Description
Moondance is the third studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 27 January 1970 by Warner Bros. Records. After the commercial failure of his first Warner Bros. album Astral Weeks (1968), Morrison moved to upstate New York with his wife and began writing songs for Moondance. There, he met the musicians that would record the album with him at New York City's A & R Studios in August and September 1969.
The album found Morrison abandoning the abstract folk jazz compositions of Astral Weeks in favour of more formally composed songs, which he wrote and produced entirely himself. Its lively rhythm and blues/rock music was the style he would become most known for in his career. The music incorporated soul, jazz, pop, and Irish folk sounds into songs about finding spiritual renewal and redemption in worldly matters such as nature, music, romantic love, and self-affirmation.
Moondance was an immediate critical and commercial success. It helped establish Morrison as a major artist in popular music, while several of its songs became staples on FM radio in the early 1970s. Among the most acclaimed records in history, Moondance frequently ranks in professional listings of the greatest albums. In 2013, the album's remastered deluxe edition was released to similar acclaim.
Release info
Label: Warner Bros. Records 81227950354
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: Europe
Released: 2015
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Classic Rock
Tracklist
A1 Stoned Me
A2 Moondance
A3 Crazy Love
A4 Caravan
A5 Into The Mystic
B1 Come Running
B2 These Dreams Of You
B3 Brand New Day
B4 Everyone
B5 Glad Tidings