Music of the Day, 13 March 2025
there and then
I remembered a bit ago that those of us in North America have a chance of seeing a full lunar eclipse tonight. It looks like northern New Mexico will be shut out by clouds, so I’ll have to content myself with listening to the song that started playing in my mind.
I know the autumn vibe of “Moondance” is a bit off for mid March, and I don’t care. I think I’ve adored this song from my first hearing of it. It certainly ticks a lot of boxes still. Back in 1970 when the album and single came out, I was too young to understand it all, but the sweet, attentive romance enthralled me and made me want to understand more of those mysteries.
The jazzy rhythm and syncopation of “Moondance” evoked Vince Guaraldi too, which certainly caught my interest. The interplay of Morrison’s voice, Jef Labes on piano, and Collin Tilton on flute (and sax) is unlike anything else I’d heard, and I’m still not tired of listening to it.
Like the Beatles and Rolling Stones, Van Morrison seemed to be omnipresent in my childhood. But as I grew up and my tastes changed, Morrison faded from my mind until I found a couple of used CDs1 and instantly snapped them up. In the early 2000s, I returned to them as well as a best-of compilation, listening to each frequently. Then he faded out again, until today. I don’t think I’ll have time to listen to them all this evening, but Moondance is the top priority to get to over the weekend, at the latest. Suggestions for newer music of his to listen to are welcome.
Astral Weeks and Moondance
Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” is one of my all time favorites. There’s much to explore and enjoy in his discography.
"Astral Weeks" is a brilliant album. And a lot of what else he's done isn't so bad, either.