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.

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.

Sawdust core

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!

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.

A passable album does not a cunt redeem.

Nah, not having this. Music for nonces.

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

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.

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.

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

What a bloody lovely album.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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'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.

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.

balls

Somewhere between R&B, rock, and jazz - wonderful to listen to all the way through. I reach for this album every fall, so many great songs

Classic! Every song is a gem. Lots of good memories chilling with friends listening to this record in college

Incredible

Just an absolute classic from van the man

This is THE quintessential Van Morrison album. Top to bottom the album is fire. And it Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love are jams. Into the Mystic is perfect!

Van Morrison is a very unique voice and personality that comes through in his music. Passionate and unique, I love his live performances because you feel this even more than on his studio recordings(listen to Caravan from The Last Waltz live album). The first five songs on this album are five of the greatest classic rock era songs written, the subject matter, the performances, and the soul involved are really unmatched. The second half continues with beautifully written songs performed perfectly with tons of emotion, they just didn't get the radio attention the first half got, but deserved to. You really should hear these songs before you die, or else Ill kill you.

Phenomenal album. Top 5 all time.

One of my favorite albums of the 70s (definitely one of my personal favorites too). This was my first introduction into Van Morrison, and I believe it his best work. I think I got this album in 10th Grade, and admittedly, I wasn't ready for it. I didn't hate it or even dislike it, but I would skip through songs. However, the things that distracted me early on has become the things I love the most about this record. The blues and jazz influence are really what makes this record magical. Specifically, the horns. He uses them so cleverly and they kind of sneak up on you. You get a few in "And It Stoned Me," and you kind of think its just an accent piece, but no... He goes hard with brass. It defines the entire album. Which is what makes its so good. The brass isn't simply just an "accent" or an added effect, he uses them throughout. He changes the mood and emotion behind each song with the brass section, he even compliments lyrics with horns. (Into the Mystic.) It really is such a brilliant composition of music. It feels like the rest of the rock, blues, and folk world were doing one thing and then Van Morrison comes out of Belfast with this wild album that doesn't really sound like any of it but it fits perfectly within that world. Its no wonder, that Jerry Garcia would frequently cover Van Morrison. *It Stoned Me -this was the song that converted me. Its impossible to hate this song. Not only does this song kind of take you somewhere else, but I love how its kind of about fishing. As a teenager, this song made me feel cool about fishing with my dad. *Moondance -this was the song that turned me off! And then turned me back on. He just makes a full on jazz song right after a country song? Ballsy. This song started to come around for me after Robin Williams plays in his harmonica in that weird ass August Rush movie. *Crazy Love -such a good love song. Impossible to hate. This song is a mood that you can just love in. *Caravan -holy shit. This song. This song is a journey that makes you want to literally just join the caravan and go wherever this takes you. *Into the Mystic - this has got to me in the to 10 best songs of the 70s. I love this song. I'll never skip this one. I love how the horns sound like a fog horn when he sings that lyric. *Come Running -this one is fun. Its definitely the most "rock and roll" of the album. A necessary inclusion to keep this record round. *These Dreams of You -the freakin clarinet solo?? Get outta here. So rad. *Brand New Day -the best blues song on the album. The back up singers, the way he throw his voice. Brilliant. *Everyone -having lived in Northern Ireland, this one always makes me feel things. Peace for everyone. *Glad Tidings -perfect ending. Its so fun and upbeat. Ends on a banger.

Perfect from cover to cover. Great selection for Thanksgiving

5- Stars (13/15)

Music hey? Weird isn’t? Logic says I wouldn’t like Van Morrison. It’s all too close to so much I don’t usually enjoy (Jazz, Croon, Swing). But I love so much of his work. When it works for you it works for you, no need to overthink it. This whole album is great, but ‘Into the Mystic’, ‘Brand New Day’ and ‘Glad Tidings’ are different level of beautiful. The album artwork though would get zero stars! (I’ve seen him live. Exceptional voice, catalogue of songs and musicians with him. But my God he’s a miserable bugger. Never said a thing between songs, never thanked his band, didn’t acknowledge the crowd for coming. Nothing. Just went on, sung his heart out and fucked off 🤣)

Listened to it twice, back to back. The horns, the rhythm and the lyrics! One of my all time favorite songs is “Into the Mystic”. The idea that the foghorn is a warning of danger, but to the guy in the song it means that he is getting closer to home where his lover is. Just brilliant!

