Moondance is the third
solo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
by
Northern IrishNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
. It was released on February 28, 1970 on
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
The album's musical style blends
R&BRhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
,
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
,
country rockCountry-rock is a musical genre formed from the fusion of rock with country music, with its country origins being initially referenced to the rockabilly music of the 1950s....
, and also
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
(most obviously on the title track).
The single released was "
Come Running"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album Moondance. Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton felt that it was more...
" with "
Crazy Love"Crazy Love" is a love song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side. The cover of the single shows...
" as the B-side, which peaked at #39 on the Pop Singles chart. "
Moondance"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.It is described by a reviewer for Allmusic as "one of those rare songs that manages to implant itself on the collective consciousness of popular music, passing...
", as a single was not released until 1977 and peaked at #92.
Moondance was critically acclaimed when first released and has proven to be Morrison's most famous album, often appearing on many lists of best albums of all time and among other awards, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2003, it was ranked #65 on
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine's list of
The 500 Greatest Albums of All TimeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles: The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums...
.
Van Morrison began writing the songs for
Moondance about ten months after the release of
Astral Weeks.
Moondance is the third
solo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
by
Northern IrishNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
. It was released on February 28, 1970 on
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
The album's musical style blends
R&BRhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
,
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
,
country rockCountry-rock is a musical genre formed from the fusion of rock with country music, with its country origins being initially referenced to the rockabilly music of the 1950s....
, and also
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
(most obviously on the title track).
The single released was "
Come Running"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album Moondance. Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton felt that it was more...
" with "
Crazy Love"Crazy Love" is a love song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side. The cover of the single shows...
" as the B-side, which peaked at #39 on the Pop Singles chart. "
Moondance"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.It is described by a reviewer for Allmusic as "one of those rare songs that manages to implant itself on the collective consciousness of popular music, passing...
", as a single was not released until 1977 and peaked at #92.
Moondance was critically acclaimed when first released and has proven to be Morrison's most famous album, often appearing on many lists of best albums of all time and among other awards, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2003, it was ranked #65 on
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine's list of
The 500 Greatest Albums of All TimeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles: The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums...
.
Production
Van Morrison began writing the songs for
Moondance about ten months after the release of
Astral Weeks. With the arrangements for the music only in his head, he entered the
recording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties...
, where everything on the album except for the basic song structures came to fruition. Without
musical chartsA chord chart is a form of musical notation that in addition to writing out non-embellished melody, describes harmonic and rhythmic information. It is the most common form of notation used by professional session musicians playing jazz or popular music. It is intended primarily for a rhythm section...
and with help from the creative innovation of Jeff Labes,
Jack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
, and Collin Tilton, the album coalesced. All of the "tasteful frills" were generated spontaneously and developed in the A & R Studios in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Although most of the vocals were live, Morrison expressed in 1973 that he would have preferred to cut the entire album live. It was the first album where Van Morrison was listed as
producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
. He remarked, "No one knew what I was looking for except me, so I just did it."
Lewis MerensteinLewis Merenstein is most famous as the record producer for the Van Morrison album, Astral Weeks, and as executive producer for Moondance, Morrison's 1970 album.Astral Weeks is listed as #19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.and in November 2006, when CNN...
(listed as Executive Producer) had brought in
Richard DavisRichard Davis is an American double bass player who has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 1977. Originally from Chicago, he first became known in that city before establishing himself in New York City for twenty-three years...
,
Jay BerlinerJay Berliner is a versatile guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Starting with his first television experience at age 7 on NBC’s The Children’s Hour with sister Eve, his career has spanned the globe: from the Metropolitan Opera house , where he was house guitarist and mandolinist; to...
, and
Warren Smith, Jr.Warren Smith is an American jazz percussionist.Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois into a musical family; his father played saxophone and clarinet with Noble Sissle and Jimmy Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. He studied clarinet under his father from age four...
from
Astral Weeks for the first recording session, but Morrison, according to
John PlataniaJohn Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
, "sort of manipulated the situation and...got rid of them all. For some reason he didn't want those musicians."
In its original vinyl release, the
album coverAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
folds out, revealing
A Fable, a short tale written by Morrison's then wife, Janet Planet. The
fableA fable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from a parable in that the...
pertains to a young man and his
gifts. The album cover was taken from a photograph by Elliot Landy, the official 1969
Woodstock FestivalWoodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music", held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
photographer.
