Moondance

The more I hear his stuff, the more I like it. This is proper good — warm, soulful, jazzy and a great listen. Am I softening up to folkier stuff? Or is Van Morrison just getting good at sneaking it past me?

This must be the third or fourth Van Morrison album to appear on this list, and it’s the best one I’ve heard so far. It pairs perfectly with a cold morning and a mug of coffee. 4 stars.

This is a pretty nice album. It feels ideal for putting on late at night, with that laid-back blend of soft rock, jazz, and soul running through the whole thing. There’s plenty of saxophone, warm instrumentation, and an easygoing atmosphere that makes it really pleasant to just settle into. None of the tracks completely blew me away, but what impressed me was how consistently the album kept me engaged. Every time I started thinking I might check out, some new melody, hook, or little stylistic change would pull me right back in. It never really overstays its welcome either. At around 38 minutes, it’s a great length for this kind of mellow album. And yeah, Van Morrison is definitely much more than just Brown Eyed Girl. Moondance really feels like the album where that signature Van Morrison sound comes fully into focus. It may not have completely knocked me out, but it’s smooth, inviting, and very easy to spend some time with. 3.6/5

Maybe I’m giving too low today but this is overall a great album. 4.5

Very listenable. Clearly a great songwriter, and a passable vocalist in his own way.

4.5!

What a vibe. Zoe says it is jzzy

Boomers love Van's folk jazz jams. As evidenced by listening to this as a very young child with my parents. I guess it stuck.

Great Songs: And It Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love, Into The Mystic, Brand New Day Good Songs: Caravan, Come Running, Everyone, Glad Tidings Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

great folk rock. there are glaring duds, though (looking at you glad tidings)

Very enjoyable, easy listening with a really strong A-Side (3.75/5.0)

Another banger

Enjoyed this more than I thought.

Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album Completely unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? I recognize the name but have never listened Pre-Listen Thoughts: I predict 3 Favorite track(s): Into the Mystic, Crazy Love, Moondance Post-Listen Thoughts: I was not sure what to expect but I actually really liked it.

Excited to listen to more of Van than just brown eyed girl (although I love that track it is admittedly overplayed). The double bass that steps us through the title track paints an image of slinky dresses, cocktails and cigars in a dimly lit bar. The sweet and smooth Crazy Love describes ‘her’ in such a gently romantic way. I love the confidence yet omission of ego in the way he writes and sings. The perfect Saturday morning album, opening the curtains and slowly dancing with my coffee. Give me sunny days and Van Morrison forever, rock my gypsy soul. Would I buy this record if I saw it in the $5 bargain bin - surprised I haven’t already

Every story I’ve heard of Van Morrison is horrendous, but he undeniably can write a good tune. Great voice too.

Great album. Liked the Moondance song very much. Can,t recall where I know it from.

It's a decent album; I've added a few tracks to my favorites

Mellow piece. I quite enjoyed the infusion of jazz with indie rock based elements as well. Surprised I've never heard this project before.

an absolute classic, so many songs that so many people know and love, including me

Very pleasant. I can’t pin down anything, but it’s old timy and enjoyable.

High 4

Pre Notes: I think I've heard the name Van Morrison somewhere before? The album cover/his face is unfamiliar to me, but I swear I've heard him somewhere before. I think he sings folk? I guess I'll find out shortly. Notable Tracks: Moondance - Might be the song I've heard before? Sounds very familiar, I also quite like it. Probably my favorite. Everyone - I don't know how I feel about this one, opinion on it spins between loving it and hating it. It's got great energy, but the sound bounces around from being enjoyable to a little bit cheesy. Glad Tidings - Melody and tempo reminds me of "Brown Eyed Girl" by Jimmy Buffet. That's all. Post Listen: Very solid album, I enjoyed the mix of classic rock and jazz, with a sprinkle of folk and country in there. Personally I think the album's at it's best when it really leans into the Jazz angle. His ensemble plays to their strengths, specifically the piano stood out to me. Van's voice is also pretty good. If I heard this album live I feel like it'd have made me into a life-long Morrison fan. The whole album has this relaxing, warm feel to it, like I'm back in my hometown sipping on a beer on a temperate day. Each song also feels unique, and has catchy bridges that are easy to pick up on and enjoy. My only gripe is a few songs go on for a bit too long, and there's a few too many slow songs for my taste. Overall though, good start to September. Feels a fitting album for the start of the Fall. 4/5

This is so lovely. :exhales:

This was a lot of fun! I really liked moondance

Really good album. It's a shame he went off the deep end. Music is still incredible though. 8.1/10

Great album. Solid from start to finish with some absolutely fantastic classics. A few songs are a bit lacking compared to others, but overall solid song writing and musicianship.

enjoyed this one. Good mellow vibe

I think I just didn’t know who Van Morrison was before this, like I expected a different style (I was definitely thinking of Jim Morrison, shamefully). I like this quite a lot! Shame about his recent anti-science views.

8/10 probably, first album so can’t be for sure. Listened to at work on 8/26

I thought Van Morrison was a heavy metal band or something. Guess I got mixed up with Van Halen. Anyway this is pretty good.

I found this calming and soothing. It feels like a green tea on a balcony at sunset. The smooth, relaxing melodies match my mood at the time of listening so well. However, the tracks are a little too simplistic. Overall, it is definitely lovely but, much like a green tea, does not have much flavour.

