Van Morrison, “Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl” (Listen to the Lion) Less a recitation than an inspired take on his 1968 collection, Morrison tinkers with the running order, phrasing and instrumentation to revisit songs such as “Sweet Thing,” “Common One” and “Ballerina.” Older but ever-curious, Morrison’s multigenre mastery is as strong as ever on the first-ever live performance of his classic album.
Various Artists, “War Child Presents: Heroes” (Astralwerks) Rock legends such as Paul McCartney, U2 and Springsteen request covers from their favorite new artists on this war-victims benefit comp. The results are predictably uneven, ranging from Beck’s invigorated “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat” (Dylan) and Lily Allen’s sultry “Straight to Hell” (the Clash) to TV on the Radio’s limp “Heroes” (Bowie) and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ embarrassing “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” (Ramones). John Wenzel
