A Brief History of Ambient Volume 2: Imaginary Landscapes (1974-1993)

In December of 1993, Virgin Records released a second two-disc collection of ambient music as a follow-up to the commercially and critically successful first volume in the series A Brief History of Ambient. Interestingly, the liner notes state that the series title is "an affectionate nod in the direction of Stephen Hawking."

Once again culled exclusively from the Virgin vaults, this second collection is a bit more narrowly focused than its predecessor. On some level, though, it is mostly "more of the same," with many of the same artists (Brian Eno, Amorphous Androgynous, Tangerine Dream, David Sylvian, The Grid, Robert Fripp, Gong, Edgar Froese and Holger Czukay) making another appearance. 'Course, "more of the same" with artists of this caliber isn't really a bad thing. While Volume 1 did feature a track by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, it is Volume 2 that sports a more international roster, with tracks by Baaba Maal [Senegal], Ryuichi Sakamoto [Japan], The Guo Brothers [China], Prince Far I [Jamaica], The Dmitri Pokrovski Ensemble [Russia] and The Tsinandali Choir [Georgia]. Fans of the bands Gong and Soft Cell will be interested to note the solo track by founding member Daevid Allen. Also of probable interest to some is a track by U2's guitarist The Edge from the soundtrack to the obscure Euro thriller Captive.

Check out some fan-made clips featuring Tangerine Dream's "Rubycon Part 2," Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Nuages," Penguin Cafe Orchestra's "Wildlife" and The Verve's "Endless Life":









If you enjoyed my posting of the first volume, you're bound to enjoy this as well. Stay tuned for Volumes 3 and 4...

A Brief History of Ambient Volume 2: Imaginary Landscapes (1974-1993)
1. Baaba Maal - Call to Prayer [1989] (3:50)
2. Brian Eno - Tal Coat [1982] (5:05)
3. Amorphous Androgynous - In Mind [1993] (5:26)
4. Tangerine Dream - Rubycon Part 2 (Edit) [1975] (6:28)
5. David Sylvian - The Healing Place [1986] (5:12)
6. The Grid - Crystal Clear (The Orb Remix; Clear, Like an Unmuddied Lake) [1993] (6:08)
7. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Nuages [1991] (2:07)
8. Robert Fripp / Brian Eno - Wind on Water [1975] (5:17)
9. Penquin Cafe Orchestra - Wildlife [1987] (8:11)
10. Steve Jansen / Richard Barbieri - When Things Dream [1991] (2:40)
11. Gong - Magick Mother Invocation [1974] (1:31)
12. David Sylvian / Robert Fripp - Bringing Down the Light [1993] (8:16)
13. Jah Wobble - Not Another [1980] (3:11)
14. The Guo Brothers - One Flower [1990] (1:31)
15. God - Black Jesus [1992] (6:34)
16. Brian Eno / David Byrne - Mountain of Needles [1981] (2:28)
17. Phil Manzanera - You Are Here [1978] (1:44)
18. Prince Far I - Bendel Dub [1979] (3:03)
19. The Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble - Slow Kaliuki (Edit) [1991] (0:31)
20. Daevid Allen - Euterpe Gratitude Piece [1976] (9:22)
21. Robert Fripp - Water Music [1979] (1:13)
22. Rain Tree Crow - New Moon at Red Deer Wallow [1991] (5:04)
23. Bass-O-Matic - Attack of the 50 Foot Drum Demon [1991] (4:14)
24. Jam Nation - Mekong [1993] (5:09)
25. The Verve - Endless Life [1992] (5:14)
26. Klaus Schulze - Nachtmusik Schattenhaft [1993] (6:31)
27. Voyager - Arrival (Edit) [1993] (7:13)
28. Edgar Froese - Specific Gravity of Smile [1983] (9:26)
29. The Tsinandali Choir - Orovela [1993] (4:52)
30. Laraaji - The Dance No. 3 [1980] (3:03)
31. David Sylvian / Holger Czukay - Premonition [1988] (6:45)
32. The Edge - Island [1986] (1:46)

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