After the immense success of Blowin’ Your Mind and “Brown-Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison experienced some trouble with his label, Bang Records. The legal matters were eventually worked out, and he started recording Astral Weeks with Warner Bros. Records in October of 1968, and the album dropped later in the year. Working with acoustic sounds and with a producer w/ a background in jazz, Morrison’s sophomore effort was a stylistic departure from his debut, and although it was not received as well at the time of its release, Astral Weeks is now considered one of the most important rock albums, a widely lauded cult classic. Lyrics are free-flowing and the sound palette borrows from folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, and highlights from the 8-tracker include “Sweet Thing,” “Beside You,” “Cyprus Avenue,” “Young Lovers Do,” “Madame George,” and the title track.

• 180g black vinyl pressing
• original release year: 1968
• music label: W7 2017

reviewed by nakaveli 08/2017