It has often been said in relation to films the sequel always pales in comparison to the original, ‘Godfather II’ generally regarded as the only workable exception.
In rock music the situation is slightly different as groups rarely continue a narrative and set of defined characters from one album to the next – naturally The Kinks flout this with ‘Preservation‘ (Acts I & II), although in this case the part-two double album provides goods reason why it is a rarely attempted concept.
This is not to say there are recordings over the spectrum of a career that cannot be viewed as a phase or collective body within a whole.
One obvious example is the late 70s/early 80s trilogy of Christian-themed albums by Bob Dylan and while this may be no more than a personal observation, there feels a sense of connected frisson between ‘Music From Big Pink‘ and ‘The Band,’ (The Band) ‘Plastic Ono Band‘ and ‘Imagine,’ (John Lennon) and ‘On The Beach‘ and ‘Tonight’s The Night‘ (Neil Young).
Each pair are follow-on releases on the roster of that artist and singularly a brilliant recording on their own terms – but together they are imbued with a distinct feeling of continuity, successive chapters within the scope of a great novel.
Yet if this theory of loose connection is to be properly pursued then ultimately it leads to Van Morrison and the two-shot extravaganza of riches that is ‘ASTRAL WEEKS‘ and ‘MOONDANCE‘ – a pairing that eclipses all others.
Released fifteen months apart (‘Astral Weeks‘ – November 1968/’Moondance‘ – February 1970), an age could be spent trying to define this couplet of astounding albums and even then the easiest thing to do would be go back and simply marvel at their accomplishment and serenity.
Indeed, this feels an opportune moment for your host to admit that on buying both in the late-70s, it took at least a year before ‘Moondance‘ was finally turned over, this under the bizarre notion that side one was so impossibly perfect, the second side could in no way compare – and when he finally did, guess what………..
Any single label you attach to these records is so utterly inadequate. True, there are elements of jazz, folk, R&B and, at a push, they could even be said to have overtones of ‘cosmic country music‘ – but that might depend on what cosmos and country you inhabit.
Their blues influence is undeniable, evident also is Irish mysticism and the spiritual searching of the artist – all of which, allied to that almost indefinable alchemy he alone provides, may bring it somewhere close to what Van himself has described as ‘Caledonia Soul.’
Born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast on August 31 1945 to a jazz singer mother and father who was an avid collector of blues and jazz recordings. In 1963 Morrison formed Them, a power-packed R&B outfit whose early singles included ‘Baby Please Don’t Go‘, ‘Here Comes The Night‘ and the Morrison-written ‘Gloria‘ – an undoubted classic of its kind, it remains in the repertoire of most bar bands to this day.
After a succession of personnel changes, Morrison disbanded Them in 1967 and headed to New York with designs on carving out a solo career. Accompanied by Them-manager/producer Bert Burns, initial recording sessions yielded the classy hit ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’
To capitalize on its success the album ‘Blowing Your Mind‘ was rushed out, about which Morrison knew nothing, thinking this desultory collection of material was no more than work-in-progress demos (Morrison has made no secret of his distrust in music business machinations ever since).
When Burns died suddenly in December 1967, Morrison was released by Bang Records and thus became a free agent. Aware of his potential, in the spring of 1968 Warner Brothers offered Morrison a recording contract, sending him into a New York studio in order to record the welter of material he had now amassed.
With Lewis Merenstein in charge of production, the accepted version of what happened next is that ‘Astral Weeks‘ was recorded in just two days – in which case it stands as the most well-spent 48 hours in rock history. An episodic song-cycle of eight mesmerising pieces, the music has no constraints, the lyrics impressionistic with an air of mystery.
Acoustic and mainly folk-based, aside from Morrison on guitar the most prominent instruments are the bass and flute, giving the melodies an ethereal quality over which Van delivers several lengthy narratives – ‘Astral Weeks,’ ‘Beside You,’ ‘Cyprus Avenue,’ ‘Madame George,’ ‘Ballerina‘ – with not a distinctive chorus to be found among them.
For an album that has received so many critical laurels, it is hard to hum a tune or quote a direct lyric from ‘Astral Weeks‘ in the way either could be done from a masterpiece by say Dylan or The Beatles.
The shorter pieces, ‘The Way Young Lovers Do‘ (coloured by a delicious soprano saxophone) the trenchant ‘Slim Slow Slider‘ and joyous ‘Sweet Thing‘ (the most immediately engaging track and only ‘Astral Weeks‘ cut to appear on Morrison compilation sets), are no less passionate and tender.
Whether he is evoking loneliness, loss or childhood memories, Van invests emotion in every line, delivering the words in an improvised vocal style. Every track sounds a one-take performance that allowed no room for rehearsal – his inflections closer to those of Louis Armstrong than Jerry Lee Lewis.
