The Album Review Club - End of Round #9 Break (page 1904)

[Coatigan]

So not Furniture then.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

Got to be this actually

 

[journolud]

So not Furniture then.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

The Way Young Lovers Do is worth the ticket price on it's own.

Correct. Write up when I get home and recover from the shock of buying a sofa

 

[threespires]

Got to be this actually

Yes, last pic Everton Weeks, Windies cricket legend.

 

[Coatigan]

Yes, last pic Everton Weeks, Windies cricket legend.

Yea, I would have got there but you were too quick. The thing with Van Morrison is he has sooooooo many albums, and it takes time going through them to see what fits, and that one is one of his earlier, so comes up last on the list. I would guess you knew the album though whereas I was going off a list.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

A classic, think this will be vary high scoring.

 

[threespires]

Yea, I would have got there but you were too quick. The thing with Van Morrison is he has sooooooo many albums, and it takes time going through them to see what fits, and that one is one of his earlier, so comes up last on the list. I would guess you knew the album though whereas I was going off a list.

Yeah, think I first heard it when I was about 18 and really couldn't understand what the fuss was about but as I've got older I appreciate it more each year. Van was always prone to being a bit of tool and these days he's beyond the pale but this imo is an essential album.

 

[journolud]

Van Morrison-Astral Weeks
It’s been a case of diminishing returns for me some time now with Van Morrison but that shouldn’t be a stick to beat him with, he’s far from being alone in that respect of the musical icons of the 70s and on. The last release of his I engaged with was the Healing Game from 1997. That album featured the somewhat dubious talents of Brian Kennedy echoing Van’s words, as though the man himself no longer trusted his own vocals. Even so it had it’s moments and it’s more than likely that the nearly 20 albums he’s released since also have their moments. After all, this is Van Morrison we’re talking about.

The Healing Game might have signalled the end of me listening to contemporary Van and in some respects he’s blotted his copybook since quite significantly with his stance on Covid. It’s hard to reconcile the man and the artist. And that’s even before we get into his famed truculence, his difficult interviews, his occasionally perfunctory concert performances (he was only ever good and occasionally spellbinding when I’ve seen him) and his slightly tedious obsession with complaining about the music industry and the artists who have had the gall to be influenced by him and have acknowledged that influence.

Let’s not focus on the negatives though. The Healing Game might have signalled a downturn in his output but it had been marked before by a great run of albums that started with Into the Music from 1979 ( but not including Common One) all of which had moments of transcendence that I don’t think any other artist could match. A cynic might accuse him of a bit of spiritual tourism, which he would and did deny in the naming of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. During this period Morrison could have read out a shopping list and imbued it with other wordly mysticism and I doubt anyone couild evoke a sense of place I their music like he does.

The first golden age of Van Morrison takes in masterpieces such as Veedon Fleece, St Dominic’s preview and Moondance (the first side of which I think has rarely been bettered as a collection of songs). But before that was Astral Weeks.

It was apparently a source of disgruntlement to Morrison (who was famously easily disgruntled) that despite the quality of his subsequent work so much of it was measured against Astral Weeks. But Astral Weeks…

It’s hard to be original when doing the write ups for albums on this thread and so much has been written about Astral Weeks it seems to be almost superfluous me adding my two pennorth. I hated it when I first heard it and you might too. Not that I think it’s difficult listen but it is far removed from the fairly easy listening of that golden run of albums I mentioned before. It is my favourite Van Morrison album, in fact it is my favourite album full stop. But not necessarily the Morrison album I listen to the most.

It regularly appears in best album of all time lists (16 in Larkins). If you like the album and want to know more about it I’d direct you to the Wikipedia page and the legendary article by Lester Bangs, said by some to be the best piece of music journalism ever. Not that I go with such hyperbole but it is a good read. I certainly haven’t got the literary flourishes of Bangs so can’t adequately put into words where this album takes me, I’ll just ask you to listen to it and well, on you go…

 

[RobMCFC]

Yes, last pic Everton Weeks, Windies cricket legend.

One of the three W’s, but I’d have never recognised his photo.

I was thinking Van-nova, Bossanova? I’d never have got this.

Van Morrison-Astral Weeks
It’s been a case of diminishing returns for me some time now with Van Morrison but that shouldn’t be a stick to beat him with, he’s far from being alone in that respect of the musical icons of the 70s and on. The last release of his I engaged with was the Healing Game from 1997. That album featured the somewhat dubious talents of Brian Kennedy echoing Van’s words, as though the man himself no longer trusted his own vocals. Even so it had it’s moments and it’s more than likely that the nearly 20 albums he’s released since also have their moments. After all, this is Van Morrison we’re talking about.

The Healing Game might have signalled the end of me listening to contemporary Van and in some respects he’s blotted his copybook since quite significantly with his stance on Covid. It’s hard to reconcile the man and the artist. And that’s even before we get into his famed truculence, his difficult interviews, his occasionally perfunctory concert performances (he was only ever good and occasionally spellbinding when I’ve seen him) and his slightly tedious obsession with complaining about the music industry and the artists who have had the gall to be influenced by him and have acknowledged that influence.