Songs
The opening song, "
And It Stoned Me"And It Stoned Me" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track on Morrison's third solo album, Moondance, which was released in 1970....
", according to the singer, depicts a true tale of a day in his childhood. The lyrics show that the setting of the song is rural, including references to a county fair and mountain stream.
The title song is mostly
acousticAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible....
but also includes
electric bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
and
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar,
saxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
, and a
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
over-dub played softly behind Morrison's voice, which imitates a saxophone towards the song's end. Brian Hinton says, "This is a rock musician singing
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
not a jazz
singerSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist...
though the music itself has a jazz swing."
"
Crazy Love"Crazy Love" is a love song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side. The cover of the single shows...
" has Morrison's voice so close to the
microphoneA microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike , is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1876, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
, that a click of Morrison's tongue hitting the roof of his mouth is picked up. He sings in
falsettoThe term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords, in whole or in part...
, producing a sense of intense intimacy, with the backing of a female chorus.
"
Caravan"Caravan" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. It was a concert highlight for several years and one of the songs on Morrison's 1974 acclaimed live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.It was also performed by Morrison with The...
" is about gypsy life and also about the radio. Morrison said, "I'm really fascinated by gypsies. I love them." Musically, one can discern a decided interplay between the guitar and singer's voice. The song opens with Jeff Labes
trillingThe trill is a musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart, which can be identified with the context of the trill....
on
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, the
drum kitA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
then comes in, whilst Morrison sings the line "And the caravan is on its way". The chorus consists of Morrison and the band singing "La la la la, la la la" repeatedly.
John PlataniaJohn Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
then improvises around Morrison's voice: "[Morrison's] interplay with Platania's softly picked guitar touches the soul."
According to Morrison "
Into the Mystic"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. This song was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now....
" was originally called "Into the Misty" but as he had thought there was "an ethereal feeling to it" he changed the name. Morrison has also said that some of the songs lyrics could have more than one meaning: "I was born before the Wind" could also be "I was borne before the wind" as well as "Also younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was one" being "All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won". The song opens with Collin Tilton's
tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
, made to imitate a
foghornA foghorn or "fog signal" or "fog bell" is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
blowing, and ends with the words "Too Late to Stop Now" — a phrase he would famously use to conclude concert endings in the 1970s. After a dynamic stop-start ending to "
Cyprus Avenue"Cyprus Avenue" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1968 album Astral Weeks. In performance it was a concert highlight and closer for years to come and would end with Morrison's command, "It's too late to stop now!" as he stalked from the stage...
", Morrison would bellow this phrase and then stalk from the stage. This phrase also served as the title to his acclaimed 1974 live album. These lyrics have also been used at the end of "Friday's Child" in his concerts.
In Morrison's words, "
Come Running"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album Moondance. Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton felt that it was more...
" is "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy; it's just a happy-go-lucky song." The song starts with Jeff Labes improvising on piano. The two saxophones then split apart, playing different rhythms during the chorus, and come back together for "You gotta rainbow if you run to me".
The song "
These Dreams of You"These Dreams of You" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. This song was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now....
" oddly manages to be simultaneously accusatory and reassuring. The lyrics cover such
dream sequenceA dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
s as
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
being shot down, paying dues in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and "his angel from above" cheating while playing cards in the dark, slapping him in the face, ignoring his cries, and walking out on him.
Morrison says he was inspired to write "
Brand New Day"Brand New Day" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance.The song is described on the album as one of Morrison's "classic compositions", along with "Moondance", "And it Stoned Me", "Caravan" and "Into the Mystic"...
" after hearing
The BandThe Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and...
on
FM radioFM broadcasting is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio.-Terminology:...
playing either "
The Weight"The Weight" is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink."The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s counterculture. However, the song was not a significant mainstream hit for The...
" or "
I Shall Be Released"I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink , with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus...
": "I looked up at the sky and the sun started to shine and all of a sudden the song just came through my head. I started to write it down, right from 'When all the dark clouds roll away'." Ritchie Yorke quoted Morrison as saying in 1973 that "Brand New Day" was the song that worked best to his ear and the one with which he felt most in touch.
"
Everyone"Everyone" is the penultimate track on Van Morrison's 1970 album Moondance.The song is the fastest on the album. It is in 12/8 time and features more prominent acoustic guitar than other tracks on Moondance where the piano is the main instrument. A notable feature of the intro is a clavinet...
