| Artist |
Title |
Description |
Buy
at Amazon USA or UK
|
Suggested
By
|
| Adventures
in Stereo |
Adventures
in Stereo (1st album) |
One
of the ultimate musical definitions of Dreambeat .... just get
lost in Adventures in Stereo,in the garden, in the country on
a late summers evening. You'll never want to wake up from the
halcyon dreams of a lost childhood this music draws you into. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Allegri |
Miserere
Mei, Deus |
The
inclusion of choral works in these listings has nothing to do
with any religious context whatsoever. The point is that this
ancient music can produce some of the most stunning harmonics
in the history of creative sound ... and Allegri's Miserere is
one of the most haunting, moving and melancholic of such pieces.
|
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Anna
Karina (with Serge Gainsbourg) |
"Anna"
(notably "Sous le Soleil Exactement" |
In
1961 Serge made a French TV film musical, which featured the acting
and musical talents of little known Anna Karina (by the way Anna
played one of the models in Blow Up). This soundtrack, which sounds
incredibly advanced for its time is truly a lost classic for those
lounge trippers out there, but has now been re-released. The Japanese
import version (thru amazon.com) comes with the original release
artwork cover. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Apples
in Stereo |
Her
Wallpaper Reverie |
Beatle-ish
artists laced with West Coast feelgood flavours. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Art
Blakey |
Soundtracks
for "Des Femmes Disparaissent" and Les Liasons Dangereuses |
Ultra
cool, slightly quirky, catchy, thematic late 50's Paris jazz. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Biber
(Heinrich Ignaz) |
Violin
Sonatas |
Biber
was one of the greatest violin composers of the 17th century.
Incredibly imaginative sequential arrangements. Baroque with an
unusually contemporary feel. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Billy
Cowie - Lucie and Cathryn Robson |
La
Chanson Bien Douce |
25
Verlaine settings beautifully sung by Lucie and Cathryn Robson,
written by Billy Cowie. |
UK
|
L-G |
| Brian
Eno |
Music for
Films / Music for Airports
|
The
godfather of ambient who has been an influence to many sound shapers
and synth-heads. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Bulgarian
State Radio /TV Female Vocal Choir |
Le
Mystere Des Voix Bulgares |
If you have never experienced this
amazing cultural phenomenon of vocal harmonic / dynamic perfection,
now is your chance. Expand your view of world music... this is
the first stepping stone and it will astound you. Click through
to purchase. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Cibo
Matto |
Sugar
Water (from the album Viva! La Woman) |
Cute,
groovy and underrated. Underscored with intelligent sampling and
production which is complimentary to the main vocals. |
USA
CD
|
L-G |
| David
Bowie |
Space
Oddity |
Some
of the lesser known acoustic tracks on this album need dusting
down and reintroduced to those who might never have realized how
earthy and sensitive Bowie's songwriting could be. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Delius |
In
A Summer Garden |
Perfect
afternoon tea side dish with the cucumber sandwiches |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Dominique
Durand - from the band Ivy |
"Worry
About You" from the album Long Distance |
db
listing - top music choice
Ivy are a lo-fi gem from New York who have slipped almost unnoticed
into the top ten of favourite background music for tv shows and
movies. "Worry About You" is an outstanding offering from the
band's album "Long Distance", and surpasses even much of their
probable influences such as Portishead etc. Ivy make it into this
listing on that one track alone, but what gives them a place on
the top of the Dreambeat
Essentials is Paris born singer Dominique Durand ... An ultimate
dream-voice laced with pure pop melancholy. Simple, sultry - radiating
natural, liquid-emotion. Classy, without sounding over-trained
or contrived … Anna Karina, Francoise Hardy, Stereolab and a touch
of St Etienne instantly spring to mind....
