Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 19:25:58 -0500 (CDT) From: Darryl Stephen Roy
On 24 Sep 1994, Sean Smith asked the Ambient Music Mailing List:
Would any of you care to give me a Top 10 of the all-time greatest ambient CDs for any collection? I thought, with such a conglomeration of people who love what i love, I'm bound to get some great recommendations for stuff I don't have.
In the interest of introducing newcomers to ambient, and providing suggestions for further investigations, I've collected all of the top-10 ambient album lists presented in response to Sean's request, and organized them by the number of votes each album has received thus far (up to Sep 1996). This is the last update I will provide, but stay tuned in the future for a "Most overrated/underated ambient" poll.
The most recent list is generally available at the excellent ambient archives at http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/. The dedicated volunteers at this site also run the Ambient Music mailing list, where you can meet the many knowledgeable fans who've contributed these recommendations. To join, mail a blank message to ambient-subscribe@hyperreal.org, or ambient-digest-subscribe@hyperreal.org if you prefer to receive the list mail in periodic digest format. Drumroll please...
28 votes: Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Vol. II 22 votes: Future Sound of London: Lifeforms 18 votes: Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92 16 votes: The Orb: U.F.Orb 15 votes: The Orb: Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld 14 votes: Brian Eno: Ambient 4: On Land 11 votes: Brian Eno: Ambient 1: Music for Airports Brian Eno: Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks The KLF: Chill Out 9 votes: Future Sound of London: ISDN Global Communication: 76:14 8 votes: Pete Namlook: Air II Nurse with Wound: Soliloquy for Lilith Tangerine Dream: Phaedra 7 votes: Pete Namlook: Air Peter Gabriel: Passion 6 votes: Brian Eno: Thursday Afternoon Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: No Pussyfooting Global Communication: Pentamerous Metamorphosis Seefeel: Quique SPK: Zahmia Lehmanni 5 votes: Amorphous Androgynous: Tales of Ephidrina Biosphere: Patashnik Harold Budd: Lovely Thunder Cocteau Twins: Victorialand Future Sound of London: Paths 1-7 Jon Hassell & Brian Eno: Possible Musics Tetsu Inoue: Organic Cloud 4 votes: Aphex Twin: I Care Because You Do Art of Noise: The Ambient Collection Autechre: Amber Michael Brook: Hybrid Brian Eno: Discreet Music FFWD>>: FFWD>> Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: Evening Star KLF: Space Alan Lamb: Primal Image Locust: Weathered Well The Orb: Orbis Terrarum Orbital: Orbital 2 O Yuki Conjugate: Undrcurrents (in Dark Water) Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians Terry Riley: A Rainbow In Curved Air David Sylvian & Holger Czukay: Plight & Premonition Tangerine Dream: Rubycon Tangerine Dream: Zeit Woob: Woob 3 votes: Autechre: Incunabula Gavin Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic Holger Czukay: Moving Pictures Edgar Froese: Aqua Henryk Gorecki: Symphony no.3 Hafler Trio: Intoutof Richie Hawtin and Pete Namlook: From Within Tetsu Inoue: Ambiant Otaku Thomas Koener: Permafrost Labradford: Prazision Pete Namlook & the Irresistable Force: Dreamfish Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis: Deep Listening The Orb: Live 93 Organum: Submission Pink Floyd: