Van Morrison

Astral Weeks

Born

31 August 1945, Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom

Currently

Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom

Member of

Georgie and The Monarchs, Them

Notes

Father of Shana Morrison; founder of Exile

Also Known As

George Ivan Morrison, Sir George Ivan Morrison

Genres

Singer-Songwriter, Blue-Eyed Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Folk Rock, Pop Rock, Adult Contemporary

Follow 22,172 followers

Discography

892

Credits 487 Filmography 12

Album

Showing 23 of 44 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

+18

3.16

1,758

1,758
29

Blowin' Your Mind

1967

+38

3.94

17,273

450

17,273
450

Astral Weeks

1968

+41

3.93

11,322

250

11,322
250

Moondance

1970

+16

3.59

2,322

2,322
46

His Band and the Street Choir

1970

+19

3.73

2,822

2,822
74

Tupelo Honey

1971

+16

3.83

3,453

3,453
64

Saint Dominic's Preview

1972

3.47

1,278

1,278
33

Hard Nose the Highway

1973

+15

3.84

3,755

3,755
92

Veedon Fleece

1974

3.03

745

745
22

A Period of Transition

1977

+14

3.30

959

959
28

Wavelength

1978

+17

3.74

1,905

1,905
42

Into the Music

1979

+13

3.67

1,299

1,299
37

Common One

1980

+10

3.53

957

957
24

Beautiful Vision

1982

+13

3.28

783

783
26

Inarticulate Speech of the Heart

1983

+13

3.70

1,123

1,123
32

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

1986

3.58

828

828
21

Poetic Champions Compose

1987

3.47

782

782
23

Irish Heartbeat

1988 • Van Morrison & The Chieftains

+11

3.37

875

875
21

Avalon Sunset

1989

3.44

694

694
14

Enlightenment

1990

3.46

625

625
17

Hymns to the Silence

1991

2.32

197

197
12

What’s It Gonna Take?

2022

2.63

146

146
5

Moving on Skiffle

2023

2.73

108

108
4

Accentuate the Positive

2023

Show all 44 Albums

Live Album

Showing 5 of 10 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

+14

3.87

1,532

1,532
53

It's Too Late to Stop Now

1974

+12

3.36

294

294
15

Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast

1984

3.72

330

330
11

A Night in San Francisco

1994

3.05

188

188
4

How Long Has This Been Going On

1995 • Van Morrison With Georgie Fame & Friends

Van Morrison
Georgie Fame

3.74

280

280
18

Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl

2009

Show all 10 Live Albums

EP

Showing all (7)

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.57

14
-

Brown Eyed Girl

1972

4.50

2
-

This Is Van Morrison

1974

3.87

7
-

Ivory Tower

1986

3.46

8
-

Songs From Hymns to the Silence

1991

-
-

Van Live at The Point [live]

1996 • Van Morrison With Georgie Fame & Friends

Van Morrison
Georgie Fame

3.25

2
-

Live at Montreux 1980 / 1974 [live, archival]

2006

4.00

1
-

Selections From Moondance [archival]

2013

Single

Showing 18 of 132 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

+13

3.62

719

719
14

Brown-Eyed Girl / Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

1967

3.63

148

148
3

Come Running / Crazy Love

1970

3.71

192

192
5

Domino / Sweet Jannie

1970

3.72

97
3

Blue Money / Sweet Thing

1971

3.84

208

208
5

Wild Night / When the Evening Sun Goes Down

1971

3.85

177

177
3

Tupelo Honey / Starting a New Life

1972

3.81

212

212
2

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) / You've Got the Power

1972

4.03

220

220
2

Into the Mystic / Domino

1973

3.83

75
1

Bulbs / Cul De Sac

1974

3.85

349

349
8

Moondance / Cold Wind in August

1977

3.65

127

127
2

Bright Side of the Road / Rolling Hills

1979

3.33

98
-

Have I Told You Lately / Contacting My Angel

1989

1.09

184

184
5

Born to Be Free

2020

1.03

97
4

As I Walked Out

2020

1.15

233

233
11

No More Lockdown

2020

2.72

15
1

Shakin' All Over

2023

2.58

11
2

Problems

2023

1.77

10
1

Lucille

2023

Show all 132 Singles

Music video

Showing 3 of 7 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.50

1
-

Whenever God Shines His Light

1989

2.50

1
-

The Healing Game

1997

1.59

8
-

This Has Gotta Stop

2021 • Slowhand & Van

Eric Clapton
Van Morrison

Show all 7 Music videos

Appears On

Showing 11 of 67 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

+24

4.00

2,533

2,533
74

The Last Waltz [live]

1978 • Album • The Band

+11

3.34

615

615
21

The Wall: Live in Berlin [live]

1990 • Album • Roger Waters

3.50

345

345
15

The Long Black Veil

1995 • Album • The Chieftains

+10

3.17

331

331
9

Reload

1999 • Album • Tom Jones

3.13

401

401
8

Genius Loves Company

2004 • Album • Ray Charles

2.50

2
-

Bleep Mix #250

2022 • DJ Mix • Gigi Masin

2.50

1
-

Pop Zone

2023 • DJ Mix • Quinn Christopherson

2.50

2
-

Rooftop Antenna Episode 8

2024 • DJ Mix • Neuume / Gigi Masin

3.57

6
-

Them Again

1970 • Album • Them Featuring Van Morrison

-
-

The Last Waltz

2008 • Video • The Band

1
-

Mr. Lucky

• Album • John Lee Hooker

Show all 67 Appearances

Compilation

Showing 3 of 57 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.63

244

244
16

T.B. Sheets

1973

3.98

802

802
28

The Best of Van Morrison

1990

3.74

166

166
3

Bang Masters

1991

Show all 57 Compilations

V/A Compilation

Showing 3 of 259 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.51

102

102
3

Peppers & Eggs: Music From the HBO Original Series The Sopranos [tv soundtrack]

