I don't know if everyone has one, but I certainly do, and it hasn't changed since 1973 when I first heard it. After a long day, whether physically exhausted or emotionally drained, if I take the time to sit and listen to this album, all of whatever bothers me fades away, and I can face the world with a rejuvenated outlook.
For me that record is "Tubular Bells", and to this day I have yet to discover an album that could serve as its replacement.
Lemme guess. Ron is a Prog Head so My guess is Genesis' Selling England By the Pound. Pushing my luck, the track that brings the chilling is, Firth of Fifth
A classmate in Highschool made me a cassette. I listened to it in the car everyday to and from school for two months because it got stuck in there. Hahahahaha.
Carol Kidd's "All My Tomorrows". Long time ago, while I was working for my dad in a factory, we had labor problems and I felt so drained and stressed after so much haggling and intrigue, and when I went home, I played her album, and everything (headaches) just went away and I felt ready for the next day.
Couldn't name just one. "If I Could Only Remember My Name," David Crosby's first solo album, would be on the short list. So would Shelby Lynn's "Just A Little Lovin,'" Bill Evans' "Portrait in Jazz," and many more. Even when I'm not in need of relaxation, I generally prefer warm, mello and sweet to throbbing, piercing, invasive...that's what takes a special mood.
Lately, I got this album by Tony Mottola called 'Close To You' and it has been serving as my 'new' chill out album. Nostalgic guitar sound playing old songs like Close to You, Yesterday When I Was Young, Moon River, We've Only Just Begun, etc. Mottola's guitar has been called the 'the best tranquilizer' in those days.
From TP The two works on this tape are splendid examples of 19th and 20th century virtuoso concertos; but for their great difficulty they would surely be played more often. No adjectives can add to David Oistrakh's fame, but it is worth mentioning the special interest in hearing one of the country's finest violinists in one of its finest concertos with, in one piece, the composer as the conductor. This is Oistrakh's first western recording of the Hindemith Concerto, and his very first of the Bruch Fantasia, which is recorded complete. Oistrakh here plays his "Fontana" violin made by Stradivarius in 1702. TP-006
I'm a big Lisa Gerard fan. I remember being floored when I heard that haunting voice in the Gladiator soundtrack the first time I saw it. It elicited a huge WTF moment. I thought she'd fallen off the face of the earth years before.
If you like Into the Labyrinth I'll bet you will like Cocteau Twin's Heaven and Las Vegas too Elizabeth Frazier and her made up language/lyrics is surreal.
The cross collaboration between members of the two bands along with other artists from the 4AD label, This Mortal Coil, is in in the same vein but VERY dark.
I still can't think of a single go to album. There are just too many to go with the too many moods.
