Entertainment For Lively Minds
Astral Weeks
Posted by Macca99 on 19 August 2009 - 10:38pm.
Was listening to it tonight. I'm loath to call any lp a work of genius but man, he was on a higher level of consciousness when he made that. That's the thing with true artists; the money and the industry and the ephemera don't mean jack in the end. They may be tortured and made unpleasant by it but they can't help it, the art has to channel through them. And mostly it abandons them after a short time leaving them desperately trying to recapture something that didn't really belong to them in the first place.
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Higher level of consciousness...
...my arse. If the biographies contain a grain of truth, much of what we value in the album - I love it dearly too - is down to the extraordinary contributions made by the musicians, who by and large felt totally in the dark as to what exactly this taciturn and brittle songwriter expected of them.
and tangentially
in response to the declamation of one Hepworth D - I am still listening to the astral weeks live album and still enjoying it and I'm into the 6th month.
but, do you think it's better than the original...
...or just an alternate view of an old favourite?
As a huge Astral Weeks fan I listened to the live album once and felt a bit 'meh'. If I want to hear livef Van I still go back to "It's Too Late To Stop Now" every time.
Oddly enough, there's little of the 73 Rainbow show on Youtube, only this official clip.
Copyright
That's because Van's "people" had all unofficial stuff removed. I really like the live version too. I'll see him do it live again next month (in Toronto).
i was a fan of too late
bought the remaster this year , the vinyl was damaged some years ago.
Verdict -its overrated. A single album's worth at best - and
I surprised myself in thinking that.
Astral live- better than the original? Of course not.
But there is an energy in the playing and Van's different approach and deeper voice make ita rather good record and again I surprised myself in thinking that too.
I assume I am allowed to like both ?
Van
was a conduit , and something wonderful was created there by all concerned. The sum greater than the parts, and I agree with you about the live version as well, Tony.
It's Too Late To Stop Now
is in a different league altogether, I agree, and is justified in its status as one of the very best live albums ever. Astral Weeks live, for me, has just got something special . A bit like meeting up with a love from years ago who has changed yes, but still weaves her spell and invites you into her warmth once again...
( complimentary sick bags are available ).