Customer Reviews:
 Van the Man Wins Again July 28, 2008
finulanu (Here, there, and everywhere)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's not an uncommon case when most people are in agreement about what an artist's best album is. It's considerably rarer when there's a general consensus about what an artist's best and second-best record is. Van Morrison seems to be one such case. Most Van fans agree that this, while not QUITE as good as Astral Weeks, is good enough to earn the #2 slot. Part of me wants to give St. Dominic's Preview that award, but that's not to step on Moondance. It's definitely one of Van's very best albums. And it's a total shift from Astral Weeks, with Van going all-out R&B and succeeding. For instance, by singing "Crazy Love" in a delicate, sexy falsetto, and by making the song an ode to the healing powers of, well, crazy love, he makes a fine case for being Ireland's answer to Al Green. And you know what? This record is at least as good as Green's masterpiece, I'm Still in Love with You.
Despite the awesomeness of "Crazy Love," my favorite here is "Caravan," a powerful paean to the radio. I love every aspect of it (especially the perfectly arranged chorus, with gritty horns and ascending piano supplanting the catchy "la, la, la-la, la-la-la's"), but my favorite part is the bridge, a bit of call-and-response between Van ("Turn it up!") and the horns (*bap-bup!*) that eventually leads to that wonderful chorus. And there's more greatness than those two songs, too! In fact, out of these ten songs, a full seven are unbelievably good. Two are just "good," and one is "sort of okay."
You've probably heard the title track, a fusion of jazz, blues, and pop. This is gonna sound cheesy, but it really takes you away to that magic autumn night he keeps talking about. "And it Stoned Me" has the same nostalgic vibe as most of Astral Weeks, but it's more of a soul-folk song, with a great piano part and an acoustic guitar solo. I have this obsession with acoustic guitar solos that I can't really explain. "Into the Mystic" is another example of one of Van's "song-long crescendos," and as usual, when the song reaches that climax it's been building to... dude... "IIIIII wanna roooock your gyyypsy soooul..." By the way, the entire first side of this record is a radio staple. And that's not all I love about this, either. You've also got "Glad Tidings," a lovely, swinging, jazzy song with another catchy nonsense refrain ("Nananana, nananana..."), and the slow, moving sermon "Brand New Day."
Now for the simply good songs. "These Dreams of You" isn't one of my favorite Van Morrison songs, but it's fun, light, and has a nice harmonica part. And if you haven't heard the live version on It's Too Late to Stop Now, make it a priority. Similarly, "Everyone" isn't great, but it's good, and has a nice flute part. Still, it's a bit unusual to hear a guy who would probably punch your face in if you looked at him funny singing about peace, love, understanding, and other hippie ideals. The one song I'm not a huge fan of is "Come Running." The chorus is great, but it's nothing special. Still, when you consider the strength of the other songs...
This is an essential album. Not as essential as Astral Weeks, but it's definitely the first Van album to get. Others might put you off for one reason or another, but this is a fine starting point.
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