| Track by Track Review
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CD One
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Creatures of the Magic Water - 1994
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Creatures of the Magic Water Opening Theme
There really is a lot of magic here as synthetic layers of atmosphere are accompanied by slow moving guitar. |
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Green Hell
This is a short (less than 30-scconds) bit of electronic atmospherics. |
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Jaguar and the Terrapin
Percussive concepts are in the driver's seat here. This is less than a minute long. |
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Flooded Forest
Coming in pretty and atmospheric, there is a real world music vibe to this. |
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Hidden Shadow
Chimes open this and mysterious atmospherics take over from there. There is a frantic urgency along with world music on a short passage later. |
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River God
The world music sounds are a big part of the electronic tapestry of this piece. |
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Secrets of the Amazon - 2003
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Secrets of the Amazon
There is an electronic energy and groove to this that makes me think of Synergy. |
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Killing Grounds
Built with a real sense of mystery to it, this has world music in the mix, too. It's rather trippy. |
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River Dolphins
There seems to be a real positive energy to this electronic piece. |
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Faces in the Forest
Here we get a short piece of electronic atmosphere. |
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Final Journey
Coming in rather electronic, this grows outward with a cool percussive groove and some classy world music sounds. |
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Jaguar - Eater of Souls - 1999
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Onza – Eater of Souls
There is a real sense of mystery and magic on this number. |
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Relentless Sun in Half Drowned Lands
The electronic atmosphere of this is beautiful. |
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Serengeti Jigsaw - 1998
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Serengeti Jigsaw Opening Theme
Dramatic and moving, this has so much class and style. |
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Massacre of the Termites
Coming out of the previous cut, there is a dark vibe to this. It turns percussive after a short time. There are still waves of electronics over the top, but overall this is all about the beats. |
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Web of the Spider Monkey - 1995
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Web of the Spider Monkey Opening Theme
Dramatic waves of sound are heard as this gets underway. At about two-and-a-half-minutes long, this is one of the longest tracks on this first disc. It is also one of the most complex, working through a number of changes and modes. |
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Dungeons and Dragons - 2000
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Island of Stone
Powerful and mysterious electronic textures are on the menu here. After a time a tribal percussive element takes command, but there are still electronic layers over the top of that. This piece is just a little longer than the last one, and that space is put to good use. |
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Fireflies
Atmospheric, there is a sense of flight about this. |
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Courting Chameleons
I dig the percussive nature of this piece. It has a lot of intriguing movement and texture to it. |
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Rock Spires, Crocodile Caves
This is another that definitely seems to ooze mystery, but also majesty. |
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Dusty Track
Percussion with waves of electronics over the top is the order of business here. The piece is moving and exotic. |
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Fathomless Caves
Here we have another mysterious sounding piece of electronic music that is also beautiful. |
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Secrets of a Norfolk Wood - 1998
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Storm Breaks
I feel a sense of adventure to this. It has some natural vibes amidst the electronic textures. There is almost a classical music sense to it. |
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Morning Call
There is a gentle, playful energy here. This feels comforting and homey. |
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Autumn Dusk
With a sense of gentle comfort to it, there is some majesty here, as well. |
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Bears of the Russian Front - 2000
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Bears of Kamchatka Opening Theme
I dig the rather symphonic and sedate electronic concepts here. |
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In The Tundra
There is a gentle beauty to this song. |
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Across the Frozen Wastes
A sense of barren cold really does permeate this. It feels like winds driving across a frozen landscape a lot of the time. |
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Nighthunt
I dig the drama and style of this cut a lot. It has some harpsichord like textures, and I'm a sucker for that instrument. |
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Cubs
Mellow and electronic, this is sedate and effective. It has some more of that harpsichord type sound on board. |
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Gremlins: Faces in the Forest - 1997
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Mother of the Moon
I love the sense of mystery to this cut. |