...read
the rest of this Looking-Glass review |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Dreambeach |
Angels
Cry |
Dreambeach
are a refreshingly unpolished dreambeat-style duo, originally
discovered on the old MP3.com website. You can now buy their albums
via their own website. |
USA
|
L-G |
| Elephants
Memory |
Old
Man Willow (from the soundtrack of Midnight
Cowboy) |
Eerie
psychedelic with an assorted arrangement of key and swing changes.
This is on the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack mainly by John
Barry. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Everything
But the Girl |
Eden
/ Love Not Money |
Both
these early albums shouldn't be forgotten since there are one
or two choice tracks between them both (UK Eden, USA Love Not
Money as Eden not available in USA). |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Fairport
Convention |
Meet
on The Ledge (Box Set) |
A
best of compilation which reflects the acid folk era in its best
form. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Francoise
Hardy |
Le
Temps De Lamour / Comment Te Dire Adieu |
Unique
blend of distinct '60's French cool and offbeat melancholy, contemporary
pop. A little delicate around the edges, (which gives it such
an endearing dreambeat charm) |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Gary
Lucas |
Skeleton
at The Feast |
Includes
live soundtrack performance to Galeens gothic fantasy horror.
See The Golem
in film section for details or visit Gary
Lucas website |
USA |
L-G |
| Gibbons
(Orlando) |
General
|
Not
the "lets all join in hymns"... no way! but the alternativechoral
and instrumental compositions. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Gong |
I Never Glid Before / Castle in the Clouds (from
the Album Angels Egg) |
A
quircky, bizzare musical off-roader refelecting UK and Europe's
hive of contemporary activities in the early seventies. Also an
effective guitar intermission by Steve Hillage. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Gordon
Lightfoot |
If
You Could Read My Mind / Daylight Katy / The Circle is Small |
Unfortunately
you won't find all these songs on one album... but we will guide
you to the best options on the click through... |
USA
CD1
CD2
UK
CD1
CD2
|
L-G |
| Hefti |
Theme
from The Odd Couple |
ditto
description as Taxi. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| hJuliana
Hatfield |
Spin
the Bottle - from the album "Become What
You Are" |
Great
lyrics, guitar parts - bubbly beats and whirly tunes mixed with
shades of giddy US grunge. Juliana has the sweetest voice, which
completes a perfect equation of sublime girl-guitar-popdeliciousness!
Ooh behave! |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Hooverphonic |
2wicky |
Belgium
Subultracool drum n' bass team, which takes the best of all ambient
worlds with a splash of Portishead. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Isis
Project |
The
Isis Project - Guy Chambers and Sophie Hunter |
The
Isis project was released in mid 2005 and sung by UK based actress
Sophie Hunter, the niece of Jane Birkin.
Playing this CD from the beginning, the album promises to be a
consistently beautiful collection of tunes, written by Guy Chambers,
that strongly reflect the style and textures of 60's French singers,
such as Francoise Hardy, Anna Karina and Birkin herself. The first
two tracks, 'Chère Isis' and 'Les Amants d'Edimbourg' reflect
this genre perfectly, but by the third song the music bizarrely
falls flat into an amateurishly produced collection of meandering,
self-absorbed, and often over-flourishing compositions.
Programmed with a hotchpotch of uninspiring drum and synth samples,
the remaining tracks give the impression of scratch-pad demos
rather than professionally arranged studio productions.
