“Van fully intended to become Dylan’s best friend,” she recalled. Morrison moved out on his own in 1967, and after recording “Astral Weeks” Van and his wife moved out to Woodstock. He was indeed knighted both for his music and for his services to tourism in Northern Ireland. “Astral Weeks” is often known as a stream-of-consciousness narrative, that undoubtedly appeals to Dylan. What Van Morrison brings to music which is not commonplace in the music of Dylan is the soul side of R&B, as well as a link back to Irish music which undoubtedly appeals to Dylan. It sold slowly at first, but subsequently reached great acclaim. After Berns’s untimely death, Morrison was given a very small amount of time to complete “Astral Weeks” by the record company. The band worked with Bert Berns (who wrote Twist and Shout and produced Baby Please Don’t Go) with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl”.

The second Them album, not unreasonably called, “Them Again” contained a fine cover of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.

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.Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) became known, at least to British fans of the R&B scene for songs such as Gloria and Baby Please Don’t Go.Īnd the band holds a particular place in Tony’s memory, because Tony played in a band that supported Them in their early days when “Baby Please Don’t Go” was a highlight of their performance. Astral Weeks Is A Justified Entry In Pop Music's Pantheon. He Fully Enters The Mystic Here, More In The Moment Than He Ever Would Be Again In A Recording Studio. Morrison's Songs Are An Instinctive, Organic Mixture Of Celtic Folk, Blues, And Jazz. Producer Lewis Merenstein Added Chamber Orchestrations Later And Divided The Album Into Halves: 'In The Beginning' And 'Afterwards' With Four Tunes Under Each Heading. 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). '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. Sealed 2020 Reissue, With Custom 'Back To Vinyl' Hype Sticker On Shrink.

Youtube van morrison astral weeks