Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I really liked Van Morrison but I didn't find any song especially cool.
(2.5) Y a pas de quoi casser trois pattes à un canard
PREFS : Astral Weeks, Cyprus Avenue, The Way Young Lovers Do, Ballerina MOINS PREF : Beside You
I dont this this holds up. Also never been a fan of his voice
Overall an ok album however there wasn't really anything that stood out as fantastic to my ears. Best: Sweet Thing Worst: Madame George
This isn’t really my style but I can definitely say there are some cool vocal moments on this record. I really like his use of repetition, it really gives off this vibe of hunger or longing that I think he’s going for. That paired with his strained vocal makes for a super unique sound.
Sort of like alternative soul music. 3/5
Wow I actually really don't like how dramatic this is. Almost a 2 in enjoyment but it's objectively not bad... so 3 I guess but oof.
Love Van Morrison voices sounds quite haunting. Lovely short album and very much a 60s record
At times: wow, what lovely, rich, mystical sounds to daydream along to! At other times: wow, is this song *still* rambling on…? Overall I probably feel similar about this album to how I feel about Moondance. Which is to say, I enjoyed it in parts but can’t quite understand its legendary reputation.
I think "Madame George" encapsulates my feelings about this album well. It's got a nice, full sound and evocative lyrics sung in Van's unmistakeable voice, but it's too damn long. At no point in my life have I ever said "Man, you know what I'd like to do? Listen to a 10 minute-long song." (Okay, that's not entirely true; I've got a 16 minute version of "Rhapsody in Blue" that's pretty awesome, but that's the exception to the rule). On its own, sure, it's fine. But when I listen to music I listen to multiple songs (as pretty much everyone does), and I like the experience to flow. Get much longer than 5-6 minutes and things start to drag. And yet I enjoyed the song and the album, even if they overstayed their welcome a bit. Enjoyment-wise, they were both a net positive thanks to Van's lyrics and delivery. This album isn't something I'd queue up with regularity, but I threw "Sweet Thing" and "The Way Young Lovers Do" into my 1001 Albums playlist on Spotify. And yeah, "Madame George," too.
I enjoy his voice & some of his music, but this was a little on the boring side.
good background/study music
Split on this. It has atmosphere, but also a lot of wailing. To the extend that my girlfriend made me turn it off as it was pecking her head.
6/10. meh no es malo pero no me gusto tanto. aparte las letras qlas el wn repite todo dms y no me lo puedo tomar en serio. to nevanevaneva to nevavava to nevanevanveavamsjsuqbsm
Very good album, with its quiet but skillfully played instrumental background and poetic lyrics. Still, the melodies become monotonous at times and the songs are, in my opinion, too long.
Ihan kiva fiilis. Sunnuntaihin sopivaa settiä
Enjoyed it, would have given it 3.5 if I could.
Very unique singer songwriter and folk album with no real choruses, just free flowing lyrics and long run times. I think given more time with the record I will grow to like it more, but it is definitely an interesting listen.
I thought I liked early Van Morrison, before him and his music turned into a bloated wankfest, but this must be too early
Pleasant, light, but very samey (just as What's Going On is samey, but still excellent).
Not my favorite Van Morrison
Hab nachgelesen, Album wurde wohl in 3 Tagen aufgenommen. Auf jeden Fall interessant das Ding
His voice is the biggest draw back to me. It's great for one song, Ok, for a few songs, then just get's old for me after that.... Standouts: None Still, it's good music. Just like to hear someone else sing the songs! 3.5
Ett nästan banalt album, varje låt är otroligt Van Morrison. Det är inte särskilt spännande eller "kreativt". Låtarna smälter ihop på ett väldigt tråkigt sätt, det blir som en enda lång smet av okej texter och melodier.
I don't have much to say about this one but it was pretty alright. I blanked through most of it but it definitely wasn't awful. Too many of the songs were too long, though. Fave track(s): The Way Young Lovers Do
Peaceful and calming, would listen again
ничего не поняла))
Kind of a snooze. I feel like this needs to be listened to in a meadow somewhere. Nice sounding but every song sounds the same and his vocalizing gets to be a bit much.
Certainly more muted than other entries in Van Morrison's catalogue. Astral Weeks doesn't really have that Into The Mystic on Moondance or Domino on Domino-style song, but the album as a whole was fairly relaxing, which I definitely needed yesterday. Standouts: Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing
I only knew a few of Van Morrison’s hits coming into this one. This was my first time listening to this one, and it didn’t really do much at all for me. Will definitely be going back for future listens in the near future
Bonito. "Astral weeks", "Sweet thing", "The way young lovers do". No es la octava maravilla pero creo que si es un disco a escuchar.
No me convenció la voz del pibito
A few good songs does not a cunt redeem.
These songs kinda meandered along and I found them to be pleasant but forgetful (with the exception of a couple). Highlights: Sweet Thing Cyprus Avenue
Sir Ivan er eitthvað svo kósí, þrátt fyrir sína mjög sérstöku rödd og raddbeitingu. Fíla þetta.
>..<
favorite tracks - astral weeks, sweet thing least favorite tracks - beside you, ballerina Loved the fingerpicking and vocals from van. every track was 3-4 minutes too long
Pretty stereotypical acoustic based jam band. Songs too long, and don’t feel like it added much to the genre. Though probably was a bit new for it’s time.
Good, Didn't grab me.
