song of the day: june 4/2011

Van Morrison - Into the Mystic

Album: Moondance [1970]

"into the mystic" was originally released as the last song one of van morrison's third album, "moondance", in february 1970. it was a very different record than its predecessor, "astral weeks", which had been dominated by meditations on his youth in belfast and contained an unusual musical scope that combined elements of folk, blues, jazz, and classical music. by the time of "astral weeks", morrison had moved from new york city to rural woodsock, NY, and organized his own backup band, which played on moondance. the new album was filled with the pleasures he had recently enjoyed, as well as his domestic harmony with wife janet plantet. the exception was the ethereal "into the mystic", the only song on the album that might have fit on astral weeks. the song has an easy groove, beginning with acoustic guitar and including isolated horn and string charts, as morrison evokes a sailor's pledge to come home from the sea to his lover. one of his best.

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