Talk about a pleasant surprise! Before being given this album, I knew 3 things about Van Morrison: 1) he was from Northern Ireland, 2) he had a song called "Brown Eyed Girl," and 3) he's a notorious prick. They say there are 2 kinds of people: those who like Van Morrison, and those who've met him. I'm not sure where I stand on that, but what I do know for certain is that this album is an absolute gem. From the word "go," Moondance lays down its sonic palette and sticks with it throughout its 38 minutes. This is a smooth, mellow album, but it doesn't mean it isn't a fiery and energetic romp through love, passion, spirituality and mysticism. This is, in my opinion, the greatest summation of Morrison's vast body of work, balancing both the stream-of-consciousness magical ramblings with the earthy blues-jazz-soul-rock fusion that forms what the singer himself has titled "Celtic soul." It's sort of hard to describe outside of combining the 4 main influences, but you'll know it when you hear it. The big songs that stood out to me were the title track and "Into the Mystic." I imagine this isn't particularly surprising given their iconic status, but this is one case of the singer's most canonized songs also being their best. "Moondance" has a slinking jazz shuffle carried by the walking bass, which allows Morrison to seamlessly riff and shout all over the chorus to make one of the most powerful belt-out moments in the folk rock canon (if you can sing along to it, anyway.) Meanwhile, "Into the Mysic" uses seafaring imagery to pose questions about life, love and the pursuit of something greater than onself, using only 2 verses and less than 4 minutes of runtime. Truly a gargantuan feat to ponder such massive questions within such a small frame. Other big ones are "Caravan," whose la-la-la chorus I would normally dismiss, but one only needs to watch Morrison's performance of it in The Last Waltz to truly understand how transcendent la-la-las can be. The B-side isn't quite as good as the A-side and mostly sticks to a milder, mid-tempo interpretation of the A-side's lightning-in-a-bottle energy, but the 2 highlights there are the opener and closer, "Come Running," a warm tribute to the early R&B progenitors, and the closer "Glad Tidings," an upbeat jaunt that uses a variety of disparate metaphors for self-reflection. That latter song is probably most famous for its use in the Sopranos; that's where I heard it first, and now I can finally assign it to somebody. At first, I didn't think much of this album and I mostly assigned into the "respectable folk from the Woodstock-adjacent crowd" box. But there was just something so...magnetic that drew me into this album again and again, which is something I think can be ascribed to Van Morrison's career as a whole. While seemingly bog-standard in its execution, the magnetic, almost mythical presence of something bigger than the music keeps people drawn in. It's no wonder Van has been "the Man" for the past 60 plus years, because there's something truly intangible and timeless to his work that you can't find much of anywhere else. Key Tracks: Moondance, Caravan, Into the Mystic, Glad Tidings

Felt like I was at a bar in a seaside town in America listening to the cool local band play, great music. The smooth playing of the guitar and the slight roughness of his voice contrast each other nicely

Nice and chill

I actually liked this so much it made me rethink my ratings elsewhere

Nice jazzy album, good vibe. Great background music. Should definitely listen more often.

Low key and enjoyable. I think I would need to be in a certain kind of mood to throw this one on, but I would definitely listen again in the future.

En bra skiva helt enkelt. Bra låtar där ingen är meh. Vill ge 4,5 av 5 men det får bli 4. Moondance och Everyone är favoriter men resten gillas också.

4/5

Moondance is the worst song on this album — and it’s still pretty good.

VM’s best album. Very mellow would be great to buy on vinyl.

Didn’t think I was a big van morrison fan until this. There are 2 uber jazzy songs on here that I didn’t love but the rest are heat

Pretty solid. Killer voice and reminds me of summer days by a lake and a band stand. Just easy to enjoy music even if it's not your genre.

Moondance by Van Morrison is a great album and one I've always enjoyed, so I was very pleased to see it come up on the challenge today. In fact, I enjoyed listening to it so much that I ended up playing it three times. There are so many great songs on this album. It's warm, soulful and incredibly easy to listen to, with a brilliant mixture of folk, jazz, soul and blues running throughout. Van Morrison's voice sounds fantastic, but it's the musicianship that really stands out for me. The piano, horns and guitar give the whole album such a rich and relaxed sound. What I particularly like about Moondance is how effortless it feels. There are some genuinely beautiful moments, but it never feels overly serious or difficult. It's just a collection of brilliantly written songs that flow together perfectly. You can have it playing in the background and enjoy it, but there is also enough going on musically and lyrically to reward actually sitting down and properly listening. Three listens today and I still wasn't bored of it. That probably tells you everything you need to know. A fantastic album that has aged incredibly well. Favourite tracks: There are several great tracks here. "Caravan" is lovely, "Into the Mystic" is absolutely beautiful, and "And It Stoned Me" is a brilliant way to open the album. Least favourite tracks: There isn't a weak song here. Everything on the album is worth a listen and earns its place. Album artwork: A classic Van Morrison album cover. Simple, understated and instantly recognisable.

pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the listen. Not something I'd pick up all the time, though. 7.7/10

Pretty good and melodic.

Earlier in the project, Astral Weeks from 1968 grated on me, but 1970’s Moondance had me grooving’ along. Did VM change in two years, or did I change in two months?

Lovely. Get's a bit repetitive towards the end but overall just solid nostalgic music.

Very nice

lovely

8.5 / 10

just a good vibe all round

Pretty irish

Kjennskap: 10% Overrasket over hvor balansert dette albumet er. Akkurat passe variert. Masse gode sanger. Og liker at albumet ikke er alt for langt.

chill sunday album

Beautiful, unique voice. Excellent, listenable album. A great listen.

Jamais écouté avant. Quelque part entre folk, jazz et soul, Van Morrison perfectionne la recette qui fera son succès dans les années qui suivront. Le songwriting est costaud, les musiciens assurent, la voix de Van Morrison irréprochable. Un très bel album, tout en calme et retenue, qui a également le bon goût de ne pas s'éterniser. Top : Moondance Flop : These Dreams of You

Solid, a couple of standouts. Not my type of music, but was a nice listen all the same.

Bob Dylan que sabe cantar e mais popzin

It's Van Morrison, what else can you say?

