Inside the Taj Mahal and Inside II

Paul Horn | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kuckuck Records
• ASIN: B0000018WP
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,338 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Prologue/Inside

2. Mantra I/Meditation

3. Mumtaz Mahal

4. Unity

5. Agra

6. Vibrations

7. Akasha

8. Jumna

9. Shah Jahan

10. Mantra II/Duality

11. Ustad Isa/Mantra III

12. The Mahabhutas (Elements): Prithivi (Earth)/Apas (Water)/Vayu (Air)/Akasha

13. Haida

14. Bach Chorales: #10/#13/#164/#270 [Medley]

15. Centaur: Morning Song/Dance of the Centaur/Flute Pipes/Evening Song [Me

16. Mass: Kyrie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the soul, May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside the Taj Mahal and Inside II (Audio CD)

If I could own only one CD to last an entire life it would be this, the original disc recorded inside the Taj Mahal. I first heard 'Inside' when I was a wee lad of eight. Thirty years later the haunting flute and voice continues to provoke and inspire me; the original stimulant to my later travels around the world. Long before the age of new age, environmental awareness, Peter Gabriel and world beats there was 'Inside'. God bless you Paul Horn.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is a BONUS for the senses plus a bonus for the price, September 25, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside the Taj Mahal and Inside II (Audio CD)

REALIZE when you order this CD,you are not only getting the incredible ethereal first recording of Inside the Taj Mahal, but also the later recording, Inside the Taj Mahal II. Don't delay and overlap your listening delight by ordering both. Although, you could give the shorter one away as a gift and be greatly appreciated for it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half great, half bad, August 30, 2007

By 

S. Reynolds - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside the Taj Mahal and Inside II (Audio CD)

This review has to do with Paul Horn's cd which has BOTH "Inside I" and "Inside II" on the same disk. I want to make that clear because they are so different.

I owned "Inside I" on vinyl back in the '70's, and recently began thinking of it again (the record wore out years ago), so I purchased this cd which contains both the earlier albums. I paid more for it than any cd in my life, and I have many hundreds. I had never heard "Inside II" until this morning.

My first thought as I was putting it in the cd player was "this is great -- 73 minutes of Paul Horn inside the Taj Mahal". I was wrong -- it is wonderful for 33 minutes, not so wonderful for 40 more.

The first Inside is one of the landmark albums in the history of "new age/space/world" music. It is a brilliant exercise and is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

But "Inside II" is such a disappointment. For those of you old enough to remember Spike Jones, that is the only comparison I can make. For reasons totally beyond my understanding, the musicians/producers felt the need to stuff "Inside II" with seemingly random sounds that can only have been selected for one reason -- to aggravate the listener. Whereas "Inside I" was soothing to the soul, for too much of "Inside II" you just want it to stop.

I am left with one thought -- WHAT were they thinking?

Yes, there are some real moments of genuine transcendant beauty on "Inside II", but those few moments do not unfortunately overcome the weaknesses of the second part of this disk.

So for anyone wanting one of the great albums of the new age/world genre, most definitely get "Inside I" -- I give that a full 5 stars. Try to avoid "Inside II" if you possibly can, but if that's the only way you can get "Inside I", then my advice is to get it, listen to it one time to see if you have the same reaction as I had, and if so, cut the disk off in future playings when "Inside II" starts at cut #12 -- you'll be glad you got the first, you'll be glad you stopped the second.