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Jurassic Shark - 2000
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Jurassic Shark Opening Theme
This has a real beauty to it, but also a sense of danger at times. It is majestic. |
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Ray’s Song
Mellow, and yet somewhat playful, this is pretty. |
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Voyage of the Whale Shark
This is rich and dense and quite intriguing. I love the electronic vibes of this piece. |
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Megalodon
Particularly powerful and majestic, this is an intriguing number. |
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The Only Good Shark is a Dead One
Slower moving and melodic, I like this quite a bit. |
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Back Through Time – Under the Ocean
I'm reminded a little of Pat Metheny for some reason. |
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Jurassic Shark Closing Theme
There is a real symphonic majesty to this number. |
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Midway: Island of Life - 1999
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Midway: Island of Life Opening Theme
Slow moving atmospherics are on hand as this gets underway. |
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Dolphins at Play
There really is a sense of play, but also poise and majesty to this number. |
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Dolphins, Seals & Rays
With a gentle beauty to it, this has some synthetic chorale vocals on display at times. |
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Mysteries of the Wreck
Slow moving electronic sounds create something that feels like the soundtrack to an exploratory section of a science fiction movie. This also has those chorale vocal elements on display. |
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Sunset Flight
Pretty waves of sound and classically tinged melodies merge on this slow moving number. |
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Fight to the Death
This has a sense of a life and death struggle that is befitting of the title. It's powerful and evocative. I'd say that it's one of the strongest pieces on this first disc. |
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From the Jaws of Death – Touching the Face of God
Packed with majesty and beauty, this really does end things in a satisfying way. |
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CD Two:
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Wildfire
This short piece is largely percussive and tribal. |
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East of Eden
There is a real sense of electronic majesty as this gets underway. After a time percussion rises to lead the way. The music has an Asian element to it. |
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Web of the Spider Monkey
This is a bit more artificial in nature than the version on the other disc. It's perhaps a little more sedate, too. |
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Appalachian Heights
There is a playful nature to this song. It's another intriguing one. |
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Night Train (original version)
The electronic textures to this work well. It doesn't really stand out, though. |
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Fast Train
I dig the fast-paced groove of this. It's another track that makes me think of Synergy. |
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Bay Beneath The Sea Suite
There is a slowly building atmospheric section that makes up the first part of this. The track shifts gear from there to something full of beauty and some mystery. At nearly eight-and-a-half minutes of music, this is the epic of the set. It works through a whole host of different moods and sections. There are some chorale vocal like sounds later in a mellow and majestic movement. We get a fast paced electronic segment later that really stands out, too. |
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Schaun Journey (alternate version)
With a great world music aesthetic, the flute is a driving force on this. |
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Valley Beneath The Sea
This has an otherworldly vibe to it. It's electronic and classy. |
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Eastern Market
A bouncy number, this has some actual world music vocals on it. |
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Sky Valley
The electronic sonic tapestry here has a good energy and vibe. There are some hints of Genesis in the mix on this. |
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Outback
I really dig the interplay between the percussion and the acoustic guitar on this. The track has a nice groove to it. |
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Lemurs Prologue
Majestic, electronic and powerful, this is also slow moving and a little mysterious. Percussion later brings an increased tempo and intensity for a while, but the atmospherics take over again beyond that. |
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Eastern Rivers
Tribal percussion dances around like crazy on this number. |
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Mysterious Skies
I love the organic, world music angles to this cut. They are delivered with electronics in the mix, too, though. |
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Waterfalls
The intricacies of this are tasty. There are spacey electronics merged with more organic sounds. |
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Loons Suite
This number is over six-minutes long. It has a gentle and rather soundtrack like vibe at first. That gives way later to more energized electronic sounds. This has quite a few changes and includes recurring themes. |
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The Victors
This is an entertaining cut with a good energy and vibe. It also has a cool groove to it. It is a joint effort between Anthony Phillips and his former Genesis band-mate Mike Rutherford. |
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