It’s a shame that Van Morrison is a wanker these days. This record is pretty good. I feel like he was trying to pull a Tim Buckley with the jazz/classical elements to his folk rock. He pulls it off quite well. While Morrison’s voice isn’t the best, the songwriting is pretty good. There’s also a tinge of psychedelia in the overall sound of the record. But hey, it was 1968, what do you expect?
Of its time - not the best thing I've heard. Bit folk-y for me.
The album is at times marred by some unexploratory tracks that seem to drag on a bit (Madame George), as well as the relegation of many of the more interesting instrumental parts to the background of the mix. This is redeemed in part by the more experimental textures present throughout the record. A lively rhythm section (Richard Davis' bass in particular) is put to good use on higher energy tracks like 'The Way Young Lovers Do', however opportunities for them to stretch their legs are unfortunately limited. Another strong point of the record would be Morrison's abrupt and keening vocal delivery of his casual, at times motivic lyrics. Favorite Tracks: Beside You The Way Young Lovers Do Slim Slow Slider
Nothing much to say about this. Good songwriting, competent performance, but not outstanding. Nothing that is going to be added to my playlists, but nothing that I would skip if presented to me.
3, its okay.
3 Great album
It’s good but not great.
I hate Van Morrison and his music is overrated.
Nice album. Enjoyed it on my autumnal walk!
Aardig, maar veel nummers veel te langdradig
ha la voce di Mick Jagger, molto più psichedelico e arzigogolato
Was dreading when this one was going to appear. it was actually more tolerable than I was expecting.
Sounds like 1968. Bluesy acoustic guitar and flute. It's OK, I guess. I file this under "Sunday morning household chores" music. There are a lot of stories here - not unlike a Bruce Springsteen album I was forced to endure earlier in this project.
Decent enough but nothing stood out. His voice was pretty good back then.
Meh, no me gustó mucho
Decent.
definitely not something i would have picked but i really enjoyed it more than i thought i would, especially about halfway through the album :))
Can’t work out if I love this, hate it, or just think it’s mediocre. First impressions weren’t great, but I’ve listened to ‘Astral Weeks’ several times now, and what I can tell you is that it does get better and more enjoyable the more time you spend with it, although it does feel unfinished in parts. Could it ever become a desert island disc for me? Jury is still out on that one. I do love ‘Sweet Thing’ though, which is just beautiful and my favourite song on the album.
not his hits but a good album none the less. liked it.
It's a nice album but I've maybe never really been a big Van Morrison fan outside of the most popular songs
I thought the songs were nice sounding but I was confused by the lack of structure in a lot of them
One of my favorite vocalists ever, and his voice cuts through so cleanly on this album. But, this album left me kind of disappointed. Decent music, but nothing terribly interesting to me. Favorite track: Sweet Thing
Pretty good listen but some songs dragged a bit and would’ve liked more variety. Fav track: Astral Weeks
A very interesting folky-country feel. Nothing extraordinary though.
Decent - some good tunes some not as good
Lacks the genius singles of some of his other albums, but is overall a decent Van Morrison listening experience
It’s a fine piece of ‘60s folk. Like, it’s been done better…even by Morrison himself. Nonetheless it’s fine.
Album was weird starting off but finished off very strong. Was going to give it 2 stars but 3 is perfect.
Not Van Morrison's best album. Not a bad album though. I am disappointed that this is on here but Blowin' Your Mind! isn't. Decent just not anything special.
It didn't really grab me. It sounds like "here's a bunch of songs, do the Van Morrison thing to them" That's no small feat, but I found that none of the songs stuck with me like they did on other releases.
Jag gillar ändå honom. Men var är brown eyed girl? den saknade jag.
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for this one, but it didn't blow me away. Several of the songs were very busy musically and had a jazz feel, with Van's voice acting as more of an instrument. Maybe that was the point and I missed it.
I have it a shot but Van Morrison is still not for me
Tough record to boil down into a rating. Its greatest strength is Van Morrison insisting on defying conventions - lyrically, compositionally and structure-wise. This strength also makes the whole thing a bit inaccessible and makes you alter between a calm meditative state and frustration at the repetitiveness and runtime of the tracks. When it transports you to an entirely different state of mind, it's magnificent. I am just not able to stay there for the entirety of the record.
This album has a lot of good vibes, and the lyrics are also enjoyable. I don't know if I'm receiving too much folk and folk rock, but even with a musical style that I appreciate, I think this album was a little bit repetitive. I understand why it is part of the 1001 list, but it's not a 5-star due to the repetitiveness.
Clearly something in this album captured people’s imagination and there is something ethereal and unique in the soundscape and Morrison’s impassioned, if imperfect vocals, but I found it an elusive and slippery thing, hard to pin down and become absorbed by. Perhaps more listens are required.
Good but needed a more upbeat Van Morrison today
Nothing highly memorable about the album but I did enjoy it more than I thought. Wish I could rate with half stars, because it would be a 2.5, but I'll be generous and give it a 3/5
I honestly haven't ever really spent much time on the music of Van Morrison. Other than having the unpopular opinion of hating Brown Eyed Girl. I guess I'm going to continue to have the unpopular opinions because I kind of just tuned it out while working and hadn't realized that first off I was on track 5, and two that I thought I was still on track one. Sorry gang, he just doesn't do much for me.
Good album, but doesn't do it for me like, say, Moondance does.
Chilled out acoustic 70s.
it's good
Gave it a couple listens just so I would get the feel of this expansive psych folk release that's so coveted. I think it does have some wonderful moments, though I feel it would take some time to actually sink. Sadly I rather not give more attention to a dude that would eventually turn to a conspiracy nutjob, so I'll give it a 3.