Como alguien que escucha casi puro metal y rock, no esperaba que un álbum con tanta influencia de jazz y country me atrapara de esta manera. Empieza con una energía brutal y, poco a poco, evoluciona hacia un cierre mucho más melancólico y romántico. Aun así, nunca pierde la fuerza con la que inicia. Me sorprendió muchísimo.

Пока самое хорошее что я слышал у него

4.4/5.

This one hit me at the right time. Smooth, probably a 3.5, but I’m rounding up.

Really 'nice' album. Couple of outstanding tracks. Am I being overly cynical if it feels like he tried to make 'Astral Weeks' more accessible? Maybe that's not a problem anyway. A little bit sickly sweet in places, but a great album.

4 stars Ever since the first time I heard the song “Moondance” I loved it. The record isn’t perfect and some of the last songs are just fine, but it’s a lovely album.

My second listen through Moondance for this project reinforced what I learned the first time: I'm kinda into this. "And It Stoned Me," "Crazy Love," "Caravan," "Into the Mystic," "Everyone," and "Glad Tidings" are all standouts for me, and I love the horns across the album. Van Morrison himself is a jag bag, but this album is great.

7 - GOOD

It's like if they made Astral Weeks more palatable but less weird an ethereal. Moondance is such a good song.

Great album. Into the Mystic is a highlight for me. Such a beautiful song sung so well.

Have listened to this album before. It has a very specific vibe/aura to it. Plays well on a morning walk in the fall.

Not too familiar with Van Morrison, but I thought this was pretty good. Worth a buy.

This was a very pleasing album to listen to. I enjoyed it a lot!! I've liked some of these songs for quite some time.

Great album!! Of course I’ve heard the hits before but never the entire album in one sitting. Freaking great singing and instrumentals. Good job on the reissue version that I heard. 4 stars.

Great album!

I shouldn't like this but I do.

Really enjoy.

Another album I'm very familiar with, and enjoy listening to

Not bad

THE FIRST SONG MY GOD he carries it through till the end damn

I’ve had moondance stuck in my head all day. This is another great van morrison experience.

Plaadil on vähemalt 3 ikoonilist lugu, mida kaveradatakse ka aastakümneid hiljem. Hea album, eriti 25-aastase kohta. I pool on kindlasti etem kui II, kus on küll kuulatavad lood, aga mitte midagi ei jää otseselt kõrva. 3.7/5

Really good album by a really unpleasant guy.

Great album!! A soulful treat! #albumsky #musicsky ****

album bem fluido e gostoso de ouvir, as musicas conversam entre si. vocais e instrumentais impecaveis. gostaria que fossa mais versatil maybe. 4/5

Schöne ruhige Musik, gefällt mir

Rootsy and fun

Great album. Still wondering why I didn’t own this on vinyl

Album starts off with 5 straight awesome songs and then the deep tracks just don't hit nearly as hard. His vocals are amazing throughout, and the blend of R&B, soul, and jazz still feel fresh even if the songs are inconsistent.

He may be grumpy old sod, but this is a great album. ‘And it stoned me’ is a great introduction, but the mellow laid back jazz of ‘Moondance’ just hits differently. This standard is maintained by ‘Crazy love’ and ‘Caravan’. ‘Into the mystic’ conjures up American soul drifting down the highway on a warm sunny day. The rest of the album doesn’t quite manage to hit the same heights but is still relatively strong

250226 16:57 4

Historic and momentous album. Captures such a sound in time. Not all tracks are memorable earworms but all hold some kind of sonic interest and all are true vibes.

I really liked this

An album I know well as it was played a lot round the house as I was growing up. A Sunday ‘dinner lunch’ album. It’s warm and familiar and I like it. Putting on my analyst hat, this seems to blend an interesting mixture of jazz, folk, soul, and country - at least that’s what my ears detect. I wouldn’t listen to it everyday but it’s pleasant.

Van Morrison I hate you… But your music

love it, groovy as hell and the vocals are too damn good

summer nights as an album

Very much enjoyed, laid back, chill, good vibes and well made music

Very chill

i didn't enjoy the past album recommendations but this album in particular impressed me, and i'm not into country music but this one is wonderfully arranged and exceeded past my expectations (to be fair it wasn't high). I like moondance, it's a fun song.

Heerlijk album. Klassieker. Relaxed. Jazzy die ik lekker vind. Achterover zitten, ogen dicht en genieten

Reminds me of the 70's and a much simpler life.

Gah. I've no love left for the man, but this is musical comfort food.

I had previously only heard Astral Weeks, which I love, but this is just as good! Wow. Just a tad bit front loaded, the A side is really perfect. 8/10

A relaxing chill listen.

I did really like this I would add some of these to my playlist definitely, so I’m gonna give it a 4/5 because I liked listening to it and it’s a good album

7/10

spectacular. I've always been biased against van morrison because my dad liked his music but I think he was actually just listening to my mom's cds and has no actual music taste whatsoever

Yeah I get it - not my favorite ever but I super get it

Really great. 3.5/5

Some nice Yusuf/Cat Stevens vibes, kind of crazy that they both existed around the same time. Nice voice, great songwriting, chill time.

it was a mix of country and pop and i enjoyed it a lot, i would listen to it again

Top vraiment le mec est top

Really good album. I feel like I’m so close to giving this five stars, but there’s just something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s the lyricism or something, but I feel like this one maybe will require a few more lessons for me to really get it. The lyricism sometimes was a little on the nose given the jazz and more experimental instrumentation

Reminds me of fishing with my grandpa, great album through and through. Though moon dance itself is probably my least favorite on the record.

Some classic stuff here, not the big Van Morrison fan, but this album is fine enough ⭐⭐⭐⭐

super fun folk

It’s a classic and holds up

Decent 4

Some nice songs

Good album, just solid all the way through. Enjoyed this quite a bit, although I don't know that I'll have any takeaways I'd definitely listen again.

