Legally bound to Bang Records, Morrison was not only kept out of the studio, but also found himself unable to find performing work in New York as most clubs refrained from booking him, fearing reprisals. Morrison's annual option on his recording contract was also due less than a week after Berns's funeral. įollowing Bert Berns's death, Ilene Berns inherited the contracts of Bang Records. Years later she would downplay this scenario, but Morrison's then girlfriend Janet (Planet) Rigsbee has since gone on record describing Ilene Berns's subsequent vindictiveness towards Morrison. Berns's widow, Ilene Berns, held Morrison and this conflict responsible for her husband's death. Prior to Berns's death, he and Morrison had experienced some creative difficulties Berns had been pushing Morrison in a more pop-oriented direction, while Morrison wanted to explore newer musical terrain. Born with a congenital heart defect, Berns had a fatal heart attack, and was discovered dead in a New York hotel room on 30 December 1967. This occurred after the sudden death of the label's founder Bert Berns. įorty years after the album's release, Morrison performed all eight of its songs live for the first time at two Hollywood Bowl concerts in November 2008 this performance was later released as Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl.Īt the beginning of 1968, Van Morrison became involved in a contract dispute with Bang Records that kept him away from any recording activity. It was placed on numerous widely circulated lists of the best albums of all time and has had an enduring effect on both listeners and musicians. Its standing eventually improved greatly, with praise given to Morrison's singing, arrangements and songwriting, and the album has been viewed as one of rock music's greatest and most important records (a reputation the singer himself has dismissed). His lyrics have been described as impressionistic, hypnotic, and modernist, while the record has been categorized as a song cycle or concept album.Īstral Weeks did not originally receive promotion from Morrison's record label and was not an immediate success with consumers or critics. The lyrics and cover art portray the symbolism equating earthly love and heaven that would often feature in the singer's subsequent records. The album's music blends folk, blues, jazz, and classical styles, signalling a radical departure from the sound of Morrison's previous pop hits, such as " Brown Eyed Girl" (1967).
It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison.
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