Van Morrison - "Moondance" (1970)

Moondance was Van Morrison's third studio album and was released in February of 1970.  The style of this album was very unusual for its time.  It blended jazz with soul and soft rock, creating a truly unique, intimate experience.  This has been widely considered to be one of Van Morrison's most famous albums.  This album has been critically acclaimed since its release and it continues to please listeners to this day.  It is one of my favorite albums of all time; and the title track is one of my favorite songs of all time.  Van Morrison is intensely articulate with this work of art, creating a one of a kind experience that is hard to top.

1) And It Stoned Me (9/10)

In these older albums, the artist could tell a story and express themselves through the music.  In this opening track, Van Morrison told the story of a day in the life of a young freedom seeker.  This could very well be an account of an actual experience he took part in.  The soft rock and roll that backs up his distinct vocals makes this one of the best songs on the record.  Somehow, this song is both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. 

2) Moondance (10/10)

This is one of the standout songs off of this album.  It is probably the most famous song from it.  This also consists of soft background noise surrounding Van Morrison's voice.  It is a jazzy, romantic song that brings out the best in his music.  The soothing nature of this song does not take away from the passion in Moondance's lyrics.

3) Crazy Love (8.5/10)

Van Morrison sings so softly during this song, it is close to a whisper.  This creates a feeling of powerful intimacy that is not matched on the entire album.  The album starts with a few quiet songs that focus on his wonderfully unique voice.  The group of back up singers add to the suspense of this classic love song.

4) Caravan (9/10)

The music and lyrics to this song look so simple on paper.  Nevertheless, Van Morrison throws his personality into it and creates a very intricate piece of music that touches the soul.  The way this song was put together is genius.  The way the band fades in and out somehow allows Van the Man to communicate his emotions in a very effective manner.

5) Into The Mystic (10/10)

This song basically sums up the entire message behind Moondance.  The way Morrison sings this song makes the listener feel like he is directing his words to one specific person, not millions of fans.  It is a beautiful representation of romance because of its traditional structure.  The lyrics are wonderful, but they can be interpreted differently by any listener.  The lyrics are beautiful, the song is beautiful, and this is the best song off a great album.

6) Come Running (8/10)

Van Morrison described this song as a "happy-go-lucky" song.  That is exactly how I would describe it as well.  The song comes in at a fairly short 2 minutes and 33 seconds.  This does not leave Morrison enough time to completely express himself as he did in the past 5 tracks.  However, it's a fun song to listen to, and begins the transition into the more light-hearted, second half of the album.

7) These Dreams Of You (7.5/10)

After a couple of minutes, the repetitive style of this song began to get a bit boring.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great song.  However, it is definitely not the best song on the LP.  The lyrics consist of the telling of what are apparently dreams Van Morrison has had.  A pretty saxophone solo makes this a good one, but it can't be compared to the genius of songs like "Into the Mystic."

8) Brand New Day (8/10)

"Brand New Day" is a very down to earth song that is very fervent.  The amount of capability this song offers is beyond that of most of the songs I have ever listened to.  It leaves a lot to the listener to put things together and completely absorb the magnitude of this song.  The only negative thing about this song is that it leaves you wanting more.  It shows off the broad spectrum of talent Van Morrison has to offer.

9) Everyone (7/10)

This song has a very joyful and happy tone that seeps into your mind and makes the listener feel these same emotions.  When talking about this song, Van Morrison described it as a "song of hope."  Many fans, however, feel the song's lyrics represent a different meaning.  I feel like the lyrics are telling the story of a troubled group of kids, filled with hope.  This quote from the song represents the idea of hope well: "By the winding stream we shall lie and dream/We'll make dreams come true if we want them to..." 

10) Glad Tidings (8/10)

This is the perfect song to end this album.  The upbeat tempo rolls along as Van Morrison's signature horn section plays in the background.  It's the fun kind of ending that makes you want to listen to the entire thing all over again.  While it is not the best song on the record, it is the best song to end the album.

In my opinion, Moondance is Van Morrison's best album, and the most defining release of his career.  Every song is a masterpiece in its own way, and that is what makes the album come together and become such a breath-taking piece of art.  Moondance was such an innovative album for its time.  It combined a unique style of jazz, with the popular genre of rock and roll to create one of the best albums of all time.  Even Rolling Stone rated it as number 66 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  I believe that this album represents the peak in, not only Van Morrison's career, but in the entire genre of European soul music.

Listen to Moondance on Spotify!

Aerosmith - "Music From Another Dimension!"

Music From Another Dimension! is Aerosmith's fifteenth studio album since their premiere in 1973.  This album has been highly anticipated by Aerosmith fans because it is their first album to feature all new material since 2001.  To avoid confusion I will clarify something right now.  The album was released in two formats; a single CD version as well as a deluxe edition.  I will be reviewing the basic version that lacks three bonus tracks, bringing the total track count down to 15.  Before I get started, I'll say that if you haven't heard an Aerosmith album since the seventies, you might be a bit disappointed.  However, if you are a fan of Aerosmith's music since the nineties, you might enjoy this album.  Let's get started.....

1) LUV XXX - (6/10)

Just the name of this song (pronounced 'Love Three Times') had me worried at what to expect from Aerosmith's latest album.  After the minute of a creepy voice explaining how this album was going to control my emotions, I wasn't feeling any better about it.  However, they surprised me and pulled of a solid rock tune with an infectious drum beat and nice little guitar solo by Joe Perry.  I'll give it a six out of ten just because Tyler's vocals just didn't sound like himself and that took away from the experience.  The majority of the song didn't sound like it should be an Aerosmith song.  But I have to say, the last minute is completely different than the majority of the song.  The last bit reminded me of Aerosmith in their prime and it got me pretty excited.