" opens with Jeff Labes'
clavinetA Clavinet is an electrophonic keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various models...
in
6/8 time6/8 re-directs here. For the date, see June 8 or August 6.6/8 time is a time signature in Western musical notation which dictates that each bar must consist of six quaver beats....
. A
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
comes in, playing the
melodyA melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
after Morrison has sung four lines, with
Jack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
playing the
harmonyIn music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches, or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
underneath on
soprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone was invented in 1840 and is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument. The soprano is the third in size of the saxophone family which consists, as generally accepted, of the sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass...
. Although Morrison says the song is just a song of hope, Brian Hinton says its lyrics suggest a more troubled meaning, as 1969 was the year in which
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within a single nation state, or, less commonly, between two nations created from a formerly-united nation state. The aim of one side may be to take control of the nation or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies...
broke out in
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
.
The album's closing song, "
Glad Tidings"Glad Tidings" is the tenth and final song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's best known album, Moondance that was released in 1970.Van Morrison on the writing of the song:...
", has a bouncy
beatThe beat is the basic time unit of music, the pulse of the mensural level, also known as the beat level. However, since the term is in popular use, it often connotes the tempo of a piece or a particular sequence of individual beats, the meter, rhythm or groove...
but the
lyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, like "Into the Mystic", remain largely impenetrable: "And they'll lay you down low and easy" could be about murder or love. Rolling Stone magazine reviewers
Greil MarcusGreil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism....
and
Lester BangsLeslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. Most famous for his work at Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, Bangs was and still is regarded as an extremely influential voice in rock criticism.-History:Bangs was born in Escondido, California, USA...
have suggested that the song is the most vital on the album by saying: "Perhaps 'Glad Tidings'... is the song that most makes one want to come back to this album without even thinking about it."
Critical response
In the
San Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireSan Francisco Chronicle is Northern California's largest newspaper, and one of the largest in the United States, serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area, but distributed throughout...
,
Ralph J. GleasonRalph J. Gleason was an influential American jazz and pop music critic. He contributed for many years to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival....
noted: "It is really in the quality of his sound that Van Morrison's impact comes through most strongly. He wails. He wails as the jazz musicians speak of wailing, as the gypsies, as the
GaelsThe Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man. They are speakers of the Goidelic languages – Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx...
and the old folks in every culture speak of it. He gets a quality of intensity in that wail which really hooks your mind, carries you along with his voice as it rises and falls in long, soaring lines."
Jon LandauJon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
considered the album's only flaw to be that of perfection. "Things fell into place so perfectly I wished there was more room to breathe. Morrison has a great voice and on
Moondance he found a home for it."
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
s critics Greil MarcusGreil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism....
and Lester BangsLeslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. Most famous for his work at Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, Bangs was and still is regarded as an extremely influential voice in rock criticism.-History:Bangs was born in Escondido, California, USA...
jointly reviewed it and concluded: "Moondance
is an album of musical invention and lyrical confidence; the strong moods of "Into the Mystic" and the fine, epic brilliance of "Caravan" will carry it past many good records we'll forget in the next few years."
Awards and accolades
Moondance
was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and has continued to be a highly acclaimed album in the 2000s.
In 2001 the TV network VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
named this album #32 on a list of the greatest albums of all time.
It is #65 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Moondance
was voted #20 on the 2005 list of 885 All Time Greatest Albums by listeners on WXPNWXPN is a non-commercial, public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that broadcasts a music format called adult album alternative . It may be best known for the World Cafe music program, which is distributed by National Public Radio to many non-commercial...
.
In November 2006, CNNTime is a component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects...
published their list of "The All-Time 100 Albums." Moondance
was listed among the 100 albums along with Astral WeeksAstral Weeks is the second solo album released by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records...
.
In March 2007, Moondance
was listed as #72 on the NARM Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music...
list of the "Definitive 200".
In the media
The songs from the album have remained popular to the present day. "Moondance" was used over the love scene in An American Werewolf in LondonAn American Werewolf in London is a 1981 American-British comedy/horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, and Jenny Agutter. The movie won the 1981 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and an Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup...
, and it was a recurring theme in August RushAugust Rush is a 2007 drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Paul Castro, Nick Castle, and James V. Hart, and produced by Richard Barton Lewis...
. "Glad Tidings" was prominently featured in The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created and produced by David Chase. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10, 1999 and ended its original run of six seasons and 86 episodes on June 10, 2007. The show has also been broadcast on A&E in...
