What are the most relaxing albums ever released?

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I've been having terrible insomnia lately, and KLF - Chill Out is the only thing that can get me even remotely close to falling asleep. What are the best albums to wind down to and/or fall asleep to?

― Michael Copeland, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 at a very low volume.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 01:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Eno - Music for Airports?
Anything by Satie?

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

enya - watermark

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The last track on Keith Whitman's "Playthroughs" does it for me. It's beautiful too.

― mrjosh (mrjosh), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Gas - Pop

(and to varying degrees, Kompakt's Pop Ambient series)

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

― Walter Raab, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:11 (twenty-one years ago)

The Orb - "Blue Room"
The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
Most of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works, if I recall.
Can - Future Days

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan, Gaucho. I'm not sure I've ever listened to it all the way through without drifting off.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

William Basinski - Disintegration Loops

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Dirty Three, Horse Stories
Elliott Smith, Figure 8 (I've never tried to sleep to it, but it's a good 'sitting around on a Sunday' album...)

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 02:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Mark Hollis, s/t
Fennesz, Endless Summer

― Dr. Gene Scott (shinybeast), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Michael Mayer - Immer does it for me every time

― jmeister (jmeister), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Manual - The North Shore (in the Darla Bliss Out Series)

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Sade, Stronger Than Pride
Brian Eno, Music for Airports
Vine Guaraldi, A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Cal Tjader, Monterey Conerts
Getz/Gilbero, Getz/Gilbero

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeh... Alpha, Come From Heaven

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to fall asleep to the Cowboy Junkees, Trinity Sessions, except the harmonica on the last track (Walking After Midnight) would always wake me up again.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 04:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Harold Budd (w/ Robin Guthrie & Eno) - The White Arcades

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 05:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Red House Painters - S/T (the rollercoaster one)

― Jez (Jez), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 05:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Clem Snide - Soft Spot. Andrew Bird - ... and the Mysterious Production of Eggs.

And do not forget THE FUCKING CHARIOTS OF FIRE SOUNDTRACK!!! I fell asleep to that every night for about 6 months during my senior year of high school.

― Dave M (Dave M), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 07:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Sister by Sonic Youth.

[A bit of facetious answer, perhaps, but just to make the point that anything can be relaxing if you're familiar enough with it, and if you're in the mood for it]

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 07:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Pet Shop Boys Back To Mine: the Neil Tennant CD.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Morning Dove White - One Dove

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 07:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth

― andyjack (andyjack), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 08:45 (twenty-one years ago)

blount OTM
also:
nearly any Cocteau Twins album
Irresistible Force - It's Tomorrow Already

― ()ops (()()ps), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 09:39 (twenty-one years ago)

re Irresitible Force

.. i was going to drop Dreamfish (1 or 2) in this list ..

surely its time for MMM to make some new noises ?

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 09:43 (twenty-one years ago)

A lot of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey & Michael Bolton obviously. Only those albums will raise a lot of adrenaline among those of us who hate that kind of stuff, and thus, they aren't quite as relaxing for us as they are for their fans :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 09:50 (twenty-one years ago)

New Ancient Strings - Toumani Diabate (sp?) and his mate.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 10:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Ash Ra Temple

― rizzx (rizzx), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

future sound of london - lifeforms disc 1

global communication - 76:41

susuma yokota - sakura

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

New Ancient Strings by Toumani Diabate & Ballake Sissoko emphatically seconded... that one gets pulled out a lot.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hello, Tokyo!

Water Melon - Field Trip
Natural Calamity - Lust In The Dust, Peach Head, Andalucian Moon, Night Is Indigo, Sun Dance, Down In The Valley
Port of Notes - Complain Too Much
DJ Krush - Strictly Turntablized, Krush, Meiso
Skylab - no. 1 and no. 2
Takako Minekawa - Fun9
(half of) Cornelius - Point, CM2

Elsewhere:

The Runaways - Classic Tales
Lemon Jelly - KY, Lost Horizons
Tim 'Love' Lee - Just Call Me 'Lone' Lee: The Continuing Adventures of Tim 'Love' Lee, The Man Who's Been Everywhere But In Love
Sad Rockets - Transitions

― The Irrelevant Man (Negativa) (Barima), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

slowdive - pygmalion

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"Nick Drake - Pink Moon
-- Walter Raab (walter.raa...), May 11th, 2005"

Pink Moon is a sad, poignant and disturbing record, and not in the least bit relaxing in my view [unless you subscibe to my theory (see upthread) that anything is relaxing if you want it to be].

