON YOUR ELECTRIC LIGHT.

I haven’t listened to this for quite a few years and remembered enjoying it but not this much. Every song is just absolutely fantastic. It combines every I love about Morrison’s music, with the ethereal headiness of Astral Weeks on songs like And It Stoned Me and Into the Mystic as well as the stellar hooks on Everyone, Brand New Day and the title track

Found some Awesome classic I never knew was written by Van. Great listening around the house for the whole family

My favorite listen so far. Maybe it was just familiarity but I really enjoyed every song on the album. Interesting voice, lots of horns and wind instruments thrown in there, it was a good time

Couple better than I was expecting but too much lounge sax for my taste.

started off all happy and nice and then got boring pretty quickly. bring back Lamb chops.

1000/10

Maybe the best A side on any album ever.

I bought his way back after loving Astral Weeks, and particularly Ballerina from that album. It's very different and way more accessible but still a beautiful album and seemingly so full of love. One of my regrets was seeing Van Morrison at Glastonbury and not really engaging with it, an unappreciative 16 year old who didn't know anything except Brown Eyed Girl!

So many great tracks. Van the man!

Just joyous perfection. Kind of a contrast with his personality.

One of the best albums ever. :)

Anyone who rates this lower than 5 stars should be removed from the list.

Quite good. More of a daytime album despite the title track. While I feel this hindered my appreciation it still had an interesting mix, impressive arrangements, and decent variety of sound. I found the album inspiring with the use of swing time, waltz rhythms, horn section, and creative transitions.

It's crazy to think this album was released in 1970. It's so clear and well-produced compared to anything he's done before. Sounds fantastic. In this album, Morrison finds his calling, sticking to his jazzy folk rock, only much more accessible to young adult audiences, taking inspiration from soul through his passionate singing. It's bright and melodic, with every track to sing along to. Van Morrison is one of the greatest songwriters of his era. We saw that in his masterpiece Astral Weeks, but we continue to see it here. All of these songs are incredibly well-written and complement well with Morrison's vocals and the lead sax. Weaknesses? Well, the instruments and vocals overshadow Morrison's singing. He's a great singer; there's no reason to subdue him just to make it pretty. Maybe Astral Weeks ruined it for me. Doesn't make any tracks bad, just slightly disappointing. But that doesn't change the fact that it's Van Morrison, and it's easy listening you could hit play, sit back, and relax.

balls

Flawless genesis of a one-man genre, this could play all day and I doubt I’d tire. Brings back strong memories of a Van nut friend at university and a lovely insider story I’ve heard involving a grumpy Morrison, an idiotic Donald Trump, a blameless lighting technician, and a tiny dressing room toilet.

Another long term favorite I'm going to reduce to a few ramblings. Too late to stop now! - I will always stop what I am doing and listen, entranced, to "Into The Mystic". Just delightful. The story of Arturo and Catarina immortalized therein also provided inspiration for the fun Goldie Hawn '80s comedy "Overboard"; I'm sure Van would approve - Likewise, "Everyone" serves as a joyous end to "The Royal Tennenbaums", perfect - 'Joyous' is an apt description of this masterpiece; every song captures Van having a good time and sharing it freely. Unique in his catalog, perhaps? - Each of the last three songs could work as the album's closer; it almost feels like a series of encores. "Glad Tidings" is the right choice, its cheeky nod to "Brown Eyed Girl" inviting you to press play again

Just based on Moondance and Into the Mystic, this is a 5* album. Some other quality songs, too. Glad Tidings is just happy, fun music, which I think I appreciate more as I get older.

