Customer Reviews

Oasis

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

 

 

Originally released in 1979, this was one of Kitaro's first albums, and many would argue that his early music is his best, and that "Oasis" is among Kitaro's most exquisite recordings; "Oasis" has his unique "other-worldly" feel to it, and would make a good pairing with the fantastic images from the Hubble Space Telescope. I never fail to imagine myself flying to a distant star when listening to either this CD, or my other favorite, "Ki", which was released in 1981.

All the music is created by Kitaro, and he plays the Korg, Roland and Yamaha synthesizers, as well as acoustic guitar and percussion. There are some tracks, like "Moro-Rism", "Eternal Spring" (sometimes listed as "Aqua"), and "Oasis", that are simply superb, but all the tracks are strong and intensely beautiful. Kitaro was a pioneer of "New Age" music, and though many copied his style, no one could duplicate the spirit and melodious excellence that was and always will be simply Kitaro.
Total playing time is 49'05.

Oasis was, at the time, essentially a prolog to what many consider to be Kitaro's masterpiece, Silk Road. In some ways, the music on Oasis is even more representative of Kitaro's early post-Far East Family Band sound than any of his other albums. Kitaro doesn't possess the teutonic heaviness of Schulze, nor does he display the haute monde romanticism of Jarre; rather, it's the zen-like otherworldliness of his early work that makes such albums as Oasis and Astral Trip worthy additions to your personal intergalactic catalog of cosmic music. Kitaro's haunting lyricism (derived perhaps from classical Indian music) pervades many of the tracks on Oasis, and his--at the time unconventional--use of acoustic guitar and tribal percussion is still quite fresh for a music that has become incredibly conventionalized over the past few decades. Also, try the aforementioned Astral Trip and Full Moon Story, both of which are quite experimental and thus quite different than Silk Road and what came after.

The first time I heard Kitaro,I was visiting California.It was (believe it or not)in a flee market not far from Pismo Beach.The music made you feel welcomed & relaxed.In Canada,I have searched high & low for it without any luck.This morning I was lucky to find this site.Thank you !!!It brings back wonderful memories of California.It will be wonderful listening to Kitaro,in the hot-tub, looking at our beautiful mountains.

If you only purchase one Kitaro album, this has to be the one. It is seriously PERFECT. It's gentle flowing melodies will elicit images and inspire you in a way you didn't think possible. This was the album that started my music collection. I remember I couldn't stop listening to it, it was in my tape player for months. Check this one out. If you like new age music, you will surely not be disappointed!

I always like Kitaro's earlier works the best, up to about the mid 80's or so. This is a nice, mellow,melodic, flowing album that was very much the style of Kitaro at the time. This is probably his third best studio album after Ki and Tunhaung. There are several versions of this album, but if you can find the original analog recording, you will be richly rewarded. The newest remixed/remastered version is a bit edgey and slightly bright, which does not help this otherwise relaxing album.

Just as good as 'Silk Roads', music will immerse you in harmony. Great to study or meditate to, a real feeling of peace.

When I first came over this album for many years ago,I felt that this was MY kind of music!(this was the first I`ve ever heard from Kitaro)The music takes you away to dreamland,and you get SO relaxed..! (Beautiful!) from the very first note... Buy it,you will not regret!!!

Kitaro never quite gets 'it'. The 'it' a Jarre, Vangelis, Schulze did get in those days. Oasis is a bit cheesy, a bit too commercial, too clinical, can't lay my finger on it, it seems to be missing a 'soul'. Maybe in the 70's this sounded great, but nowadays it just very very dated.
Granted, a few nice songs such as 'Rising Sun' and 'Aqua' (for two songs it gets two stars), but mainly elevator music, best soon forgotten.
Btw, the beginning of 'Rising Sun' and 'Floating' from the album Moondawn by Klaus Schulze are eerily similar. What's that about mr. Kitaro?
Well, maybe Schulze got it from Kitaro. He produced the Japanese 'Far East Family Band', of which kitaro was a member, and Moondawn was inspired by the Far East Family Band.

I've listened to and loved my share of new age/space/cosmic or whatever you want to call it music, but this simply is not soothing, not relaxing, and doesn't "put me in another place". The individual tracks ARE good and melodic for the most part, but the absolutely jarring blending/mixing of one track into another ruins what could have been a 5-star disc. For a moment I thought I'd might rip the tracks onto a computer and re-edit them, fading in and out the tracks without the song before or after. Then I realized how pointless that would be since the individual songs are so short. Just as one song gets going and you really start get into it, BAM the next song barges it's way in. Sometimes that technique works well, but not on this CD since the following song clashes with the preceding one. It's like listening to a piece by Mozart, following it with something by Led Zeppelin, then following that with something from 1940's Frank Sinatra. Granted, it's not as extreme as that, but hopefully you understand that once a mood is finally established, it's shattered.

After listening to Vangelis and Tomita, I'd heard so much about Kitaro that I searched for this CD as well as Ki. What a disappointment both were.