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| | Pure Moods, Vol. II | | | Music Artist : | | Various Artists | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Virgin Records Us | | Release Date : | | 1998-11-17 | | Store Price : | | $17.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $17.98 | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Mummers' Dance - Loreena McKennitt
2. Montezuma
3. The Cradlesong
4. Nightingale - Yanni
5. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy
6. Zarabanda (Saraband) - Adiemus
7. Euphoria (Firefly) - Delerium
8. Weather Storm - Craig Armstrong
9. Teardrop [Edit] - Massive Attack
10. Theme from Harry's Game - Clannad
11. Chariots Of Fire
12. Breezin'
13. Emily - Dave Koz
14. 2 the Night - Ottmar Liebert
15. Beyond The Invisible
16. Mystic's Dream - Loreena McKennitt
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Very shaky in places and more like Easy Listening Moods Vol. 1.
Submitted on: 2008-09-01 |
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I'm not sure what must have been going through the minds of the record label when assembling this collection as a sequel to Pure Moods vol. I. Now granted, most of Pure Moods I is actually quite good and enjoy it though I don't think it stacks up to the "Earthtone Collection", "Elevation", or "Buddha Lounge" series nor warranted TV commercials. The second entry in the Pure Moods series is in my opinion, the most uneven and shakiest of the entries for several reasons, several tracks do absolutely nothing for me. "Nightingale" strikes me as meandering classical leftovers from a orchestral outtake. No offense but what on Earth is "Breezin" doing on this collection?! It's not a bad song by any means but it has absolutely no place on here and belongs on a smooth jazz moods collection. The same goes for Dave Koz's "Emily" even though I think it's a wonderful song and among my favorites. "Weatherstorm" is pathetic, nuff said. "Theme From Harry's Game" is a great song, very innovative for 1982 standards but is found on too many various artists and 'best of' collections.
Enough with the negatives. There are still enough very good tracks that in my opinion keep this from being a complete failure. "Life in a Northern Town" is a very lovely mid-80s acoustic electronic pop hybrid track that could be the soundtrack to a drive in northern Scotland on a sunny afternoon. "Mummer's Dance" is a dark-horse classic with it's unique blend of Middle-Eastern and Celtic wintery sounds. I was suprised at how well the song did on the top 40 charts during late 1997 and early 1998. Loreena's voice is enchanting throughout the song. "The Cradlesong" is a lovely blend of echoing Ambient Native American and New Age Groove, reminscent of "500 Nations". "Montezuma" is a very intense song with loud thundering Central Drums, and slightly classical elements scattered throughout. Definately among my favorites on here. Other greats include Delirium's danceable "Euphoria", "Beyond The Invisible", and "The Mystic Dream".
This collection overall is in my opinion, the most uneven of the four Pure Moods CDs. Some tracks are absolutely drab yet others are magnificent making this among the most shaky collections out there. I definately recommend it though not as a 'must-have'. The successor to this collection, "Vol. III" corrected most of the mistakes made on here. |
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 BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!!!!
Submitted on: 2008-06-13 |
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| I bought the very first Pure Moods and was hooked. When this one came out, I went and bought and was not dissappointed. |
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No where near as good as the first
Submitted on: 2007-06-14 |
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| I loved the first CD, so got the 2nd one. Quite dissapointed. I thought a handful of the songs on 2 were good, such as Firefly, but overall it just seems like they threw together a bunch of songs to sell a copy of a popular CD. |
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 Another Editorial Review
Submitted on: 2006-11-06 |
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| "Pure Moods was such an unexpected success that it launched a number of spinoffs and, eventually (and perhaps somewhat inevitably), Pure Moods II. Although it isn't quite as consistent as its predecessor -- George Benson's 'Breezin`' feels out of place among among these atmospheric cuts, but not nearly as much as Massive Attack's menacing 'Teardrop' -- but fans of the first will still find it to quite enjoyable, especially since it features Vangelis' 'Chariots of Fire,' Loreena McKennitt's 'Mummer's Dance' and Dream Academy's 'Life in a Northern Town,' three major oversights from the first Pure Moods. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide" |
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Stunning and extraordinary compilation, a must have!
Submitted on: 2006-09-10 |
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What a marvelous collection of mesmerizing music this is. I have been listening to this album all week, as I can't get it out of my head. Pure Moods are one my favorite collections as they bring awareness of similar music that goes together so well. The beauty of this album is the mix of music that evokes a certain mood, while not sounding all too similar.
Starting off with Loreena McKennitt's "The Mummers Dance" a hypnotic song from the first note that sounds like time travel from ancient Byzantium to the mystic Celtic seas followed by Montezuma, one of my favorite Cusco pieces. Cusco is a duet of two German keyboard players Michael Holm and Kristian Schultze who make their enigmatic music sound very original and South American. The music is not traditional; it's a mix of outer space, new age and pan flutes. Very interesting and incredibly likable.
"Nightingale" by Yanni is just incredible, every time I have it on I almost forget I am listening to music, I simply feel it and I am always amazed at how gorgeous it sounds and whenever I hear this song it feel like the first time I am hearing it as it stuns me.
Another favorite of mine, Adiemus makes an appearance, the interesting figment is that
the language is made up by Karl Jenkins, the sounds are not meant to distract the listener from the music. It is a mix of classical and world music with great freedom of movement and is the kind of music they use in breathtaking movie soundtracks.
Delerium's "Euphoria" almost sounds like a Madonna song, is lovely and spirited with a breath of enigma. There is also "The Weather Storm" by Craig Armstrong, another strong musical piece that does sound like an actual storm of music.
"Teardrop" by Massive Attack sounds like song everything knows they heard somewhere but they don't know what it is. My favorite part is the base beat, it sounds like the human heart.
The rest of the performers from Lovely and church like Clannad which make me feel like I am in an ancient monastery listening to the monks, to "Chariots of Fire" a classic from Vangelis to wonderful and earthy "Breezing" that sounds like the first day of spring to Enigma, to me the empress of New Age. This collection is stellar and each song is a 5 star to me.
This cd makes me happy; it's relaxing, lovely, and addictive and provides great inspiration when I need it to concentrate while I work on my art. Each song has been carefully hand picked to hit the listener with a magnitude of emotion and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who needs to sit back and be transported. The songs feel like caresses of ancient wind on the face and make me feel like I have been meditating for hours. Pure Moods is an excellent cd to pick up by someone who needs an introduction to new Age and relaxing music. So far this has been my favorite disc, but they are all lovely.
- Kasia S.
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