Ummagumma Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves Steve Roach: Structures from Silence Klaus Schulze: Mirage Seefeel: Polyfusia David Sylvian & Holger Czukay: Flux & Mutability Various: em:t0094 Various: Excursion in Ambience I Zoviet France: Shouting at the Ground Zoviet France: What is Not True 2 votes: Black Dog Productions: Bytes Micheal Brook: Cobalt Blue Harold Budd: The White Arcades Harold Budd & Brian Eno: Plateux of Mirror: Ambient 2 Harold Budd & Brian Eno: The Pearl Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd: The Moon and the Melodies C-Schulz: 4. Film Ton Holger Czukay: Canaxis Dead Can Dance: Within the Realm of a Dying Sun Deep Forest: Deep Forest Ecstasy of St. Theresa: Free-D Fortran 5: Bad Head Park Edgar Froese: Epsilon in Malaysian Pale Fuse: Dimension Intrusion Peter Gabriel: Birdy (soundtrack) Grid: 4-5-6 Gyoto Monks: Freedom Chants Higher Intelligence Agency: Colourform Tetsu Inoue: Zenith Irresistable Force: Flying High Insides: Clear Skin Richard H. Kirk: Virtual State Thomasoener: Nunatak Gongamur Mo Buma: Jijimuge Moby: hymn.alt.quiet.version Muslimgauze: Veiled Sisters Pete Namlook & Dr.Atmo: Silence Bill Nelson: Crimsworth Nocturnal Emissions: Magnetized Light Nurse With Wound: Spiral Insana Orbital: Snivilization PGR: The Chemical Bride Pink Floyd: Mettle Plastikman: Sheet One Psychick TV: At Stockholm Psychick Warriors of Gaia: Ov Biospheres and Sacred Grooves Rapoon: Raising Earthly Spirits Steve Reich: Early Works Jorge Reyes: Neirika Jorge Reyes: El Costumbre Robert Rich & Steve Roach: Soma Steve Roach: Dreamtime Return Klaus Schulze: Timewind Michael Stearns: Sacred Sites Seefeel: Starethrough EP Slowdive: 5ep Slowdive: Pygmalion Songs of the Humpback Whale Starseed Transmission: Metamorphic Illumination Sun Electric: Aaah! David Sylvian: Ember Glance System 7: Water Tangerine Dream: Hyperborea Terrace of Memories: Terrace of Memories Terre Thaemlitz: Tranquilizer This Mortal Coil: Filigree and Shadow Tinty Music: Sinistrata Various: Excursions in Ambience 3 Various: From Here to Tranquility Various: One A.D. Various: Passion Various: United State of Ambience Iannis Xenakis: Electro-Acoustic Music Zoviet France: Mohnomishe/Look Into Me Zoviet France: Shadw Thief of the Sun Zoviet France: Vienna 1990 1 vote: Agitation Free: Malesch Daevid Allen: Now is the Happiest Time of your Life Alio Die: Under a Holy Ritual Ambush: The Ambush AMM: Live at the Crypt AMM: Newfoundland Louis Andriessen: De Tijd Aphex Twin: Didgeridoo Aphex Twin: Classics Arcane Device: Also Sprach Zarathustra Arcane Device: Trout Arcane Device & Asmus Tietchens: Speiseleitung Ra Tempel: Inventions for Electric Guitar Ash Ra Tempel: Schwingungen Ash Ra Tempel & Timothy Leary: 7up Virginia Astley: Promise Nothing/From Gardens... Astral Engineering: Chronoglide Astralasia: Whatever happened to Utopia? Atom Heart: Live at sel i/s/c Aube: Flashpoint Autechre: Garbage EP Autocreation: Mettle Louis & Bebe Barron: Soundtrack to the Forbidden Planet Banco de Gaia: Maia Banco de Gaia: Freeform Flutes and Fading Tibetans Banco de Gaia: Last Train to Lhasa BBC Radiophonic Workshop: Out of this World David Behrman: On Some Other Ocean Harry Bertola: Unfolding Betty Blue Soundtrack David Bowie/Brian Eno: Low Anthony Braxton: Live Micheal Brook: Live at the Aquarium Michael Brook & Pieter Nooten: Sleeps With the Fishes Gavin Bryars: Hommages Gavin Bryars: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Harold