Van the Man to perform his masterpiece at Albert Hall

Van Morrison is to perform his landmark album, Astral Weeks, in two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.

The decision to play the entire album live in London comes after a recording of a sell-out performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles wowed critics.

That performance in November marked the 40th anniversary of the record which routinely makes the all-time-best charts.

It was described by Elvis Costello as "still the most adventurous record made in the rock medium and there hasn't been a record with that amount of daring made since".

The decision to resurrect Astral Weeks surprised observers last year, coming after Morrison criticised the pop industry's tendency to look forever backwards.

But announcing the London dates today, the singer said: "These concerts have given me the opportunity to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be.

"There are certain dynamics you can get when performing songs live that you cannot get in a studio. These songs are timeless and as fresh today as the day they were written - actually even more so."

The original album was recorded in September 1968 when the Belfast singer was 23. It was made with top jazz artists including bassist Richard Davis, who had played with Miles Davis, and guitarist Jay Berliner, best known for his work with Charles Mingus. The results were quite different from the pop songs such as Brown-Eyed Girl with which Morrison had first grabbed attention and the album was not an immediate bestseller. But the critics loved it - and the public eventually joined the acclaim.

It was named the second best album of all time by Mojo in 1995 and came in the top 20 in Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. A public poll for the Millennium put it in ninth place. The live release last month has only added to the clamour. The Guardian's critic said: "In a triumph as unlikely as it is complete, Astral Weeks is reborn."

The decision to perform the entire album live is a growing trend with artists from Brian Wilson to Echo and the Bunnymen turning to the back catalogue for sell-out gigs.

Tickets go on sale on Friday for the two concerts on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April.