Van Morrison
Astral Weeks
Play Astral Weeks
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MOG Editorial Review
It's just as hard to pin down what makes Van Morrison's 1968 landmark so special as it is to classify which genre it belongs to. Recorded while he was still in his early 20s, Astral Weeks showcases Morrison as a songwriter wise beyond his years. In addition to acoustic background, Morrison also employed everything from a string quartet to a set of jazzy wind instruments to create a sound far more diverse than your average folk or rock record, giving it a feeling that evoked everything from pop to his native Celtic music. Still, the lyrics are the main attraction here, and if you don't feel moved by Morrison's contemplative, soulful vocals and words on "The Way Young Lovers Do," you're missing out on one of the '60s most exceptional records.
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AMG Review of Astral Weeks
William Ruhlmann
All Music GuideAstral Weeks is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history. For all that renown, Astral Weeks is anything but an archetypal rock & roll album: in fact, it isn't a rock & roll album at all. Employing a mixture of folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, Van Morrison spins out a series of extended ruminations on his Belfast upbringing, including the remarkable character "Madame George" and the climactic epiphany experienced on "Cyprus Avenue." Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Morrison sings in his elastic, bluesy voice, accompanied by a jazz rhythm section (Jay Berliner, guitar, Richard Davis, bass, Connie Kay, drums), plus reeds (John Payne) and vibes (Warren Smith, Jr.), with a string quartet overdubbed. An emotional outpouring cast in delicate musical structures, Astral Weeks has a unique musical power. Unlike any record before or since, it nevertheless encompasses the passion and tenderness that have always mixed in the best postwar popular music, easily justifying the critics' raves.
 "Astral Weeks")
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- Release Date 1968
- Label Rhino/Warner Bros.
- Genre Rock
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