I was previously familiar with this album. It's a very good one, definitely one of Van Morrison's best. This album has many hits - the title song, And It Stoned Me, Into The Mystic, etc. This album has a more jazzy and focused sound than Astral Weeks which is also good. I would listen again for sure.

Way more enjoyable than Astral Weeks

Van the man!

Not bad! Easy to listen to and can vibe with it! Seems like I quite like the Jazz style music.

This is a classic. However, for some reason, I can't fully "connect" with this album (I don't love Morrison's voice). I've probably listened to Moondance or Caravan too many times. Actually, more than those, I especially enjoyed "And it Stoned Me" or "Into the Mystic". So, overall, a solid 4 star album for me.

I do like that this exists as a kind of reaction to Astral Weeks being a bit of a failure at the time - both are excellent for diametrically opposing reasons. It's probably another one that feels like wallpaper now, it's just been ever present for so long. But its undeniably a classic. Prefer Astral Weeks though!

A pleasant listen. Bonus star for the Moondance track which is just beautiful.

I have to give this a 4 only because it's not quite at the same level as "Astral Weeks."

Bunch of classics. Really good.

Listened last week, think I like it

👌🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

8.5/10

3.7/5 Favorite Song: Moondance

Album #154 Van Morrison: Moondance It was only three days ago that I received Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” album, which, of course, has received an incredible reputation amongst critics and die-hard fans, and one that I think is deserved. However, as I noted then, I do prefer Moondance; an opinion which would have you lynched amongst certain Van Morrison fan circles, despite being one that I think most people who have heard both hold. Though I do enjoy both greatly, and find Astral Weeks to be the more unique listen, I can’t help but succumb to the folk rock perfection that is this collection of songs. I think the songs on Moondance feel more like fully fledged songs, which to some is a bonus, and others a flaw; but what I know for myself is that it helps keep them stuck in my head longer. I think Into the Mystic is Van Morrison’s crowning achievement, and there really isn’t a flaw in any of the first five tracks. The last five tracks also have just as much to enjoy within them, though they might not be as immediately wonderful as the first half. Overall, though it might not be the spiritual journey of Astral Weeks, it certainly is a good time. Best Songs: Into the Mystic, Moondance, And It Stoned Me Worst Song: Everyone Score out of 10: 9.5

The guy’s a complete twat, so it pains me to report that this is still a pretty great album.

I enjoyed this album way more than I expected to. Very chill, very laid back, and rather soulful. The saxophone solo playing leaves a bit to be desired, but it’s used sparingly, so it’s not too much of a distraction. Overall, a rather enjoyable listen. I will definitely listen to this again.

Good album, 70s sound all over the place, not really my niche but good to hear.

Ensimmäistä kertaa perehdyin Van Morrisonin musiikkiin. Olinhan minä tietysti kuullut Brown Eyed Girlin, mutta sitä biisiä ei tältä levyltä löydy. Moondance oli oikein hyvä kokonaisuus, jonka pariin tulee varmasti joskus palattua.

Honestly, this guy’s pretty good. Gotta listen again with my proper headphone setup

Moondance is beautiful and I enjoyed the entire album

this album is the right amount of van morrison to me both in quantity and degree

This is actual lovely

I really enjoyed this. Very nice uplifting Irish soul.

Great album. Great voice, jazzy instrumentation.

Classic. Nostalgic.

Big vibe. I'd listen to more Van Morrison for sure.

A lot of the songs sounds very similar, but it's a good formula so why change it? Moondance was by far the standout song.

Sweet album. The deluxe reissue is a bit overkill but interesting.

actually very important thank you

The hits are still super pretty. I don’t love everything. But the good is great. And this band is outstanding.

great for warm summer evenings

So so so good

Honestly pretty good

Mycket bra skiva, älskar det här soundet. Kommer återvända till den här. Klassisk 60-/70-tal.

His voice is very pretty, I very much enjoyed the album. 4/5

Banger after banger. This is great chilling music.

Previously known. A lot of good songs on here.

this reminds me of my dad for some reason:)

Opiniones sobre la marcha... 1 "Moondance" Van Morrison: "And It Stoned Me" Es alegre, me da vibra positivas con la buena banda de fondo, muy destacados los momentos de silencio y luego los acordes de guitarra. Buen final. "Moondance" Tiene un inicio genial, algo mucho mas nocturno, de bar entre estrellas de ciudad. Se destaca una especie de flauta en el L que va como llevando el dialogo de la cancion. Siempre destacado el piano. Otro gran final. "Crazy Love" Inicia super dulce, introduce un coro de voces sencillo, un mood super somnoliento, como si una persona estuviera mirando el techo en su melancolia amorosa. Sencilla. "Caravan" Suena a lo que me imagino que suena un viaje por un desierto de Estados Unidos, una gran cancion de viaje sin ningun tipo de duda. Unos bajos destacados. Fan del final en fade, muy acorde a la cancion. "Into the Mystic" Suena a picnic, un dia realmente verde y disfrutable, caminar y mirar el Sol, una liberacion hermosa de energia, la pandereta en R es clave de esa energia, junto a las notas sutiles del piano. "Come Running" Suena a baile de tabernita, muy festivo, como dia especial para todos. "These Dreamos of You' Recuerda a trabajo, repetir el patron de manera continuada. A su vez le veo los colores que el album trata de insporar, como una madera oscura. Destacado solo de saxofon, un lindo refresco para la apretada cancion. Bella cancion, album muy escuchable en grupo a esta altura, muy familiar. "Brand New Day" Parece una bocanada de aire de la anterior cancion, algo que devuelve el aliento lentamente, como si fuera una brisa continua, algo frio pero que abraza para reforzar la energia. El titulo toma el sentimiento de la cancion totalmente. Esto es algo que se va repitiendo en cada cancion, veo los titulos muy bien asignados en el album. "Everyone" Tiene el inicio mas energetico del album. Suena a canto de todos, muy de festival, algo chico pero lleno de personas distintas con misma paleta de colores, algo muy social. Otra cancion con un titulo perfecto. "Glad Tidings" Gran inicio, la energia de una conversacion fugaz, muy interesantes sentimientos de descubrimiento. Una energia positiva que emana de los tarareos y el saxofon. Grandes coros sencillos. Gran descubrimiento definitivamente, esto va a ser escuchado muchas veces en reuniones, es musica realmente refrescante y que tiene espacio en muchos contextos sociales. Gran escucha. Mi track preferido fue "Brand New Day". Muy buena pagina, la voy a escuchar diariamente. 26/4/26