Let’s not focus on the negatives though. The Healing Game might have signalled a downturn in his output but it had been marked before by a great run of albums that started with Into the Music from 1979 ( but not including Common One) all of which had moments of transcendence that I don’t think any other artist could match. A cynic might accuse him of a bit of spiritual tourism, which he would and did deny in the naming of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. During this period Morrison could have read out a shopping list and imbued it with other wordly mysticism and I doubt anyone couild evoke a sense of place I their music like he does.

The first golden age of Van Morrison takes in masterpieces such as Veedon Fleece, St Dominic’s preview and Moondance (the first side of which I think has rarely been bettered as a collection of songs). But before that was Astral Weeks.

It was apparently a source of disgruntlement to Morrison (who was famously easily disgruntled) that despite the quality of his subsequent work so much of it was measured against Astral Weeks. But Astral Weeks…

It’s hard to be original when doing the write ups for albums on this thread and so much has been written about Astral Weeks it seems to be almost superfluous me adding my two pennorth. I hated it when I first heard it and you might too. Not that I think it’s difficult listen but it is far removed from the fairly easy listening of that golden run of albums I mentioned before. It is my favourite Van Morrison album, in fact it is my favourite album full stop. But not necessarily the Morrison album I listen to the most.

It regularly appears in best album of all time lists (16 in Larkins). If you like the album and want to know more about it I’d direct you to the Wikipedia page and the legendary article by Lester Bangs, said by some to be the best piece of music journalism ever. Not that I go with such hyperbole but it is a good read. I certainly haven’t got the literary flourishes of Bangs so can’t adequately put into words where this album takes me, I’ll just ask you to listen to it and well, on you go…

That sets the scene nicely - an album you hated on first hearing it and now it’s your all time favourite.

Of course, I’m familiar with the title, but this is yet another classic that I’ve never heard. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a full Van Morrison album.

 

[bennyboy]

A classic that i never liked.
Off all his great lps i have never taken to this one.
I have tried countless times and will try again.
No doubt to the same conclusion.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Van Morrison-Astral Weeks
It’s been a case of diminishing returns for me some time now with Van Morrison but that shouldn’t be a stick to beat him with, he’s far from being alone in that respect of the musical icons of the 70s and on. The last release of his I engaged with was the Healing Game from 1997. That album featured the somewhat dubious talents of Brian Kennedy echoing Van’s words, as though the man himself no longer trusted his own vocals. Even so it had it’s moments and it’s more than likely that the nearly 20 albums he’s released since also have their moments. After all, this is Van Morrison we’re talking about.

The Healing Game might have signalled the end of me listening to contemporary Van and in some respects he’s blotted his copybook since quite significantly with his stance on Covid. It’s hard to reconcile the man and the artist. And that’s even before we get into his famed truculence, his difficult interviews, his occasionally perfunctory concert performances (he was only ever good and occasionally spellbinding when I’ve seen him) and his slightly tedious obsession with complaining about the music industry and the artists who have had the gall to be influenced by him and have acknowledged that influence.

Let’s not focus on the negatives though. The Healing Game might have signalled a downturn in his output but it had been marked before by a great run of albums that started with Into the Music from 1979 ( but not including Common One) all of which had moments of transcendence that I don’t think any other artist could match. A cynic might accuse him of a bit of spiritual tourism, which he would and did deny in the naming of No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. During this period Morrison could have read out a shopping list and imbued it with other wordly mysticism and I doubt anyone couild evoke a sense of place I their music like he does.

The first golden age of Van Morrison takes in masterpieces such as Veedon Fleece, St Dominic’s preview and Moondance (the first side of which I think has rarely been bettered as a collection of songs). But before that was Astral Weeks.

It was apparently a source of disgruntlement to Morrison (who was famously easily disgruntled) that despite the quality of his subsequent work so much of it was measured against Astral Weeks. But Astral Weeks…

It’s hard to be original when doing the write ups for albums on this thread and so much has been written about Astral Weeks it seems to be almost superfluous me adding my two pennorth. I hated it when I first heard it and you might too. Not that I think it’s difficult listen but it is far removed from the fairly easy listening of that golden run of albums I mentioned before. It is my favourite Van Morrison album, in fact it is my favourite album full stop. But not necessarily the Morrison album I listen to the most.

It regularly appears in best album of all time lists (16 in Larkins). If you like the album and want to know more about it I’d direct you to the Wikipedia page and the legendary article by Lester Bangs, said by some to be the best piece of music journalism ever. Not that I go with such hyperbole but it is a good read. I certainly haven’t got the literary flourishes of Bangs so can’t adequately put into words where this album takes me, I’ll just ask you to listen to it and well, on you go…

I agree , I’m a big Van the Man fan and also stopped listening to his output after The Healing Game.