I remember being blown away when I first heard this, but the last couple of times I've listened it's left me a bit cold. There's some beautiful stuff going on instrumentally but Van's voice is quite abrasive in places (especially on the first couple of tracks) and nothing is particularly memorable
Didn’t latch on to anything in particular but it was all decent. Maybe a 2.5
Wat komt er toch veel goeds uit Ierland. Ik was niet kapot van de plaat, maar die stem is natuurlijk geweldig.
Fine
I love the conflation in music of sex and religious experience. That album opener is like standing in a violin downpour at night. The instrumentation on track 2 is actually quite experimental, demanding the listener's ear. Then a walk in the wet garden after the downpour. If this music doesn't speak to you, it's because it doesn't speak to your heart. Because that's the only thing this album can speak to. The heart. I think this is the perfect album when you're returning home after staying out all night. I love how the harpsichord goes hard then silent then hard again. If music were an embroidered object, it would be some of these songs. This album is about turning points--when the rain gives way to clear skies, when the night gives way to the dawn--standing on the cusp of love. "Madame George" is spellbinding, the last song you listen to as the dawn comes, when you've been out all night and are dead tired but still enchanted by the memory of the stars. This is falling in love, not with a person but with an experience and a forgotten but remembered snatch of some whispered line. Here's that violin downpour again. Feel it on your face as you turn your collar up, as you turn your face toward home. This is an album detailing the life portals we must all step through, the last being death. I love that final moment of experimental dissonance. The music--like life--is over. The music is disrupted.
He's got one of the best voices in classic rock / rock / folk rock. It's so notable, distinct, and full of emotion. This album starts off with some tracks that have the music underneath his voice sort of meander around and he just kind of "does his own thing" on top. Lots of rubato and free flowing rhythms in his vocal melodies that just sit on top of the chord changes. I'm not sure if the majority of his music/songwriting is like this, but I like it. Sometimes vocalists have such good voices that they really just have the agency to do what they want on top of music without the need for things like structured repeats to enhance the catchy-ness quality of a melody, and this seems like the case with him. He can seemingly just grab a mic and go "lllluuuuuhhhhhh yeeeaaaah" and it sounds great. The one downside of this that I've seen happen is that it makes this sort of disconnect between the vocalist and the band members. I like a certain amount of homogeneity in the vocals and the music; it is just another instrument after all. I don't find it as much of a downside for Van Morrison though because I know that he is a songwriter too and not just someone who gets put on stage in front of a band and told to "do his thing". I think Steve put it well in his review of the last album on the list - (where he ironically mentioned Van Morrison- not knowing that next up on the list WAS Van Morrison lol) this is a great Sunday morning / afternoon album. Put it on while you are drinking coffee and tidying up your place, or put it on while you wait for your grill to get hot and for your friends to arrive. There won't be any objections to the music choice.
Blah
The Way Young Lovers Do är en 5:a men resten blir rätt gnälligt.
I just love Van Morrison's profound and meaningful lyrics : "Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Dry your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye Say goodbye to Madame George And the loves that love to love that loves to love That loves to love the loves that loves to love The love that loves to love Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye"
Not bad, but not that good neither.
Finally go through this. It took me three tries. Overall it's a pleasant and creative album. Once I read that it was a stream of conscious style concept album the repetitiveness made sense. But I can't see myself putting it on and just listening to it or having it as background music. Hence my low rating. It truly is just too repetitive. The one song that made me sit up and listen was The Way Young Lovers Do which is excellent, and I imagine in my head that Stufjan Stevens listened to this album and it inspired the band in Illinois.
pleasant, classic vocals
Eh, I got kinda bored halfway though, it's not bad
Il m'a fallu quelques écoutes et la lecture de l'article de Wikipédia pour comprendre l'intérêt de cet album (que je connaissais déjà pourtant). Le processus créatif auquel ont pris part des musiciens de jazz lancés sans trop d'indication dans des chansons folk aux structures simples produit un effet très original. L'envers de cette excellente idée est que les chansons sont plutôt redondantes.
Alright. Bit boring for me
Helt swag... fångade mig inte helt dock.
Canciones largas, me gustaron algo
agætt en ekki my shit
I don’t really know how to talk about this album but I can say it was more of an experience than anything else I’ve rated so far. Still not into singer-songwriters, for the most part. Best song: Sweet Thing
Thought the album was nice, though maybe the songs a bit too long at times. 7/10.
Hit or miss - sometimes it sounds like he's just yelling into the microphone, and other songs are nice to listen to. All unmistakably Van Morrison, but wish he'd leave the yelling to other artists.
I never really understood people's obsession with Van Morrison. I don't think his music is bad, but I really don't think its any thing special. Maybe I'm missing something.
for some reason i really didn't care for the back half of this, but the first songs were really good, nice aesthetic and pretty lyrics. the vocal style where he just repeats a phrase over and over with increasing intensity can be pretty annoying. 6/10
6/10. Why does this list need more than one Van Morrison Album?
It sounds nice but it’s so slow. 6/10
Weird album. I liked it, but it was also pretty same-y. There was some weird things with desyncing between instruments in like, Madame George. That was off-putting a bit, as it just seemed clumsy and didn't add to the music. Also, Slim Slow Slider just fucking ends. It has a little weird freakout and then quick fade. What a weird way to end an album. 3/5
No where near as good as Moondance, the symphonic additions were way too much. Incredible stereo mix though
Loin d'être autant remarquable que Moondance. Des bons moments mais des moments oubliables aussi
i didn't' listen but i don't like van morrison
van morrison is just not my thing. still good, and chill to listen at. not any bad songs too.
