Van Morrison's "Moondance"

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The whole album, not the song. So, Van Morrison's biggest album. What do you guys think? Mystic or mistake?

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

starting a thread just to make a tired pun, C/D?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Album = classic ('course).

Pun = dud.

― Brandon Gentry (Brandon Gentry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

k-fucking-classic

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

A lot of thought went into that pun...

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

okay, so it wasn't tired, cuz really, it's new to me, but y'know, whatev.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, k-classic. Why do people hate the title track though? Do they hate gaiety?

I like St. Dominic's Preview and Into the Music a little better I think, or at least I like his singing better on those records.

― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I like Tupelo Honey the best. The title track (ESPECIALLY the title track - so dope), Wild Night, Old Old Woodstock, Moonshine Whiskey and You're My Woman all rule. The others are nothing to scoff at, either. Such a solid collection.

― Brandon Gentry (Brandon Gentry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" = best bouncy rhythm EVAH

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Moondance album - classic
Moondance song - rubbish

amateurist - Do many ppl hate the title track? I do but the amts of time I hear it on radio feels like I'm in theminority. I love Van's singing normally but I hate his vocal mannerisms on the song, the piano line makes my blood boil, the lyrics get under my skin. Um, I could go on but to no real purpose. btw, what do you mean by gaiety.

― H (Heruy), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Harefaine do you hate effervescence?

― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic, even the title song (which doesnt get much airplay in my neck of the woods).

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

classic. Though "Astral Weeks" hasn't really grabbed me yet.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:07 (twenty-two years ago)

For some reason, I find myself listening to His Band & Street Choir the most. He had a good run (Astral Weeks, Moondance, HB&SC, Tupelo Honey) What the hell happened?
I have heard that Veedon Fleece has its moments. Anyone?

― Will (will), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

St. Dominic's Preview is great too!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

His best album IMO, better than "Astral Weeks". Considering his place in the rock canon, I guess that makes it fairly classic.

The title track in particular remains the best piece of music ever written by Van The Man

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

It's my mommy's favorite song! I like the album too.

― Adam A. (Keiko), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

True, true. St. Dominic's Preview completely slipped my mind. And in all fairness I really haven't heard any of his records after SDP in their entirety. But what I have heard blew like a gale-force wind.

― Will (will), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't fuck to this album without feeling like I'm 50.

Otherwise it's great.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Really great album. "Glad Tidings," "These Dreams of You," "Caravan." Almost no filler. And it's reassuring to know Geir likes the worst song on it the best.

― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I do not own this album but my friend Kurt does and he would always put it on before we would crash from and evening of very questionable activities.
It is so beautiful in parts it made falling alseep on the floor of a filthy basement apartment actually quite nice.

― Brandon Welch (Brandon Welch), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Moondance album - classic
Moondance song - rubbish

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't like how he pronounces it Mun Dance.

― jm (jtm), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

veedon fleece is my favourite (after astral weeks). but moondance, ok, yeah. one fer family gatherings.

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember first hearing this album, in a cramped freshman dorm room at Syracuse. What grabbed me right away wasn't the songs, or even Van's singing, but the two-part harmony of the simple sax riff on the chorus of "Stoned Me." From there on, I was hooked.
Classic. But my favorite is Astral Weeks (although not one you throw on as often), and Into the Music is right up there as well.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, the horn arrangements here are fantastic. Very understated at times, like a fog rolling in.

Astral Weeks seems problematic to me now, although I loved it when I was younger.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

A teetering tower of pungent, tepid dung.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex do you hate tenderness?

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

do you have to ask?

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, no.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I hate overplayed clichés and trite sentiments. It's a sacred cow that demands slaughtering.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Hahaha violent metaphors! Did you live across from me in residence hall B about six years ago?

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

could this be the first time i've ever sided with alex?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

CLassic. Not a bad track. "Into the Mystic" is "our song" for my better half & I (1st dance at wedding, etc.). Veedon Fleece is good too, though not as good as Astral Weeks, Moondance, HB&SC, St. Dominic's, or the wonderful Tupelo Honey (IMO). I've always been sorta partial to Beutiful Vision. Some nice tunes on that one.

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Thursday, 8 May 2003 00:19 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a very good record, but he's made several better (Astral Weeks, Veedon Fleece, St Dominic's Preview, Into the music, and possibly more
).

There are some great songs on there, but I think many of them could've been done better. The album always disappoints me slightly for that reason. Some of the live versions of the songs are awesome - 'Into the mystic' from It's Too Late To Stop Now and 'Caravan' from The Last Waltz spring to mind.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 8 May 2003 10:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tura Lura Lura" from the Last Waltz is the one that grabs me -- what an amazing vocal. Why the hell didn't they put that on the new DVD?

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Thursday, 8 May 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"Why the hell didn't they put that on the new DVD?"

They lost the film.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Thursday, 8 May 2003 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

Caravan and Into the Mystic are also two faves of mine. Classic, no doubt. It's grown-ups music, but at least it's interesting.

― paulhw (paulhw), Thursday, 1 April 2004 20:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic but no Astral Weeks.

― djdee2005, Thursday, 1 April 2004 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic but no "Domino".

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 1 April 2004 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

just because...

much better then anything by the Killing Joke.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 2 April 2004 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

five years pass...

Glad Tidings, sombody needs to drown this in reverb and stretch the intro/first verse out into a Todd Terje epic.

― ❊❁❄❆❇❃✴❈plaxico❈✴❃❇❆❄❁❊ (I know, right?), Wednesday, 26 August 2009 23:11 (sixteen years ago)

I absolutely love the use of Glad Tidings for the final episode of season 5 of the Sopranos. Before Buscemi gets shot, when Tony is walking home after Johny Sack gets busted. Ya feel me?