Budd: By the Dawns early light Harold Budd: The Serpent (in Quicksilver)/Abandoned Cities Cabaret Voltaire: The Conversation John Cage: Pieces for Prepared Piano John Cage: Roaratorio John Cage & Jan Steele: Voices and Instruments Can: Future Days Cluster: Cluster Cluster: Curiosum Coco, Steel, and Lovebomb: T.G.V./Harlem Codeine: Frigid Stars Coil: How to Destroy Angels Coil: Angelic Conversation Cosmic Baby: 23 Cosmic Jokers: Cosmic Jokers Cranioclast: Iconoclastar icons I-VI and VII-XII Cranioclast: Lost in Karak George Crumb: Makrokosmos III DJ Crystl: Warpdrive Cure: Carnage Visors Alvin Curran: Songs and Views from the Magnetic Garden Current 93: Nature Unveiled Luciano Dari: Wajd David Darling: Cello Datacide: Flowerhead Miles Davis: In a Silent Way Miles Davis: Get Up With It Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Sketches of Spain Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth Dead Voices on Air: New Words... Claude Debussy: La Mer Martin Denny: Afrodesia Deuter: Haleakala Divination: Ambient Dub Vol. 1 (Light in Extension) Dilate: Cyclos Divine Soma Experience: Welcome to the Land of Dragons Dr. Atmo: Gamma Dr. Atmo & Deep Space Network: I.F. 2 Dr. Pablo & the Dub Syndicate: North of the River Thames Doubting Thomas: Father Don't Cry Ductile Green Vegetables: Ferry Durutti Column: first four albums Electroharmonix Electronic Eye: Closed circuit Enigma: MCMXC a.D. ltd. ger. Enigma: Sadeness Brian Eno: Neroli Brian Eno: Fractal Zoom moby remixes Brian Eno: Instrumental box set Brian Eno: Music for Films III Brian Eno: Songs box set Brian Eno Jah Wobble: Spinner Escape Trip from Mars Exit: Exit II Exit: Exit III Exquisite Corpse: calling the quarters/inner rhythm Fifty Foot Hose Faust: The Faust Tapes Faust and Tony Conrad: Outside the Dream Syndcate Fleetwood Mac: The Albatross The Murray Fonatana Orchestra Play the Hafler Trio Friends, Lovers and Family: Hyperspatial Confusion Robert Fripp: Flashpoint Robert Fripp: Let the Power Fall Robert Fripp String Quintet: The Bridge Between Edgar Froese: Ages Ellen Fullman: Body Music Future Sound of London: Accellerator Future Sound of London: Cascade Lisa Gerrard: Mirror Pool Gordon Mumma Megaton: For Wm Bouroughs Godflesh: Pure Philip Glass: Music in 12 Parts Philip Glass: Mishima Grateful Dead: Dark Star Global Communication: Remotion Bernhard Guenter: Un Pue de Neige Salie Hafler Trio: Seven hours Sleep George Harrison: Electronic Sound Jon Hassell: Aka Darbari Java Jon Hassell: City: Works of Fiction Heavenly Music Corporation: Conciousness III Heavenly Music Corporation: In the Garden of Eden Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries H.N.A.S: Willkur Nach Noten Hawkwind: In Search of Space Steve Hillage: Rainbow Dome Musick Horizon 222: Through the Round Window Haruomi Hosono: Medicine compilation from the Quiet Lodge Rudy Hueting: Subantarctica David Hykes: Current Circulation Ingleton Falls Absconded Tetsu Inoue & Peter Namlook: 62 Eulengasse Irresistable Force: Global Chillage Ken Ishii: Reference to Difference Keith Jarrett: Spirits Jean Michel Jarre: Equinox Jean Michel Jarre: Oxygene Jonzun Crew: Lost in Space Michel Kadore: La Chambre Nuptiale Ustad Ali Akbar Khan: The Peaceful Music of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Masayuki Koga: Eastwind Luke Koyle: Structured Ambience in the Powers of 10 Thomas Koener: Teimo Kraftwerk: Kraftwerk Lab Report: Unhealthy Laibach: Nova Akropola Lanterna: Lanterna