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick Drake could probably be very relaxing, if you just put him in the background, and don't listen to the lyrics or the other disturbing elements of his music. I agree that there was a lot more to him than just relaxing and soothening the listener though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

exuviae - settling density
telefon telaviv - farenheit fair enough
biosphere - substrata
also steve roach usually does it for me - I especially like that ambient expanse compilation.

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

try
Elias Meiri - Piano Forte

― arif, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

pink moon, in a silent way, and disintegration loops OTM.

its a fine line between relaxation/serenity and depression/melancholy with all of these albums, though. like on the beach is totally relaxing, but i would never nominate it in this category. im having trouble thinking of relaxing, non-melancholy albums. i think rock bottom is relaxing, but my friend just thinks its super-super sad. well, screw that. rock bottom. also, maybe that new boredoms. oh, and no pussyfooting.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians for sure

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Air - The Virgin Suicides

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

autechre's amber

― tricky (disco stu), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

good call, jordan - i meant to name 18 musicians.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

the white João Gilberto album from 1973, just him and a quiet drummer and a guitar. One of the most hypnotic and beautiful and relaxing albums I know.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i think that whatever "genre" we are listing here (and we seem to do it with regularity) it one of my favorite genres ever. more recommendations along the lines of edd's would be excellent. i used to fall asleep to side 1 of david sylvian's secrets from the beehive a lot.

― tricky (disco stu), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

slowdive - pygmalion
-- AaronK

OTM! j blount with In a Silent Way too.

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 14:27 (twenty-one years ago)

oval - 94diskont

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 14:27 (twenty-one years ago)

> Getz/Gilberto

This is where the thread ought to have ended.

― The Mad Puffin, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Narcoleptic.

― The Irrelevant Man (Negativa) (Barima), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

This may be applicable to nobody besides myself, but all the same: Years ago I had a terrible full-blown migraine, with the impaired vision and nausea and all that. And while chilling on the couch, in silence with the lights off, I developed a weird urge to listen to What's Going On. So I threw it on and actually found it relaxing. It's been the soundtrack to accompany my worst headaches ever since (except for the time I was out of town.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Eno, Discreet Music
Lull, Continue
Miles Davis, "He Loved Him Madly" (it's a half hour long, and you'll be out before it ends)
Sunn O))), The GrimmRobe Demos (only works at low volume)
Morton Feldman, Piano & String Quartet (Kronos Quartet w/Aki Takahashi)
Morton Feldman, String Quartet No. 2 (it's six hours long, so put it on repeat and you can fall asleep to it and then catch up with what you missed while having breakfast the next day)

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription

I barely know what the second half sounds like, I always nod off during Transparent Radiation.

― elwisty (elwisty), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

tangerine dream - phaedra
tim hecker - haunt me haunt me..
kaffe matthews - cd eb+flo
eluvium - talk amongst the trees
eluvium - accidental memory in the case of death

xpost

― rizzx (rizzx), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Eluvium are perfect for this.

In either case! If you love them, you'll smile and you'll be lulled into calm

If you find them boring, you'll be bored to sleep.

Either way, you sleep.

(I love them, but Eluvium have hataz here.)

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth

I find this record chilling rather than relaxing. I'd nominate that disc Damon & Naomi made with Ghost (I cannot at the moment recall the title, if it even had one).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

KLF - Chill Out is the only thing that can get me even remotely close to falling asleep.

That `cos it's dullllllllllllllllllllllllll....

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Any Jack Johnson album..because they are consistently chilling/relaxing...

― Eva van Rein (Gaia1981), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Ow, and I often use Emilie Simon's album...French girlie singing helps a lot :)

― Eva van Rein (Gaia1981), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

And...
A Girl called Eddy
Lisa Ekdahl_Heaven, Earth & Beyond (Jazzclassics)

(I'm also an insomniac, so I'm always hunting for relaxing albums :P)

― Eva van Rein (Gaia1981), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Innocence - Belief
Enigma - MCMXC AD

No other will do

― JTS, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Rafael Toral Wave Field

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I've had Mixmaster Morris & Namlook's "School of Fish" as track 1 on my sleepytime playlist for about 4 years now. I never get tired of hearing it.

― jotai, Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Ying Yang Twins - Whisper In Your Ear

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Vanessa OTM about Telefon Tel Aviv.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The Coctails s/t as long as you program out "Cast Stones"

― mitch dub (ano ano), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

SAW I, the first few Air records, various Sigur Ros

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Wednesday, 11 May 2005 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

A second for Global Communication - 76:14

― Schoolgirl Report, Thursday, 12 May 2005 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Stars of the Lid - Tired Sounds Of...

Also one of the plain ole best albums ever released.

