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: guitarist Jay Berliner, upright bassist Richard Davis, Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay, vibraphonist Warren Smith and soprano saxophonist John Payne (also credited on flute, though that's ...
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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: guitarist Jay Berliner, upright bassist Richard Davis, Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay, vibraphonist Warren Smith and soprano saxophonist John Payne (also credited on flute, though that's debatable -- some claim an anonymous flutist provided those parts). Producer Lewis Merenstein added chamber orchestrations later and divided the album into halves: "In The Beginning" and "Afterwards" with four tunes under each heading. Morrison's songs are an instinctive, organic mixture of Celtic folk, blues, and jazz. He fully enters the mystic here, more in the moment than he ever would be again in a recording studio. If his pop hit "Brown-Eyed Girl" was the first place he explored the "previous" -- i.e., the depths of his memory -- for inspiration and direction, he immerses himself in it here. The freewheeling, loose feel adds to the intimacy and immediacy in the songs. They are, for the most part, extended, incantatory, loosely narrative, and poetic ruminations on his Belfast upbringing: its characters, shops, streets, alleys, and sidewalks, all framed by the innocence and passage of that era. Morrison seems hypnotized by his subjects; they comfort and haunt a present filled with inexhaustible longing and loneliness. He confesses as much in the title track: "If I ventured in the slipstream/Between the viaducts of your dream/Where immobile steel rims crack/And the ditch in the back roads stop/ Could you find me?/Would you kiss-a my eyes/...To be born again...." Morrison doesn't reach out to the listener, but goes deep inside himself to excavate and explore. The album's centerpiece is "Madame George," a stream-of-consciousness narrative of personal psychological and spiritual archetypes deeply influenced by the road novels of Jack Kerouac. The climactic epiphany experienced on "Cyprus Avenue" paints a portrait of place and time so vividly, it fools listeners into the experience of shared -- but mythical -- memory. "The Way Young Lovers Do" is the most fully formed tune here. Its swinging jazz verses and tight rhythmic choruses underscore a simmering, passionate eroticism in Morrison's lyric and delivery. 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. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $31.10, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Rhino.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $7.03, like new condition, Sold by Symposia rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hoboken, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Off Roster.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $7.49, good condition, Sold by Foggypaws rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sonoma, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Warner Off Roster.
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Cd in good condition. CD, booklet, and artwork are in great shape. Just a few light scratches to the CD that does not affect the play of the disc. Plays perfectly. The front of the jewel case is cracked. Other than that, just minor shelf wear to the jewel case.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $8.50, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Off Roster.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $10.39, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Bros..
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Good. Good condition. audioCD. Case Good. Disc slightly scratched. Case cracked/scuffed. Quality guaranteed! In original artwork/packaging unless otherwise noted.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $11.62, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Bros..
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $13.98, like new condition, Sold by GoPeachy rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Bros / Wea.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $13.99, very good condition, Sold by Music Fiendz rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Off Roster.
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Very Good. Size: 79x89x6; All orders professionally packed and shipped from the USA within 24 hours. Multilingual, friendly, and intelligent customer service!
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $13.99, good condition, Sold by Music Fiendz rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Off Roster.
Add this copy of Astral Weeks to cart. $14.35, very good condition, Sold by Lake Country Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Excelsior, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Warner Off Roster.
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Very Good. Inserts look very good; may have minor handling bends. Jewel case is NEW. CD has light surface wear; plays perfectly. Ships in cardboard CD mailer with complimentary Delivery Confirmation. Books, box sets, and items other than standard jewel case CDs and DVDs that sell for $9 or more ship in a box; under $9 in a bubble mailer. Expedited and international orders may ship in a flat rate envelope rather than a box due to cost constraints. All US-addressed items ship with complimentary delivery confirmation.
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