The only thing that saves the remainder of this album is Hunter's
truly beguiling voice. What on earth went wrong with the direction
of this album after the first two tracks is anyone's guess, but
the Isis Project could so easily have been one of the finest
concepts of its kind to be released this decade. Buy the album
all the same, because along with a beautifully designed CD casing,
the first two songs are worth every penny, but the spell may easily
be broken if you play the rest. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Jan
Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble |
Parce
mihi domine (from the album Officium) |
The
follow up album to Officium is embarrassingly naff and should
not be put in context with this original experiment in ancient
choral / jazz fusion production which worked very well. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| jAntonio
Carlos Jobim |
General
|
The
master of pink champagne lounge although be selective because
he, also, can go a bit heavy on the cheese. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| jBob
James |
Theme
from Taxi (Angela) |
There
are few TV themes which capture the ambience as a prelude to the
program itself...this is one such theme which does exactly that. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Jethro
Tull |
Life's
A Long Song EP |
A
period when this band where still relatively unaffected by over
flashy musology and still delivered emotional and heartfelt melodic
textures. (can only find "Life's A Long Song" most of
Tull's stuff after '79 misses the mark). |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Jocelyn
Pook |
All
works |
Jocelyn Pook's assemblage of musical
perfection is achieved through intelligent use of sampling,
intuitive, flowing song structures and her own beguiling dream-girl
voice. This sonic montage exhibits incredibly imaginative drama
and melancholy, both light and shade. In fact nearly everything
euphoric about genuine musical emotion is derived through her
works. Extraordinarily harmonious with the core essence of the
dreambeat definition. See also her acclaimed soundtrack for
"The Merchant of Venice"
|
USA
UK
CDs
Untold
Things
Flood
Blow
the Wind
|
L-G |
| John
Ireland |
General
|
Both
Ireland's early piano and chamber works are worth exploring...
some more accessible than others. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| jQuincy
Jones |
$
(The Heist) soundtrack |
Lost
classic, which is bound to be "rediscovered" by trendy
media spotters at some point... and thereby used in a car commercial
as has Bulitt and Jimmy
Smith. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Led
Zeppelin |
L-Z
III side two tracks 1 to 3 |
A
set of deeper, real and refined melancolic accoustic songs which
seem to have otherwise gone over the heads of the usual Stairway
to Heaven brigade. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Leftfield |
A
Final Hit... etc |
Headphones,
horizontal, summer night, empty field. Stir emotions with stunning
tracks like A Final Hit. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
|
Lightning
Tree
|
The Settlers
|
Can
only be described as a song joined at the hip with
White Horses. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Liquid
Alice |
(theme
from) The Liberec Affair / on Eclipse |
Retro
but timeless classic reminiscent of the 60's 70's cold war romance
themes... On Eclipse produces atmospheric filtrations and sonically
well animated title description. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| lMichel
Legrand |
Theme
from Summer
of '42 |
Michel
Legrand's sensitive composition which melts in your mouth. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Love |
Alone
Again Or |
Absolute
pinnacle of 60's acidpop.... just a beautiful song... press repeat. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Lush |
Sweetness
and Light |
Magical. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Madrigals
(Early Italian) |
General
|
The
magic potion for drifting into time travel late at night. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Mazzy
Star |
Fade
Into You (from the album So Tonight that I might
See) |
With
a voice (and looks) like Mazzy Star the majority of the productions
so far don't justify her potential. But this track works well,
out of context. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Melanie |
Ruby
Tuesday |
This chart version by Melanie of a Stones
acid-classic carries an equally beautiful, but different aproach
to the arrangement. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Miles
Davies |
Lift
To the Scaffold (sound track) |
If
only there were stations which played just this pure definition
of smoky melancholy, instead of the meaningless thwacky-bass-UK
funk-muso-crap which otherwise pollutes the "Jazz" airwaves. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Miles
Davies |
In
A Silent Way |
The
origin of contemporary freestyle so subtle and underscored you
could play this eternally as incidental background to your own
life ... a circle, never ending... just press repeat on your player...
and drive... and do things. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Monkees |
Head (soundtrack)
also I'm
a Believer
|
A most original concept created
by The Monkees with some help from Frank Zappa. A cross blend
of musical extremes and sounds which, retrospectivly has since
paid off... becoming a cult classic 30 years later (see Head
in the film listing for further details).
