Ambient Vol. 1

There are so many artistes on this album that have influenced so many others that it is amazing to listen to their early efforts.Brian Eno's "An ending",Tangerine Dream's "thru methamorphic rock",Ahra's "Kazoo" are great examples of of this beautiful music genre.Its a double album of 2 and a half hours and its great value at this price-i paid twice this in the shops.

If you've never heard Ambient music before or are just curious this album is well worth a listen. If you are already an ambient fan and don't have this album then you're missing out ! It has a diverse collection of pieces from the sublime 'Evening Star' to what must surely be the very definition of Ambient, Brian Eno's An Ending (Ascent) written about the Apollo moon landings. Without wishing to result to cliches it's much like a kaleidoscope of sound, constantly changing but always beautiful and often shifting in mood. I guess it's the type of music which really does paint pictures in your head. I've had this album since it came out in 1993 and still play it today such is its ability to hold my attention. In fact I wore out the first CD (numerous long car drives resulted in too many scratches on the surface of the CD) so I've now got another copy. To not have this in my collection would be unthinkable.

I have given each track a 1-line review and marks out of 5. Disc 1: (1) Discordant;uncomfortable 1/5. (2) Tangerine Dream is NOT "ambient". They are meant to be LISTENED to 2/5. (3) Much better. Brian Eno invented the genre 4/5. (4) Similar, if much simpler 2/5. (5) The "wails" let it down 2/5. (6) Simple, but too intrusive 2/5. (7) Ditto 2/5. (8) Classic! 5/5. (9) Like a deranged snake charmer 1/5. (10) Burbling machine noises; a bit basic 2/5. (11) Something from "New Age Of Earth" would have been MUCH better 3/5. (12) That man Eno again 4/5. (13) Terrible! 1/5. (14) Seems that Christoph has left behind his 1970s sequencers. Very pleasant, if short 4/5 [Total: 35/70=50%] Disc 2: (15) No! No! No! T Dream should NOT be "chopped up" 2/5. (16) Don't like this one - not even from Eno. The percussive notes are too intrusive. 1/5. (17) A grudged OK. Dull. 2/5. (18) High-pitched squeaks surely relax no-one. 1/5. (19) Tuning-up noises. Terrible. 1/5. (20) I think Brian Eno would approve. 4/5. (21) A bit funereal. 1/5. (22) Ditto 1/5. (23)Peaceful, if unremarkable. Electronic 'bagpipes'? 2/5. (24) Percussive tones are out of place. 1/5. (25) Discordant; doesn't let you relax. 1/5. (26) This, from "Aqua", was released at the same time as "Phaedra", so see (15) 2/5. (27) Voices? I'd worry about hearing voices like these. 1/5. (28) Distorted voices and someone hitting tin cans with a hammer is supposed to be restful, is it? Don't think so. 1/5. (29) Discordant and displaying no talent or creativity. Terrible. 1/5 [Total: 22/75=29%] Overall: 40%

A "sampler" album of "ambient" music was always doomed to failure because of the nature of the beast. The music should FLOW and, as Brian Eno once said, should be "like wind chimes", in the background, never intruding. Whilst I felt that most of the tracks deserved no more than 2 or 3 points, there were a few exceptions. Brian Eno practically wrote the book on the genre, and if you are so inspired, head for some of his work. Eno's tracks get best marks from me for that reason. The Ashra track may point listeners to Manuel Gottsching's (Ashra's) work, and I rate "New Age Of Earth" as unmissable. Tangerine Dream's 1970s albums like "Phaedra" and "Rubycon" don't deserved to be used as 'musical wallpaper' - they should be listened to with concentration and respect and should certainly NEVER be "chopped up" for a sampler album like this.

A few of the tracks are about as "ambient" as Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" (no, most of you won't know it, I'm sure) - Harold Budd, Richard Horowitz and The Grid. To summarise for disc 1: 50% isn't good enough for a "definitive" sample of any genre. Disc 2 scored even lower (29%) on my highly personal rating scale. In the final reckoning, ANY Brian Eno album is a safe bet, although I can also commend Christopher Franke, Ashra and Laraaji. Sorry, but this rather pointless compilation only rates 40%.