Decent, not really my style of music, but not bad
Pretty nice
I really like Van Morrisons vocals. First album I've listened to.
It was okay kinda boring
It's a lovely sort of ramble that sounds to me like a Sunday afternoon. I'm guessing it takes a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate.
I used to love this album, but it sounds a bit tired and dated now.
Rating: 5/10
Sé alveg hvernig fólki getur fundist þetta sjarmerandi og þetta var greinilega nýtt spennandi á sínum tíma. En ég get ekki sagt að ég hafi mikla þörf á að hlusta aftur.
I liked a lot of it musically and instrumentally, pleasant sounding strings and flute and harpsichord-sounding thing. I really had a hard time enjoying his voice on this album; sometimes I liked it, but often it pierces my ears and was too loud in the mix. He sings with much passion though, I must give credit for that. Some of the songs were a bit too long without enough change imo (I love a good long song, but not as much if it doesn't change much the whole time). Fav song was "The Way Young Lovers Do". I appreciate it aesthetically, there is tenderness and sweetness.
Never experienced this chapter of Van Morrison. I was impressed. Can’t call it classic rock cuz I’d never heard it.
My wife had a friend in college who was a huge Van Morrison fan, and hated that all anyone ever knew of Morrison was "Brown-Eyed Girl." Well, that would've been me. For as iconic as Morrison is in his era and genre, I'm surprised I don't know his other work. Or don't know that I know it, at least. I was going to follow this up with some kind of poorly introspective mumbo-jumbo about his songs and lyrics, but in the middle of struggling to write it I Googled Van Morrison and now I am forced to write about Janet Planet! Janet Rigsbee was Morrison's first wife, who he married to avoid deportation. At least, according to an article from ecelebrityspy.com. I'm going with ecelebrityspy, in spite of it's horrible writing, because there is no Wikipedia article about Janet. Even though Morrison re-christened her Janet Planet. Even though she went on to have a career in music after they divorced. But ecelebrityspy devotes as much time to her music career as the items in her Etsy shop. She doesn't go by Janet Planet anymore. Finally, the visual I had of Morrison in my head was him in the 60s. Turns out I also knew what he looked like later in life, but had no idea it was the same guy. Some in the public eye cultivate a look and style and then hang on to it until long after it stops working for them. At least Morrison didn't do that.
Very pretty sprawling music with diverse instrumentation which van Morrison uses as a background to repeat himself and make the WAHHH sound every 3 seconds
Algjör Strandarmúsik, skítfínt
As intellectual as the lyrics are, poetry is not my jam. The music blends together, seeming one big song of an album. It's not bad, it's actually probably quite good and important, just not my taste of folk rock. Highlight Track: 5
Nice album.
Not impressed
Enjoyed this much more than I expected. Brown Eyed Girl might on one of my least favorite/overplayed songs, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much this sound was appealing to me. 3/5
Its okay, a couple of stand out tracks, 2.5
Classic folk rock
I'm a Van Morrison fan (musically, not personally), but I don't think I've ever listened to this album all the way through. I already liked Sweet Thing, but I really like the title track. The rest of the album is okay, but those two songs in particular are excellent.
Funny, love van the man.. But this is to jazzy.
Folk/blues. Ikke så hit agtigt som Brown-Eyed-girl, men stadig med charme!
This is another I've always known is an Important Album. I love Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance, but Van Morrison's reputation as a bit of an arsehole has always kept me from bothering. Excited to see what this is all about. Astral Weeks (the song) is certainly a statement of intent. Loose and rhythmic with intriguing string arrangements and good, Dylanesque lyrics. At 7 minutes it maybe starts to outstay it's welcome, but by less than I expected. More Velvet Underground indulgent than say, Yes. Cyprus Avenue sounds a bit Cat Stevens (or Cat Stevens sounds a bit Van Morrison?) which is no bad thing! Again, it would be better if it had been around the 4 minute mark, rather than 7. After two good, but overlong tracks, Beside You is shorter, but Van Morrison's nasal whine becomes very grating. The awful noise is supposed to represent passion I'm guessing. Sweet Thing is nice. The arrangement feels a bit Nick Drake, and in a softer voice I imagine it'd be beautiful. As it is it is still good. The Way Young Lovers do is a much better match for Van Morisson's vocals and a return to excellence for the album. It's jazzy lilt and occasional viewing close to anarchy making for a great song. I note with dread the next two tracks last a combined 16 1/2 minutes. Madame Joy is nice for three minutes, but could have built and resolved itself much faster than it did. The last three minutes are intensely repetitious. Slim Slow Slider is just okay. Blander than the rest of the album but a shockingly short 3 minutes long! This, in theory, is a great album. Had it had a producer that was willing to be firm on song length, it probably would have been. As it is, there are some brilliant songs that I'd love the radio edits of, but that ultimately come across as bloated and indulgent (and I say this as a prog fan). A 30 minute version of this album would get four stars, but as it stands at 47 minutes, very much a three star album.
I generally love Van's music. This one was worth the listen and felt more personal than some of his other albums but just lacked the enthusiasm and energy overall. Many of the songs were a bit rambling and seemingly aimless at times. Not bad, just... Incomplete? Felt like a warmup or practice album for what was to come on Moondance.
