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Astral Weeks
Participated by Van Morrison
Studio : Warner Bros / Wea
by Warner Bros / Wea
Release Date : 1990-10-25
Publisher : Warner Bros / Wea
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0075992717625
UPC : 075992717625
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 245 reviews)
List Price : $11.98
Our Price : $7.10
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Americancivilwar.com essential recording |
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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 |
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Landmark |
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Sit down, shut up, load one in the bowl and listen to this album and it will change the way you listen to music forever |
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Astral Squeaks |
I know that this is a classic, I know that it has sold a zillion copies and that it estblished Van as a "great and as an innovator." I know that everybody has covered "Moondance", probably even The New Christie Minstrels.
In spite of all that, I cannot stand it. I am not concerned that it is very much of its time. I am not concerned that it was the start of endless records of two/three chord bashes. I am not concerned that it encouraged Van to play sax, which is not good. No, my dislike is very black and white - I can't BEAR his voice. It's a yes or no thing, I guess. I am sure that it is deliberate but he cannot seem to hold a note for more than half a beat, and his tone is so harsh. Listen to the middle section of Moondance - it would give an elephant migraine. From Veedon Fleece until the present day he seems to have a mouthful of marbles and a swollen tongue - and the end-notes are about one tenth of a crotchet.
When a flatmate played in incessantly when it first came out, those not in favour braced themselves in aticipation of the hard-edged squawks and clipped endings. It was christened "Astral Squeaks" and I cannot think of it as anything else. Also, I know that he is a very private person for one who tours endlessly, but why does he have to cultivate the on-stage persona of bad temper and aggression? You won't see that from Gary Brooker or any of his near-contemporaries, even on the Oirish scene.
I tried again recently becuase my boy is playing a few numbers in a band. No, sorry, it's still unlistenable. |
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Delicious Exasperation |
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What is expressed in these songs, in the energy contained in them is something that I connected with very deeply. I think that is a lot of what art is: how well something is expressed, some feeling, emotion, struggle.... To me it soothed my soul, brought meaning to my pain - told me that through it - works such as these can be accomplished. This piece of music is a pinnacle example of the outpouring of a person's soul. When people talk of this album, I have heard of them speak of it in terms of soul. And I fully agree. I feel that the palpable rawness expressed is something rare, a peek into a souls struggle. And the fight is played out in these songs. What a battle, get a front row seat. |
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pretty instrumentation, but... |
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I like the instrumentation of this CD; it's got a lot going on in ways that you don't normally hear, but the actual melodies get kinda boggy about halfway through (or sooner), and if Van Morrison CAN sing (like a pro) he blatantly refuses to do so. Another perfect example of how this "they/we write their/our own songs, so they're/we're better" mentality is ruining music; not that it's a new thing, obviously; this album came out in 1968 after all, before The Beatles broke up, but I think music would be more enjoyable if people would quit trying to do everything themselves and work as a team; i.e.: someone writes the music, someone else arranges it, someone else sings it, someone else performs it...of course it's impressive when someone can do all of that and pull it off without a scratch, but most artists can't. |
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REMASTER AVAILABLE! But ONLY In Japan! Why, Edgar... WHY? |
The good news?
20+ years after their debut on CD, FINALLY, there are full remasters of Moondance, Street Choir and Astral Weeks.
The bad news?
They're not available domestically from Warner Music Group USA: All three were released in June 2008 by Warner in Japan only, and Americancivilwar is only now getting around to making them available in the U.S.
The catalog numbers for the three Japan Warner remasters are WPCR-75419, -20 and -21, which streeted in Japan on 6/25/08. Be sure that you use the links (Street Choir and Astral Weeks will function after 9/30 when Americancivilwar adds them into stock) I have provided above, as Warner Japan has previously released non-remastered versions of all three titles (also listed here on Americancivilwar), and you don't want to make an expensive mistake.
These classic albums, which we have all waited so long to be brought properly into the digital world, now, unfortunately, join fellow Warner artists such as Tower Of Power, Ry Cooder, The Doobie Brothers, Neil Young, Van Dyke Parks, Little Feat, America, Annie Haslam, Everything But The Girl, Todd Rundgren, Cold Blood, Paul Butterfield and many others, whose either partially or wholly remastered catalogs are only available off-shore.
Pathetic.
The responsibility for this is ultimately Edgar Bronfman, Jr., the CEO of WMG USA. Instead of focusing on WMG's core music catalog, he's busy extolling the virtues of consumer-oppressive DRM, over-paying P-Diddy tens of millions of dollars, and in June of 2008, revealed as losing another $30 million of WMG funds in promoter Joe Meli's mad scheme to charge $15,000 per person to attend a swank, exclusive, five-act concert series in the Hamptons. These are only a few of many excesses this guy has perpetrated at WMG, presiding over a spectacular loss of investor equity since the 2005 WMG IPO, while he and his investors have lined their own pockets.
This year, Universal is staging a 28-title Van Morrison catalog re-release, all remastered with bonus tracks. You'd think SOMEBODY at WMG would be smart enough to pilot-fish that momentum with these three seminal titles. At the very least, how hard can it be to obtain the existing, completed remasters from a Japan subsidiary and make them available in the U.S.?
All of this is no surprise to WMG, or ex-WEA, insiders. Internally, Warner policy was always that the majority of consumers were going purchase popular catalog titles anyway, so why waste profits to remaster them? WEA sales employees were told this directly by Warner management as far back as the early 90's, and Bronfman's regime simply status-quo'd that odious philosophy.
This is what happens when bean-counters run record companies.
But, I guess Edgar & Co, too preoccupied with moguling the mess they've made of a once-great record company, can't see the opportunity: As of this writing, no WMG act has any major position on the charts, and artists, alienated by WMG's all-finance-dominated mentality, are departing for pastures where music still has some modicum of corporate consideration.
What a waste.
WMG could borrow a page from Sony, who established a successful business model out of sonically-upgrading their catalog over a decade ago. The only major Columbia Records artist that comes to mind, whose catalog hasn't been remastered, is Springsteen... and you have to believe that's not by Sony's choice.
Bottom line, Edgar? If you don't believe there's no positive revenue to be generated by offering a better product, then you've no business being in that business.
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