Holding a sacred status among fans, comparable to The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Van Morrison’s 1968 spiritual folk-jazz masterpiece, Astral Weeks, also holds the distinction of never having any outtakes or demos from its sessions leak into
tape-trading circles. [Turns on booming voice:] Until now. Recorded with jazz musicians after a songwriting sojourn in Boston, Morrison’s stream-of-consciousness dream confessionals launch into mystical, ecstatic zones within their first seconds, sounding as if they could (and should) be at least part improvised. But the (only!?) two alternate takes on the gorgeously remastered Astral Weeks—“Beside You (Take 1)” and “Madame George (Take 4)”—both reveal the songs in almost exactly the same shape they’d find on the proper release. Expanded versions of two other songs (“Ballerina” and “Slim Slow Slider”) highlight the jazz sessioneers, most notably bassist Richard Davis and vibraphonist Warren Smith Jr., whose magical interplay make Astral Weeks unlike almost any album before or since. As a follow-up to “Brown Eyed Girl,” it was a bomb. As music ideal for deep rumination that glows with a psilocybinlike sheen and stands the test of time, Astral Weeks passes with flying colors. Separated from Astral Weeks by the smash success of 1970’s Moondance, the rushed-out His Band and the Street Choir doesn’t so much glow as radiate, as if from a mirror ball. Transcendence comes (“I’ll Be Your Lover, Too”), but the goal is glittering pre-disco soul, which “Domino” delivers immortally. But not every album can be Astral Weeks.