Laraaji: Days of Radiance Bill Laswell: Hear No Evil Bill Laswell & Pete Namlook: Outland Le Mystere des voix Bulgares Daniel Lentz: Missa Umbrarum Light Vessel: Automatic Channel Lightwave: Tycho Brahe Lilith: Stone Loop Guru: Duniya Lucky People Center: Interspecies Communication Lustmord: The monstruous soul Lustmord: Heresy Main: Motion Pool Loren Mazzacane: Rooms Material: Hallucination Engine Lubomyr Melnyk: Performs KMH Chris Meloche: Wireless Merzbow: Batztoutai with Material Gadgets Merzbow: Loop Panic Limited Robert Miles: Dreamland Mimir: Miiryad MLO: Io Mobius, Roedelius, Eno: After the Heat David Mouffang & Jonah Sharp: Reagenz Mo Buma: Myths of the Near Future Part 1 Mouse on Mars: Vulvaland Music from the Morning of the World Muslimgauze: Zul'm Mysteries of Science: Mysteries of Science R.Carlos Nakai & Peter Kater: Migration Pete Namlook: Silence II Pete Namlook & David Mofang: Jambient Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue: 2350 Broadway Pete Namlook: Solitaire Pete Namlook: Wandering Soul Pete Namlook: Definitive Ambient Collection Vol 2 Negativland: The Willsaphone Stupid Show I & II Bill Nelson: Chance Encounters In The Garden of Lights Bill Nelson: Simplex Bill Nelson: Trial by Intimacy New London School of Electronics: The Deepest Cut Phill Niblock: A Young Person's Guide to Phill Niblock Nocturnal Emissions: Spiritflesh Non: Easy Listening for Iron Youth Pieter Nooten/Micheal Brook: Sleeps With Fishes Not Drowning, Waving: Cold and the Crackle K.K.Null and Jim O'Rourke: A New Kind of Water Nurse with Wound: Brained by Falling Masonry Ayub Ogada: En Mana Kuoyo Pauline Oliveros: I of IV Omala: Germ Omala: Relicon The Orb: The Aubrey Mixes The Orb: Blue room single The Orb: Assassin The Orb: A Huge Ever Pulsating Brain The Orb: Peel Sessions The Orb: Pomme Fritz William Orbit: Strange Cargo III Orbital: Why are we here? Jim O'Rourke: Disengage Jim O'Rourke: recent releases Alan Parsons: I Robot Arvo Part: Passio Path: Pleasant Pet Shop Boys: Reckless Photophobia: Iridology I and II Pink Floyd: More Soundtrack Pink Flowd: Wish You Were Here Popol Vuh: Aguirre/In the Gardens of the Pharaoh Pressure of Speech: Art of the State Psychonavigation: Psychonavigation Rapoon: Dream Circle Slava Ranko: Artic hysteria Michel Redolfi: Immersion/Pacific Tubular Waves Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music Reload: A Collection of Short Stories Robert Rich: Numena Robert Rich & Steve Roach: Strata Steve Roach: The Magnificent Void Steve Roach: World's Edge Steve Roach: Origins Michael Rother: Flammende Herzen Todd Rundgren: I Think You Know Terje Rypdal: After the Rain Sandoz: Intensely Radioactive Sketch Reasons to Sway Suso Saiz: Hypnotics Somei Satoh: Litania Irmin Schmidt/Bruno Spoerri: Toy Planet Eberhard Schoener: Meditation Robert Schroeder: Time Waves Klaus Schulze: Body Love II Klaus Schulze: Cyborg Klaus Schulze: Irlicht Klaus Schulze: Picture Music Klaus Schulze: Totem Paul Schutze: New Maps of Hell Paul Schutze: Surgery of Touch Shamen: Arbor Bona, Arbor Mala Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan: Live in Concert 1972 Shibano/Ojima: Caresse Slowdive: Blue Day Sonic Youth: EVOL Software: Chip-Meditation Software: Digital-Dance Soul Whirling Somewhere: Eating the Sea Soul Whirling Somewhere: Everyone Will Eventually Leave You Sounds from the Ground: Sweetdust Rising Spacetime Continuum: Emit Ecaps Spacetime Continuum: Sea Biscuit Speedy J: Ginger