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.
