Van Morrison : Astral Weeks / Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Astral Weeks

 is the 

second studio album

 by Northern 

Irish singer-songwriter

 Van Morrison

 It was recorded at

 Century Sound Studios

 in New York City

 during three sessions

 in September 

and October 1968,

 although most

 participants 

and 

biographers agree

 that the eight songs 

were culled from 

the first 

and last 

early evening sessions. 

Except for 

John Payne, 

Morrison

 and the 

assembled jazz musicians

 had not played 

together before

 and the recordings 

commenced without 

rehearsals or

 lead sheets

 handed out.

The cover art,

 music and lyrics 

of the album

 portray the symbolism

 equating earthly love

 and

 heaven that would

 often feature

 in Morrison's work. 

When

 Astral Weeks

 was released 

by Warner Bros. Records 

in November 1968,

 it did not receive

 promotion from

 the label 

and was not 

an immediate success 

with consumers

 or critics. 

Blending folk, 

blues, jazz, 

and

 classical music, 

the album's songs 

signaled a 

radical departure

 from the sound 

of his previous 

pop hits, 

such as

 "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967).

Astral Weeks' 

critical standing 

eventually

 improved greatly, 

however, 

and it has since been

 viewed as one

 of rock music's 

greatest 

and most important records 

 Sometimes referred to as

 a song cycle or concept album, 

critics laud

 the album's arrangements 

and songwriting; 

Morrison's lyrics are often

 described as

 impressionistic, 

hypnotic,

 and modernist. 

It was placed on 

numerous widely

 circulated lists 

of the best albums 

of all time 

and had an 

enduring effect 

on both listeners

 and musicians.

 Forty years after 

the album's release, 

Morrison performed

 all eight of its songs

 live for the first time 

during two

 Hollywood Bowl concerts 

in November 2008

Astral Weeks 

Live at the Hollywood Bowl

 is the fifth

 live album 

recorded by

 Northern

 Irish singer/songwriter

 Van Morrison 

and released

 in the US on

 February 24, 2009

 and on

 February 9, 2009,

 in the UK.

The New York Daily News

 in the

 January 4 edition 

named

 Astral Weeks Live

 at the Hollywood Bowl 

as one of the

 Five Most 

Anticipated

 Pop Music Events for 2009

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