First Van Morrison album I ever heard and probably still my favourite although the more I listen to Astral Weeks I think it may take over the number one spot! Not a bad track on here and the great ones are truly great. He may be a miserable old duffer who hates the world and everyone in it but boy can he write (and sing) a tune.

a wide hodgepodge of different songs on this one, everything from easy listening acoustic songs to peppy pop tunes. there's a lot of songs that are made for you to sing along to. i don't know, something about happy soft rock from this decade is just a treat all the way through. i always seem to fall in love with the songwriting... it's a good listen and it'll put a smile on your face when you're down. my favorite track also features in the sopranos.

He's been making some of the world's best music for nearly 60 years. Not great in concert, and terrible in interviews, but he's Van Morrison. He gets to do what he wants.

There are those few albums that are masterworks, full of solid songs start to finish, albums that only seem to get better as they move along with us through time. This isn’t a trick, where I now say “…but this isn’t one of those albums”, because this IS one of those albums, at least for me.

How can this be any less than a 5? And it stoned me takes me right back to being a teenager myself and is one of my all time favourites. Almost a perfect album start to finish that I have revisited at every stage in my life.

Love it.

5a. Alla låtar är bra, rösten är bra, musiken är bra, arrangemanget. Allt är bra.

5/5 - Listened to this so many times and it's timeless

I've always known Van Morrison's music growing up, they play them all the time on the radio; I've never known of a time when I "first" listened to Brown Eyed Girl, it was always there, so I gave his music for granted, and boy was I in for a susprise. Turns out he is an excellent, talented, and prolific musician. He writes his songs and makes his albums thematically and tonally cohesive. He might be a bellend as the legend goes, but he takes his music seriously. This would be a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion, but I'm giving it 5 stars because I discovered this living legend is still making music in 2024, and yes, he's gotten into taking a stand against the establishment, and I absolutely respect that.

A five of five!

Yes

Great album - van’s the man! Caravan is a lot tamer in studio, but there’s still a fantastic six song stretch from the And It Stoned Me to Into the Mystic.

Damn near perfect

Simply a masterpiece. Sometimes great music leaves not much room for commentary. Van Morrison has made several albums like this.

Favorite Track: Caravan

Bright, easy music. I’m not a big fan of jazzy, bluesy music, but I think he handles himself well lyrically and vocally. There are moments where the horns have an schmaltzy, almost variety show sort of quality. But it's also an interesting blend of old and modern music.

One of those albums that you just can't put down. Side A is all killer. Side B is great. Such a warm sounding album.

4.5

Easy (10) ★★★★★

Don't care too much for the title track, but the rest is excellent. 5 stars

Terrific album with numerous highlights. Into the Mystic is awesome.5 stars

Another classic 70’s chill album. Released in ‘70, this album helped set the tone and style for the decade. I remember so many from this on frequent radio rotation throughout my childhood. A strong *4 plus rounding up for influence and impact. 4.5/5

Awesome album!! Listened to it twice and a few songs 3 times!

I had heard this album in full beforr, but not in a long long time. It was great to get to experience it again with fresh ears. Van Morrisson is a master of his craft. His songwriting speakd to a part of the human experience that everyone has a connection with. His songs are light yet compelling, and his voice punctuates at the right time. Overall- I really enjoyed it and will definitely put it on again. Id say 4.5/5 but I think it clinches the 5 spot- I can see this album having a big influence on a lot of people

No bad songs 5/5

Take the greatest white, soiul voice that has ever exist. Write catchy yet timeless tunes. Stir. Bake. The result is Moondance.

Loved this. It was comfortable like an old woollen sweater.

Yeah, it’s pretty good. I also recommend Coca-Cola and Steven Spielberg movies.

Terrific classic record, many easy to listen to tracks that I can enjoy time-after-time.

5 stars, a masterpiece. And Van Morrison is a treasure.

These dreams of you stoned me into the mystic on a brand new day, so I had to do a crazy love moondance.

My mate’s dad used to play with Van Morrison years ago. Van was such an insufferable arse that none of the band could stand him. To get their own back, the band would get Van’s harmonica and, each night, would drag it up their arse crack. Van would blow his lungs out on that shitty harmonica every gig they played that tour. The man is that much of a dickhead. Anyway, the dickhead made a 5⭐️ album here

