Emily: I think the best way I can describe this album is musical impressionism. Like the impressionist painters, Van Morrison elicits a dreamy, ethereal quality in each and every song through both the subject matter and the execution. He's singing about love, but barely says it outright. He simply leaves the listener with its impression. Each song's seemingly simple melody is beautifully crafted with a blend of pop, folk, and classical music. Something about this album drew me in on the first listen that I just want to listen to it again and again. There is just so much to figure out and discover, the layers of theme and musicality that can only be discovered by repeated listening. Astral Weeks is repeatedly listed as one of the best albums of all time, period. My words simply cannot do it justice, so go and listen to it for yourself. I'll join in, just to hear it again.
Favorite Tracks: Madame George; Astral Weeks; The Way Young Lovers Do
Zack: Alright I’ve listened to this album three times
over the course of the past week but not a single time was I drinking Jameson.
I think I listened to it wrong. But that certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying
the album. How could you? It’s just such a perfect combination of so many
awesome things. It’s sophisticated, yet folksy. It’s poppy, but still kind of
rocking. It’s jazzy. I’d have an antithesis to that, but the opposite of jazz
is lame, and this album was far from lame. It was the kind of album that they
just don’t make any more, not because it’s old fashioned, but because I’m
pretty sure this album isn’t replicable. It is a
one-of-a-kind masterpiece. So, you know, listen to it and junk.
Favorite Tracks: The Way Young Lovers Do; Sweet Thing;
Astral Weeks