Day 155: Van Morrison – Moondance
I needed something nice, loose and relaxing tonight, so I thought I’d go for another artist who seems like someone I should love based on my tastes, but who I’ve never really managed to get into. This time, it’s probably from a lack of trying – I’d heard the hits but they never managed to interest me enough to listen to a full album, so I thought I’d listen to Van Morrison’s Moondance to see if it’s worth all the fuss.
Album cover courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Van Morrison is a singer-songwriter and musician from Belfast who’s been active since 1958. He sang in bands at school and played tenor saxophone in local bands in Belfast, but his career didn’t take off properly until he joined the band Them. Morrison responded to an ad in a paper seeking members for a band that played at a Belfast hostel that was frequented by sailors. The band built a name for themselves with their performances, released a few albums and toured the US, starting with a residency at the Whisky a Go Go.
After disputes with management, Van Morrison left the band to pursue a solo career, and released the then critically panned but later acclaimed solo debut album, Astral Weeks in 1968. Due to the low commercial success of the record, he decided to make something more upbeat, accessible and commercially viable, so he released Moondance in 1970. It was an immediate critical and commercial success.
I can see why I never really decided to listen to the record, I’d only ever heard the song “Moondance” and thought it was fine, but “Moondance” is to me one of the less interesting songs on the record. As opposed to the abstract, jazzy Astral Weeks, Moondance is lively ‘70s rock mixed with R&B with an ecstatic lilt to it. Much of the album is spiritually inclined and uplifting, with a few of the songs at the end sounding like he was inspired by gospel music. It’s exploring somewhat hippy-dippy themes of love and spiritual experiences in nature without sounding preachy or corny, instead just seeming like the artist’s genuine expression of joy.
I love the gospel-inspired “Brand New Day,” “Crazy Love” and “Caravan”, but nothing on this album is bad – the one song I like least is a classic tune, so that surely speaks for the general quality of it. I was wrong, I can confirm it’s worth the fuss, a strong 9/10.