I'll say a 3. It's pleasant enough, though a bit dull. Nothing I plan to revisit but it's not bad.
Enjoyable psychadelic folk, but I didnt want to listen to it again. Didnt click with me i guess.
Never been much of a fan of Van's voice. It's a tad shrill for my tastes. But this was a decent album.
It’s pleasant enough and all signature VM sound. Just nothing really stood out for me.
Started decent, but dragged a bit.
Favourite tracks: Beside You; The Way Young Lovers Do. Cool sounding acoustic guitar that works together very well with the other instruments to project a very smooth and slightly melancolic feel. It also sounds very warm at times, kinda reminds me of The Beach Boys in that aspect. This album works well as an experience, but I think some songs carry it and make it way more catchy and compeling. FI: 6/10
Some decent stuff on there
Bien
Meh. Not my favorite.
Just an alright album. I did not find it memorable.
It's fine.
3.5
ganz nett anzuhören, spannende Mischung mit Cembalo und teilweise Jazz :)
Sounds pretty good and original, but a bit repetitive.
3/5
once again can’t fault it can’t necessarily praise it either
Astral Weeks is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history, but for all that renown, it is anything but an archetypal rock & roll album. It it isn't a rock & roll album at all. Van Morrison plays acoustic guitar and sings in his elastic, bluesy, soulful voice, accompanied by crack group of jazz studio players. Astral Weeks is a justified entry in pop music's pantheon. It is unlike any record before or since; it mixes together the very best of postwar popular music in an emotional outpouring cast in delicate, subtle musical structures.
Sounds interesting, would like to have another listen as it is pretty densely packed songwriting
Some nice most ok. Long duration
Sounds good, it's what you would expect from Van Morrison.
Not an artist that I like and every track sounded the same. ***
Like this 👌
Sounded better to my older ears. Not a huge fan of his voice though. Will give it a few more listens.
Mainly dull but some good bits in there
Not as good as moondance and I don’t care what Jav says. 3/5
"And as you leave, the room is filled with music Laughing, music, dancing, music all around the room And all the little boys come around, walking away from it all" (Madame George) "And here I am Standing in your sad arrest Trying to do my very best Lookin' straight at you Comin' through, darlin' Yeah, yeah, yeah" (Astral Weeks) Quizás no el mejor disco para ponerte a trabajar a las nueve de la mañana si necesitas un poco de marchita, pero sí para tener de fondo una tarde pocha al lado de la estufa.
NyeeeaaaaAAAEEEEEeeeaaaaaah
Buena voz de un buen intérprete anglosajón. Canciones reposadas y tranquilas, aunque con un buen timbre de voz. Bastante parecidas las canciones entre sí.
15/01/2021 - Nota: 5
Mnja
Opening track is really fun but runs long. Overstays its welcome. Beside You is pretty much unlistenable. Not for me I guess.
Knew a few singles off this but never listened to the full record. Had an enjoyable time
Need to be in a mood
Had some bangers on it, really enjoyed it as background music tho
Great record. Second half is a bit forgettable.
eh
Meh. All I kept hearing was a unplugged, down tempoed version of Brown Eyed Girl.
Its Van Morrison thats for sure. Only listened to about half of it. It's good I guess not my thing though.
There is a very nice vibe to it, quite hippy. A little too screamy for me but I can definitelly see why some would love it. Madame George is definitely a highlight of this album.
I know I’m suppose to love it and appreciate it, but the album just felt boring to me.
Pretty nice ambience. I'm not sure why I expected more of a rock sound, but this is nice and folky. Nothing particularly mind-blowing, but a good vibe.
Not bad, bit didn't feel compelled to listen to all of it.
No bangers.
A real big surprise for me- I had a feeling I'd dislike this one, but there were some bangers on here, "The Way Young Lovers Do", "Madame George"
ok. would listen to it again.
Another album known to me. The only Van Morrison album I've ever listened to.
Melodious. Different instruments in left and right channel. Long tracks. Voice easy to listen to and rides the instrumentation well. Nice flourishes of single wind or string instruments. Not sure what the lyrics are alluding to, don't have a good imagery of the emotions presented. Presents a sad but hopeful mood.
This album suffers from the same thing many do for me, it's too much of the same thing. Maybe it's an issue with me. I like Van Morrison, Moondance is among my most favourite songs, and there are great songs on here. It's just too much Van Morrison in one go though.
Nice voice but songs are too long
ANTI MASKERRRRRRRR. Really too bad because this really is an exceptional record. It would’ve been a 5 but I’ll give it 3 because of his recent transgressions and being an old loser boomer.
It's good, I don't think it'll be on the regular rotation. 3 star
Only somewhat did it for me
Morrison's soothing voice backed by the beautiful strumming of the guitar took my mind to another place and almost put me to sleep.
3.5
It’s good and that but not super engaging
More like astral years amiright? I have long thought that Van Morrison had a voice so beautiful that he could read a phone book and make it sound decent. On this album he decided to test that premise. Honestly, I think a theme of Van Morrison's career is his use of angelic vocals to hide uninspired songwriting.
The more I listen to Van Morrison the more boring I find him.
I'm just glad Brown-Eyed Girl wasn't on this cause I fucking hate that song. His voice is not my favourite
Van the Man is at his screechy best (worst?) here, especially on “Beside You”, which has the capacity to a beautiful song were it not for all the bloody screeching, and “Ballerina”. I know this is considered a classic and, by some, his magnum opus, but, much like Van himself, it’s not an album that has ever clicked with me. It does have “Cyprus Avenue” on it which, as I previously mentioned when I had to listen to a 10min live version of it because of this generator, makes me a little warm and fuzzy about my home (see also: “Madame George”). But only a little.
