Customer Reviews

Ambient 2: Imaginary Landscapes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a Cd you can listen to over and over again and still discover new dimensions. Tracks by masters in the exploration of sound such as Eno, and Tangerine Dream are included with pieces from the 70's through the 90's. One of the most incredible features of this release is the excellent liner notes. It really is a "brief history of ambient" that gives you great information to start you own explorations. You can read about the artists and the tracks while also discovering other projects they may have worked on, how the genre has evolved and where it might be going. Having all three volumes in this series and being a true fan of music and sound as an ART form, Imaginary Lanscapes is always a pleasure to put on and drift into. This is the best in the series and a must have for any musical conisseur. Many different artists are blended flawlessly together to create one experience that takes you through some of the stops in a journey of ambient.

This was the second in Virgin Records' four-volume 'Brief History of Ambient' series (its proper title is 'A Brief History of Ambient, Volume Two: Imaginary Landscapes'). The first compilation had been critically and commercially successful, and this was released only a few months later; Virgin were re-releasing a lot of their back catalogue at the time, perhaps to help pay for Janet Jackson.

The compilation is restricted to releases from Virgin and its sub-labels, although this isn't really a handicap, especially as the CDs were assembled with loving care. Whereas the first had taken a broad approach to ambient - it had Hawkwind - this is more hardcore, although the overall mood is again upbeat and mysterious. The individual tracks are, as before, interesting, and again fortunately not overlong. The booklet gives sources.

The album is essentially a re-run of the first, but purer; even the track listing is much the same (starting off with Brian Eno, Amorphous Androgynous and Tangerine Dream as before). Between them the Eno family and members of Tangerine Dream account for only six tracks this time, instead of eight ('Mountain of Needles', credited here to David Byrne, is from 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts', a collaboration with Brian Eno). Track nine on disc two, credited to 'The Verve', is in fact the Verve of 'A Northern Soul' and latter-day hero-rock fame, although this sounds nothing like rock. Amorphous Androgynous are of course the Future Sound of London under another name. This compilation corrects a fault with the original, in that it has proper dub music.

If the compilation has a flaw, its that it has no real standout tracks, and blends into one mass. After all this time I barely remember it; the inclusion of The Grid and Bass-o-matic was a mistake, but generally its inoffensive and a little dull. The third installment in the series was a bit more left-field, and the fourth was much darker and moodier, and is thoughy highly of today. This is much less essential unless you have the first and last.

The second of a four part installment, Ambient 2: Imaginary Landscapes offers a sampling of those artists who pioneered and persevered in the genre arena referred to as ambient, and probably electronic, new age, and a few other things, depending on the listeners orientation.

Artists include most notable legends Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream. Also included are two artists making brief exits from alternative/pop successes and exploring new territories: The Edge (U2) and David Byrne (Talking Heads). There are many other artists that are well-known in the ambient and alternative recording scene that bring a new perspective to music as heard on prime time broadcast.

Most of the tracks possess a laid-back, atmospheric quality and use of traditional electronic instruments in non-traditional ways. For those unfamiliar with Ambient music, don't expect the drum to create the rythym and the rythym to emulate a drum beat. The dialog of Ambient speaks in a different language than any other modern form. Patience goes a long way when trying out Ambient. In time, patience and willingness to explore will cultivate a great harvest from the various samplings. As a fearless listener of "alternative music" in the 1980's and 90's, my interest in the Ambient albums evolved over 15 years. My first listening sessions weren't very fruitful. After a few years, many of the tracks became sublime and others much more accessible.

I highly recommend the Ambient series.