Track Listing

1. Stoned Me
2. Moondance
3. Crazy Love
4. Caravan
5. Into The Mystic
6. Come Running
7. These Dreams Of You
8. Brand New Day
9. Everyone
10. Glad Tidings

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4455 in Music
• Released on: 1986-03-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Van Morrison went a long way towards defining his wild Irish heart with his first two classic albums: the brooding, introspective Astral Weeks and the expansive, swinging Moondance. If the first was the work of a poet, its sequel was the statement of a musician and bandleader. Moondance is that rare rock album where the band has buffed the arrangements to perfection and where the sax solos instead of the guitar. The band puts out a jazzy shuffle on "Moondance" and plays it soulful on "These Dreams of You". The album includes both Morrison's most romantic ballad ("Crazy Love") and his most haunting ("Into the Mystic"). "And It Stoned Me" rolled off Morrison's tongue like a favourite fable, while "Caravan" told a tale full of emotional intrigue. Moondance stood out in the rock world of 1970 like a grown-up in a kiddie matinee. --John Milward

CD Description
It's unusual for a decade-defining record to come out in that decade's first year, but that was clearly the case with MOONDANCE. While it would have been one of the finest albums of any decade, it clearly marked a turning point both for Van Morrison and for rock as a whole. Coming after 1968's expansive, acoustic, jazz-inflected ASTRAL WEEKS, MOONDANCE marks a complete about-face; instead of looking inward to the depths of his soul, Van turned his gaze towards sunnier climes, offering up a seamless disc of tightly composed and arranged tunes brimming with warmth and energy. [add paragraph] Here the R&B influence that had been part of Morrison's toolkit since his days fronting Them truly came to the fore at last. "Crazy Love", "Caravan", and "Brand New Day" could have been covered by any great soul singer, even as they redefined"soul" through the filter of Morrison's eclectic sensibilities. An openhearted record full of truly inspirational moments, MOONDANCE is Van at the absolute top of his game, setting the pace for everyone else to follow. Nearly every song here is a stone-cold classic, and MOONDANCE has become embedded in the collective pop consciousness as one of the most important touchstones of its time.

Customer Reviews

JEWEL IN HIS CROWN
Moondance is one of my favourite Van Morrison albums, a classic on a level with Astral Weeks and Tupelo Honey. There's a moving description of the numinous experience in the song And It Stoned Me which recounts an experience with a childhood friend. The playful arrangement of Moondance with its jazzy infusions celebrates a different kind of magic. His voice turns tender and subdued for the gentle love song Crazy Love but goes into full R&B mode for the soulful Caravan. Every note seems to be in exactly the right place on this masterpiece of an album with its exquisite arrangements whilst the words are sheer poetry, as in the yearning Into The Mystic. Slower songs like Mystic and faster ones like the buoyant ditty Come Running alternate with great effect. Every composition is special and memorable, whether it's a love song like These Dreams Of You or a more overtly devotional piece like Brand New Day. The poetic lyrics, evocative melodies and Van's varied vocal styles all contribute to the sonic splendour of Moondance.

listen...
Moondance is, like Astral Weeks, one of those albums that help you realise that there is quite a bit about life that you don't know. Van knows, listen, he'll help you learn. Into the Mystic, Caravan, Moondance, Crazy Love... absolutely timeless and beautiful songs each and every single one.

The Best
'Moondance' is, in my opinion, THE BEST popular music album ever recorded. Yes I'm a Beatles fan, Yes I'm a Dylan fan, Yes I'm a Beach Boys fan, Yes I'm a Stevie Wonder fan. Even if you don't agree with that first sentence, you have to agree that side A (of the LP) is the greatest sequence of tunes ever committed to vinyl.
In every way, this album is incredible - lyrically it's superb, the singing is the very best of one of the best, the musicianship and arrangements are staggeringly good, and the whole atmosphere is just on another level. Breathtaking.