Well the title track really lulled me into a false sense of security. I thought I was going to hate this before pressing play, but I really enjoyed the title track. I thought track 2, Beside You, was absolute bollocks. I got irrationally annoyed by the mixing of track 3, Sweet Thing, particularly the very loud triangle in my left ear at the beginning. I liked The Way Young Lovers Do but that was mostly despite Van than because of him (yay trumpets!). I get really annoyed by how he drrrrrrraaaaaaagggggssss oooooouuuuttttt tthhhhhheee voooooooocaaaaaaaals one minute, then suddenlysayssuddenlysayssuddenlysayssuddenlysays the same couple of words repeatedly and very quickly. In one song it'd be fine, but he repeats the same trick again and again and it's really irritating. On the basis that I can't give an album a 1 where I liked two tracks quite a lot, this should feel lucky to get a: 2/5
I read about this album when I was ~16, went and listened to it, and decided it was too mature and meditative for my young brain. I’ve just tried again at 27 and I can confirm that it still mostly sounds like rambling bullshit. Maybe I’ll give it another shot next decade.
You hear one Van Morrison song and you basically have heard them all
It’s like he purposely is making an enjoyable folk-pop song, then doing everything he can to turn it into something completely unlistenable.
Okay
Albums like this always introduce internal thought in me about what makes an album "good". I feel like, for everything I could say against this album, there are albums that I like that I would say it either doesn't affect my enjoyment of the album or is a bonus for me. For example, I could say that everything on this album sounds the same, but I love artists like Future or Bob Dylan, who also make very homogenous albums. I could say I don't like the style he's doing, but a quick look through my other ratings makes it pretty clear that's not true. I don't get why this album doesn't do it for me, it just doesn't though. It doesn't have that factor that makes it stand out. Favorites: Sweet Thing, The Way Young Lovers Do
Ни о чём
No sorry, I'm not having that
Het Luc de Vos probleem: zoveel focus op teksten en zelfexpressie, dat hij vergeet muziek te maken die ook nog ergens naartoe gaat. Maar serieus: zou de man helse pijnen lijden als hij een refrein zou schrijven?
Not for me. Nothing I can connect with here. He's just rambling on
I really dislike you Van Morrison. 2/5
No
Love the music , hate the vocals and lyrics
I’ve heard this before, but only a few times a long while ago. This doesn’t have any of his hits on it and I don’t think I’ve heard any of these songs on classic rock radio, which is understandable since none of these songs have any hooks to them, in fact I don’t think any of these songs have a distinct vocal melody and it seems mostly improvised around a general feel of a melody. There are only a few songs with drums on them which leaves the rhythm all to the guitar, which is buried in the mix. The strings feel almost tacked on and I think I’d like the album better without them, it seems like they’re added to give some kind of structure to the songs when that should be left to the guitar and it takes away from the improvisational style of nearly everything else going on. There’s some beautiful songs here, but everything seems just partially thought out and they all run together, and it ends up being a big mess.
Probably one of the most overrated albums of all time
Ehh
A folkier Van here, for sure. I dig the direction and at times I really vibed with the lyric/guitar mix. But it's just something about his voice that doesn't do it for me. Feels performative. Highlights: Beside You
not my type of music
That was tedious.
No me ha gustado nada
I love Van Morrison and this is a beautiful album but the songs are too long for what they are
It was fine. Not something I’d come back to but I didn’t hate it. ⭐️⭐️1/2
Madame George was a banger, but the rest of the album made me feel like I'd done something to upset the man. The sound of his voice was uncomfortable for the most part, like some god of mischief's early attempt at making the world's most painful/annoying sound that he later surpassed by chance when he tripped, but was able to catch himself with his nails on a chalkboard. Maybe Morrison is that trickster? The rest of the band played some really nice music, so it would certainly explain the marrying of such beautiful sounds and horrible, grating, plunge-your-head-into-a-garbage-disposal-to-escape inducing pseudo-musical voicings that exists in most of these songs. Maybe he's his band's own Yoko Ono? I wish I had the language to leave an appropriately scathing review of the musical qualities of his voice, but alas I don't and the only thing left scathed is my psyche.
⭐️⭐️1/2 Some songs insist upon themselves but there’s a lot I like, too. Could grow on me over time. I kept thinking that I was loving the instrumental portions of the tracks despite his voice. Man his voice is grating when he’s going on and on with the same lyric. It crescendos nicely with the instrumental often, though. The back half of the album is not as grating, but maybe the Stockholm Syndrome has fully kicked in at that point.
Oof. Not for me.
Cheeky little flute always keeping you on your toes. Very necessary as Van Morrison's singing is just not very interesting to listen to, even with all the emotion he puts behind it. At least it's not terrible, just very monotonous. Standouts: Astral Weeks • The Way Young Lovers Do
meh
not a fan of this
Sounds good but I was not in the right mood to listen to folk, I'll try again some day. Favorite Songs: The Way Young Lovers Do
This sounded like someone listened to bob Marley and tried to make it as white as possible. I’d go as far as to call this a historical “Monica by Jack Harlow” moment
I respect the album musically for its expansive, freewheeling, folky elements but hate hate hate it for the vocals. A great white-knuckly NNNNGGHH AAAAGGHHH WELL WELL WELL WOAH WOAH WOAH Quasimodo of the folk genre.