Play "I'm A Believer"
back to back with The Archies' "Sugar Sugar".
|
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Nielsen |
Piano
Works |
Like
a flickering log fire music like this works as an unobtrusive
relaxant whilst busying away on your desktop... |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Nouvelle
Vague |
Nouvelle
Vague |
db
listing - top music choice
Released in early 2004 but only recently discovered by TV advert
makers (so you now hear extracts of this album on everything ...
which is kind of a shame), Nouvelle Vague is an amazing reworking
of 1980's new wave songs sung in a Latin style by the cutest sounding
French female singers. Yes ... it's a bizarre mix of musical genres,
but it works brilliantly.
Truly outstanding, and the best album of its kind to appear in
the first decade of the 21st century. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Palestrina |
General
|
Silent
nights though country roads and misty mornings by still shores..... |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Pink
Floyd |
Atom
Heart Mother - Side Two |
The
fine French band Air
(also listed) are obviously hugely influenced by this stuff. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Plimsouls |
The
Oldest Story in The World / A Million Miles Away (from
the album Everywhere at Once) |
One
of the original West Coast jangly guitar bands with attitude who
dissapeared in 1984 only to return for a one off album in'98 sounding
very much like they used to. However we guide you to the an early
80's gem. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Popol
Vuh |
General
|
The
name Popol Vuh is the Mayan "Book of the Dawn of Life"
The band Popol Vuh led by Florian Fricke are responsible for the
haunting background music in Werner
Hertzog's best films... Another sub-harmonic of the dreambeat.
|
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Quincy
Jones |
Everything
Must Change |
Quality
vocal track from the album Body Heat. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Roberta
Flack |
Killing
Me Softly With His Song |
Same
story goes here as with the David Cassidy description but this
track was covered reasonably well but spoilt by completely out
of place flavour-of-the-month rap chat...so... hear this, the
timeless original. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| rThe
Rolling Stones |
Ruby
Tuesday |
Flowing,
songwriting perfection and a beautiful arangement. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Saint
Etienne |
Only
Love Can Break Your Heart |
The
original 1990 release in is the one to hear... not the later remix
with the annoying extra vocal spin in. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Serge
Gainsbourg |
Couleur
Cafe |
As
well as being one Gainsbourgs album titles this track alone can
also be found on "Expresso"... a various artists compilation
of which 50% of the selection is OK... the other a bit naff. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Smoke
City |
Underwater
Love |
Haunting. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Stereolab |
General
|
Haunting
tones and drones of a lo-fi dreambeat signature. A Looking-Glass
favourite. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| T.Rex |
Prophets,
Seers and Sages the Angels of the Ages |
Good
starting point for anyone curious to discover early Marc Bolan
for the first time. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Tallis |
General
|
Again
a choice of pieces to suit your time of day or life... As the
listing becomes more refined so will we point towards specific
pieces in all the classical areas. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Tavener |
General
|
Be
very selective and listen through for the gems, since some of
the stuff gets too hymn-ish and flavourless. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Traffic |
Mr
Fantasy |
Essential
for a retro- psychedelic night in sandwiched between an episode
of The
Prisoner and
Blow Up. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Tricky |
Hell
is Round The Corner (from the album Maxinquaye) |
scratchy-mello. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Vanessa
Paradis |
Joe
Le Taxi (from the album MandJ) |
Best
and most original track on the album, since the production otherwise
is in contrast muso-naff However the track MandJ grows on you.
|
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Wendy
and Lisa |
Valley
Vista (from the album Eroica) |
Prolific
Wendy and Lisa, originally with tafka-Prince, this effective acoustic
track stands out alone.. In fact has a very similar feel to....Led
Zepplin 3 side two... |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| William
Byrd |
General
|
A
general listing for this prolific 16th century composer who was
a scholar of Tallis.
As mentioned elsewhere forget the religious aspects, just soak
up the ethereal ambience. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
| Young
MC |
Brainstorm |
Quality
rap artist Young MC, Lyrically fun hip hop well produced and well
accessible. "Album Filler" does lots more than just
that. SpotonMC. |
USA
UK
|
L-G |
Dreambeat
Listings