If you don't like this album, you don't like Van Morrison. Which is fine, he's not for everybody. But this is his most consistent, best-sung, best-arranged, most accessible album, with four classic songs -- And It Stoned Me, Into the Mystic, Caravan, and of course Moondance. Moondance, the song, is overplayed and parodied, but the magic of it is that any ELSE that tries to play it sound like a parody. Sometimes Van's melodic sense gets repetitive, starting lines on high notes and winding down to the tonic far too often, but at least on this album he makes it work. "Astral Weeks", the album that came before this one, is quite a bit more spacey and folky and less soul-inflected... but if you like "Moondance" and want more, you can't go wrong with the 3 albums that came after. "His Band and the Street Choir" and "Tupelo Honey" especially, and "St. Dominic's Preview" as well (however, the two 10+ minute tracks on St. Dominic's, especially "Listen to the Lion", are not for me). Heartfelt, passionate pop-rock without equal in 1970.

Shame Van Morrison is a tool IRL, because this is one of the best albums ever.

Goede productie en gevarieerde instrumentatie. Ik ben niet de grootste fan van zijn stem/stijl van muziek maar moon dance was echt erg goed. Vooral de latere nummers vallen tegen in verhouding tot de eerste 3-4 in het album

Moondance de Van Morrison * Música favorita - Caravan * Menos favorita - Glad Tidings * Escutaria de Novo? - Sim Caro leitor das minhas avaliações... O primeiro albúm do meu desafio me era desconhecido no começo, mas me agradou ao saber que algumas das músicas já me eram familiar aos ouvidos. Morrison tem uma voz suave e cativante. O álbum MOONDANCE me trás notas de nostalgia e infância, apesar de ter sido lançado muito antes de eu nascer. Acredito ser um álbum "biográfico", pois cada música me remete a um cenário, a um lugar, como se fossem todas, capítulos de um mesmo livro, um livro das lembranças de Morrison, cada música é uma imersão diferente. Iguais e diferentes ao mesmo tempo. Minha "crítica" ao álbum, é que todas as músicas, apesar de terem letras diferentes, me trazem a mesma melodia melancólica, por algumas vezes pensei ter escutado a mesma música, que PARTICULARMENTE, não me agrada em cantores clássicos. Porém, creio que seja algo que dê identidade ao álbum, que seja sua principal característica e o torne diferente dos demais da época. 8,5/10

This falls on my ears like a warm soft blanket made of golden sundrops. Van Morrison himself has fallen off the deep end in terms of sanity, but his music (in particular this album) is timeless. "Crazy Love" in particular is a fav.

How can a man so bitter and jaded make music that brings me so much joy?

A great vibe that really encapsulates the 70s country indie merge. Although some songs all kinda sound similar they blend really well for a full listening experience.

En af de bedste stemmer nogensinde, lækker plade. Håber dælme ikke at en af Van Morrisons sidste plader var 2½ timer lang mest med sange om at corona er en hoax med titler som "Why Are You on Facebook?" og "Where have all the rebels gone?", det ville godt nok være deprimerende

It was a nice enough listen while I did other stuff. It has a nice balance of upbeat and easy songs so it doesn't get tiring at any moment. Felt like it would make for a very cool road soundtrack.

I was surprised to read in Wiki that his debut album, Astral Weeks was a commercial flop because it's my fav Van Morrison album. Van went back to the drawing board and wrote more commercial sounding songs for this album and completely knocks it out of the park with the first 5 songs. It flags a bit with Come Running and These Dreams, but he closes it out nicely with Everyone and Glad tidings. I don't think this is as strong as the seminal Astral Weeks but this is still a very strong effort.

OK, so you made me listen to it. I don't particularly hate it but am I a fan? No. Nice coffee store background happy music. I think the only Songs from him I truly know is "Brown Eyed Girl" and Wild Night". But remarkably so, all the sings on this one sound similar. I guess he has a style. - Whatever

glittershite

I just really don't like this sound, and I hate Morrison's voice. A trial to listen to.

I bought this on CD many years ago at a now defunct Borders Bookstore. The kid behind the counter said something to the effect of, “That’s a great album.” I accidentally answered with the very jerk-sounding, “Yes, I know,” which I regret because I didn’t mean to sound rude, just agree with him. Because he was right, it is a great album. And I knew that, because it is a great album. I don’t think there’s a weak link in this chain, either. My personal favorite for reasons I don’t understand is Caravan. But I would listen to this album just about any day of the week.