2001

3.48

99
-

The Departed [motion picture soundtrack]

2006

2.49

2
-

The Sopranos: Music From the HBO Original Series

1999

Show all 259 V/A Compilations

Bootleg / Unauthorized

Showing 3 of 144 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.57

29
1

New York Sessions '67

1998

2.35

27
2

Whenever Bob Shines His Light on Van (Duets) [live]

2001 • Van Morrison & Bob Dylan

3.69

16
-

At the Fillmore West 1970 [live]

Show all 144 Bootlegs / Unauthorized releases

Video

Showing 3 of 6 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

3.07

11
1

The Concert [live]

1990

4.22

51
3

Live at Montreux (1980/1974) [live]

2006

3.77

10
-

In Concert [live]

2018

Show all 6 Videos

Additional release

Showing 4 of 5 show all

Issues

AverageAvg.

Ratings

Reviews

Ratings/Rev.

Title

Release Date

2.71

5
-

Excerpts From Avalon Sunset [sampler]

1989

3.74

388

388
12

The Philosopher's Stone [archival, outtakes]

1998

3.99

13
-

Astral Weeks (Alternative) [outtakes]

2019

3.56

8
-

Beyond Words: Instrumentals [archival, instrumental, outtakes]

2023

Show all 5 Additional releases

Astral Weeks

ShallowofDepth

"Van, of course, The Man, and to some degree the Myth and the Legend. While essentially becoming a glorified Lounge act later (around after the 80s), he practically earned the right to after his generally glorious 60s-70s work. At least a few albums I would consider masterpieces, not least of all the truly mystical Astral Weeks which may actually not be as known to fans of "Brown-Eyed Girl" or some of his certain later work but is beloved by most adventurous music fans...Then there's Moondance, which just about everyone except maybe edgy tryhards could enjoy (hell, I loved it in my "wild" teen years!), with approximately half if not more of his best straight-up songs. The last one I'll give special mention to is Veedon Fleece, which, while being ignored on release despite being around the same time as his great live album in '74, has gradually developed beyond a mere "cult following" and will likely continue to gain a great status. Other shout-outs to St. Dominic's Preview and Into the Music, likely his last great album but one where his audience expanded again. And not to forget his frequently overlooked days with Irish Garage Rock-Blues-Soul pioneers Them. Hey Van, love ya and you can play it safe all you want but please don't forget the greatness of your younger days..."

RYM Rough Guide for Van Morrison

(as suggested by phnuggle)

ALL-TIME TOP FIVE:
1) Into the Mystic (from Moondance)
2) = Brown-Eyed Girl (from Blowin' Your Mind) and Astral Weeks (from Astral Weeks)
3) Moondance (from Moondance)
4) Sweet Thing (from Astral Weeks)
5) And It Stoned Me (from Moondance)

RECOMMENDED ALBUM: ASTRAL WEEKS

"I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know the music of Van Morrison. The Best of Van Morrison was a constant presence in my childhood home and yet despite all the nostalgia I feel for those (brilliant) tunes not one of them made my top five here. That is but a small indication of the breadth of Van Morrison's talent; he can mesmerise with the verve and brio of his rhythm and blues numbers, but he can also seduce with the mysticism of his Celtic folk reveries. Drawing mainly from the latter pool, his two unparalleled masterpieces - Astral Weeks and Veedon Fleece - bookend his imperial period. Certainly, he was the best white soul singer, bar none, but from 1968-1974 he also staked his claim as one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. " - MrMungbean

"Diminutive and portly, with a sour expression permanently etched on his face, Van Morrison was an unlikely pop star. Throughout his five-decade career, he's shown little patience for the bullshit of show business or ingratiating himself with the public. His music was so remarkable that it stood on its own. Indeed, it is difficult to write about Van Morrison without relying heavily on superlatives that do little to elucidate his work. Here's one: Astral Weeks is the best long-playing record in the history of the medium. Many of Van Morrison's other albums - most notably, 1970's Moondance, 1974's Veedon Fleece and 1986's No Guru, No Method, No Teacher - could be described as flawless. This is healing music that is actually quite optimistic and even joyful. Yet none of his subsequent LPs approach the mournful and profound depths of Astral Weeks, a haunting, dreamlike work of mystifying beauty. " - schmidtt

"True story: I have a twin brother. Right after we turned 13 years old (1970), we went to a record store and bought some music. He bought Van Morrison. I bought the Bee Gees. I remember going home and he played his selection and then I played mine (he was six minutes older so he got to go first). It was at that precise moment that I realized my brother was cooler than me. So, to catch up with him, I started smoking cigarettes. And the rest is history." - jashjaxon

(DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD: schmidtt, MicrophoneFiend, SnorriSnorrison, floflo79, rupertlenz, CurtisLoew, Drummer1956, jefgoi, WhiskeyClone, bogoslav, jashjaxon, sosadixon, hotelarizona, ThisYearsModel, LordofSushi, ason_jones, Traviud, SadRoger, canyougettothat, jeeeesus, willowpig, etherpitch65, montezuma, jshopa, DGDS, hickorywind, ToadFan64, ShallowofDepth, troutmask, sergegrone, MrMungbean, pawnd_off_music, ecjam6)

LINK: POLL #1063 (September 2016)

Van Morrison

Discography

Album

Live Album

EP

Single

Music video

Appears On

Compilation

V/A Compilation

Bootleg / Unauthorized

Video

Additional release

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