Saturday, September 30, 2006
ASTRAL WEAKS
Everybody loves this record. I had never heard it, only about it. I love Moondance, and Van is the man, right? So last night I found out that the whole world is delusional when it comes to this record - it's a mess.
"It's only eight songs, apparently recorded in 48 hours with a band Van Morrison didn't even know.
It has a mood and a feel that is hard to describe. " - AVC
I'll describe it. Loosey goosey. It sounds like the band didn't know a lot more than Van, how about the songs?
AVC goes on to call it one of the greatest records ever made, and I'm here to tell him, and Dave Marsh, and everybody else that Van should have spent more than two days on this one, maybe work out some arrangements and make a record that makes some sense.
Van is an amazing vocalist with loads of talent and emotion, but it's laid over a morass of ambiguous noodling. There's no anchor, no hooks, and way too many tracks of meandering instruments who sound lost.
Maybe that is the point, but if so, it's a stupid point.
Astral Weeks blows.
Comments:
listening now.
the opening sounds of the record (and the song) Astral Weeks are some of the greatest sounds ever recorded. van's voice is superb. the flutes are awesome.
the acoustic guitar and singing on Sweet Thing are also fantastic.
and Madame George, well there isn't much that's better than that. i could listen to that song over and over.
could they have made an even better record if they'd taken the months that artists do now? maybe.
but this record is burned into my brain. i like it the way it is. to me, its perfection.
the opening sounds of the record (and the song) Astral Weeks are some of the greatest sounds ever recorded. van's voice is superb. the flutes are awesome.
the acoustic guitar and singing on Sweet Thing are also fantastic.
and Madame George, well there isn't much that's better than that. i could listen to that song over and over.
could they have made an even better record if they'd taken the months that artists do now? maybe.
but this record is burned into my brain. i like it the way it is. to me, its perfection.
The fact that the acoustic guitar isn't playing in time with the flute doesn't bother you?
Maybe those opening sounds are great, but they'd be better if everybody was playing in the same time signature.
I will allow that you do indeed enjoy this record, and I suppose many others feel the way you do, but to my ears, gimme Moondance - even Wavelength over this poorly thought out record.
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Maybe those opening sounds are great, but they'd be better if everybody was playing in the same time signature.
I will allow that you do indeed enjoy this record, and I suppose many others feel the way you do, but to my ears, gimme Moondance - even Wavelength over this poorly thought out record.
