New Pure Moods - Various Artists

...I was introduced to a new kind of music, one that I previously would have thought of as classical or pictured a hippy, chanting away to. So impressed I went and bought the CD album myself.

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There is 20 tunes on the CD, they are as follows~


Enigma~Return to Innocence

Deep Forest~Sweet Lullaby

Jan Hammer~Crockett's ...
...the hassles that go with new babies. But I had a secret, whenever I or the twins had trouble relaxing, I would just play a bit of gentle music and soon we would all be sound asleep.

I have continued to listen to this CD regularly. I don't often get a chance to relax now with four children however as it is quite a lively album, it is also very good to play at a slightly louder than normal volume. I do this when doing I'm doing housework ... more

Picture the scene. Relaxing in a fully vibrating massage chair, listening to gentle chimes and flowing music. The air is warm along with a cool breeze and a fresh smell of clean linen drifts round you. Your eyes are becoming heavy, heavier, and you couldn't feel better. Slowly you drift off.

Sounds wonderful doesn't it. But it's not just a dream, a fantasy, I really used to experience this weekly. Even better I got paid to do this. How? I hear you cry. Well sit back, put your feet up and I'll tell you a story.

At the age of 18 I worked in a home for adults with learning difficulties. It was a great job. The manager was great, other staff were great, and although some of the 'service users', as they must now be called, could be challenging at times, I loved work.

I worked weekends doing the laundry. A bit of a mucky job but once you got the 'dirty' bits in the machine it was better from then on. Anyway I was a quick worker, and even managed to get the night staffs ironing done and all clothes put away.

But as you can imagine I was at a loose end when waiting for washes to finish, especially if they were on a very hot wash. Now the laundry was in a seperate annex, along with four bedrooms. One of the bedrooms was of a man with Hep C. To try and encourage a sale, a massaging chair had been left and it had been placed in his room. This particular 'user', oh I hate that term, sometimes got stressed but responded well to soothing music.

You can imagine the rest, I would wander down and have a 10 minute wind down session. And before you ask, yes, I did ask permission, and yes it was granted.

And so I was introduced to a new kind of music, one that I previously would have thought of as classical or pictured a hippy, chanting away to. So impressed I went and bought the CD album myself.

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There is 20 tunes on the CD, they are as follows~

Enigma~Return to Innocence

Deep Forest~Sweet Lullaby

Jan Hammer~Crockett's Theme

Jean Michelle Jarre~Oxygene

Enya~Orinoco Flow

Mike Oldfield~Tubular bells

Vangelis~Chariots of fire

Michael Nyman~The heart asks pleasure first/The promise

Ennio Morricone~Chi Mai

Barrington Pheloung~Theme from inspector Morse

Enigma~Sadness

The Orb~Little Fluffy Clouds

Praise~Only You

Malcolm McLaren~Aria on air

David A Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer~Lily was here

Kenny G~Songbird

Ryuichi Sakamoto~Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

Angelo Badalamenti~Twin Peaks theme

Ennio Morricone~Theme from the mission

Brian Eno~Another Green World

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A few years later I got my first place. The lounge was large and each afternoon the sun would pour in. By now I had a different job, and when on a morning shift I finished at 2pm. I would often go for a quick swim before returning back home, but then all I wanted to do was unwind. So out would come the CD and I'd stretch out on the sofa. Many a time I would fall asleep, and be fresh and bright for the evening.

Time went on and soon I married, not before long I discoverd I was pregnant, and with twins. Things weren't going well and I needed lots of bed rest and relaxation. Out came the CD again. For 9 months I listened to it virtually non stop. Never tiring of the melodic sounds. Then out popped the twosome and all the hassles that go with new babies. But I had a secret, whenever I or the twins had trouble relaxing, I would just play a bit of gentle music and soon we would all be sound asleep.

I have continued to listen to this CD regularly. I don't often get a chance to relax now with four children however as it is quite a lively album, it is also very good to play at a slightly louder than normal volume. I do this when doing I'm doing housework or ironing and it puts me in a much better mood and the work seems so much better. My favourite has to be Crocketts Theme, which has no vocals and pure bliss. With JMJ's Oxygene coming in a close second. Tubular bells, by Mike Oldfield, whilst calming has to come in last as it takes forever to get going.

For these reasons this has to be my all time favourite album. Not only do I find the music so soothing and relaxing but each time I hear the music it brings back such wonderful memories.

I would reccomend this album to all. You don't need to be into classical music, and you don't need to be New Age, you just need to learn to relax.

Only problem is it no longer seems to be available either in stores or in online music stores. However second hand copies can be bought on Ebay, from as little as 25p.

The copy I have is the original and was made in 1994 by Virgin Records. Others have been made since, an import in 1997, and then the one that is pictured above at a later date. Many other contempory music compilations have been released with similar names too. But this has to be the best. 

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