"Author and musician Ryan Walsh recently chronicled in his article and book the circumstances that led Van Morrison and his wife Janet 'Planet' Morrison to take up residence in early 1968 on the 600 block of Green Street in Cambridge in an effort to save his young musical career in the face of great personal and commercial difficulties," read Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern's proclamation. His deep dive into the enveloping culture of 1968 Boston, perfectly timed with Astral Weeks' 50th anniversary, has created a resurgence of interest in Morrison's initially over-looked second album. “Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968," Walsh's first book, was well-received by critics. Their influence on the album and Cambridge's backdrop were largely unknown until the publication of this year's painstaking recount of the album's formation by Boston-based author, musician and fan Ryan H. As a sort of consolation prize, they were invited to attend, but not participate in, the recording sessions. While living on Green Street in Cambridge in 1968 (after fleeing New York to escape the mobster who took over his recording contract), Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison built the framework for his seminal album, "Astral Weeks," with the help of then-Berklee College of Music students - bassist Tom Kielbania, saxophonist/flutist John Payne, and drummer Joe Bebo - as well as 17-year-old "guitar prodigy" John Sheldon.īut when it came time to lay down the tracks in New York later that year, Morrison ultimately dropped the Berklee musicians after pressure from his new label, Warner Bros. A lost history for 50 years has now become a concrete narrative in the making of what's widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time. 1, 2018, has been proclaimed "Van Morrison Astral Weeks Day" in the city of Cambridge.
Well, it's official, but it was a long journey: Dec.
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