What are your top 5 Windham Hill recordings?
We like the compilations: Sanctuary- 20 Years of Windham Hill (2 CD) and Windham Hill Sampler ‘96. Relaxing, interesting, occasionally edgy, sometimes spacey music. We like all the artists, couldn’t really pick a fav. Also have four compilation discs of Holiday music that get into the rotation during the season. I’m always looking for other WH, just like KINK Lights Out CDs. I have most of those. Thanks for the post, haven’t played that Sanctuary in a while but will. |
I am not certain if I have any other Windham Hill label records in my collection. However, I just picked a copy of Michael Hedges "Watching My Life Go By" which is on Windham Hill label. I had that album on CD since it first came out. I only learned about 2 weeks ago that it was also on vinyl and found a NM copy on Discogs. I love the music, Michael Hedges was such a talented guitar player, he could make the guitar sound like three instruments, at the same time. I was hoping the vinyl would be a great production since I knew the recording was excellent (on the CD). WOW! This is a fabulous sound quality piece of vinyl. Completely analogue from microphone, to mixing board, and all the way down the path to pressing vinyl copies. I'll buy anything I can find on the Windham Hill label. Outstanding quality! |
Thx to all that have replied. I think the image of WH has been tarnished by the print media and even music blogs. Is most of the WH catalogue as intense as a Coltrane or Blackmore solo? No but great music does not always need a level of 10 intensity. On a personal note I stated(Agon blog) Miles Davis/Bitches Brew was not a great(5 star) recording that I would rather listen to some Chuck Mangione. An Agon blogger basically called me a moron but I decided to just let it slide. New Age music along with fusion(smooth) jazz has the image of compromise when in reality it’s just another genre of music with many excellent recordings. |
Shadowdance/ Shadowfax 1983, is just one of the many very delightful Windamhill Albums I own; I bought each one when it was new. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYP1WUDJhCQ Music to a great degree is an indicator of the socioeconomic and intellectual level of the listener. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sauQ6TsdT_c When it comes to music, many on this forum are quite limited, but I never let that bother me in regard to my listening pleasure. |
Shadowfax - Shadowfax Alex Degrassi - Clockwork Darol Angor and Barbara Higbie - Tideline Liz Story - Solid Colors Windham Hill Guitar Sampler I listen to classic rock, alternative rock, R&B, jazz, blues, folk, reggae, world music, electronic music, and new age. I have numerous Windham Hill CDs and the five I listed are on constant rotation. Why limit yourself to just one type of music? |
For anyone interested and nearby, I was in Lynchburg VA a few weeks ago and popped into Riverview Records to browse around a bit a found an entire section filled with WH LPs. More than I have seen in one place anywhere I've ever been. They were fairly priced and appeared in good collection. It looked as though they were purchased from a collector/audiophile that obtained the entire catalogue. Nice shop too, with some vintage gear including a pair of Acoustats flanking the main wall. FWIW, I particularly like the recordings by Alex DiGrassi and Michael Hedges. Hard to find better recorded solo acoustic guitar and these guys play their instrument very, very well (though totally different styles) |
The only ones that hold up for me, are he Shadofax releases. First of all, they have more complexity and band interplay than most of the others I have heard, and since they originally came from the prog genre, they still retain quite a bit of their proginess for me. Their frist release on Passport records, was a full on, intense, complex, chops laden prog album. Far from the toned down releases they did for WH. And even when I saw them play live, after their 2nd WH release, they played all the WH material with substantially more intensity than on the recordings. It’s like, you could tell where their hearts were so to speak. More intense proggy fusion, in other words. |