I have mixed feelings about this record. On one hand I love the jazz elements being combined with traditional sounding folk rock, and it gives a preview of where Van Morrison wanted to go with his sound. On the other hand, a lot of this is very boring, generic, run of the mill, nothing to write home about acoustic folk rock. So overall it’s meh. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not anything I think I’ll ever go back to. If I’m going to listen to Van Morrison, it’s going to be “Moondance”.
it's van the man. unique but mostly sounds the same to me
I don't really like his voice.
parece o tipo de musica q os velhos ouvem e falam "NA MINHA EPOCA isso era musica", n é pra mim infelizmente
mix is terrible. i get what’s happening here, but the mix is terrible
Ok album...no great songs but like his voice
Meh. Nothing grabbed me. My kid said VM sings like he’s missing five teeth.
Maso
No me gustó, pero si puedo notar que cada canción tiene algo muy especial
good lord. So much flute??? I don’t enjoy his voice, so the super extra instrumentation feels like too much frosting on a mud cake. Get it away from me!
My third Van Morrsion album. I have HATED the previous two, how is this? It's the earliest-released, and his voice hasn't got as weird as it is in the later albums, so it is marginally less grating. The sound is more jazzy and big band at times too. Ballerina sounds like Penguin Café Orchestra at times, although with the unwelcome addition of Van Morrision singing over the top of it. If this had been my first exposure to Van Morrison on this list, I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. Overall MUCH better than the other albums. Two stars!
Album #80: Astral Weeks - Van Morrison Genre (W): Folk rock, folk jazz, progressive folk, blue-eyed soul No singles. I have listened to this album once. Thoughts?: Morrison’s lyrics, most of the time, are very poignant. I love the arrangements! This kind of reminds me of Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan did more psychedelic/experimental material. Some of these songs require one to be patient, and I feel they drag for too long. Favorite songs: Astral Weeks, Sweet Thing, The Way Young Lovers Do
Pretty dull offering from the “fat monk singing Gloria” ©️the late great Shane MacGowan 🤣
A little one dimensional; the songs all sound very similar, and his voice is the same throughout. Kind of boring, would probably not listen to again.
This Van Morrison album kind of drove me nuts. His voice got to me. Maybe it was because the songs sounded soooo similar.
My second Van Morrison. Still not for me
I remember this was one of my Columbia House CDs when I was like, 12. God I must have been disappointed.
This guy sings way to much like Laura Nyro for be to enjoy it.
Do you like Jazz? I do. This isn't Jazz, but it sure as hell tries to be. I don't know, something about the songwriting just doesn't work for me. I can recognize a good record here, but it fails to appeal to me much. Key tracks: Astral Weeks The Way Young Lovers Do
My god he just continues on and on the same, track after track. He has a nice voice but there is little variation. 2/5
A bit too much ethereal star gazing by Van on this, could not tell if he was singing or having a stroke on some of the songs
Honestly not liking this at all compared to the last album. Like dude shut up.
I like other Van Morrison albums but not this one - no matter that the critics somehow really like this one.
Decent, but definitely my least favorite of the three albums on this list of his so far.
I think Van Morrison should give instrumentals a try.
2 out of 5. A bit slow for my tastes but enjoyed some of the instruments used.
This disappointed me actually. It appeals to much less than his other stuff on here. Put me in mine of Joni Mitchell, his voice annoys.mre on this oneand that meandering style is clearly not for me. 2.5
Too slow and not my jam
Need to revisit
This was an unpleasant day to have ears. It’s not worth a 1, but I sure was tempted. At least if it was bad I could laugh about it, but it’s just so boring. 2/5 ⭐️ 65/1089
I had a brilliant review written all about how in my first year of university, one of my new friends asked me if wanted to go see John Martyn who was playing there. Having heard the whining drone emanating from his room from time to time I declined. The punchline was that I was wise beyond my years. When I posted it I realised this is actually a Van Morrison album not John Martyn But to me the two are indistinguishable. And I'm sure some of the wailing coming from that room was Van Morrison anyway so I stand by the original review. So I'm still wise beyond my years
Fell asleep during 'Madame George '
ai q capa é essa FAVS (top 3): sweet thing, cyprus avenue, madame george mençoes honrosas: ai gente dava pra morrer sem ter ouvido esse sinceramente um album bem normal, não é ruim mas nao é um marco nota final: 2/5
I was positive going into this; Van Morrison has a great voice. By the middle of the album, I was dying for it to end. A good voice with neat guitar playing isn't quite enough to sustain my attention. I was bored shitless listening to this. A bit harsh maybe, but true. 'Sweet Thing' was pretty good. Some of the songs started off interesting, and quickly become dull or meaningless. This genre, country/acoustic (however you want to call it) is not really for me anyway. It takes something particularly excellent to capture my attention, and this wasn't it. I only really know Van Morrison for his big hit song, Brown-eyed girl. Perhaps I would have been happier only knowing him for this. Because of how much I was willing this to end, I have to get it two stars.
Unenjoyable
Why is there so much sing-talking? And not in a way like Slint’s Spiderland. Utterly forgettable 2/5
It felt like it had a lot of potential, but it was kinda talk-y with the occasional trying to reach for notes, meh. At least it wasn't that long. 2*
Weird that I didn’t like this that much
Don't think I'm a Van Morrison person. Only track I liked was The Way Young Lovers Do, the rest bored me
A bit annoying, a lot of boring. 4/10
Notable Textzeile: I know you're dying, baby And I know you know it too I know you're dying And I know you know it too Every time I see you I just don't know what to do Ich bin eher bei der Panflötenmeinung. Und bei quäckige Stimme. Und zu sehr wie Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
i think there was one song where i wasn't bored
The Way Young Lovers Do
I generally like Van Morrison, but I don't understand the love for this album. It's boring and most of the singing sounds like it was inspired by a doctor putting a tongue depressed in his mouth.
