Editing Astral Weeks (section)

{{Short description|1968 studio album by Van Morrison}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox album|
| name         = Astral Weeks
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Van Morrison]]
| cover        = VanMorrisonAstralWeeks.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 29 November 1968
| recorded     = 25 September 1968, 1 and 15 October 1968
| venue        = 
| studio       = Century Sound, New York City
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Folk rock]]|[[folk jazz]]|[[progressive folk]]|[[blue-eyed soul]]}}
| length       = 47:10
| label        = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| producer     = [[Lewis Merenstein]]
| prev_title   = [[Blowin' Your Mind!]]
| prev_year    = 1967
| next_title   = [[Moondance]]
| next_year    = 1970
}}

'''''Astral Weeks''''' is the second [[studio album]] by Northern Irish singer-songwriter [[Van Morrison]]. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by [[Warner Bros. Records]].

The album's music blends [[folk music|folk]], [[blues]], [[jazz]], and [[classical music|classical]] styles, signalling a radical departure from the sound of Morrison's previous [[pop music|pop]] hits, such as "[[Brown Eyed Girl]]" (1967). The lyrics and [[cover art]] portray the symbolism equating earthly love and Heaven that would often feature in the singer's subsequent records. His lyrics have been described as [[impressionism|impressionistic]], [[hypnosis|hypnotic]], and [[stream of consciousness (narrative mode)|modernist]], while the record has been categorized as a [[song cycle]] or [[concept album]].

''Astral Weeks'' did not originally receive promotion from Morrison's record label and was not an immediate success with consumers or critics. Its standing eventually improved greatly, with praise given to Morrison's singing, arrangements and songwriting, and the album has been viewed as one of [[rock music]]'s greatest and most important records (a reputation the singer himself has dismissed). It was placed on numerous widely circulated lists of the best albums of all time and has had an enduring effect on both listeners and musicians.

Forty years after the album's release, Morrison performed all eight of its songs live for the first time at two [[Hollywood Bowl]] concerts in November 2008; this performance was later released as ''[[Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl]]''.