- Favorites while listening to the album: And it Stoned Me (acoustic solo is really tasty as well as the piano solo is great), Moondance, Crazy Love (Absolute Favorite), Caravan, oh fuck it I love every song - like it a lot more than The Doors self-titled album - I like his vocals a lot, its nothing too special but definitely a high recognition value :) - this album surely has me in a grip; the mixture of blues, rock, jazzy elements and soul, compliments each other really well - its remarkable how well he can adjust his voice to each genre -Van’s singing is pure expression, pure sound; the band moves off and then forward again - A graceful soprano saxophone holds notes behind Morrison’s words, absolutely wonderful - “Into the Mystic” I’d say is the heart of Moondance; the music unfolds with a classic sense of timing, guitar strums fading into notes on a piano, the bass counting off the pace - the lines of the song are gorgeous - that’s what listening to this album feels like: a lush, sunny Sunday morning in my old berlin flat, just putting my morning vinyl on (still in my Pyjamas) and drinking a hot cup of green tea with a bit of honey, enjoying the sun and smoking a cigarette on my balcony; after that I’ll choose my fit of the day -> can’t decide but the leather jacket, that I got off the fleamarket, which smells like an old closet and basement, will definitely be a part of it :DD - I think Morrison itself is such an interesting person, his journey of finding his sound, his admiration and love for music is something you can really feel in his songs - 100% sure that I am going to come back to this album, and I am certain that this belongs in my vinyl collection, absolutely astonishing album with otherworldly compositions and vocals - it is such a feel good album and for me kind of time machine into what the 60s might have felt like OVERALL: 5/5

Shear brilliance

I love Tracey Chapman more than I do Van Morrison. Jim Morrison however is highley likely.

Such a lovely album!

I loved listening to this. It's a lively fusion, of rock, blues, soul, and singer-songwriter, with Van Morrison himself being the star performer. Morrison's voice is punchy, powerful, and surprisingly unique (given the enormous number of vocalists in the soul scene by the 1970s). He varies his tone from tender to wild to mournful, and everything between, throughout the album's tracks. The drumming is usually light, swung, and very committed to a jazz sound (this is good). The acoustic guitar is lovely, drifting in and out of the mix as appropriate; similar comment about backing vocals, brass, and other "guest" instruments like the flute in the title track. Every song on side 1 is utterly fantastic. And sure, the latter half of the album is a little more forgettable, but it maintains the sound/stylistic quality of the first half and keeps me wanting more. 5/5 Key tracks: And It Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into The Mystic

Just re-purchased this album recently. It sounds amazing and every song is great.

own

While Van Morrison the person is debatable, his music is not. This is peak Van and the first 5 songs of this album might be the best side 1 of any LP, ever. Side 2 isn't quite there but it's hard to compare to side 1. Don't make me choose my favorite track because it is impossible. I love them all. His voice and smooth music is so amazing and soothing. I need to listen to this one more often.

Perfection

Still great.

Van the Man! Legend!

A true piece of mastery. 5

LP

Yeah, I have always really enjoyed this album, but it's been too long since I listened to it start-to-end. Thanks 1001!

Like an old comfy sweater

I really dig this singer-songwriter album that just so happens to have a full band. Of course, most people know of Van Morrison from Brown Eyed Girl so hearing what else he made besides that track makes me appreciate that song more in retrospect. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a highly recommended 4.5 that I'll bump up to a 5, again. Much like the Pretenders album felt kind of like the first real album of the 1980s in terms of setting the tone from a production, instrumental, and lyrical standpoint, I think this album might’ve really set the tone as the first real album of the 1970s. Yes, you could call me a complete moron and point to Abbey Road as such, far ahead of schedule, and I would call that valid. However, I really think this touches deeper into the sort of folksy Americana that defined the direction the U.S. took as a way to reclaim its own sound from Beatlemania, and in that way, it feels like the first album of the 70s from an entirely American perspective. I fucking loved this. The only reason it’s not at a flat 5 to begin with is because I do think some tracks don’t tonally mix super well as a cohesive album from front to back (very specifically targeting “Everyone” here, but Come Running kinda suffers from this as well), and sometimes his vocals are too incomprehensible because he’s throwing too much emotion into them… but those are realistically nitpicks in the long run. They might bite at me more on subsequent listens, but I shouldn’t care that much. I think just about every track here is a fantastic showcase of this jazz/swing/rock hybrid that gets nailed to perfection in terms of the soundscapes – there’s some really stunning stuff, and the 2013 remasters do them incredible justice in terms of balancing and mixing. Before listening to this, the only Van Morrison song I was aware of was Brown Eyed Girl, and I’m so very glad this isn’t just 39 more minutes of songs that sound suspiciously like that. This is a really, REALLY good album, and it’s very deserving to be on the list. I’m surprised that I’ve never interacted with any of these songs before now, but they’re deeply down my alley. Just a great album, and a very easy one to bump up to a 5.

Really excellent album as a whole with a number of excellent individual songs. An all time favourite for sure.

I’d never heard this album, I knew some songs. What an awesome album. In fact, I turned around and listened to it again. Love this album and I think I’m going to enjoy listening to his other albums. There is a reason artists cover his material.

Nostalgic and soooo good