A year after his upbeat, chart-topping "Brown-Eyed Girl," Van Morrison unleashed Astral Weeks -- a wholly different animal. Eight tracks, no hits, all genius. It still stands as Morrison's masterwork, and having come so early in his life and career, it's the benchmark by which he's been measured from that day forward. Still, Van's burden is your reward. Put on your headphones and get lost in the slipstream, wandering "Cypress Avenue" and crossing paths with "Madame George."

Harold Check