Not quite my van Morrison
This being called an album is a stretch. More like an improvised moaning stream of consciousness. Yes Van the Man has a unique voice and way of “singing”, but with very little song structure and even less melody, it made for a pretty forced listen. Props to the session players hired to try and follow this rambling.
I tried. Really, I did. I knew going in that I'm not the biggest fan of Van Morrison, but 125 albums in I have genuinely become more open minded in my musical listening. The first 30 seconds of the first song were going pretty well, too - trying to digest the lyrics, appreciating a nice melody. After about 5 minutes (of this 7 minute long song) I realized...the music hasn't changed. We're getting the same short chord progression over, and over, and over. And I can't take the constipated singing any longer. And the lyrics don't resonate with me at all. So this ended up being a tortuous voyage through Van Morrison's navel gazing. And to be fair, I don't feel too bad. After all, COVID unleashed Van Morrison's inner conspiracy theorist identity, including putting out an album decrying all the ways he is being oppressed - including by Jews. Once a pos, always a pos I suppose.
Meh
Sorry to my man Van Morrison but this don’t work for me
Twas ok
PIPES!! Man’s got pipes. Bit of same-song too tho. I did not find this album matched its reputation. Dos estrellas
Panflöten.
alsof je op een kat zijn staart staat en blijft staan...
5'5" Irish garden gnome who needs to ease up on the vowels
seine Stimme gefällt mir persönlich nicht so und die Lieder sind jetzt auch nicht besonders spannend
I wouldn't listen to the whole album but I added one song to the playlist called beside you,very chill vibes and I like that.This guy has better songs on his discography than this album
All the songs are just Van Morrison singing randomly with pretty much no sense of melody. I guess I didn’t hate the flute and acoustic guitar backing. Those songs did not need to be that long.
Sounds like someone doing a parody of Van Morrison.
Kan inte någon knäcka den där jävla flöjten mitt itu? Här finns en bra låt och det är The way young lovers do. I övrigt är det ett evigt flöjtande, fiolande och gnolande i låtar utan slut. På Moondance, som kommer fyra år senare, har Van Morrison fått styr på grejerna och levererar sånger med början och slut och däremellan riktiga melodier. Men här finns än så länge bara embryon till detta.
Not much to say. Just a little too boring and a little too long. Another mediocre folk album.
I don't really have much to offer here. Can't see a time when I would actively reach for this. Not terrible, but the tracks seem a bit drawn out. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 50% Revisit ❌️ Default ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 194 Already owned : 44 Purchased : 8 To buy list : 4 Nope : 138
His voice is just bad, right?
Not for me. Oops.
Nasal, warbled, hippy-dippy lyrics ("the dynamo of your smile caressed the barefoot virgin child to wander" FUCK OFF) sung over music provided by a crack selection of jazz musicians (bassist Richard Davis, drummer Connie Kay, guitarist Jay Berliner, flautist John Payne and percussionist Warren Smith, Jr.). Unfortunately, they don't sound much like jazz musicians on any of these songs except on "The Way Young Lovers Do" (easily my favorite song on here). It would have been great to get an actual jazz album out of this group without Morrison, but they are mostly confined to playing lilting, meandering, folk-ish background music to some truly terrible, self-indulgent singing. Morrison clearly loved the sound of his own voice and could stretch a single sentence over twenty miles of audiotape. Even Richard Cohen's sleepy, quarter-time singing is better than this. The (mostly-improvised) backing music is impressive, and there's one good song, which saves this from one star, but on the whole, this is an easy pass for me.
The music itself isn't too bad, but those vocals... JFC.
Tiesin Van Morrisonin nimeltä, mutta musiikkinsa on jäänyt pimentoon. Tämä levy oli materiaaliltaan tasapaksuhko ja hitit puuttui. Parasta oli akustisuus ja Van Morrisonin karhea laulusoundi. Siitä tykkäsin.
Considering how much I love Moondance I was surprised by how much I DIDNT like this one. His voice is meandering and borders on grating
Pretty nice vibes but prolly not gonna listen to again :)
man can i be so for real right now ........ i just dont see it at all, i dont get it in the slightest bit and think he actually just sucks ass and the only interesting thing on the album is the celtic folk elements
Surprisingly this one falls flat for me. I love Moondance but the pace of this is too slow and Van Morrison’s wailing doesn’t strike the same as it will there. Maybe with more listens it will grow, but after 10 years of having it on vinyl I would never pull this one out to play if not prompted.
p154. 1968. 2 stars. Fine lyrics and voice, let down by below par songs. Go on, whistle the melody to anything on this after one listen. See what I mean? And no-one needs multiple 6+ minute songs.
Otro más de este sujeto? No está mal, pero no da para tener otro disco en la lista.
E Salbi für mis Trommelfell. Aber wer brucht hützutags no Salbene? simmer 13i? Allgemein chli z herzig und z lieb für min Geschmack und den dezwüsche Lieder wo mi biz zfest gestresst hend für de hüttig mood. Sorry Morri. 2 ich-freu-mi-sehr-fest-uf-baldigi-Ferie für dich