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It's unusual for a decade-defining record to come out in that decade's first year, but that was clearly the case with MOONDANCE. While it would have been one of the finest albums of any decade, it clearly marked a turning point both for Van Morrison and for rock as a whole. Coming after 1968's expansive, acoustic, jazz-inflected ASTRAL WEEKS, MOONDANCE marks a complete about-face: instead of looking inward to the depths of his soul, Van turned his gaze towards sunnier climes, offering up a seamless disc of tightly composed and arranged tunes brimming with warmth and energy.
Here the R&B influence that had been part of Morrison's tool kit since his days fronting Them truly came to the fore at last. "Crazy Love," "Caravan," and "Brand New Day" could have been covered by any great soul singer, even as they redefined "soul" through the filter of Morrison's eclectic sensibilities. An openhearted record full of truly inspirational moments, MOONDANCE is Van at the absolute top of his game, setting the pace for everyone else to follow. Nearly every song here is a stone-cold classic, and MOONDANCE has become embedded in the collective pop consciousness as one of the most important touchstones of its time.
Personnel includes: Van Morrison (vocals, acoustic guitar); John Platania (guitar); Jack Shrorer (saxophone); Jeff Labes (keyboards); Garry Malabar (drums).
Personnel: Van Morrison (vocals, guitar, tambourine); John Platania (guitar); Collin Tilton (flute, tenor saxophone); Jack Schroer (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Jeff Labes (piano, Clavinet, organ); John Klingberg (bass instrument); Gary Mallaber (drums, percussion); Guy Masson (congas); Jackie Verdell, Judy Clay, Emily Houston (background vocals).
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.113) - Ranked #65 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Songs such as the title track 'And It Stoned Me' and 'Caravan' felt like a lucid dream..." Rolling Stone (3/19/70, p.47) - "...MOONDANCE is an album of musical invention and lyrical confidence....this one will be immensely popular..." Vibe (12/99, p.160) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Q (Magazine) (p.140) - "[A] single, flowing, perfectly programmed suite of songs, with 'Into The Mystic' its majestic centrepiece." NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #17 in NME's list of The Greatest Albums Of The '70s.
IT WOULD TAKE A DECADE... for me to do a 'Van' review justice, but this is a great place to start.
I first took a chance on the LP in 1982 - when I was fully 22 years old, and I finally got around to SIDE 2 when I was about 24. While the first side tracks are much stronger, many other artists would love to have this side 2 as their strong side on their best album. It is that good.
But what you need to know is that there are close to a dozen worthy Van LPs worth buying up to 1985. I'll admit that after that he started to sound a bit too much like a fading,too often off-key wannabe lounge singer, relying on the string section. (Wow, that sounds bad.)
But not from 1968-85.
Combined on this LP are some of the most earthy-feel-good lyrics, best 70's instrumental combo (dig the delicate- to-powerful-horn combos), and seemingly impossible skat/jazz/rock/funk/folk/pop singing...incredibly, you'll eventually think that Moondance (the track) is the oddball here (indeed I believe he lifted the music from a relatively obscure jazz piece)...and go buy these others after...
His Band & the Street Choir
Tupelo Honey
Astral Weeks
Saint Domenic's Preview
A Period Of Transition
Wavelength
Into The Music
Common One
No Guru, No Method, NoTeacher
and while I don't get into his singing much more,nevertheless, he's remained a great song writer Submitted by crysalis (Oro, Ontario,Canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 2 found this helpful.
And It Stoned Me Into The Mystic Moondance kicked off a period of amazing creativity for the master of Dublin soul. There are only two types of songs on this record: good songs and great songs. Submitted by Riff (St. Louis, MO, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 2 found this helpful.
Van good in the 2000's Moondance is among his many great lp's but his
music from the 2000's.d like"Down the Road"have that sound I love those uo tempo horn driven songs Such as"Meeet Me In The Indian Summer
'Etc and"Magic Time"another great cd .Moodance is wonderful but thes are also Classic Van music Submitted by johnhreckard (Somerdale) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Incredible It's fascinating how an album that was recorded almost 15 years before I was born can affect me this way, Van Morrison's finest, no doubt about it. Submitted by Nir (Rishon Le-Zion, Israel) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
Fantabulous It is fantabulous! How can you not love Moondance? A must have for your Van collection! Submitted by Cheryl (Pgh.,PA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
IT WOULD TAKE A DECADE...
Van good in the 2000's
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