Pure Moods, Vol. IV

Various Artists (Artist), Mythos (Artist), Balligomingo (Artist), Enigma (Artist), Delerium with Sarah McLachlan (Artist), Secret Garden (Artist), Yanni (Artist), Jim Brickman (Artist), Eva Cassidy (Artist), Eight Others (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records
• ASIN: B0000667OG
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,986 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. November - Mythos

2. Purify - Balligomingo

3. Shadows In Silence - Enigma

4. Silence - Delerium w/Sarah McLachlan

5. Songs From A Secret Garden - Secret Garden

6. One Man's Dream - Yanni

7. Devotion - Jim Brickman

8. Fields Of Gold - Eva Cassidy

9. Garden of Eden - Govi

10. Theme From Amelie

11. The Sea - George Winston

12. God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters - Moby

13. Main Title (Theme from Chocolat)

14. Angel - Sarah McLachlan

15. She Moves Through The Fair - B-Tribe

16. This Love - Craig Armstrong

17. River of Stars - Paul Schwartz

18. When You're Falling - Afro Celt w/Peter Gabriel

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

More potpourri than unified high concept, the fourth installment in the Pure Moods series nevertheless provides an interesting collage of acts associated with techno, ambient, alt-pop, and New Age genres. For some listeners, that means the transition from the rhythmic mystical-ethereal vibe of the first four tracks (from Enigma, Mythos, Delerium, and Sarah McLachlan and a splendid piece from Balligomingo) to a trilogy from New Age romanticists ( Secret Garden, Yanni, and pianist Jim Brickman) may seem a little disjointed. Ditto for the segue from George Winston's impressionistic 1980 solo piano piece, "Sea," to a Steve Reich-like minisymphony from Moby). And the concluding Afro-Celt Sound System track, a spirited, mandolin-driven piece with Peter Gabriel on vocals, is a stylistic island unto itself. Still, most fans of easy-listening contemporary music (particularly the adventurous ones) should find this an agreeable assortment of music from artists who infuse their craft with stronger-than-usual spiritual and emotional subtexts. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moods Are Still Pure, October 13, 2002

By	William Holmes "semloh2287" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a fan of the Pure Moods series since a friend played the first album for me in 1997, and Pure Moods IV is at least as good as the three that came before it.

If you haven't listened to any of the other "Pure Moods" CDs, be warned that the emphasis is on "moods" in the plural--if your favorite artist contributed to Pure Moods IV, you'll be disappointed if you expect the rest of the CD to sound like that artist's work. Instead, the "moods" are very eclectic, ranging from pure New Age to classical piano pieces to hits like Sarah McLachlan's "Angel."

Although I enjoyed almost everything on this CD, my favorite piece so far is the late Eva Cassidy's performance of Sting's "Fields of Gold." Her beautiful voice and the song's striking imagery combine to produce a truly haunting piece of music, made all the more poignant by her untimely death--"you'll remember me/When the west wind moves/among the fields of barley . . . ." (If you love "Fields of Gold" as much as I do, Mary Black's marvelous "Speaking With the Angel" features yet another elegant version.)

The Pure Moods series has proved to be a wonderful "sampler"--it's introduced me to many new artists whose work I admire, thus leading me to spend even more money at Amazon.com. My guess is that this is what Virgin Records had in mind when it put these collections together.

Speaking of which, if you like this series, you might not want to limit yourself to Pure Moods I-IV. Amazon.com sells an import version called "New Pure Moods"--it's a two disc set that includes several of the pieces from Pure Moods I, but adds numerous works that are not a part of the original collection. There is also a "Celtic Moods" that is quite enjoyable, as well as an "Instrumental Moods."

I hope you enjoy listening to these CDs as much as I have!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Now That's What I Call New Age 4!, October 6, 2002

By	Mars Velvet (Green Tree, Blue Earth...Deep Space) - See all my reviews

Pure Moods Vol. 1 was so good all the way through. The selection seemed carefully made to create an atmosphere, in short, a mood.

But the last two in this series remind me more of the NOW series of current and past pop tunes. Just a hodgepodge, no theme or through line, just a collection of songs that can loosely be described as relaxing.

Some songs stand out, Mythos "November" ( though personally if you want November Music you will buy George Winston's FOREST which about the Montana November period). B-Tribe, AfroCelt, Enigma, Eva Cassidy's sweet rendition of "Fields of Gold", George Winston's "Sea" which is so tranquil....truly a pure mood.

But why is there ambient techno? It's good but shouldn't that be put on a CHILLED SPIRIT CD? And Sarah McLaughlin's "Angel" is pretty and sweet but really....that song has been out a long time now. And Sarah's music is so wonderful to hear as a whole album anyway!

In whole the music isn't all bad but you might catch yourself skipping through tracks instead of letting it play all the way.

I am not knocking this album or this series after it does introduce a lot of people to jazz, new age and other fascinating genres of music.

If it is new age instrumental peace you want check out:

NARADA: "WILDERNESS COLLECTION"
GEORGE WINSTON: "FOREST" or "AUTUMN"
DAVID ARKENSTONE: "IN THE WAKE OF THE WIND"
WINDHAM HILL: "PASSAGES"

These albums truly evoke tranquility without boring the mind or overpowering the senses!

And for the Ambient Techno listener try these:

CHILLED SPIRIT (Various artists)
ULTRA CHILL (Various artists)

These great compilations are an example of the new movement to use ambient to stir up the senses!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawed still perfect, October 15, 2002

By	Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am a big fan of the "Pure Moods" series. I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the fourth volume. Although I was irritated to see Delerium's "Silence" listed on the new "Pure Moods" cd, it wasn't enough for me to not buy the cd. Let begin with the obvious flaws, I could have done without songs like "Silence" and "When You're Falling". I like those two songs a lot but those two songs needs to be put to rest. I am tired of hearing them on a countless basis either on the radio or on one of my many chill out compilations. I like "Angel" but that song was also played to death on the radio, still it doesn't bother me nearly as much as "Silence" or "When You're Falling". The rest of the cd is amazing. The songs that I am not tired of listening to are simply gorgeous. I literally almost had to stop typing when I heard Mythos' "November" and Rachel Portman's track from the movie "Choclat". The songs were absolutely amazing. The intricate melodies were breathtaking to listen to. I'm not a fan of Jim Brickman or Yanni (both of whose music I consider extremely cheesy in the worst possible way) but I really enjoyed their songs on this cd. I absolutely loved B-Tribe's "She Moves Through the Fair" and Moby's "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters". Overall I love this album, flaws and all. I have yet to hear one cd from the "Pure Moods" series that I did not like.