Them, formed in Ireland as a trio in 1963, added Van and another member in 1964 they played tough British R&B, heavily influenced by the Rolling Stones. From the time of his first recordings with Them in 1964, the image and the reality was that of a fiery Irish temper, a violent refusal to adhere to the discipline and the directives of unlucky A&R men, in a demand for freedom that was both personal and artistic. Glen Hansard, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, and even Martin Scorsese have all been greatly influenced by ‘Astral Weeks.’ It’s a record you might not get on the first spin, but give it time and close attention and its brilliance will be revealed.Van Morrison is a unique and often forgotten figure in the history of rock and roll. Over time it has come to be revered as a classic one of the greats.

‘Sweet Thing’ is probably the close you’ll get to a single from these selection of songs, alas there were no singles received, in fact Warner Brothers didn’t give it any promotion and was not a success on release. The showcased his true mark as a songwriter. The record only features 8 songs but each is special and unique to what he had released before. He also references Lead Belly, whom he carried a poster of wherever he went and hung it up on the wall. Opening with the title track, he sings 'If I ventured in the slipstream, between the viaducts of your dream/ Where immobile steel rims crack, and the ditch in the back roads stop.' Just sublime wordsmith. Morrison set to work on recording a Folk Rock masterpiece, a stream of consciousness record with music a mix between Folk, Blues, Jazz and even Classical music. Warner Brothers, who subsequently signed Morrison helped him out of that deal (that’s a story on its own). Following the death, Morrison was blocked from recording. Bert Berns wanted Morrison to head to a more pop orientated sound, but Morrison wanted to explore new terrain. His widow blamed Morrison as the two had been arguing over the direction of his new music. The found of Bang Records, the label he was signed to had unexpectedly died.

For a start, there’s nothing on it like ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ and that’s what the world was expecting. Van Morrison’s second album is quote unlike his first.

Van morrison astral weeks story