4/5 Incredible opening track, very much a front loaded album that runs out of gas towards the back half. I really enjoy the blend of genres on this album as well. With my complete lack of knowledge of Van Morrison & this album going in, I was searching for a way to label what sort of artist Morrison was. But it was a great surprise to work through the tracklist, and just sort of drop that idea and just let the album be. Favorite Track: And It Stoned Me

As someone who only knew Van Morrison from his most popular hit “Brown Eyed Girl”, this album showed me that lightning didn’t just struck once. His blend of soft rock and jazz-blues really captivated me. My highlights were “And It Stoned Me”, “Caravan”, and “Into the Mystic”.

Really solid, too much Jazz flute for my liking. Best Song: Into the Mystic Rating: 7.0/10 Stars: 4

Van Morrisson is weird for me. This is the type of music I usually can't stand, but I really enjoyed this (along with most of his other stuff).

Great album. Listened to the hits too often to go back to this one more than once in a while

Heerlijke plaat. Vooral Moondance

A nice blend of rock, folk, and jazz. Likes: And It Stoned Me; Moondance; Crazy Love; Caravan; Glad Tidings

Great album! I really enjoyed Moondance, Crazy Love, Caravan. I have no problem imagining this guy as a panty dropper back in the day.

A delicious slice of folk rock or however you want to label it. Van Morrison has always kind of slipped by me but this album is amazing.

Unfortunately, this "blue eyed soul" is not a favorite genre of mine, and I find this album to be a disappointment after "Astral Weeks," though I understand why he made this album, partially because he wanted some success. However, while this is a very good album, it's not my favorite or one I'm going to go back to much, personally.

Would listen again

I'm not a folk fan so was taken aback by how much I liked this, maybe because of the soul, rock and R&B mixing into his songs that just gives them such a hard hitting energy. The title track itself is amazing, even if I'm not listening to others on repeat I'll be listening to this album again.

me gustó, muy tranquilo. bien de mañana suave de fiaca. todos parecen clásicos.

"And It Stoned Me": Turns out John Mayer just stole Van Morrison's vibe? "Moon dance": A classic; no notes

Interesting sounds, chill vibe and simple. Vocals are ok but have feeling.

> the Beatles

Silky smooth with just enough of an edge. This is just joyful. Moondance Crazy Love Caravan Into the Mystic

Hard to be objective about this one, for sentimental reasons. Love early Van, voice is untouchable, hasn't gone religious or cantankerous yet. Great songs, great arrangements, but Peter's out towards the end.

Classic

Great and easy listening

I enjoyed that. Only known Van Morrison's greatest hits. This was good fun.

Quite influential album that is a jot to listen to.

It was a good album. I approved.

Back in the Van. Definitely more my preferred Van Morrison than Astral Weeks. A deserved classic. Something about Van Morrison makes me not always want to return to him, but it's an undeniable great album.

Great album

This was so good

Really enjoyed this one! Thought it would be dull as shit but it combines styles that resonate with my brain and are groovy af. Wanna boogie and sway my hips to the jazzy, soulful sounds

“Into The Mystic” will always make me feel a way.

Yeah it's a great album!

Great songs and song writing. Never underestimate this guy because he delivers with that unique voice

Guided the beginning of the 70's soft rock genre. Good album with a few noteworthy songs that anyone alive during that era would recognize from the radio. Pitchfork: 8.4 Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #120 (2023) Best Songs Moondance Crazy Love Into the Mystic Glad Tidings

Very enjoyable, and surprisingly very diverse

A near perfect pop/blues record. Kinda fizzled the final two tracks. 4.25*

1. j'ai eu per de la country, mais bête de pré refrains et progressions vraiment cool. c'est vraiment chill. bien la trompette. 2. trompette qui fait la transition, en fait c'est jazz. c'est Billie Jean les accords. blblblb. 3. RnB mtn 4. vers 2:05 c'est le pont syncopé, très bon. 5. oe, tracteur. 6. road trip, bête batterie. le chœur stylé. 7. la mm, bien groovy... 8. guitare électrique un peu pleurante et piano c'est bon. 9. orgue? cv. flute aussi, abuse. c'est léger en vrai. 10. mieux, clap clap. vraie fin. l'album route 66

175/1001 Not something I ever think to put on. I enjoy this the very few times that I do play it. I’ll have to keep this one in mind in the future. I can’t not see Tony Soprano when Glad tidings plays. 7/10

Buen sonido rock clasico de los 70

Nicce

Not really my vibe but can’t lie, this was really nice. Especially the title track

This album rocks my gypsy soul (I am a black man I do not have a gypsy soul)

It was really nice I appreciated the change of music I'v been hearing too never have listened to this type before

Well written songs and nice vibes all around, not super ambitious but works for what it is

Glad Tidings a major belter, especially with the Sopranos link, makes that scene even more incredible.

Nice, very smooth. My standouts would be Moondance and Caravan.

