Search - Various Artists :: First Ten Years

"The MOTHER of all WINDHAM HILL SAMPLERS"

Donald Gillies | San Diego, CA United States | 10/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Windham Hill put the "new" into "new age" music. Each year they publish a sampler which is a "greatest hits of the year" album, intended to introduce new and talented artists. On Windham Hill's tenth anniversary they published the finest 2-volume CD set they ever mastered, and this is it.



This is the first CD set that I have ever worn out - I am here on Amazon buying a replacement copy which will be MP3 mastered. I have played this CD monthly since 1994. I use the music to help calm my nerves as I do creative computer work, such as prepare university lecture notes or writing computer software.



Like any classic album, you _cannot_ get tired of this 2-volume set, since new tracks capture your imagination as time goes by. Many tracks are reminiscent of the "Enya Watermark" album or George Winston's "December". This CD is mostly guitar and piano music with no vocals, but several guitar tracks have a Celtic tone. This CD rates half a notch below Winston's "December", which is no criticism because "December" is the finest New-Age CD that has ever been mastered. Check reviews on EBay and buy "December" first, then buy this set second.



Out of about 30 songs, there are probably three that I could do without. Some of the tracks that I cannot live without are listed below.



Disc One

2- White Rain

3- Colors/Dance

7- Gymnopedie

12- Clockwork



Disc Two

3- Montana Half Light

7- Gwenlaise

12- To the Well"

10 years of excellence

G. Sawaged | Canada | 12/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for music to relax by, then you have come to the right place. These 2 discs contain some of the best accoustic music you'll find, whether it be solo guitar or piano, or small groups like Shadowfax. There are also some non-accoustic pieces as well though, which are equally beautiful. I was first introduced to Windham Hill when I received a cd of George Winstons. I loved it, and decided to explore other Windham Hill artists and bought this double album. And I was not disappointed. Each and every piece on here is sheer heaven. Spanning the years 1977 to 1987 the quality has remained consistent. For lovers of quality music, I can't recommend this enough!"

A Superb Sampling of Windham Hill's Top Artists

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 02/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's Valentine's Day today and I thought I'd share my thoughts on what I consider to be one of the most romantic albums in my collection. This is some of the loveliest music you'll ever find. If you haven't already been introduced to the world of Windham Hill, this is definitely the place to start. In the late seventies, I had become a huge fan of Leo Kottke and John Fahey and for a time I couldn't find any other artist to match their skills. Then I heard Will Ackerman being played in my favorite record store. I left that day with two of Ackerman's albums and one each by Alex de Grassi and Daniel Hecht and I was hooked. They are all excellent acoustic guitar players. In addition to the above named guitarists, you also get tracks by Robbie Basho and Michael Hedges.CD-1 leads off with my all-time favorite Ackerman song, "The Bricklayer's Beautiful Daughter." The quality of the remaining tracks stays high throughout the rest of the CD. Most of the first CD is reserved for the guitar players on the Windham Hill roster, but you also hear pianists George Winston and Liz Story, the string band Montreux and Mark Isham. CD-2 includes a wider diversity than the first disc and features the remainder of the early Windham Hill roster. If your looking for a relaxing collection of music you can't go wrong with this. [Note: in 1996, Windham Hill released Sanctuary, a twenty year retrospective, which is excellent; but I prefer their first decade collection simply because of the heavy emphasis on the guitar players on their roster at the time.]"