[Closed] Astral Weeks.........

..right on man ..send some in the post dude..yeah !😁

Poetry
Is there a like button on here?

squidgy black, crap

Nowadays this means a trip to the GP.

That’s a good reason to avoid drugs - 40 years gone in the space of one album. 😁

Nah my gardens still misty wet with rain.

The cool room, Lord, is a fools' room.

Love it. How someone so grumpy can make something so beautiful escapes me.

I know wallop, first saw him in 1974 and he's been my favourite artiste ever since.

And it's all about Belfast!

I am one of the biggest fans of the Belfast Cowboy out there, but I'm unusual in thinking Astral Weeks is somewhat overrated - especially when compared with some of the material on the following 10 albums. I know a lot of other Van-atics who first fell in love with his music from other albums like Wavelength.
The sound he was creating in Astral Weeks was perfected on Into the Mystic, which is on the Moondance album.
The Muse was most with him on St Dominic's Preview in my humble opinion, but each to their own - he has unparalleled musical range so plenty to share.

Into the Music was my introduction to the Grumpster. 🙂

St Dominic's Preview is probably the album I listen to most, but AW is just somethng quite extraordinary, especially when you look into the circumstances of the recording session.

I remember an early teenage conversation with a bunch of mates, around the inevitable campfire, all agreeing that it was the album we'd grab first in a house fire. I met up with the same friends at a 50th birthday do at the weekend, which prompted my post. 🙂 I still think there's nothing quite like it, with the possible exception of John Taverner's Protecting Veil.

Was lucky enough to see Van at Manchester Apollo in the mid 80's, not grumpy at all, happy and delightful company.
Same with Dylan a few years later, I swear he smiled for the whole three hours plus.

I can't help it if I'm lucky......

It’s a phenomenal album in my opinion and his best work as a whole. There are other great tracks, but I don’t think any other album works in quite the same way. I’m a big fan of Hard Nose the Highway too, mainly for Warm Love. Such a happy song from a proper miserable bastard.

We had Warm Love playing as we walked out of the ceremony at our wedding.
It's a stunning, beautiful song from a great album.

Managed to get 'She's The One For Me' by the Beta Band in there too, as I was waiting nervously for Sue to arrive 🙂.

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

That’s a great choice for a Wedding. Definitely one of my all time favourite songs.

It's hard to argue that Van Morrison would have achieved what he did, particularly with those first 10 albums upto 1980, unless he had been an utterly focused, ruthless human being.

So if I say I can see nothing in him worth listening to then I’m in a minority. Oops.

@eddiebaby, since his recent gig prices start at £120, that's no bad thing.

Fascinating stuff and how lovely to have that track played at your wedding Rusty, just so right for the occasion.

Have definitely been on a musical journey with VM, starting with 'Them', he's explored all types of music and religion too. In fact I see that 'The Healing Game' is being reissued with a load of unreleased tracks, even John Lee Hooker features. Very tempted!

Saw him again in I think the early 90's but, really, it didn't compare to the first time in 1974 when I realised I was seeing someone utterly unique and talented. Stopped buying his CDs at least 10 years ago, already have around 50 anyway but prefer listening to the older stuff. Having said that, he does seem to have mellowed at long last.

CG, you are a woman of impeccable taste. 🙂

but I’m unusual in thinking Astral Weeks is somewhat overrated

No you're not. Or at least we can both be unusual together. I've never understood why it was consistently in lists of top ten albums. Emperor's new clothes and all that. He's done better stuff

Actually the man himself doesn't seem to rate it either as I dont think he plays any songs from it in his current gigs- at least he didn't when I saw him

I still think AW is a wonderful album and as said above, the context makes AW a remarkable achievement, and Sweet Thing is a beautiful record. If that was the only record he'd ever made I'd still be a big fan.
I just think he has done better stuff - which demonstrates what a gifted poet musician the man is.
I've been going through a bit of a rough period and listening to A Brand New Day from the Moondance album has lifted my spirits like nothing else, but I've always had a preference for his gospel/soul stuff.
The reason I think he is so important is the sequence of the first 10 albums - I think they are one of the greatest sustained artistic achievements of the twentieth century, up there with Bacon's Bad Popes, Sebald's novels, Auden's poetry.

He stopped playing it because he had 'copyright issues' with the late Bert Berns and his widow. He has played it though, I think I've got the live recording somewhere. It's an extraordinary piece of work combining celtic soul with musicians who have played with Mingus and the MJQ.

I think you also need to look at AW in context with the time it was recorded and how it was recorded.
Something I hadn't realised but is blindingly obvious once it is pointed out is that it is all acoustic.
The session musicians where all jazz musicians and VM had no musical direction for them other than play what you think will work. Last time I saw him live I was watching the backing band watching each other as the man would move seamlessly from one song to another while the band did its best to keep up.
Over the years the only album I have listened to as much as AW is Solid Air. I wouldn't place one above the other but they do make a good contrast depending on my mood.

CG, you are a woman of impeccable taste.

Thanks Rusty but am the first to admit that VM is very much an acquired taste!

Was hoping to see volume 2 of The Philosopher's Stone being released at some point, some beautiful songs on volume 1 that bring a lump to the throat.

The reason I think he is so important is the sequence of the first 10 albums – I think they are one of the greatest sustained artistic achievements of the twentieth century, up there with Bacon’s Bad Popes, Sebald’s novels, Auden’s poetry.

handybar - do you mean up to and including 'A Period of Transition' ?

Astral Weeks and Veedon Fleece have been 'life time' albums for me and, oddly, VM's least favourite recordings. Hearing AW on a friend's high end set up put me in a flat spin, there were bits I had never heard in 40 years of listening.

"handybar – do you mean up to and including ‘A Period of Transiti

I think he did some great individual songs in the 80s and 90s (like Daring Night), but none of his albums after 1981 match the quality of his first 10 albums. They come nowhere near.
I don't like his famous songs like "Someone like you" - I mean it's featured on that garbage romcom Love Actually. I think a lot of his material from that period is flat and lacks the explosive brilliance of his early work.
In the 70s he was releasing an album a year, and all of them are superb.
I still listen to his new albums - I like "Transformation" from Rolling with the Punches.