― SourPatchCorpse, Wednesday, 26 August 2009 23:14 (sixteen years ago)

search: the NYC '69 demos for this album on Tdisc 2 of the Genuine Philosopher's Stone bootleg - which used to be pretty easily accessible online if you looked around a bit, maybe still is

― Brio, Thursday, 27 August 2009 13:11 (sixteen years ago)

ten months pass...

I heard this for the first time since I was a kid the other day. <3 <3 bookending tracks immediately came back to me. (as did title track obv i can't lie)

― wilter, Thursday, 8 July 2010 10:30 (fifteen years ago)

three years pass...

http://www.amazon.com/Moondance-Expanded-Edition-2-CD/dp/B00DZJ82TY/ref=pd_sim_m_3
kinda excited to hear the bonus disc on this.

― tylerw, Sunday, 21 July 2013 03:00 (twelve years ago)

classic album obv

― tylerw, Sunday, 21 July 2013 03:00 (twelve years ago)

bit of a miss not to include those demos which have been bootlegged endlessly over the years.

― tylerw, Sunday, 21 July 2013 03:01 (twelve years ago)

There's a 5-disc version too.

― 誤訳侮辱, Sunday, 21 July 2013 11:21 (twelve years ago)

ha! that's a lot of "takes"...

― tylerw, Sunday, 21 July 2013 14:45 (twelve years ago)

Has there been a widely released remaster of Astral Weeks yet? Been hoping for a decent audio versionon physical disc for years.
Think I have flacs of either a Japanese remaster or a non-official one. but for such an iconic lp to not have a decent cd version regularly/readily available seems a bit of a loss.

I think Moondance is a decent lp, much poppier than the lp before but very very listenable.

― Stevolende, Sunday, 21 July 2013 19:23 (twelve years ago)

^^There was an audiophile vinyl release from Rhino a few years back, but no corresponding cd. I seem to recall an interview with Van around the time that last reissue campaign started wherein he grumbled that he tried to reacquire the solo albums that he didn't own (the ones still on Warner Bros.) and they wouldn't play ball. He went on to say he'd petitioned them to do their own reissues of those albums, but no dice. Perhaps if this new Moondance does well, we'll see an fixed up Astral Weeks in the near future?

― Uncle Cyril O'Boogie (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 21 July 2013 19:36 (twelve years ago)

it's kind of gratifying that it took at least sixteen takes to get "Into the Mystic" because the version on Moondance seems so perfect in every way

― tight in the runs (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Sunday, 21 July 2013 22:14 (twelve years ago)

otm
not sure if i'd listen to those early takes a whole lot, but i'm definitely interested in hearing them!

― tylerw, Monday, 22 July 2013 03:53 (twelve years ago)

A MESSAGE FROM VAN MORRISON.

Yesterday Warner Brothers stated that "Van Morrison was reissuing Moondance". It is important that people realise that this is factually incorrect. I did not endorse this, it is unauthorised and it has happened behind my back.

My management company at that time gave this music away 42 years ago and now I feel as though it's being stolen from me again

18th July 2013

― tylerw, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 14:34 (twelve years ago)

six years pass...

I've given is some treuthought and - dud.

Indeed quite the dud.

But I'd like to make a music video with a woman in a suit tails and tophat and in a cat face paint slinking around onstage with a big moon in gteh background

― | (Latham Green), Monday, 16 September 2019 13:48 (six years ago)

actual lolz. let's make this happen!

― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Monday, 16 September 2019 14:53 (six years ago)

Know any catdancers?

― | (Latham Green), Monday, 16 September 2019 17:14 (six years ago)

seven months pass...

And the caravan has all my friends

― My Chess Hustler (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 00:37 (five years ago)

classic

― brimstead, Wednesday, 6 May 2020 01:02 (five years ago)

Caravan is provided my favorite Van Morrison track

― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 01:12 (five years ago)

*probably

― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 01:12 (five years ago)

The expanded version of ...It's Too Late To Stop Now has great live versions of Coming Running and These Dreams of You. The Caledonia Soul Orchestra were so tight. You can tell they'd be listening to lots of Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, etc.

― that's not my post, Wednesday, 6 May 2020 01:34 (five years ago)

I've been listening to Glad Tidings and Brand New Day a lot lately, as kind of the flip side of the quarantine playlist.

― The fillyjonk who believed in pandemics (Lily Dale), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 02:40 (five years ago)

Glad Tidings has kind of a motorik beat, more noticeable before the horns kick in. I always think of Tony Soprano offing his cousin when I hear this song.

― henry s, Wednesday, 6 May 2020 12:34 (five years ago)

Believe there used to be some theory that Van was singing “So you know, Scotso,” in reference to legendary NYC deejay Scott Muni.

― My Chess Hustler (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 14:47 (five years ago)

Scottso

― My Chess Hustler (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 14:47 (five years ago)

I thought I'd maybe read that in a Wayne Robin's review of The Last Waltz in Newsday, which I couldn't find, but I did find this, which was interesting, probably more suitable for a Band thread though, http://waynerobins.blogspot.com/2002_06_02_waynerobins_archive.html#77386673

― My Chess Hustler (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 14:57 (five years ago)

I listened to this album a lot on family trips to the Northern California coast... it evokes fog and cypress trees and the flavor of morning air

― brimstead, Wednesday, 6 May 2020 18:13 (five years ago)

ten months pass...

Just wanted to say that I got my first shot today and will be listening to the last three songs on Moondance in celebration. Take that, Van!

― Lily Dale, Sunday, 7 March 2021 19:25 (four years ago)

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Van Morrison's "Moondance" - C or D?