No conocia a van morrison, fue una muy agradable sorpresa, el album me parecio increible en general, varias de las canciones las añadí a mi playlist

que voz que tiene este hombre, ame las letras y la vibra del álbum

A warm soulful album which is easy-listening but not at the expense of songwriting depth. The instrumentation is thick but not heavy, a warm bass, acoustic guitar and light drums are occasionally accompanied by various woodwind; flutes, saxes and some traditional Irish instruments(?). There’s even a surprise harpsichord in “Everyone”. In general the album is good but it can kind of blend together at times. The standout track is without doubt the title track. What an incredible song. Great bass, great melody sung beautifully by Van Morrison, saxes thicken up the texture and flutes dance around in the background. There’s a bloody brilliant piano and then sax solo. The song finishes wonderfully with a sort of improvisational sounding vocal section and then a great triplet figure. Worth an extra star all by itself.

Nice White RnB genre defining

8/10

Fun album, feels like a mixup of different genres which works brilliantly.

Van Morrison has a voice that just feels like home. I listened to Tupelo Honey once a week while I worked at Best Buy, so I just love his voice. This is as good an album, and of course is the only one he truly lets be on Spotify, so it's sort of the only one this project can allow. I'm fine with it! I'd listened to this once a long time ago and was fine with it, but man his voice is like what I think fans of Bob Dylan's gravel defend.

Always love some van morrison. I think this album had some of the songs on his live album, since they seems familiar already. Good mix of singer songwriter and jam band

267/1001 Van Morrison - Moondance Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ The only other Van Morrison album I've heard and I love it as much as Astral Weeks. With the addition of the sax, there's a great addition of folk jazz to the record, in particular the title track.

En mammafavorit för andra dagen i rad. Är indoktrinerad sen låg ålder! Han har en av världens ballaste röster och jag älskar hans jordiga folksoul. Kul att påminnas om vilken jävla panglåt caravan är! Van the man kan aldrig få under 4an. Det där omslaget däremot är 100/10. Fångar på ett tydligt sätt vilken knepig surfitta han med mycket stor sannolikhet är.

Hyllat Van Morrison sen jag var noll. Alltid kul att lyssna på. En av dom man verkligen skulle vilja se live (när han är på bra humör). Riktigt fint att han ska vara en sån redig gris. Det gillar man!

A really nice album. Not quite a 5 but some lovely music.

Moondance me re gustó, tiene una vibra chill que me copa un montón y ese toque de jazz que siempre quise escuchar. Hay temas que te levantan un montón, como Caravan o Brand New Day, y otros más tranqui que te hacen cerrar un toque los ojos y relajarte, como Everyone o Glad Tidings. Los temas de amor me gustaron porque se entienden re fácil y te pegás con las letras enseguida. La voz de Van, el piano, los saxos… todo suena re natural y fluye re bien. Terminé con Into the Mystic como mi favorita, pero Crazy Love, Moondance y Caravan también me volaron la cabeza. En general todos los temas van re bien juntos. 4/5⭐️

Into The Mystic is my fav Van Morrison track. Worth it for that alone but this is a great album. And it stoned me and Caravan are other standouts. Maybe not as good overall as Astral Weeks but still seminal. One of the best voices ever.

I really, really ended up liking this album. I heard a lot of impact it made on one of my favourite bands of my friends when I was in high school. I can see this being something I go back to and listen to a lot on a Sunday.

no es el genero musical que acostumbro a escuchar pero es una oda a la luna y al amor tan aterciopelada que me tuvo escuchando muchas canciones en loop

Surprising album! Van Morrison mixes different music styles into one coherent album. It manages to throw you a curve ball once in a while. (I am looking at you "Everyone")

While I don't think I've ever sat and listened to this album straight through, I've heard several of the songs on this album many times. This album is definitely a classic. So many good songs on it. Songs that are classics and still get played to this day. Van Morrison is an amazing songwriter and vocalist. Definitely worthy of being on the list and an album that I really enjoyed listening to.

a classic and some songs have stood the test of time but not something I'd listen to regularly

All I knew about him is that he’s a miserable twat, and it’s quite amusing that there’s 5 snaps of him looking miserable on the cover. I liked it though it was a warm album

quite good

Always loved his voice. Great album. Turnip your radio

(6/7) they used to play Van Morrison on the intercom at the beginning of the day in high school so this music reminds me of feeling tired and walking zombie-like to class

Lovely.

great glance on 1970’s I love it even though it’s not my era at all

kinda chill with a great voice not my type of vibe but perfect for a long drive

Id forgotten how much of this was in the tv show the bear

mit-dem-fuß-wipp-musik

“Moondance,” “Into the Mystic,” and “Crazy Love” are the anchors. “And It Stoned Me” is a beautiful opener. The whole album flows well front to back so it rewards a full listen rather than cherry-picking. Tone: It’s warm, relaxed, and soulful — easy listening in the best possible sense. Good album for a morning or evening sit-down.

great experience

13/03/2026 1. and it stoned me - not sure about his voice... saxaphone!! really lovely guitar and bass... alright :) *2. moondance - ooo immediately liking this one more... love the bass and the piano. fantabulous?? very jazzy. flute?? really great! 3. crazy love - softer... really nice. *4. caravan - drums and bass are really nice... love the horns. nice :) *5. into the mystic - bass is real great again... the lyrics are lovely. guitar is beautiful... lovelovelove the louder part!!! the horns are fantastic! defini tely changed my tune on his voice! reallllly loved this one! *6. come running - love the horns in this album! really nice again :) *7. these dreams of you - bluesier... love the saxophone! great! *8. brand new day - love the backing vocals... lyrics are beautiful. 9. everyone - kindof harpischordy intro... oh my god just realised this was in the royal tenebaums! was wondering why it sounded familiar! very twee... but still nice. 10. glad tidings - oo liking the start... still not sure how i feel about his voice. sax!! like the chorus. really liked this one! the saxaphone and horns reaallly helped my enjoyment of this one! wasn't sure about it during the first track, but reaaallly warmed up to it from the second onwards. great :)

The best albums, whether I like them very much or not, have a very specific sound. There is no confusing who made them, or when - when you hear a song from them you know instantly where it comes from. "Moondance" is one of those - There just isn't another record that sounds like this. It's so..... wood-y? Maybe I'm insane. This album just sounds like a log cabin in the woods. All organic and natural and chill and dark and cozy. Van Morrison has somehow combined soul, rock, folk, and jazz, until it becomes something else - not just a weird hybrid, but something new, and it's lovely. Many years ago, I went to see A Swell Season play in Boston just after "Once" had come out, and they covered "Into the Mystic" - and it was amazing. Always makes me nostalgic. Anyways. This is a very solid - FOUR STARS

Really great. Didn't know Van Morrison and Iam now adoring to listen to him.

