The whirling energy of the title track leads into the hushed cityscape of “Beside You,” drawn in spare instrumental strokes from Davis’ plucked bass notes, Jay Berliner’s classical guitar and flute in a free-floating arrangement that literally stops time beneath Morrison’s alternately soaring and whispered singing. That feverish poetic intensity persists throughout the cycle even as the songs shift in pace and tone. From the moment jazz veteran Richard Davis’ acoustic double bass tips off the triple-meter rhythms of the title song, Van Morrison embarks on a mission of spiritual discovery “in another time, in another place” against an instrumental backdrop that weaves pop, jazz and folk elements into striking, seductive chamber pop. Sir George Ivan Morrison’s shifting assessment can’t blunt the album’s singular, hypnotic power. Related: We look back at another Van classic, His Band and Street Choir Within weeks of Astral Weeks’ completion, Van Morrison would distance himself from some of the production choices after performing the album in its entirety in 1969, he would virtually excise its eight songs from his live shows until 2008, when he ended that boycott to mount note-for-note live performances of the songs and arrangements to mark its 40th anniversary. Walsh’s Astral Weeks-A Secret History of 1968, a wide-ranging and discursive look at Boston’s pop-cultural landscape that chronicles how the artist had fled to Cambridge in the wake of his battle with Bang and producer Bert Berns. How Morrison had arrived at that transformation remains partly shrouded by his notoriously mercurial temperament, as detailed in Ryan H. Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers in Arms’: Mark Knopfler Completes the Transition to Stadium-Friendly Band.Alan Arkin Tributes Come From His Co-Stars.The Beatles at Budokan in 1966: Tokyo Rocks.Bettye LaVette’s Soulful Interpretations: Concert Review.Bob Ludwig, Legendary Mastering Engineer, Retires.The Band’s Pioneering ‘Music From Big Pink’.Graham Nash, Stephen Stills on How CSN Got Their Start.Grand Funk’s ‘We’re An American Band’ Backstory.Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ ‘Imperial Bedroom’: Multi-Colored Delights.Gordon Lightfoot ‘At Royal Albert Hall’ Live Album Set for Release.Color-Coded Love: A Bounty of Affection for the Beatles’ ‘Red Album’.When Carole King Played ‘Tapestry’ Live For 1st Time.Peter Gabriel Shares Stunning 7th Track From New Studio Album, ‘i/o’.The Zombies’ Busy 2023: Tour, New Album.Remembering Barry White and Love Unlimited.Pour One Out: Our Tribute to the Red Solo Cup Inventor.The Souther Hillman Furay Band’s Debut LP: Less Than the Sum of its Parts.
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