Following Astral Weeks
“Van Morrison had high expectations to live up to after” RV “the dreamy acoustic sound of Astral Weeks” TL and its “celestial poetry” RV made him “a cult hero.” RD The “Irish musician didn’t disappoint;” RV he responded by serving up “the brilliant,” AM “light, soulful, and jazzy Moondance.” AM It “is every bit as much a classic as its predecessor” AM yet the two albums “are so distinct they almost sound as if they’ve come from different artists.” EK
More Commerical
“Moondance is more firmly focused” PR and a “far more accessible follow-up.” EK It was Morrison’s first platinum album, reaching the top 30 on the U.S. Billboard charts. However, it is “no less essential than its somewhat rambling predecessor.” PR
More Emphasis on R&B
Any “debates about the authenticity of blue-eyed soul ring hollow when one listens to Van the Man.” VB On Moondance, he offers more “succinct shots of rock and jazz and healthy doses of R&B.” JM He “put more emphasis on the orchestrations of his bluesy melodies” RV by building “his arrangements around a powerful horn section.” TL
“The songs are more tightly structured, less improvisatory.” RD Morrison veered “more toward the punchy, old-school R&B he loved than Astral’s jazzy meanderings.” TL “Ireland’s finest R&B acolyte” VB said, “That was the type of band I dig…Two horns and a rhythm section.” 500
Mysticism
Moondance “retains the previous album’s deeply spiritual thrust but transcends its bleak, cathartic intensity to instead explore themes of renewal and redemption.” AM He continues to swing “back and forth between the mystical and the earthy. It happens musically, and…lyrically…He’s a dewy-eyed romantic and a cranky curmudgeon—sometimes within the same song.” EK
He “move[s] away from the folk template and stream-of-consciousness lyrics into a more rock-driven arena with sharper storytelling and touches of Americana.” JM Moondance “married mysticism and mojo into a collection of sexual rebirth and redemption.” VB
Themes
“Morrison took that soul-band lineup and blended it with jazz, blues, poetry, and vivid memories of his Irish childhood.” 500 He “sings about fishing, swimming, rain and drinking, but his voice gives it an epic feel.” RV “Moondance showcases Van Morrison as a masterly songwriter and charismatic vocalist.” RD His “singing got more aggressive” TL as he delivered “a more precise blast of R&B energy, but he still wails himself into another consciousness in places.” EK
Woodstock
Moondance is “a product of Van’s residency in Woodstock and betrays the influence of his neighbours, The Band.” PR Morrison “was living in Woodstock’s rural paradise when he wrote many of these songs, although he left the area following the influx of people after the celebrated festival. Some of the musicians he assembled for the album remained with him for several years, including guitarist John Platania, horn player Jack Schroer, and Jeff Labes on keyboards.” RD
Overall Impact
The album’s “tasteful blend of Celtic folk, blues, jazz, and soul underscores one of the most expressive voices in modern music and enriches a strong set of songs that are pervaded by compassion and optimism.” PR
The Songs
Here are thoughts on the individual songs from the album.
“And It Stoned Me”
The album kicks off with the “lush, ethereal ‘And It Stoned Me’” RV which uses a “sweetly nostalgic” AM message and “pastoral imagery” AM to deliver what feels “like a fable of self-discovery.” RV Morrison “paints a vignette of adolescence with a storyteller’s eye for detail.” RD
“Caravan”
That song and “the glorious Caravan” TL “felt like lucid dreams.” 500 The latter is “an incantatory ode to the power of radio” AM that is the “heart of the record.” AM It establishes “the dominant lyrical motif recurring throughout the album – virtually every track exults in natural wonder.” AM
“Moondance”
On “smoky, jazz-infused title track” RD “Morrison turns the words over and over in his mouth, not scatting so much as searching for the sound of magic.” 500 He celebrates “nocturnal magic” AM which has become “a staple of prep schools and lounge acts to this day, and still none the worse for wear.” TL
“Into the Mystic”
“He kept his croony side, though, on the murmuring” TL and “majestic Into the Mystic.” AM It “is a moving meditation on the splendor of love; the shivering strings are a wonderfully appropriate complement to his vocals.” RD
The song has “such elemental beauty and grace” AM that it could be considered his “greatest ballad” RV and “arguably the quintessential Morrison moment.” AM It is “a hauntingly sublime work that evokes feelings of extreme longing. When he finishes with the line, ‘It’s too late to stop now,’ music-lovers couldn’t agree more.” RV “Moondance seems to have it all.” JM
Other Songs
“Elsewhere, a celebratory air, bordering on spiritual joy, haunts many of the tracks – witness the closing trio of Brand New Day, Everyone, and Glad Tidings.” RD There’s “unlimited promise offered in” AM “the gospel-flavored ‘Brand New Day’” TL and “Crazy Love is his most romantic song.” RV
Notes:
A 2013 deluxe edition expanded the album to a four-box set with three discs of session recordings.
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