Van's Debut

Imagine being at the local record store in 1968 and seeing Astral Weeks and having no clue what this is all about.  You vaguely remember Van Morrison in a Mod group called Them and even remember the song "Brown Eyed Girl" and thinking is this what this will be like?  It's not in the music magazines I'm reading.  It's not like he is going on tour to promote this album.  You decide to bring it home because I know who this is, so it can't be all bad right?

Once the first song hits the ear you realize that this is no Them or "Brown Eyed Girl"  This music is completely different then the Van Morrison you know.  It's mix of musical genres is not only unique, it's also breathtaking.  The music is so fun you take the needle and start again from the beginning of the album.  The first four songs are not so much pop music, but Jazz, Blues, Folk and Classical.  A fly on the wall moment happens where you are transported to Century Sound Studios in New York.  The music is hypnotic and impressionistic.  In one word it's beautiful.

Van was an artist I must admit that I got into by way of a greatest hits compilation.  While this best of was a very good introduction, the song "Sweet Thing" was the song that took out.  It's not the song that was played on the radio, nor was it a song that at the time of the album released made into a single.  It was far, far different then anything on the greatest hits album.  The funny part of the song is how it's strategically placed on the album.  If you own Van Morrison Best of then you will see what I mean.  "Brown Eyed Girl" is the track before it.   

What makes this album the masterpiece it is; is the fact that many more people for generations to come.  When I bought Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-e he did his own beautiful, can't be matched version of "The Way Young Lovers Do." If you know the version it really makes your draw drop to the floor.  It did for me and made me want to listen with more intent the power of Astral Weeks.  

So why did I pick this Van Morrison over the others?  It's quite simple I have been a fan of this album since I was a teenager.  My best friend had this on cassette and he had Moondance on LP.  I would listen to both all the time and I always gravitated towards Astral Weeks.  Moondance was the game changer for most people.  It had songs on the radio, it sold millions of copies and also it made Van Morrison fans for life.  I think that when I heard his Warner Bros. debut I felt like he could do no wrong and other people heard his album and loved his mellow, full of lush and beauty that this is so fresh to us that this is great.  Van may have many albums and songs in his cannon that we can point to, but when I heard "The Way Young Lover's Do" from him and Jeff Buckley I can finally understand the "wow" that he brought.