Never have I heard an album that reminded me of my childhood more than this one, this is dad music if ever I heard it. Absolutely love it 5/5

This was the perfect album to go for a summer walk and listen to. It’s relaxing but not boring. It doesn’t force emotion on you but instead gives you the ability to feel however you need to feel. It’s not overwhelmingly happy but you don’t feel sad either. It’s the perfect “easy listening” music. I loved it so much more than I thought it would. I think I just like late 60s, early 70s folk blues rock fusion. And this is exactly that. I can hear a Celtic influence too which is nostalgic for me. I wanted to keep listening after it was over. The songs flow nicely into one another without blending together. A real surprise for me. I’d 100% listen to this again and enjoy it. Am I….. a Van Morrison fan now????

This is Americana. Every song is beautiful. A combo of folksy, rock, jazz. Everything you want.

Beautiful, especially after the last one

This album makes me happy. Everything about it. Nothing more needs to be said.

5 stars aren't enough. S-tier album.

Even the ones you don't recognize by name are legendary.

Great album for travelling, kind of a snoozer sometimes but it's a good album. 8.5/10

One of the best albums ever!

Album is full of bangers that I haven’t heard in time, good reawakening

‘Into the Mystic’ gets regular plays for me, but this whole album was pretty great. Lotta new stuff for me, nice to hear the original ‘Moondance’… 4.5/5

***** Perfect, I love it totally

Really love this album. Nostalgia definitely plays a part in my enjoyment of it - reminds me of car journeys with my family - but I also just think the songs are gorgeous. My main complaint is that I think the end of the album isn’t as strong as the beginning, but the beginning is so strong that this is sort of understandable. Shame he’s such a dick. Fav song: Moondance - Into the Mystic, Crazy Love and And It Stoned Me - this feels very much like the sort of album where my favourite so my would change depending on the day Least fav: Everyone

Absolute bloody banger after banger. Vividly remember my mum playing this album all the time in the car growing up. Only reason it doesn’t get 5.0 is that I didn’t care as much for the last two songs. Apart from that it’s near perfect Specific rating - 4.8 Fav song- moondance Least fav- everyone

Never fully sat and listened to a full Van Morrison album before but I've heard some of the songs on this album from my mums playlist- most nostalgically Into The Mystic. Just lovely, calming music, don't think I can fault it. Favourite: Into The Mystic Least: Everyone

The only way they could kill the message of Jesus Christ was to form a church around his teachings and suck all the life out of them over 2000 years. The only way they could ruin the beauty of this album was to play these songs on classic rock radio and in the background at Banana Republic for 55 years. But in both cases, people who can listen without prejudice and who aren’t cringy edgelords can still appreciate them for the magical things they are. The best albums are all of one piece but the individual songs still stand out from one another. This album does that perfectly. The whole album is a singular work of art, but repeated listens reveal the individuality of each song. I love the jazzy loose feel of Astral Weeks, but Morrison’s decision to make his next record a pop/soul album was inspired, even if it was done for commercial reasons. He made an album that was just as good as Astral Weeks but operated in an entirely different idiom. Both albums are brilliant.

My first 5 star of the project! Van Morrison just does it for me. Even though every song on the album kind of sounds the same I love it. And it stoned me will never not get stuck in my head after a listen. And Moondance makes me want to have a dance party in my living room.

A beautiful album by an incredible artist. Van Morrison is one of the greats of this era and this album solidifies it.

Saved

Van Morrison rocks. This album caught me at the perfect time. Had me in a great mood on my commute and morning coffee. Makes me want to cook breakfast on a Sunday morning and dance with someone in the kitchen. Highly recommend.

“And It Stoned Me” and “Everyone” are some of my all time favorites, rest of the album is great as well.

The first of his string of 5 star albums — Tupelo Honey (not streaming on any of the services) and His Band and Street Choir. Unfortunately, neither of those is in our 1,001 albums. Side one is all bangers, side two still very decent. Van is kind of a tool these days, but this is still a solid 5.

bangers

really great stuff, usually singer songwriter albums can have the issue of having some average instrumentation, but that is not the case here. big fan of this album bc of that.