Très sympa et intéressant

3.5

8/10

Rootsy kinda sound, quintessential Van. Into the Mystic a timeless classic.

I’ve always been a fan of this album and more recently listen to it while grilling so it reminds me of warm summer days and good food. I love the bass on all the songs and especially the walking bass line in moon dance. He has such a distinct signature sound that combines so many genres beautifully.

Very pleasant album to listen to with a really cool vibe. Half of this albums songs stick out a lot to me and the others felt a little dragged out, for example I don’t think Caravan needed to be 5 minutes long. Some standout tracks for me are Into the Mystic, Brand New Day, Moondance, Crazy Love, Glad Tidings.

Луч света в тёмном царстве. Крепкий кантри-соул с человеческим лицом

More than a one hit wonder

So Moondance is just a great great song and has the priviledge of being in my spotify liked songs so by default this has to be a 4 at minimum emphasis on minimum; the rest of the album past that song really didnt hook me as much

Solid solid side one, takes his foot off the gas on side 2. Moondance one of the most perfect songs, on par with Here Comes The Sun. Pure excellence. Great Opening Track in And It Stoned Me, Crazy Love one of the best love songs ever. Van Morrison another one of those artists without a "perfect album" but whose greatest hits will stand toe-to-toe with anyone. His political leanings notwithstanding, the guy can sing.

Don't be fooled by the horrible cover. Nor by the last name: this is the good Morrison. 8/10

loved the bass in the album

This guy's pretty good he should write a song about a girl that has brown eyes

This record begins with a beautifully nostalgic song reminiscing of outdoor adventures during Van’s youth. Some beautifully paired piano chords with strummed open chords on the guitar in this giving it a double tracked feel. Bright tinny sound in the guitar almost gives the strings a percussive sound. Moondance offers a change from the folky sound of the previous track in favour of a seedy club jazz theme. Piano trills add to this effect and sultry woodwind instruments complement the brass. Understated piano solo about halfway through this is captivating albeit drowned slightly by the same tinny acoustic strings heard in the previous track. Lots of layering going on here between the brass, piano, and guitar. Woodwinds give an almost Latin feel to sections of this. Crazy Love slows down the tempo and lowers the tone for this romantic ballad. Gospel style vocals back up the main melody while bass massively dominates the main rhythm section leaving intricate guitar trills and walkdowns quietly supporting the rhythm. Van really shows he loves to sing about one thing and one thing only with the fourth track on this album. Again bass dominates this track. The rhythm of the main section has a repetitive bluesy feel to it. Into The Mystic ditches the heavy use of piano and brass in exchange for a slightly mellower guitar tone, while still maintaining the what is by this point in the album, signature, bass track. Great use of ambient noise to represent the foghorn, potentially an organ? Extremely powerful vocals in the chorus. Nice nod to the brass used elsewhere in this album in the outro. Tempo picks up with Come Running relying heavily on a blues-jazz fusion in the piano to pick up the mood. Again with the gospel style vocals creating an almost refrain in the chorus. These Dreams of You gives the hint of a little bit of bluegrass in the intro, with an understated harmonica and aggressively picked strings giving a southern twang to this track. Brand New Day slows down the tempo and deep high timbre piano notes give an almost longing feel when paired with Van’s hopeful vocals. This one is definitely a song of hope, and the gospel chorus vocals complementing the main melody only reinforces this. There’s an almost carnival style feel to Everyone behind the extremely punchy vocals. Probably one of the weaker tracks to this point, potentially the circus style fills are a little too whimsical for me. The outro track to this record, Glad Tidings, feels extremely Van, with the la-la-la of the chorus capturing his signature vocal tells. Overall, this is genuinely one of my favourite albums I’ve ever listened through. Shining star of this one is Moondance, however there’s a few others which could make threats to knock it off its pedestal, namely, in fact, namely most of them, far too hard to even make a top 3 out of this. A genuinely almost perfect record. 4/5.

this ruled actually, too bad Van Morrison died or something and hasn’t said anything lately

Lovely, if a tiny bit irritating

Saw Van live last year. He was terrible. This record isn’t.

Pretty solid not my favorite genre, has a folky vibe to it. Very hippie sounding. Good overall though

Super belle découverte, la voix est sublime, folk mais en meme temps tres pop surtout pour les annees 70. Bien US mais smooth sur les melodies, me fait penser a une voix que je connais, voix rauque et country, rock. Vient de belfast, drole car on peut croire qu’il vient du tenessee. Multi instrumentistes. L’album est un reflet du bonheur de Moorison

HIGH BPM Van Morrison stays undefeated. Some slouches near the end but overall it's mainly legendary songs.

Very bright, joyful sounding album! I was surprised to hear that the piano and guitar were panned hard left and hard right respectively, yet the frequency curve of the album was still flat and cohesive.

I was certain I would hate this, since I’m not a fan of Van Morrison’s voice. This was a pleasant surprise. Lots of good stuff here; a nice listen.

One of the benchmarks of early 70’s folk-roots-pop (lacking a better description, as it’s also very uniquely Van Morrison), Many now-familiar almost iconic songs grace the record. Production is exquisite, this is Van’s Harvest.

