General Article name: Astral Weeks
Genre: Pop englischsprachig Product type: LP (Vinyl) Label: RHINO Number of tracks: 12 Duration: 46:05 Tracklist CD - 1 1. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks 2. Van Morrison - Beside You 3. Van Morrison - Sweet Thing 4. Van Morrison - Cyprus Avenue 5. Van Morrison - Way Young Lovers Do 6. Van Morrison - Madame George 7. Van Morrison - Ballerina 8. Van Morrison - Slim Slow Slider   Tracklist - 2 Morrison, Van - Young Lovers Do (LP Version) 3:10 Morrison, Van - Madame George (LP Version) 9:25 Morrison, Van - Ballerina (LP Version) 7:00 Morrison, Van - Slim Slow Slider (LP Version) 3:20   Description Description

Astral Weeks is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history. For all that renown, Astral Weeks is anything but an archetypal rock & roll album: in fact, it isn't a rock & roll album at all. Employing a mixture of folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, Van Morrison spins out a series of extended ruminations on his Belfast upbringing, including the remarkable character "Madame George" and the climactic epiphany experienced on "Cyprus Avenue." Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Morrison sings in his elastic, bluesy voice, accompanied by a jazz rhythm section (Jay Berliner, guitar, Richard Davis, bass, Connie Kay, drums), plus reeds (John Payne) and vibes (Warren Smith, Jr.), with a string quartet overdubbed. An emotional outpouring cast in delicate musical structures, Astral Weeks has a unique musical power. Unlike any record before or since, it nevertheless encompasses the passion and tenderness that have always mixed in the best postwar popular music, easily justifying the critics' raves. ~ William Ruhlmann

William Ruhlmann

Contributors Artist: Van Morrison Record Label: Warner Bros. Record Label: Rhino/Warner Bros. Current Distributor: Cinram Logistics UK Guest Artist: Jay Berliner Guest Artist: Connie Kay Guest Artist: Richard Davis