Van Morrison absolutely crushes this album. Definitely a no skip album, but nearly an all hits album. Songs are melodic, fun, enchanting, catchy, and varied.

Top 30 album for me.

This album doesn’t try to dazzle you with tricks or volume. It moves with quiet certainty, unfolding piece by piece until you're completely surrounded. From the first track, it settles into a groove that feels both effortless and exact. The playing is tight but never rigid, the pacing deliberate, and Van’s voice never pushes harder than it needs to. “Moondance” swings with an ease that masks how precise it really is. The walking bassline underneath does more than just support. It drives, anchors, and dances all at once. “Into the Mystic” feels like breathing, expansive and grounded, while “Caravan” brings heat without chaos. “Crazy Love” strips everything down and still feels full. I was always aware of this album growing up, but it wasn’t until the 90s that I started to really hear it. As a teenager, the structure and restraint became clearer. The warmth, the pacing, the control all clicked into place. Some albums fade over time. This one just keeps getting better.

Phenomenal album. His Brown Eyed Girl gets the most air time but this album has banger after banger that are way better songs. Into The Mystic is phenomenal. The album starts out with And It Stoned Me and just keeps getting better, which is hard to do because that song is amazing. 10/10. I need to listen to ole Van a little more.

Incredible stuff! Love me some Van. Caravan is all time

Such an incredible/warm voice. I'll be listening to this again for sure

What a piece of work! I think this album could always be on repeat. I don’t know what this album does but it makes me reminisce on my memories but also makes me feel like I’m going through someone’s cherished memories.

First listen to Van Morrison and thought that was great. The second half has a hard time keeping up with the insane bar set by the first half but I still enjoyed the second half Rating: 4.8

Every song is brilliant

Moondance by Van Morrison is like the freezer pizza you forgot you had—and then it turns out to be the best meal of your week. You throw it on while the oven preheats and suddenly you're slow-dancing with your cat in the kitchen, whispering “It’s a marvelous night…” to nobody in particular.

My dad used to play this album on our annual family road trip to Florida during the first week of February as we retreated from the cold to escape somewhere warmer. No matter how often I return to listen to it on my own I find it to be straight forward and comforting. However, I will refuse to acknowledge that my preference for it is completely skewed by nostalgic bliss, but instead as I listen to it now as the summer heat relentlessly blasts 100°F temperatures I will unabashedly rave about this album and the sounds of Van Morrison as being about the joys of life during summer.

Maybe childhood nostalgia plays a part but this may be in my top 10 of all time. Outstanding.

A perfect album from a complete whackjob. I love “Astral Weeks,” too — I’m not going to argue with you about which is better. They arrive at the same kind of excellence via different routes.

excellent

Enjoyed! Not what I thought Van Morrison sounded like, kind of folksy

Van the Man! A classic.

I wondered where these great old albums were hiding, and when I'd stop getting dealt Brian Eno elevator noises. I was raised on this one, and personally I'd rate this album as one of the five best of all time. Thank you!

Quality

Such a nice and easy listen!!! Felt the deepest urge to drive with the windows down in Vermont with some freshly made bread

Top tier album, some all time classics on the list and to me no fillers. Great production, great artist.

Moondance is Van Morrison's third album, and the most successful album of his career. The album has gathered extremely high praise over time, as perhaps the greatest "non-American" soul album, and among the best albums every released. The title track and several others on this album have become fixtures of popular music, like "It Stoned Me," "Crazy Love," "Caravan," and "Into the Mystic." The album has been an enduring success, because every track is a beautiful, well-written, folk song.

As one half of iconic British abstract folk jazz come folk come folk pop act Houmous & Chutney we know a thing or two about abstract folk come folk come folk pop careers. 4.7

First time I fw a country artist this album is. Good 8.5/10 album was filled with songs that are relatable.

Oh baby. Love you Van. This album came after The Smiths. Van makes them feel like teenage drama queens. This album lifted burdens. Gave me life.