Album of the Day

One of Ireland's greatest musical exports, Van Morrison first found fame as the lead singer of garage-beat group Them. With his distinctive voice and songwriting chops, it was little surprise that Van had a successful solo career ahead of him, and the hit “Brown Eyed Girl” confirmed that. But no one could have guessed what he had in store for a follow-up -- the 1968 album ASTRAL WEEKS. Morrison's debut for Warner Bros. was a gorgeous song-cycle framing the singer's bluesy incantations with sympathetic accompaniment from top jazz and classical players; this one-of-a-kind set consistently ranks near the top of critics' lists of all-time great albums. This is Van Morrison's birthday, and we can't think of a better way to celebrate it than by giving ASTRAL WEEKS another spin.