Dive back into the glory days, then. For those who cannot bear the modern-day terrors of Van Morrison, it is better to look back. Huddle in the safety of Moondance and pray he does not cover these songs. Where Astral Weeks was a shot of wild and unrepeatable lightning, Moondance is a lean into instrumental arrangements which would take Morrison through much of his career. Beautiful yet quiet saxophone mixtures pair nicely with these moments of clarity. Morrison wanted to make music for the people, as many as he could. But his influences were those who had sparked Astral Weeks. And so, Moondance is a crossroads album. A man pulled by his unimaginable talent in one direction, but accessibility and commercial success in another. Neither is sacrificed on Moondance, as remarkable a follow-up to Astral Weeks can be.
Beauty in simplicity is what Moondance now holds. Euphoric experiences in nature on opener And It Stoned Me are vibrant and flourishing occasions where Morrison details the joy of the fundamentals. Those jazzier moments are carried by the title track. Magic nights put to flute and fiery instrumental flavours which verge on the impossible at times. Morrison producing this himself means the tracks have the right tenacity to them, his confidence in the tone Moondance and the tracks to follow, particularly the soppier sentiments of Crazy Love, is clear to hear. But it is this simplicity following the Moondance appearance which drops it. Sharp lyrics and maudlin, heartbreaking flourishes feel a tad simpler when compared to the earlier joys of the open air or the experiences heard on Caravan. The tracks before and after Crazy Love have an intensity to them which this backing vocal-heavy track just does not have.
Heart-stopping moments can be heard in the joys of Into the Mystic and its flowery lyrical joys but the real brilliance is heard in These Dreams of You. An intensity to the jazz-like flow, the saxophone which would become an overused tool in the Morrison arsenal, is used with restraint here. Moondance is an easily accessible piece on paper but in practice, it becomes a demanding and heartbreaking piece of work. Morrison works his magic into more opportune moments and yet holds on to some of his all-time best pieces. Brand New Day is a sincerely understated, welcoming piece of work which gives listeners the chance to pluck up their courage, to go on living into those new days.
Moondance is a remarkable piece of work and the album tracks are far stronger than the singles. Those standout moments are exceptional but the raw beauty and passionate appraisals of life, its everyday experiences and the joy of living are so overwhelming here. Miraculous work is expected from Morrison and it is this very high bar we still expect of him, making his modern turn so disappointing. Yet we can continue and enjoy this experience, the thrills of an artist with his heart in the same spot as Astral Weeks but his head trying to figure out important next steps. Tremendous work and all capped off with Glad Tidings, as jolly and immaculate an end as Morrison could have hoped for. Moondance is a tremendous achievement and in some spots rivals Astral Weeks. But Morrison marches on with consistency here, held together after the first few tracks. Moondance is a titan-like follow-up to an album which still puzzles listeners. It is the bold attempt at understanding where those words came from.