Certainly the most literary album in the field, when it comes to creating imagery only ‘What’s Going On‘ and ‘Born To Run‘ are same breath candidates, the influence of ‘Astral Weeks‘ acknowledged by Springsteen when it came to making his 1973 debut ‘Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ.’ Such is its innovation, Elvis Costello has remarked:
‘(Astral Weeks) is still the most adventurous album made in the rock medium. There hasn’t been a record with that amount of daring since.’
Containing nothing suitable to be issued as a single, when it appeared ‘Astral Weeks‘ was a resounding commercial flop (with one of those strange ironies that populate rock history, the only 1968 album to compare in terms of imagination and poignancy is ‘The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society‘ – and that too sank without trace).
On his uppers for much of 1969 and needing to repay Warner Bros for their faith, ‘Van the Man’ became ‘Van the Plan’ – plotting a follow-up that would be more musically accessible and lyrically less-abstract.
Taking the role of producer Morrison dispenses with the stripped back feel of its predecessor, ‘Moondance‘ the work of a cohesive band of supporting musicians – ‘Band’ being operative as a number of songs evoke instrumentation from their magnificent second album of the previous year.
But once more Van proves himself a true original, conjuring a record of astounding guile and authenticity.
His recent move from New York to the more rural setting of Woodstock is reflected in songs that have a more relaxed feel – the air of sadness that from time to time descends on ‘Astral Weeks‘ is all but dispelled by upbeat notions of being in love and expressing glad tidings. Meanwhile the superlative title track succeeds on so many levels – none more so than in presenting jazz to a rock audience.
Opening with the brilliant contemporary folk ballad ‘And It Stoned Me,’ the first side moves through the title song to ‘Crazy Love,’ a gorgeous soul-infused lullaby, before shifting gears again for the R&B flavoured ‘Caravan‘ – which for all its glory here is overshadowed by the version performed by Van and The Band at ‘The Last Waltz,’ when together they produce five minutes of the most rousing rock music ever recorded.
Side one of ‘Moondance‘ is then brought to a close with ‘Into The Mystic‘ – a prime contender for the most perfectly constructed song in creation. In part an evocation of the Belfast shipyards he grew up beside (Van feeling the call of home ‘when that fog horn blows‘), lines such as ‘We were born before the wind/also younger than the sun‘ and ‘I want to rock your gypsy soul‘ resonate with poetic beauty.
In printed form they look too vague and obscure to work but like, for example, ‘It’s only teenage wasteland‘ or ‘God is a concept by which we measure our pain,’ within the context of the song they sound entirely natural and the work of authentic genius.
By the end of the decade Dan Fogelberg and Bob Seger – fine songwriters both – would take their cue from Van with songs referencing ‘gypsy winds‘ but by then such phrasing had begun to sound somewhat trite.
Side two of ‘Moondance‘ – ‘Come Running,’ ‘These Dreams of You,’ ‘Brand New Day,’ ‘Everyone‘ and ‘Glad Tidings‘ – is another exercise in excellence and equally captivating. While ‘Brand New Day‘ comes across as a touch sombre, the upbeat mood is quickly re-established and with its handclaps and blaring horns, ‘Glad Tidings‘ bring things to a stirring conclusion.
Known to bristle at the suggestion of ‘Moondance‘ being a ‘rock’ album, when it was released – to great acclaim and significant chart success – Morrison found himself placed among Neil Young and James Taylor in the fast-emerging singer-songwriter fraternity.
Where he and they differ (for the record both Young and Taylor made superb albums in 1970) is their background was Bob Dylan-affected folk, whereas Van had his roots in soul and R&B – the differences there for all to see.
‘Moondance‘ might not be rock in the Who/Stones mould, but it was unquestionably more acceptable to those compiling playlists than ‘Astral Weeks‘ – so bearing in mind what Morrison had said, it might be worth splitting the difference and calling it ‘radio friendly R&J‘ (rhythm & jazz).
Of the many noteworthy albums made in 1970, the only one anywhere near its equal is ‘Plastic Ono Band‘ and to give Van a run for his money, John Lennon had to write the most soul-searching songs of his entire career. But as Lennon strove to make sense of, among other things, Beatles, God and the whole notion of the 60s as an ideal, Morrison kept his search for meaning on a more personal and intimate level.
Even now, all this time later, a clearly defined interpretation of ‘Astral Weeks‘ still seems elusive, remaining one of those rare albums where the listener takes from it whatever they feel is there for them; this one reminded, sometimes with a feeling of melancholy, of old haunts and days long gone.
But as for ‘Moondance‘ – if sunshine had a sound it would be this record.
Sides one and two.
This article was first published on 11/2/2020.
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available as an Amazon Kindle book.