Pure Moods
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This was first released in the UK in 1991, and the US in 1994. It was re-released in 1997 with a somewhat different tracklist, and that's the version I have, which I got in 2025. (I'm somewhat disappointed by some of the songs from the original release not being on my copy, but there are a lot of the same tracks, plus some new ones, so it's okay.) It's the first in a series of collections of mostly new-age and world music.

1. "Return to Innocence", by Enigma (1993): This is one of the songs on the album that I was already familiar with, though I'm not sure where I might have heard it (other than TV ads for the album itself). I find it very uplifting, I definitely like it a lot.

2. "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)", by Enya (1988): Another song with which I was already familiar, and which I quite like. I think it's beautiful and peaceful and upbeat and I dunno, just kind of fun. It's certainly distinct from most popular music, but it's popular nevertheless.

3. "Sweet Lullaby", by Deep Forest (1992): I don't think I'd heard this before, but it has a good dance beat, mixed with like panpipes or something. I'm not sure how well it would work as an actual lullaby, because it's rather energizing. But I like it.

4. "Oxygène Part IV", by Jean-Michel Jarre (1976): This is just some, like, ambient electronica. I guess it's good, but I wouldn't expect to find it memorable.

5. "X-Files Theme (DADO Paranormal Activity Mix)", by DJ Dado (1996): This is a techno cover of the theme from The X-Files. It's definitely cool, and unlike the original, it's danceable, I guess. I like it, but it will never replace the original, in my heart. It's the first track on the reissue that wasn't on the 1994 "Pure Moodes" release.

6. "Tubular Bells Part 1 (edit)", by Mike Oldfield (1973): This is best known as the theme from The Exorcist, but it's not the version that's heard in that movie. It's not nearly as eerie as that. It's not bad, but I was really hoping to get the "Exorcist" version.

7. "Sadeness, Pt. 1", by Enigma (1990): I was familiar with this before I got the album. It sounds kind of techno, but also has some Gregorian chant, and despite being by a German group, it has French lyrics. It's very sort of wispy or ethereal. I like it.

8. "Adiemus", by Adiemus (1995): Another one that wasn't on the original release of the album. I feel like maybe I was vaguely familiar with this, but maybe not. I think it's good.

9. "Crockett's Theme", by Jan Hammer (1986): This is from the Miami Vice, which I don't think I ever saw, but I was at least aware of the show. This doesn't sound familiar to me, but it definitely sounds like something that would have been on that show. It's not bad, but I don't expect to find it memorable. I feel rather ambivalent about it.

10. "Theme from 'The Mission'", by Ennio Morricone (1986): I'm not familiar with the movie "The Mission", nor with this music, which is sort of classical. It doesn't sound like my idea of Morricone music, because I'm mostly just familiar with his stuff from spaghetti westerns, but whatever, I like it well enough, I guess.

11. "Main Title Theme (The Last Emperor)", by David Byrne (1987): Another track that wasn't on the original release. I'm not familiar with the movie, but it sounds like something I might be interested in. The music has a very Chinese sound, though you can also kind of tell it was composed by a Western artist. I like it, as I usually do with Chinese (or Chinese-sounding) music.

12. "Yeha-Noha (Wishes of Happiness & Prosperity)", by Sacred Spirits (1994): Not on the original release. It's kind of techno/dance, by a German group, but it's sung in Navajo language, and includes some cello. I definitely like it.

13. "Theme from 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'", by Angelo Badalamenti (1992): I'm not quite sure if this was on the original release or not. I haven't seen the movie, but I want to. I'd have to see the TV series it's based on first, though. Anyway, I find this music somewhat relaxing, I guess. It's nice.

14. "Makambo", by Geoffrey Oryema (1990): Not on the original release. Oryema is a Ugandan artist. It's a nice, soft and pleasant sort of song. No idea what it's about, but I like it.

15. "My Wife with Champagne Shoulders", by Mark Isham (1988): Not on the original release. The name "Mark Isham" sounds familiar to me, but while Wikipedia's list of movies and shows he's contributed to includes several things I've seen, none seem to me to be what I might have known him for. Maybe I'm wrong that I'd heard the name before, I dunno. But anyway, this is a pleasant sort of instrumental piece.

16. "The Promise", by Michael Nyman (1993): This is from the movie "The Piano", which I haven't seen, but definitely intend to, someday. (I already have the Blu-ray.) Anyway, it's a rather sweeping instrumental piece, which I think sounds sort of darkly romantic. It would be nice to know what sort of scene it was made for.

17. "Lily Was Here", by David A. Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer (1989): This is from a Dutch movie of the same name, which I've never heard of. It's some very '80s-sounding smooth jazz, with a bit of a techno beat to it. I guess I like it, but it's not something I expect to find memorable.

So, anyway... I think the whole album is rather good, and some of the tracks I think are quite good. Again, I'm disappointed by some of the songs from the original release that I won't get to hear, but I'm also glad I got to hear some of the new additions to the reissue. I'm probably only going to remember the few tracks I was already familiar with, but it's something I could see myself listening to again, for all the tracks. I definitely want to get at least a couple of the other volumes in the series, and maybe someday I'll even see if I can find a copy of the 1994 release.