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Astral Weeks
 
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Astral Weeks

Van Morrison
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (270 customer reviews) | More about this product
List Price: $11.98
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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. Astral Weeks 7:06$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Beside You 5:16$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Sweet Thing 4:25$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. Cyprus Avenue 6:59$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. The Way Young Lovers Do 3:18$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. Madame George 9:45$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. Ballerina 7:03$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Slim Slow Slider 3:17$0.99 Buy Track

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Astral Weeks + Moondance + Tupelo Honey
Price For All Three: $34.97

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  • This item: Astral Weeks ~ Van Morrison

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  • Moondance ~ Van Morrison

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  • Tupelo Honey ~ Van Morrison

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
  • Original Release Date: November 1968
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Warner Bros / Wea
  • ASIN: B000002KAT
  • Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (270 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,611 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #87 in  Music > Rock > Folk Rock

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Never mind that Van Morrison is one of the most indelible songwriters of the 20th century--take each album on its own terms. On 1968's seminal Astral Weeks, a twentysomething Van Morrison can be found belting his gospelly, bluesy vocals in just as fine a form as he would be 20 years hence. In the sociopolitical context of the times, the album cried out about such ubiquitous '60s themes as cultural oppression and social upheaval. But it is Morrison's vocal dexterity and passion that maintains such timeless appeal. Take tracks like "Madame George" or "Cyprus Avenue" and you'll find such beautiful mourning, it'll be clear why modern songwriter Sinéad O'Connor once publicly exclaimed: "Van Morrison should be friggin' canonized." --Nick Heil


Product Description

Pressed on 180gram vinyl. Mastered from the original analog master tapes and it features all original packaging 1968's Astral Weeks remains not only Morrison's masterpiece, but one of the greatest records ever made. A haunting, deeply personal collection of impressionistic Folk styled epics recorded by an All Star Jazz backing unit including bassist Richard Davis and drummer Connie Kay, its poetic complexity earned critical raves but made only a minimal commercial impact. Astral Weeks had been dark and anguished. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.
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Customer Reviews

270 Reviews
5 star:
 (231)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (15)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (270 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
195 of 203 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Childlike Visions Leaping Into View, December 5, 2001
By "stolenmoment" (Down By the Sea) - See all my reviews
This is probably my favorite album of all time. I've listened to it countless times, and it never gets old. Those other reviewers who don't "get it" make a few valid points:

1) It isn't perfectly played.
2) The songs aren't polished.
3) It isn't Van's strongest collection of songs.

First of all, it isn't necessary for great music to be note-perfect. ASTRAL WEEKS is about the magic of improvisation-- the suspended thrill of playing (and listening) on the cusp of discovery. In that way, the album is a perfect marriage of music and lyrics, as Van bends and twists the language in an effort to TRANSCEND the earthly significance of his words, to conjure a piece of heaven out of the frustration and pain that wracks his existence. Like Ray Charles did 15 years prior, Van fuses gospel and blues, the sacred and the profane.

For those of you hear only hippy-dippy (...), you're obviously missing the unbearable heartache that haunts these songs. Cypress Avenue deals with unrequited, perhaps forbidden love. Madame George captures the mixture of joy and sadness that comes with lost innocence, getting on "the train" that takes one away from a place of safety and comfort. Ballerina is a burst of effusive passion, but the object of the singer's affection is separate from him, a spectral fantasy that he can only gaze on with paralyzed amazement. Thank god these rough gems weren't polished for radio consumption-- their unique, spontaneous quality would have been ruined.

I concede that this isn't Van's strongest collection of songs, but it's hard to think of these tracks as "songs" in the conventional sense-- impressionistic sketches, maybe, but they hardly lose any artistic merit because of that. ASTRAL WEEKS is not a jazz album, but it certainly brandishes a jazz mentality-- the triumph of feel over form, emotional release over craftsmanship. If that's not your cup of tea, then proceed directly to MOONDANCE. But if you're searching for a true musical journey-- in the truest sense of the word-- then ASTRAL WEEKS is the apogee.

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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This album blows me away, March 9, 2005
By D. J. Richardson (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This album is absolutely phenomenal. This is one of the most personal, beautiful artistic statements I can think of. It is like a diary, but better, because the music adds color and depth that no words can describe. It is rare when the music compliments the singer so well... it is as if the musicians are from the same vein, the same heart. This cd is perfect, beginning to end; musically and lyrically. Van Morrison will show you his lowest low and ever so sweetly, he will take you away to a place that is timeless, a place so wonderful it will make you want to weep... because you know that at some point it will have to end. And what a sad ending it is to this miraculous cd. But you can always press repeat. :)
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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My desert island disc, October 2, 1998
By Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This album has repeatedly turned up in the top ten of lists of the greatest albums ever recorded, and deservedly so. It can be listened to on so many levels. Sometimes I will listen to it while concentrating on the lyrics. Another time, I will focus on Van's phrasing. Another time on Richard Davis's inconceivably great bass playing (this is arguably the greatest performance on bass on any album ever recorded for a rock audience, even if the bass player was a jazz musician). This is an album that simply reeks of genius. Simply put: a masterpiece.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Perfect Album
Please stop wasting your time reading these ridiculously long reviews for this album. You could be using this time to listen to this beautiful music. Enjoy.
Published 2 days ago by Greg DP

5.0 out of 5 stars Creates a Unique, Inimitable Mood
Van Morisson's "Astral Weeks" is a phenomenon. Recorded as if on a whim, within a few days with a bunch of musicians possessing (as it turned out) uncanny gifts of improvisation... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Antonio Robert

5.0 out of 5 stars His best work, ever.
The basic tunes are very good but his taste in orchestral embellishment and counterpoint is superb.
Published 1 month ago by B. Richard Dumke

5.0 out of 5 stars Life
After all these years (five of 'em!), "Sweet Thing" still has the power to freeze my blood. A stuttering shock of memory, a galloping fever dream that strikes every nerve, "Sweet... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Laszlo Matyas

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Not The Masterpiece Everyone Says It Is
I had read so many positive reviews of this album that I was sure it had to be a masterpiece. I had heard Sweet Thing several times on a compilation album, and was excited to give... Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Un-rate-able - Astral Weeks Simply Stands On it's Own
I think it was 1969, a friend and I took the train into NYC to comb the record shops. In one small shop somewhere near Grand Central Station I'm flipping through vinyl with this... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dr. Thomas E. Parker

5.0 out of 5 stars Does it touch my soul?
I'm about to celebrate my 60th birthday, and every year has been filled with music. From Peggy Lee to The Everly Brothers to Buddy Holly to Tom and Jerry to...Kings of Leon. Read more
Published 6 months ago by B. Anbinder

5.0 out of 5 stars To Never, Never, Wonder Why
The ultimate flowering of the soul. The record that defines the quest and its beauty. Van takes your dreams to the cosmos and you know it has to be. It got to be.
Published 6 months ago by Neil L. Siegel

5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY strong Astral Weeks.
For anyone who is into vinyl and into Van the Man this is a must have Lp. Kevin Gray has done his usual masterful mastering work on this project - he has remastered Moondance also... Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Malone

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Album
Good album I enjoy listening to it especially the title track "Astral Weeks" very good song.
Published 6 months ago by Bret Parent

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