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Astral Weeks Expanded Edition
Extended Play, Import, Remastered, CD Single, Digipack
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Astral Weeks
"Please retry" | Amazon Music Unlimited |
Price | New from | Used from |
MP3 Music, November 29, 1968
"Please retry" | $9.49 | — |
Vinyl, December 30, 2008
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| $20.49 | $19.99 |
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From the brand
Track Listings
1 | Astral Weeks (2015 Remaster) |
2 | Beside You (2015 Remaster) |
3 | Sweet Thing (2015 Remaster) |
4 | Cyprus Avenue (2015 Remaster) |
5 | The Way Young Lovers Do (2015 Remaster) |
6 | Madame George (2015 Remaster) |
7 | Ballerina (2015 Remaster) |
8 | Slim Slow Slider (2015 Remaster) |
9 | Beside You (Take 1) |
10 | Madame George (Take 4) |
11 | Ballerina (Long Version) |
12 | Slim Slow Slider (Long Version) |
Editorial Reviews
47 years after it's release, Morrison's label debut album has achieved a near-mythic status across generations of listeners who have "ventured in the slipstream" and fallen under the music's spell. "Any best-of list is unthinkable - and worthless - without it," writes Cory Frye in the album's liner notes. Bonus tracks include the first take of "Beside You," the full version of "Slim Slow Slider," and a stripped back version of "Madame George" that emphasizes the vibraphone.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Language : English
- Product Dimensions : 5.63 x 4.88 x 0.16 inches; 1.8 ounces
- Manufacturer : Rhino/Warner Records
- Item model number : CDWB95231
- Original Release Date : 2015
- Date First Available : August 27, 2015
- Label : Rhino/Warner Records
- ASIN : B014K3640M
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #5,828 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #28 in Contemporary Blues (CDs & Vinyl)
- #162 in Blues Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I hesitate to review this (74+ minutes) album since there's an in depth review already, but it's such a fine set of songs that I can't help myself. Chances are if you're reading this you're familiar (perhaps very familiar) with this album. So dissecting the original set of songs is pretty useless, so I won't. Suffice to say the remastered sound is very good--maybe even better than that. From Morrison's voice, to Jay Berliner's delicately picked guitar, to Warren Smith Jr.'s vibes, to John Payne's light flute work, to Richard Davis' double bass, everything sounds cleaner--as if the fuzz has been stripped away--and everything seems to breathe a bit more, even the strings sound lighter.
This album belongs in every rock music fan's library. But it's not really a "rock" record. I still remember people seeing this LP in the stores way back then and thinking "THEM", boy were they surprised. And it's not a song cycle or a concept album either. It's simply (and therein lies it's beauty and power) a set of tunes referring to a short part of Morison's life in Ireland. The band is made up of jazzers, and at the time I was intrigued, because I had heard both Richard Davis (bass) and Connie Kay (drums) with Eric Dolphy (and others) and the MJQ respectively. Check out the MJQ live album "Dedicated To Connie" for a great example of this band.
The original album can still stand alone as one of the best albums of it's era, and of all time. The extra tracks are nice to hear as a look into the making of the album, and I confess I'm one of those people who like hearing the stuff that "didn't make it" onto the album proper (listen to "Beside You" Take 1 with studio talk-back), especially jazz recordings. And as a look into how decisions were made and the songs were rehearsed/edited they're nice to have, but not something that truly adds to the weight of the original songs. The five "stars" is for the original album, not because we get "extras". But I'm still glad to hear them. The "long" versions of "Ballerina" (dig the nice fade-out) and "Slim Slow Slider" are not all that lengthy but do add a (to my ears) nicer ending to the songs, especially "Slim...".
But as I listen to this album (and I still own the original vinyl LP I paid $3.99 for, so I've been lucky enough to have lived with this album a long time) I can't help but think this is a teaser of sorts. Plus this (and other Morrison albums including his THEM stuff) was apparently reissued without Morrison's input or okay. And I'm still wondering what's left in the vault, and is there enough to make this into a 2 CD set--like I said, more depth to the original album and a peak behind the "real" album. Hmmm. That and (and I know it's sacrilege to some fans of this album), I'd still like to hear the entire album without the strings, which were added later to flesh out the open spots and add emphasis. But hearing Morrison and his band of master jazz players all alone would be quite something. Morrison's lyrical imagery and voice can stand alone, and the musicians who added so much to this album's sound certainly don't need strings added over their masterful playing. But that's nit-picking I guess.
But as I said, this album belongs in every rock fan's library, so if you own an "old" copy of the album add this reissue for the sound alone, and listen to the extra tracks and decide for yourself if each track adds to the album--to each his own on that. Morrison would (as we all know) go on to release more popular albums. But he never again recorded songs with such personal feeling with a bare bones group of master musicians who added so much to the sound and feel of the album. A quiet classic album.
The great advantage of the Japanese disc is that the instruments were just so much more clear than ever before. For what is in many ways a jazz album, hearing every detail of every instrument was essential, and I loved hearing the way the drums hit the hi-hat, and every bass pluck. But listening to the new release, the album feels way more analog and less harsh. Listening to the two CDs next to each other, there is almost undoubtedly some compression on the Japanese disc. Listen to the way the bass drops in at the start of "Sweet Thing" and it's basically at the same volume as the acoustic guitar. On the new CD, there is a clear increase in volume. Also, there is some definite harshness in the 2008 disc that isn't present anymore.
Throughout the new remaster, bass and drums are incredibly prominent and powerful but not overwhelming. Listening to my vinyl copy, which really isn't that great definition-wise, the mix sounds very similar to the new remaster. Of course, the vinyl isn't nearly as well-defined and crystal clear as the instruments on the new remaster (or the Japanese copy).
Some other highlights for the new remaster:
-never noticed how low in the mix the strings on "Sweet Thing" are. They always stand out when I think of the song, but they are pretty well-buried, except when they do the crescendo thing.
-the bass in "Ballerina" is out of this world good.
-in "Madame George" there is some cool analog distortion around 2:30 in on the vocals which I never noticed and isn't as audible in the 2008 disc. Also, my god I can't believe how clear the ride cymbal has become on the outro of that song (which always seemed like a washed-out, undefined cymbal to me)
While I've never heard a first press of the record, this new CD issue is definitely the one to get in my ears.
Top reviews from other countries
Point barre.