2) Oh Yeah - (7/10)

This song also had its dull moments.  There were times when the constant singing of "Oh Yeah!" in the background got kind of annoying.  Regardless, this song was definitely better than the opening track, but it still lacked some of the characteristics I have come to expect in Aerosmith's music.  Another awesome guitar solo brought this song to life and left me satisfied.

3) Beautiful - (8.5/10)

This was the rowdy rock anthem I had been waiting for!  It's hard to think of anything negative to say about this song.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Aerosmith, this song represents their style perfectly.  With another impressive guitar solo and electric vocals from Steven Tyler, this album just got a whole lot better.

4) Tell Me - (7.5/10)

This was an interesting choice to follow up the hard-rocking "Beautiful."  This song is driven by the acoustic guitar and is a typical Aerosmith love song.  It progresses from just an acoustic guitar and Tyler's vocals to a quality rock ballad.  This is the first song on the album that expressed a lot of emotion and had meaning.  Perry snuck another guitar solo into this song, making that four songs in a row in which he had a share of the spotlight.  Let's see how long this streak lasts!

5) Out Go The Lights - (9/10)

After listening to this song I felt like I was back listening to Aerosmith in the seventies.  It is a hard rocking song that shows off their bluesy roots.  The backing vocals give this song a type of groove that I haven't heard in an Aerosmith song in a long time.  Another long-lasting guitar solo brings the streak to five consecutive songs!

6) Legendary Child - (8/10)

This song proves that Aerosmith is really putting forth an effort to return to their seventies form.  I was surprised to find out that this was the lead single off of this album.  For the past 20 years, it seems like Aerosmith has been making pop-influenced songs in order to stay on the radio.  It's a great song that deserves to be the lead single.  An additional guitar solo means that Joe Perry has had a solo on every song on the album so far!

7) What Could Have Been Love (7/10)

This song is just a classic power ballad that is a target to expand their audience and get playing time on the radio.  It highlights Steven Tyler's voice but the song as a whole lacks detail that could have made this song better than what it is.  Tyler's passion gives it a tone that makes the song, um, not terrible.  The power ballad did not call for a real guitar solo from Perry, ending the streak at six consecutive songs.

8) Street Jesus (9/10)

This is another great song that brings me back to Aerosmith's prime.  There are pieces of this song that could have been taken directly from an old album of theirs.  It has a blues sound to it that is just awesome.  This is definitely one of the stand-out tracks off of this album.  Going back to Joe Perry's string of guitar solos, this song gets him back on track with a few nice riffs and one great solo.

9) Can't Stop Lovin' You (feat. Carrie Underwood) [4/10]

I don't know what to say about this one.  What were they thinking?  This song is an awkward cross between country and shrieking hard rock.  It doesn't make sense.  However, I have asked other people their opinion on it and some people really like it.  To me,  I think it was a terrible decision on Aerosmith's part.  I actually lost some respect for these guys just now.

10) Lover Alot (7/10)

This is just a raw, powerful, hard rock song.  This is another one that is reminiscent of Aerosmith's prime days in the seventies.  It's surprising to see how much their music has changed since their last album, 11 years ago.  This song is all about repetition.  This was the song that was stuck in my head after listening to the album for the first time.  It is also the second single off of the album.

11) We All Fall Down (6/10)

This one is just another ballad.  It's more sappy than the first one (What Could Have Been Love), and it doesn't fit in with the rest of the songs that take on that old "Rock 'n' Roll" sound.  Despite that, this was expected because they gained a large amount of fans from their "sappy" stuff in the nineties.

12) Freedom Fighter (8/10)

Politics isn't usually something that is brought up in Aerosmith's music.  However, lead guitarist Joe Perry was outraged when he learned of Joseph Kony, who has been abducting children all across Uganda and surrounding areas.  He was inspired by the documentary "KONY 2012", which went viral on YouTube.  Perry wrote and sang this song all on his own, making it the only song that does not feature vocals from Steven Tyler.  On top of all this background information, it's a great song.

13) Closer (5/10)

This song is just boring.  It is lost somewhere between a regular mid-tempo Aerosmith song and one of their slower ballads.  I haven't been able to figure this one out, and the confusion made the song come across as a bit dull.  If anyone can give me a clue as what this song is all about, please let me know.

14) Something (6/10)

This album is beginning to lose the early excitement it had in its first half.  This song is also a little boring.  I think the vocals belong to Joe Perry, but I can't be sure.  It's definitely not Steven Tyler.  Something about this song just didn't do it for me.  

15) Another Last Goodbye (7.5/10)

This closing ballad was a great way to end the album.  The final track was the best of the three ballads off of this album.  It featured a few signature screams from Steven Tyler.  The song expressed the emotion of the entire album.  Based on the lyrics, I wouldn't be surprised if this last song may be the final song of Aerosmith's career.  This is quite possible because Steven Tyler is well into his sixties now.  The song and the album ended with the return of the eerie voice from the beginning.  This time it told me that I am now allowed to return to reality.  I don't think that was at all necessary, it made the whole thing seem pretty corny.

Music From Another Dimension! adds to the success of the legendary band, Aerosmith. The album had several hits and a couple misses. And although the 15-track album isn’t its best work, it is much better than anything they have released in the past 15 years. Aerosmith is obviously trying to recreate its prime days, but I don’t think any longtime fans will be complaining.

Listen to the Deluxe Version of Music From Another Dimension on Spotify!