If you have not noticed, I am talking about the soul – particularly my desire for a peaceful one – here on the ol’ blog. And the soul is at the center of so much of Van’s Music. Maybe all of it. If all you know of Van is Brown Eyed Girl, you really need to sit down with an album of his.
Where should you start? The following are some safe bets:
Moondance
Astral Weeks
Into the Music
Hymns To The Silence
A Night in San Francisco
Magic Time
Keep It Simple
The following is a homemade video of people talking about his music and their love for it. It is homemade and nothing slick, but very enjoyable if you are already a fan.
And below is easily one of my favorite songs by Van. The first time I heard it my eyes filled with tears and then I played it again and again and again. True story.
Echoes and Stars 
Astral Weeks is my all time favorite album. There's so many emotions in those songs. Whenever I hear "Sweet Thing" it makes me think of the holy spirit. I'm sure Van meant it just as a love song, but there's more to it there, and the joy in that song is just overflowing, and the way that bass line just bounces around always gets me.-Wilder