Product Code: WBS 1768
Artist: Van Morrison
Origin: New Zealand
Label: Warner Bros. (1979)
Format: LP
Availability: In Stock
Condition:
Cover: NM (M-)
Record: NM (M-)
Genre: Pop U

Astral Weeks

Very nice clean vinyl, smart crisp cover.

Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York at three sessions in September and October 1968.

The cover art, music and lyrics of the album portray the symbolism equating earthly love and heaven that would often feature in Morrison's work. When Astral Weeks was released by Warner Bros. Records in November 1968, it did not receive promotion from the label and was not an immediate success with consumers or critics. Blending folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, the album's songs signalled a radical departure from the sound of his previous pop hits, such as "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967).

Astral Weeks' critical standing eventually improved greatly, however, and it has since been viewed as one of rock music's greatest and most important records (a reputation Morrison himself has dismissed). It is sometimes referred to as a song cycle or concept album.  Critics laud the album's arrangements and songwriting. Morrison's lyrics are often described as impressionistic, hypnotic, and modernist. It was placed on numerous widely circulated lists of the best albums of all time and had an enduring effect on both listeners and musicians. Forty years after the album's release, Morrison performed all eight of its songs live for the first time at two Hollywood Bowl concerts in November 2008; this performance was later released as Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl.