What we have here is one of the finest albums ever recorded in the history of rock music. This album touches the listener very deeply inside, and transports him far, far away, to another world, where the places and the characters seem so real, and even beyond real. They seem like legends, like myths - like something you might read about in a book written by James Joyce or perhaps even Edith Hamilton. This music represents the very deepest passion, the most intense love of life, and for living that life to its fullest.

There are eight different songs here. And each of them tells its own story, with its own characters. Taken together, these eight songs represent a complete song cycle. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. And all of it is packed full - full of intense music, songwriting, lyrics, characters, and events. Each and every song counts, but it is the whole song cycle, the whole package, that really matters.

Certainly the most intense song here is track 5. Back in the days of LP records, this was the opening song on the second side. Of all the songs on the album, this is the one with the most energy - the most life. It is the climax and peak powerhouse of this epic work. It is the point on the album when you feel most alive.

All of the songs here are very atmospheric and moody. Listening to this album makes you feel as if you have been transported away - both in space and in time. Like the best in literature and the best in film, this album makes you use your imagination to its fullest extent possible.

This album appears to take place in a small town, isolated from the rest of the world. It's an intimate place, with dirt roads and a small corner grocery store. Everybody knows everybody else. There are songs about cars, girls, love, and sex. The whole album is one ride after another - one adventure after another. But it all comes together to tell one long story.

In 1987, the editors of Rolling Stone magazine published a list of what they considered to be the 100 best albums of the past 20 years. And this album was in the top 10. And it deserved to be. This album is one of the most important, most significant in the history of rock. In 100 years from now, people will still be listening to this album.

A few years ago, the record company released a greatest hits CD of this singer's music. Don't buy it! Much better to stick with the original album. This album, in particular, represents the artist at his creative peak. The songs need to be heard in this format - on this album. Listen to the music the way the artist intended it.

OK. Well, that's my review. It applies to both "Born to Run" and "Astral Weeks." I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Difficult at first
The first couple times i listened to this album, i felt like the reviewer who couldn't find any intersting music aside from "The Way Young Lovers Do." Though music may take a back seat on this record, it's beautiful nonetheless. Some of the songs go on kind of long, but that's what makes them so special. A mood is set from the beginning, and it's drawn out by Van's passionate vocals and personal improvising. You've got to clear your mind on this one. If you start thinking about the lengths of the songs, you're in trouble, because this album is about a place and a feeling, not a beat or a phrasing. The lyrics are sort of three dimensional, in that they create an image for the entire album that blends with the music, to conjure up something magical. "Astral Weeks" the song, is probably my favorite track, along with "Beside You," "Sweet Thing" and "Madame George." It's at times difficult for me to listen to Van, because you have to be patient and listen repeatedly for his music to sink in. But when you give his albums time, they're worth it . And this one is definitely his best. Maybe even the best album ever, but everyone has their own opinion. Get it only if you're going to really listen.

Eternal
I have only recently got into Van Morrison, I have to say, so this review is coming from a 23 year old from Belfast, who is only beginning to realise the impact Van's music has had. I must also admit that I had a strange bias against Van, for only a few years ago when playing his (and my) hometown he turned his back to the audience for his entire performance... While I was not there, that arrogance and ignorance really put me off the man, and unfortunately, that little portion of his music that I had heard...

So now, having given this album a chance; my friend recommended it as one of his favourites of all time; I have to admit that, no matter what stories I have heard of this artist, his music is something absolutely eternal and mesmerising.

From the stunning opening chords to the title track, through the absolutely seminal "Cyprus Avenue", "Madame George", "Ballerina" and "Sweet Thing", I have found an album with such undeniable heart and warmth that I know it will stay with me forever as one of the very few albums to have changed my perception of music.

Perhaps it is the unbelievable vocal talents of the man, the jazzy and superb musicianship or just maybe the fact that I can (100%) identify with the visions this man is painting through his lyrics... It is not something I have experienced before whereby a lyric such as "Down on Cyprus Avenue" or "Sandy Row" can conjur such vivid and mesmerising images to my mind... I live just 5 minutes from the lovely Cyprus Avenue and I know it well. Thankfully I do not know Sandy Row too well; a scummy, horrible area of Belfast these days, I am proud never to have ventured deep into it. I do also know the house where Van grew up however, my father having taken me and my friends many times passed the house (which is now adorned with a brass plaque with his name) in east Belfast, just around the corner from my own house. It is maybe these insider views of the area I know that Van grew up in that help the pictures become clearler and more poignant... But his voice and passion can never be denied... It is truly something to behold, whether it be the vast epic of "Madame George" or the fiery jazz bombast of "The Way Young Lovers Do", you can never deny this man doesn't hold perhaps the most original, impressive voice in music... ever.

This album, it must be said, seems (to me at least) to be his absolute masterpiece... Moondance is an album I have always heard since I was growing up... I never listened to it specifically, but it was always on in the kitchen when I was a kid...and, while I have yet to hear much of his later work, it is a journey I am going to fully enjoy and cherish. A man, a genius and an absolute legend. Beautiful album.

Van gets lengthy and ambitious
All of Van's stuff from this era is brilliant. Astral Weeks is considered to be his masterpiece. It is very good. But, do we really want to hear Van break into one of ethereal chants for five minutes? The songs are great but they suffer from this kind of self indulgence that the other albums don't have. Van' really at his best when he's to the point. He can still manage the whole zen thing if he wants to, just tone it down. "Warm love" is perfect on this one.

The best Van album, so good it's spiritual
I must admit that I haven't heard every single Van album (I missed hearing alot of his earlier albums), but this is the best I heard--better than Moondance, Wavelength, and all his newer stuff--by far. A few years ago I picked up Astral and Moon at the same time and Moon hardly gets spun.

There are some quality issues with the recording where some sonic distortion appears, but I never really noticed it after the first listen. I actually kind of like it, it's so unlike today's over-produced stuff. Van went into the studio, laid down the album in 2-3 days, and it was done...and the magic comes through.
Never mind that Van Morrison is one of the most indelible songwriters of the 20th century--take each album on its own terms. On 1968's seminal Astral Weeks, a twentysomething Van Morrison can be found belting his gospelly, bluesy vocals in just as fine a form as he would be 20 years hence. In the sociopolitical context of the times, the album cried out about such ubiquitous '60s themes as cultural oppression and social upheaval. But it is Morrison's vocal dexterity and passion that maintains such timeless appeal. Take tracks like "Madame George" or "Cyprus Avenue" and you'll find such beautiful mourning, it'll be clear why modern songwriter Sinéad O'Connor once publicly exclaimed: "Van Morrison should be friggin' canonized." --Nick Heil