Spice Barons: Future Perfect State Michael Stearns: Chronos Michael Stearns: Ancient Leaves Michael Stearns: Lyra-Sound Constellation Michael Stearns: Planetary Unfolding Stereoscope: the Vitamin Guide Karlheinz Stockhausen: Hymnen Carl Stone: Mom's Sub Dub: Coast EP Subsurfing: Frozen Ants Sun Electric: Kitchen John Surman: The Road to St Ives Suspended Memories: Earth Island Suzuki 75cc (sp???): Satellite Serenade David Sylvian: Alchemy Talk Talk: Laughing Stock Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium Tangerine Dream: Alpha Centauri Tangerine Dream: Encore Tangerine Dream: Force Majeure Tangerine Dream: Green Desert John Tavener/Chilingrian: The Last Sleep of the Virgin Throbbing Gristle: In the Shadow of the Sun Asmus Tiechens: Marches Funebres Asmus Tiechens: Seuchengebeite 2 Tsinandali Choir: Table Songs of Georgia Tupilaq: Tupilaq TUU: One Thousand Years TUU: All of Our Ancestors 2 bad mice: Underworld Tylervision: Tylervision Ultramarine: Every Man and Woman is a Star Vangelis: Soil Festivities Various: 3-Lux 3 Various: A Brief History of Ambient Vol. 1 Various: Ambient 2: Imaginary Landscapes Various: Ambient Dub Vol.II Various: Ambient Systems Various: Analogue Heaven Various: Artificial Intelligence II Various: Assemblage Vol. 1 Various: Excursions in Ambience 4 Various: ESP Vol. I: The Ambient Groove Various: Earth to infinity Various: Earthrise.Ntone.1 Various: Fax USA compilation Various: Fax compilation II Various: Plug In Turn On II Various: Sacred Flute Music of New Guinea Vol 1 + 2 Various: Serenity Dub 1.1 am Various: Symphonies of the Planets ol 1 (Voyager recording) Various: Synoptics: A Reflective Compilation Various: Seti Various: The Whole Traffic 2 Various: Tox Uthat v.2 Various: Two A.D. Various: Versteinerung Various: Video Wall Paper (Jap. laserdisc) Various: X-X Section Various Artists: One AD Sven Vath: Accident in Paradise Darrin Verhagen: Succulent Blue Sway Voice of Eye: Vespers Woob: demo Woob: 1194 Yello Magic Orchestra: Technodon Remixes II LaMont Young: The Volga Delta Zenith: Zenith Zion Train/Diatribe: split 12" Zoviet France: Eostre Zoviet France: a flock of rotations Zoviet France: Gris Zoviet France: Just an illusin
The following 88 individuals have contributed their top-10 ambient lists to be compiled above.
Jens Alfke, Mark Anderson, David Bancroft, Scott Bateman, Dmitri Bender, Robert P. Beveridge, Boy in Zinc, Mike Brown, Kim Cascone, Ctquo, D.A.C. Crowell, Cullen, Mark Czubak, Alex Dark, Groovy Dave, Steven Dean, James Dignan, Randy Dudley, Brian Duguid, Matt Duree, einexile, Tom Elliott , Ben Exit, Fabio de Brazil, Lars-Erik Fast, Laurence Fiddick, fletcher, Mark Frank, David Fry, Jan Hanford, Eddie O'Hanlon, Alan Haselden, Andrew Hime, Matt Hoessli, Robert Horton, Jesse L. Jackson, Jah Jam, noel jones, Jeremy Keens, Gordon Kelley, Paul M. Laane, Simon Letarte, Thad Lewis, dj Lovegrove, David Mantripp, Andy Mardesich, T Manassis, Peter V. Martinson, Eric Mattson, Marc Mcnulty, Eric A Meece, Lee Moore, m08, Thomas J. Newton, Dan Nicholson, Kevin O'Conner, Ryan Pals, Stuart Park, Paul3, Jeffrey Reid, Alistair Richards, Joanna Roses, Darryl Roy, Running Free, Frederick Schmidt, Scott, Scruton, Simonsen, James Skilton, Daggan Stamenkovic, William S. Stewart, Ken Stuart, TEC37, Andrew Thomas, Harvey Thornburg, Tom, transmat, Martin Trojer, Darrin Verhagen, Vitamin, Emiliano Waiselsisz, Gregory Weiss, Clark Wilkins, Bollen Wim, Wallace Winfrey, XdadaX, Zig