Season 5 finale ("All Due Respect"). "Everyone" was used over the closing scene and end credits of Wes AndersonWesley Mortimer Wales "Wes" Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials. He was nominated for a 2001 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums...
's film The Royal TenenbaumsThe Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 dramedy film directed by Wes Anderson about three gifted siblings who experience great success in youth, and even greater disappointment and failure after their eccentric father leaves them in their adolescent years...
.
Side one
- "And It Stoned Me
"And It Stoned Me" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track on Morrison's third solo album, Moondance, which was released in 1970....
" – 4:30
- "Moondance
"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.It is described by a reviewer for Allmusic as "one of those rare songs that manages to implant itself on the collective consciousness of popular music, passing...
" – 4:35
- "Crazy Love
"Crazy Love" is a love song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side. The cover of the single shows...
" – 2:34
- "Caravan
"Caravan" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. It was a concert highlight for several years and one of the songs on Morrison's 1974 acclaimed live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.It was also performed by Morrison with The...
" – 4:57
- "Into the Mystic
"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. This song was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now....
" – 3:25
Side two
- "Come Running
"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album Moondance. Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton felt that it was more...
" – 2:30
- "These Dreams of You
"These Dreams of You" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. This song was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now....
" – 3:50
- "Brand New Day
"Brand New Day" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance.The song is described on the album as one of Morrison's "classic compositions", along with "Moondance", "And it Stoned Me", "Caravan" and "Into the Mystic"...
" – 5:09
- "Everyone
"Everyone" is the penultimate track on Van Morrison's 1970 album Moondance.The song is the fastest on the album. It is in 12/8 time and features more prominent acoustic guitar than other tracks on Moondance where the piano is the main instrument. A notable feature of the intro is a clavinet...
" – 3:31
- "Glad Tidings
"Glad Tidings" is the tenth and final song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's best known album, Moondance that was released in 1970.Van Morrison on the writing of the song:...
" – 3:13
Album
Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1970 |
Pop Albums |
29 |
UK Album Chart (United Kingdom)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1970 |
UK Album Chart |
32 |
Singles
Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1970 |
"Come Running" |
Pop Singles |
39 |
| 1977 |
"Moondance" |
Pop Singles |
92 |
Musicians
- Van Morrison
Van Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
- guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
, tambourineThe tambourine or Marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils"...
, harmonicaThe harmonica is a free reed wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes. The pressure caused by blowing or drawing air into the reed chambers causes a reed or multiple reeds to vibrate up and down creating sound...
, vocals
- Judy Clay
Judy Clay was an American soul and gospel singer, who achieved greatest success as a member of two recording duos in the 1960s.-Life:...
- backing vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Emily Houston
Emily Cissy Drinkard Houston , better known as Cissy Houston, is a Grammy Award winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a very successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist...
- backing vocals
- John Klingberg - bass
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Jeff Labes
Jeff Labes is an American keyboardist, best known from his work with Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt. He has also arranged for string and woodwind instruments on numerous albums.-Career:...
- organThe organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet...
, pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, clavinetA Clavinet is an electrophonic keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various models...
- Gary Mallaber
Gary Mallaber is a Los Angeles session drummer, percussionist and singer. He got his start playing drums in a band from Buffalo, New York, known as Raven....
- drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
, vibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family....
- Guy Masson - conga
The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent....
- John Platania
John Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
- guitar, rhythm guitar
- Jack Schroer
John Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
- altoThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer in 1841 Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the tenor, is the most common size of saxophone...
and soprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone was invented in 1840 and is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument. The soprano is the third in size of the saxophone family which consists, as generally accepted, of the sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass...
s
- Collin Tilton - flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
- Jackie Verdell
Jackie Verdell was an American gospel singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Musical career:After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey...
- backing vocals
Production
- Producer: Van Morrison
- Executive Producer: Lewis Merenstein
Lewis Merenstein is most famous as the record producer for the Van Morrison album, Astral Weeks, and as executive producer for Moondance, Morrison's 1970 album.Astral Weeks is listed as #19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.and in November 2006, when CNN...
- Engineers: Steve Friedberg, Tony May, Elliot Scheirer, Neil Schwartz, Shelly Yakus
- Photographer: Elliot Landy
- Designer: Bob Cato
Bob Cato was a graphic designer whose work in record album cover design contributed to the development of music and popular culture for five decades. He was vice president of creative services at Columbia Records, and later at United Artists.-Biography:Bob Cato was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
External links