Album of the day (#879): Astral Weeks by Van Morrison

[Jasonconfused]

Gets better with every listen.
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[Patman360]

[drakonium]

The first time I listened to it, the sound of the sound was quite unexpected, and I was quickly bored. Then I listened to it months later and it was like... WOAH! Incredible. Totally stellar. Lethal said it best : there is a general consensus about the amazingness of this album.

I have yet to listen to anything else by him, though (except Moondance, which was very good too, but still clearly inferior). Next one is Veedon Fleece

[ProfessorSquid]

So this is pretty awful, but I just couldn't get into this for the longest time. Then I watched that movie "The Five Year Engagement" with Jason Segel and Sweet Thing plays a part in it. I'd forgotten that song and it was so good that I re-listened to the whole record. At the that point I was hooked. So thanks Jason Segel for my boring Astral Weeks anecdote.
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The Swizz

[useless]

It's not exactly the type of music I would sit down and listen to, but it's so beautifully made and the mystical vibe just nails it. Although some of the tracks drag too long, most notably the title track (yeah, I know it's among the favorites of most listeners, but almost every song which followed seemed better than this) it never gives the impression of excess, it rather flows naturally throughout. Favorite tracks would be Beside You, Sweet Thing and Madame George (which towards its coda elevates to higher levels of beauty). Maybe the only serious issue I have (which is kinda bitchin', since the rich combination of unexpected instruments, the poetic lyrics and the ethereal atmosphere it creates should be just about enough for me to settle down and be happy) are Morrison's vocals which sometimes, when he sings too loud, they sound somewhat... weird (a good example would be "In siiiiiilence easyyyyy"-but there are a lot of other similar moments as well). It's been admittedly a long time since I last gave this a listen so I'm writing this while Sweet Thing plays to get into the mood and it's really as good as I remember it to be. Additionally, a little something which strikes me as surprising to say the least: http://www.chimesfreedom.com/2011/08/15...-astral-we eks/

[Guest]

[sheep21]

Really good album.
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Back after a while

[EyeKanFly]

[Happymeal]

It's a pretty good album in my opinion. Can't say why.

[hairymarx1]

Simply the greatest album ever made. This work of art is an example of how miracles can happen when beautiful and evocative poetic imagery is set to sublime music. This collection of eight songs conceptually split in two parts -'In The Beginning' and 'Afterwards' - is a flawless illustration of stream of consiousness 'Joycean' modernist writing which Morrison delivers in a unique celtic-tinged rapid machine-gun style. This supreme combination of dream-like poetry and jazz is unmatched in the history of popular music.

Morrison's voice is highly expressive and perfectly complements the flowing instrumentation. The playing throughout is wonderful, particularly Richard Davis's bass. But credit must also be given to John Payne and Warren Smith for their brilliant use of percussion, sax, flute and vibes.

Recorded in the space of just 12 hours, the albums almost improvised creation was borne out of the spontaneous creative urges of its protagonists. The album is evocative of both time and place but at the same time manages to transcend both resulting in a timeless masterpiece. Albums and artists come and go, but Astral Weeks is such a solid work, people will be talking about its merits in decades to come.