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Pure Moods, Vol. I
: :New Age music, ambient electronica, and spiritualized hip-hop received their first major, K-Tel-like treatment in 1996 when Virgin Records assembled Pure Moods. The 'As Seen on TV' compilation quickly became a hot seller, and it would be nice to think that its popularity has as much to do with the music as the marketing. To be sure, Pure Moods offers genre hits aplenty: from Enya's 'Orinoco Flow' to 'Sadness' from Enigma; from a dance mix of the 'X-Files Theme' to edits of vintage electronica from Mike Oldfield (Tubular Bells) and Jean ...
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Jane Austen Entertains: Music from her own library
: :Jane Austen Entertains. Music from her own library. Aunt Jane began her day with music - for which I conclude she had a natural taste; as she thus kept it up - 'tho she had no one to teach; was never induced (as I have heard) to play in company; and none of her family cared much for it. I suppose, that she might not trouble them, she chose her practicing time before breakfast - when she could have the room to herself - She practiced regularly every morning - ...
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Pure Moods, Vol. IV
: :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 ...
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Pure Moods, Vol. III
: :What's most surprising about the Pure Moods series is not that it is so popular, but that the music on it actually represents some of the best New Age and modern instrumental music, rather than scraping the barrel. For every piece of Enya pop froth--like her 'Only If,' which opens the album--there is a deep and impassioned exploration like Sheila Chandra's virtually a cappella 'Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean.' Yanni's bombastic 'On Sacred Ground' is balanced by Moby's soulful trance groove, 'Porcelain.' Sometimes those juxtapositions don't work out well. The overwrought romanticism of ...
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Pure Moods, Vol. II
: :For listeners with a sincere interest in the broad variety of music loosely aligned under the New Age banner, Pure Moods II will strike your ears as something less than a high-concept showcase for the genre and more as a mulligan stew of easy-listening favorites. This is not necessarily a bad thing; yet a recording marketed to the general public as a comprehensive, current, state-of-the-art overview of atmospheric music shouldn't include such ill-fitting oddities as George Benson's 'Breezin',' a lite-funk relic from 1976, or 'Emily' from jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Happily, ...
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Due South, Vol. II: The Original Television Soundtrack
: :For listeners with a sincere interest in the broad variety of music loosely aligned under the New Age banner, Pure Moods II will strike your ears as something less than a high-concept showcase for the genre and more as a mulligan stew of easy-listening favorites. This is not necessarily a bad thing; yet a recording marketed to the general public as a comprehensive, current, state-of-the-art overview of atmospheric music shouldn't include such ill-fitting oddities as George Benson's 'Breezin',' a lite-funk relic from 1976, or 'Emily' from jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Happily, ...
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Instrumental Moods
: :For listeners with a sincere interest in the broad variety of music loosely aligned under the New Age banner, Pure Moods II will strike your ears as something less than a high-concept showcase for the genre and more as a mulligan stew of easy-listening favorites. This is not necessarily a bad thing; yet a recording marketed to the general public as a comprehensive, current, state-of-the-art overview of atmospheric music shouldn't include such ill-fitting oddities as George Benson's 'Breezin',' a lite-funk relic from 1976, or 'Emily' from jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Happily, ...
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Celtic Moods: A Celtic Companion to Pure Moods
: :For listeners with a sincere interest in the broad variety of music loosely aligned under the New Age banner, Pure Moods II will strike your ears as something less than a high-concept showcase for the genre and more as a mulligan stew of easy-listening favorites. This is not necessarily a bad thing; yet a recording marketed to the general public as a comprehensive, current, state-of-the-art overview of atmospheric music shouldn't include such ill-fitting oddities as George Benson's 'Breezin',' a lite-funk relic from 1976, or 'Emily' from jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Happily, ...
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Evolution: 1986-1996 (10th Anniversary): 'As in Music, So in Life' (2-CD Set)
: :For listeners with a sincere interest in the broad variety of music loosely aligned under the New Age banner, Pure Moods II will strike your ears as something less than a high-concept showcase for the genre and more as a mulligan stew of easy-listening favorites. This is not necessarily a bad thing; yet a recording marketed to the general public as a comprehensive, current, state-of-the-art overview of atmospheric music shouldn't include such ill-fitting oddities as George Benson's 'Breezin',' a lite-funk relic from 1976, or 'Emily' from jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Happily, ...
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Night Owl
: :At the end of a long day, and on into the night, this lovely, relaxing album of great music will help banish those cares and worries and promote a calm and tranquil atmosphere. A Nocturne, some Moonlight and some gentle adagios, harp, piano and orchestra, create a world of sound far removed from the business and pace of the day. Let us cast a spell of sheer enchantment over your evenings with some of the most beautiful music ever written. We invite you to enjoy some of the most soothing ...
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