Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (2015 Master) (LP)

Van Morrison has a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime. Featuring his characteristic growl, a mix of folk, blues, soul, jazz, gospel, and Celtic influences, Morrison is widely considered by many rock historians to be one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll.

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rated 19/500

1968's Astral Weeks remains not only Morrison's masterpiece but one of the greatest records ever made. A haunting, deeply personal collection of impressionistic folk-styled epics recorded by an all-star jazz backing unit including bassist Richard Davis and drummer Connie Kay, its poetic complexity earned critical raves but made only a minimal commercial impact.

"There was no precedent for it in Van Morrison's previous vocal and songwriting success: the bright, rolling pop of his 1967 Top Ten hit, "Brown Eyed Girl"; his earlier spell as the leader of Irish R&B punks Them and writer of the garage-rock standard "Gloria." And Morrison — a notoriously private man for whom singing and songwriting have long been a form of emotional armor as well as release — never sounded as warm and ecstatic, more sensual and vulnerable, as he did on Astral Weeks." - Rolling Stone