Morrison at his best.

Is there a supermarket, store, restaurant, bodega or cafe where at this very moment the song Moondance isn’t playing it’s sweet tragic and timeless romance? I doubt it! Van Morrison brings such a melding of jazz and folk into his amazing voice - making this album timeless! There are so many 5 star songs on this album - Moondance, & It Stoned Me & Into the Mystic that it should get 5 stars from me -but a couple of songs don’t reverberate in the same way listening anew to this one of my favorite all time albums.

Even if im not a usual listener of Jazz and Soul, this album is fun and full of joy, also have some very beautiful balads, the best song for me and my favourite is Into The Mystic

Veldig chill, men litt for mye shalalala og trompet for min del

Good jams. Folksy Americana feel.

Buen disco, no recuerdo haberlo escuchado antes. Es bastante diferente a Astral Weeks que es el disco que tengo como referencia de Morrison. Me gustó ese mix de folk, jazz y rock.

Uy, ese bajo en la canción "Moondance" qué locura locurota. Es una gran combinación de diferentes moods, pensé que era un album country, pero me sorprendio con sus sonidos de blues, gospel y jazz, un album pisodelico en el sentido relajante. Bastante diverso sonoramente, en algunos momentos me aburrí al principio, pero me disuadió de ese sentimiento. 8/10

i fw it

Actually really enjoyed this album. I am a Van Morrison fan

I changed my mind about Van here. This was much better than expected. Might even listen more to him. Who would have known.

me transmite seguridad, tranquilidad y una emoción inexplicable. me siento libre escuchando esto, como si la musica se deslizase en mi interior.

Van used to live on my old square in Bath (before my time) and was apparently seen staggering around wearing a hat. Never really been a big Van Man fan. Did enjoy this though although I don't actually like the Moondance song.

Some lively and catchy easy listening tunes; easy to enjoy and move on. Brightened up a grey afternoon.

I didn’t think I knew much Van Morrison music, but turns out I was wrong. This album was a treat. I love the tones in Van’s voice.

Glad Tidings one of the best Sopranos needle drops

love his voice. def see myself listening to this album or him again. very early bruce. so period

This is easy to listen to, but didn’t really blow me away.

Used to think higher of this album but it's not as stellar as I once thought it was. Still plenty good with some of his best songs ("Caravan," the title track, "Into the Mystic," etc) but some of it, especially the second half, falls off and is samey. Van the Man has turned into a right wing tosser over the years so maybe that has something to do with a lower rating. Lots of songs about gypsies too (come on, Van, they're called travelers).

Van Morrison perfected that borderland of folk, jazz, and soul better than anyone. Splitting this one exactly in half, songs 1-5 are perfect, five stars. Second half is a 3.5 for me, all good songs but just pale in comparison to tracks 1-5. Ends strong with Glad Tidings tho. He made some phenomenal music in the 60s and 70s and this is one of his best

Special Relationship

I liked a lot. Something is keeping it from being a 5 and i am not sure what. So its a 4 for now

Ganz ohne nostalgische Bindung oder Erwartungen. Der erste Eindruck: Das Album hat eine warme, einladende Grundstimmung, die sofort auffällt. Die Mischung aus Jazz, Soul und Folk wirkt angenehm leicht, fast so, als würde man in einen sonnigen Nachmittag hineinspazieren.

Really cool, if I think of 70's easy listening radio rock this is pretty much it. Great performances by the backing bad and enough variation in the songs to keep it interesting

You gotta be in the mood for some sax, that's for sure. Not my favorite Van ("Did you ever hear about Wordsworth and Coleridge? They were smokin' up in Kendal" is more my jam), but for me it's always been one of those albums you can put on for just about anyone and they'll enjoy it. And you will, too. Isn't it odd, though, that he hated the commerciality of "Brown Eyed Girl" so deeply he turned around and recorded an avant jazz/rock masterpiece (Astral Weeks), and then turned BACK around and made Moondance, which is basically the dictionary definition of radio friendly? I guess it might have redefined radio friendly for the 70s, too. Van's repugnant 21st century personality and ideology shouldn't enter into consideration, but ought to be mentioned.

Disco de los de ponerte en el coche y tararear mientras marcas el compás. Van Morrison, además de un ídolo para nuestros padres (al menos para el mío) escribió todas las canciones del álbum, tocó varios instrumentos, hizo de productor, y y todo esto portando una perillita y bigote que lo hubiera convertido en sospechoso nº 1 de cualquier true crime actual. Muy buen disco.

pròstata sound

fave song: and it stoned me

echt ganz gut, zwischendurch hab ich mich gefragt wie dieser mann weiß sein kann aber naja

Soulful powerful singing voice I like the instrumentation on here Lots of emotion in each song and the songwriting is lovely

love love love this thang is a beauty reminds me of my mama she loved this irish bastard

Classic album

Unfortunately this is very good

solid

very nostalgic very enjoyable listen

Better sounding to my ears than Astral weeks, probably because it's less mind entrancing and more straightforward.

I think Astral Weeks edges this out on terma if ranking but still. Very good album, melodious, soulful, jazzy all in the tight mix. Great back band. The bass player alone is a standout - think about the bass line on moondance, for example, it is the song. But Astral Weeks for the win for me where i think the back band is just a step above this back band (who are very very good mind) and the album as a whole is a ride. Side A on Moondance is full of hits but i look at side B like i’ve never heard the album before.

Glad Tidings :D Die anderen Songs auch sehr unterhaltsam :)

Kannste meckern nix

A hit is a hit and side one of this album is as good as anything that's been put on an album before or since. Everyone and Glad Tidings carry a more mixed second side. Easy 4.5. How can you not tap a toe or move your body to this?

Me gustó. Aunque muy parecido al anterior. Igual no tuve mucho tiempo de escucharlo todo. Pero me gustó.