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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

This album was even more "meh" than I expected it to be, and I expected it to be pretty darn "meh." Van Morrison's whiny brand of mildly upbeat folk gets really old really fast, with not enough variation across the album to keep it interesting. Even the titular track offered little reprieve as we've all heard it enough times to dismiss it. Sure, I was happy to let it blend into the background and create a mood that I didn't hate, but I was left unimpressed.

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

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.

Rating shamlessly stolen system from George Starostin: Variety: 2 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 2 Been a good 20+ years since I've listened to this one. Never rated it as highly as its reputation, while definitely being able to see where all those critics were coming from. "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Gloria" are more my speed, and Moondance I recall lumping in with stuff like Joe Cocker and The Band which, in my mind, belong to a genre I would classify as perfectly fine wedding reception music. This one I imagine holds a special place in the hearts of elderly uncles everywhere. That being said - wow... "Moondance" is still crazy good, and feels like a classic standard that Morrison must have re-interpreted. Maybe that's the genius on display here that so many Rolling Stone critics adore. "Crazy Love" might even hold up even better though, as I think a brief Youtube search comes back with pages and pages of covers, all the way up to yesterday! Sounds timeless, and easy to see why it's still so popular. While there's no denying Morrison's vocal effort, "Caravan" is where he starts to loose me with his almost lazy sounding delivery and repetitious vocal noodling, reminding me of what I dislike most about him. His voice comes across as less souful and more a calculated imitation of what he thinks "soulful" is. The reputation of "Into the Mystic" as the "stand out track" a lot of people cite baffles me. The song itself is not awful by amy means but just don't get what's so special about it, especially when you've got the above tracks. The simple "Come Running" I think I even prefer over this. For that matter I also don't really understand the love "And It Stoned Me" gets. "These Dreams of You" gets docked points for both excessive sax and the impression that I'd enjoy this way better if Sam Cooke were singing it. Similarly, "Brand New Day" I think is a strong candidate to have been much better if it had been a Joe Cocker song. The backup singers carry this one. "Everyone" hits hardest for me out of all the tracks here. Earworm territory here for sure, and appreciate how it breaks up the samey instrumentation on the rest of the album with the shamelessly twee flute ( is that also a harpsichord?) and baroque sensibility. I'm a sucker for a catchy as hell bit of sugary pop. Feels like it should have been the closer, though "Glad Tidings" as an energetic, if generic feeling of an encore, so I can see it. Ultimately not much here for me to fault aside from my dislike of Morrison's voice and thinking it's three great songs surrounded by competent filler. Tracks to save for a playlist: - "Moondance" - "Crazy Love" - "Everyone"

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.

balls

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.

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.

"Wonder Years" the Album... Quite a few tracks I knew existed -- and I like -- but I didn't realize were Van Morrison. Strong start, tapers at the end. (3.75/5)

I enjoyed it, though it is honestly not my cup of tea. It's jazzy, folksy and he's got a style and poetry to it. Though the subject matter is universal (love, spirit, and growing up) it didn't resonate with me so personally as it has perhaps many others, but it wasn't a bad time.

Was not expecting to fall in love with this album tbh. I worked at a kind of shitty yacht club during summers whilst in college and Moondance played over the radio literally every single shift I worked, somehow it still retains a soothing quality untouched by food service PTSD. The whole album (minus maybe Everyone) was cohesive without being boring or stale for me. Perfect to listen to to be lulled to sleep (not derogatory)

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.

Before this listen my only engagement with Van Morrison was hearing Brown Eyed Girl on many a summer playlist. While I really enjoy that song I’m not sure this album is going to be my go to choice for chilling. I appreciate the folk/soul sound, but it failed to win me over. This feels like an album you listen to while spending time with someone special or to remember spending time with someone special. So maybe in that specific situation I’ll return to a few of these tracks.

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance Thetan levels reaching all time highs Vaxxing should be a capital offense 'Neath the chemtrails crisscrossed skies

I thought I loved Van Morrison, until I listened to this whole album. Love Moondance & of course Brown Eyed Girl (not on this album), but this album was a bit same same!

Can't fault it for variety. There's a bit of everything on here. Listening to the first song I thought fuck me, I had no idea Van Morrison made country music. Other than that song, apparently he didn't. Overall, didn't love or hate it. Couple of songs were pretty decent.

Enjoyed it but rounding down today

A middling album made by a gigantic cunt.

This was quite nice but didn't really chime that much with me bar a few songs. I obviously hate the man and frankly his voice is annoying even if distinctive. I tolerate it on Astral Weeks as it works. And it's magnificent, but it's definitely a barrier. Would definitely be a 4 with time I imagine.

Prior to listening, had I been asked if this album had saxophone on it, I’d have been wrong.

White boy soul.

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

"Brown Eyed Girl" while incredibly cliche, is about the most Van Morrison I can tolerate. An entire album of his "la-la-la"ing and white guy scatting is entirely too much. 2 stars because even though I'm not a fan, it's inoffensive enough as background noise.

