Van Morrison's Astral Weeks Concert Set for February 10

The November performance at the Hollywood Bowl where Van Morrison performed his famed 1968 album Astral Weeks is set for release on February 10 via Morrison's own Listen to the Lion Records.

The two nights of shows were used to assemble the new release, which will hit stores as a single CD or a double disc vinyl package with the bonus track of Gloria. It was the first time that Morrison had performed the album in its entirety and his backing band included some of the same studio musicians from the original recording session.

"The Hollywood Bowl concerts gave me a welcome opportunity to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be," says Mr. Morrison, who amazingly held only one rehearsal prior to the concerts. "There are certain dynamics you can get in live recordings that you just cannot get in a studio recording. I love listening to live recordings. You get the whole thing right there, unabridged, raw and in the moment. There was a distinct alchemy happening on that stage in Hollywood. I felt it."

"These songs are timeless and as fresh today as the day they were written, actually even more so. I was happy to perform them at the Hollywood Bowl and delighted to release a live album which really captures the essence of the original for today’s audiences with every taste in music. It's got it all, jazz, blues, folk, classic. You name it."

In a change from most live recordings, Morrison insisted that there be no post-production engineering. The music is on the recording, flaws and all.

Look for a live DVD of the show in the near future and, for those in New York, Morrison will be once again performing the album on February 27 & 28 at Madison Square Garden.

The track list:

• Astral Weeks/I Beleive I've Transcended
• Beside You
• Slim Slow Slider/I Start Breaking Down
• Sweet Thing
• The Way Young Lovers Do
• Cyprus Avenue/You Came Walking Down
• Ballerina
• Madame George
• Listen to the Lion/The Lion Speaks
• Common One
• Gloria (Vinyl Only)