a night revolving around one of the most legendary albums ever
Astral Weeks is undoubtedly an absolute masterpiece in the (short) history of modern music and in the career of one of the greatest composers of modern folk-soul.
Van Morrison’s masterpiece was released 50 years ago. The Irish singer-songwriter was only 23 at the time, already had a career behind him as a multi-instrumentalist in various Irish showbands, had just been bandleader of the world renowned R&B band Them and had already written a few classics in the form of ‘Gloria’ and ‘Brown Eyed Girl’.
Musician, writer and journalist Ryan Walsh released the fascinating book ‘Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968’ (Penguin Press) earlier this year. In AB Salon, he comes to tell us about the history of this legendary album and sketch what the world looked like in 1968.
After the book launch, for those who can’t get enough of it, a Classic Album Listening-session too, in which we will hear Astral Weeks in its entirety.
In the press
A book full of discoveries...a fantastic chronicle.' - Rolling Stone'Walsh's Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 is a brilliant, beautiful tribute to a long-lost era of free-form radio, communal living, underground newspapers, burgeoning musical scenes in their pristine form before being captured by the 'star making machinery'' - 10/10, PopMatters