"The wild turbulence of his music, mirroring the swings in his popular acclaim, makes Van Morrison one of the most perplexing and mysterious figures in modern music. Marcus celebrates the unique world of his songs and performance through the extraordinary and unclassifiable moments in Morrison's career, beginning in 1965 and continuing to this day."
"This book is a quest to understand Van Morrison's particular genius through a close look at the most extraordinary and unclassifiable moments in his long career, beginning in 1965 and continuing in full force to this day: sometimes entire songs, sometimes single words or even the guttural spaces between words that become musical events in themselves."@en
"Van Morrison, says Greil Marcus, "remains a singer who can be compared to no other in the history of modern popular music." When Astral Weeks was released in 1968, it was largely ignored. When it was rereleased as a live album in 2009 it reached the top of the Billboard charts, a first for any Van Morrison recording. The wild swings in the music, mirroring the swings in Morrison's success and in people's appreciation (or lack of it) of his music, make Van Morrison one of the most perplexing and mysterious figures in popular modern music, and a perfect subject for the wise and insight."@en