Critics called Astral Weeks mystical, divine, and outside of history

Lester Bangs called Astral Weeks “a mystical document” and “a beacon, a light on the far shores of the murk.” Bruce Springsteen said it gave him “a sense of the divine.” Greil Marcus compared it to Bob Beamon’s record-shattering long jump — a singular achievement “way outside of history.” Not bad for an album that barely charted on release.