This is the type of music you would hear in a posh cocktail bar somewhere in London or at a dinner party in your rich auntie's house. It's not my usual taste but I don't immediately want to turn it off as soon as it comes on either. It's more so background music for me than something I would sit down and listen to. I'd rather listen to The Doors

Never really got into Van Morrison before. I’ve listened to some Stones now and then, and I can kind of see the comparison. But the differences stand out, this record clearly leans toward soul and jazz, while the Stones are grounded in blues grit. “Moondance” was a standout, along with a few other swinging tracks that caught my ear. The rest, though, drifted into pleasant background noise — I listened to it twice, but it didn’t demand my attention. It’s the kind of album I’d want playing if I were a chef on a cruise ship, weeks in the same galley, steady rhythm of work, something smooth to groove to while no one complains. Now I'm not a chef in on a fleet, so likely not gonna listened much to Van Morrison again. Comforting, timeless, and just detached enough to keep you sane.

Pretty boring

Just feels like a white guy cosplaying. And Van is a dick.

Laitoin tämän taustalle soimaan enkä oikeastaan edes huomannut kun se loppui. Ihan kiva muttei mitenkään erityinen. Tykkään enemmän Michael Bublén versiosta Moondance-kappaleesta.

This one was a bit bland and forgettable for my tastes.

Forgettable

glittershite

Maybe sometime I’ll get into Van Morrison but I’m pushing 50 and it hasn’t happened yet. Just can’t stand this shit.

Never really liked Van Morrison, always seemed like old people music. I can't understand what he is singing, I swear in every song he sings "sweet jellyroll" but I don't think those are any of the actual lyrics. He has a very mush-mouth way of singing and it makes all of his songs sound the same to me. I feel like I've heard every song on this album even though I've never intentionally listened to his music, maybe it's just because they all sound the same. I can appreciate that people like him but I find his music extremely annoying. I somehow listened to this whole album and I think I hate him more than when I started, so I guess it moved me. I just kept going because I couldn't believe how bad it was and how it only got worse as it went.

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

Super Dope

Nice 5/5 I own this on vinyl

Klassiker! 😍

Love this album. First half is a masterpiece. Blends R&B, rock, jazz, pop, folk, in a simple but compelling way. Combines a very listenable singing voice with horn-driven arrangements that are at times led by varying instruments (saxophone, piano, guitar) without feeling eccentric. Lyrically takes the listener beyond a traditional, crooning love story to a more nature-based, spiritual world. Standouts are "Into the Mystic" and "Caravan".

A lovely album for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Cozy, comforting and warm. This album accomplishes what it sets out to do flawlessly.

Close to perfect, easy listening in the truest sense. 4.5

Stone cold classic. This album could brighten any day. No skips, but Glad Tidings is my favorite of the bunch and such a great way to close it out.

Classic album. If it was just Moondance on a loop it was still be a classic, but it showcases a depth of emotion across every track.

Classic 70s album. Van Morrison doesn't seem like a guy I'd wanna get a beer with but the music slaps. Standouts: And It Stoned Me, Caravan, Into the Mystic, Everyone

When do we separate the art from the artist? How could the person responsible for this sublime record be such a contemptible jerk? There isn't a skip on this record and every song is the work of a craftsman in peak form.

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A wonderful collection of songs. Such an original voice

Überraschend gut! Sehr vielfältig hinsichtlich der Musikgenres. Ruhig und gut zum nebenbei hören.

I've known this album since I was a kid - especially the songs "Moondance" and "Into the Mystic". They have kind of been ubiquitous on FM radio and I think in movies and TV shows. I've also had the CD for a really long time - but actually haven't listened to it in quite awhile. This album is like comfort food. You know it, it's good, it's familiar, it goes down easy. It's not the most exotic or adventurous or creative - just all solid songs. It has 1 great song - "Into the Mystic". When that first acoustic guitar part comes on, it just sets a cool, contemplative mood and builds from there. I wish Van Morrison didn't turn out to be such a creep as he got older - but I'm not letting that color this review. Liked songs on Spotify: 10/10 Rating: 5/5

love this one.

A gorgeous album.

I like this album... A lot. I understand why people dont like it though

I love this album. I can’t add anything new to what’s been said by others more eloquent than I. This is an album everyone should listen to at once in their life.

Remarkable

What is the coincidence I listened to one of his songs for what I thought was the first time yesterday morning and I liked it not knowing he made brown eyed girl so much I added it to my like playlist, I genuinely think this is a top tier album

I love it

This album is an absolute banger! This album is just a great feel good classic/folk rock album with tracks that are hits that I completely forgot were in this album.

One of my favorite albums of all time.

I love this album, so many great memories growing up listening to it. While I like the first side songs a little better, I never skipped not playing that other side. Each time I heard something new that hooked me.

The best of the Morrisons. The best of the Vans