― Sam Hunt (robosam), Thursday, 12 May 2005 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Windy & CArl--Consciousness
Ashra--New Age of Earth
Brian Eno--Apollo Soundtracks (and Plateaux of Mirror with Harold Budd)
Stars of the Lid--The Ballasted Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra s/t
Spacemen 3--An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music

― steve hise, Thursday, 12 May 2005 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

pink floyd - Meddle

― mopin, Thursday, 12 May 2005 03:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to find thaat Phillip Glass's *Einstein on the Beach* did it for me. Haven't tried it in a while, though.

― Not Thaat Chuck, Thursday, 12 May 2005 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

tired sound of stars of the lid OTM

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Aether by the Necks is probably the most relaxed, loose thing I've heard. A pulse so slow you can feel yourself growing old in the silences. If I feel at all uptight when I listen to it though, it feels irritatingly slow, so I suppose some degree of prior relaxation is required to find it relaxing.

― Ogmor Roundtrouser (Ogmor Roundtrouser), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Popol Vuh "Affenstunde"
Eliane Radigue "Trilogie de la Mort"
Steve Reich "Drumming"
Nurse WIth Wound "Salt Marie Celeste"
Gas "Konigsforst"

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Thursday, 12 May 2005 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

http://art.towerrecords.com/coverart.asp?S=3188979&X=178&Y=178

This has to be the most relaxing. In the Universe, even! It even says so on the cover!

Apparently Denon has a whole line of these. In addition to the big cash they spend on hiring top flight graphic designers for their cover art, they also have the money to explore all of space to make sure that, yes, these are the most relaxing New Age songs in the whole entire Universe.

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Thursday, 12 May 2005 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The Goldberg Variations - the 1981 recording by Glen Gould.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Thursday, 12 May 2005 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

mum -finally we are no one

― reo, Thursday, 12 May 2005 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002ZMJ4I.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 May 2005 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

good call on finally we are no one - its actually the only mum album I like.

I want to add the new young gods - music for artificial clouds to the list. maybe not for all time, but def good for right now.

I love this thread

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Friday, 13 May 2005 01:58 (twenty-one years ago)

nurse w/ wound, salt marie celeste seconded
Keiron Phelan/David Sheppard - O' Little Stars
charles atlas - felt cover
david sylvian - secrets of the beehive

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to add the new young gods - music for artificial clouds to the list. maybe not for all time, but def good for right now.

The Young Gods??? As in "Envoye"? They made a "relaxing" album? This I must hear.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Enigma - MCMXC AD

I find this disc too giggle worthy for it to be relaxing. I just associate it as the all-purpose "bump'n'grind" record that people threw on in order to establish "the mood" (hell, I own it...and used to use it for that very purpose). In retrospect, it just sounds so cheezy.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously, though, that Innocence Mission disc I cited above (Now the Day is Over) is a collection of covers and lullabys specifically designed to get little people sawin' toothpicks, and it works.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I dont know how I forgot this one but Sugar Plant - After After Hours. that always chills me out in a more narcotic kind of way.

also for lulling japanese stuff, tujiko noriko - from japan to niagara. (except I actually like it too much to pass out to - its in my top 10 of all time)

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex in NYC - yeah the new one is really nice & minimal. you can dl it from me if slsk ever resurrects itself

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Friday, 13 May 2005 02:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll stop commenting on this eventually, I promise - its just that I only listen to music that sounds like a coma or a violent killing spree.

Lau Nau - kuutarha

so nice ^_^

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Friday, 13 May 2005 03:28 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002WF0.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 13 May 2005 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

A lot of my picks have already been taken, but

Coil - A Voice of Gold (a compilation - It's the quiet CD of the A Golden Hare with The Voice of Silver double)

Also the first CD in the Moon's Milk EP collection, but you've got to make sure you're well asleep before the violent high frequency sounds come in at the end.

Last week I came home drunk with my girlfriend and put on Nurse With Wound's Large Ladies With Cake In The Oven which completely scared the shit out of her.

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 13 May 2005 08:23 (twenty-one years ago)

two weeks pass...

Stars of the Lid - Avec Laudenum

Wow. Seeking Ballasted Orchestra now.

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 01:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I love COIL.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Willie Nelson - Stardust

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Wave
Kuusumun profeetta: Kukin kaappiaan selässään kantaa
Pekka Streng: Kesämaa & Magneettimiehen kuolema
Jill Scott: Who Is Jill Scott?
Ramsey Lewis: Sun Goddess
Baden Powell: Canto on Guitar

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Biosphere: Substrata
Alter Ego: Alter Ego

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

already mentioned:
harold budd & brian eno - plateaux of mirror

like floating on a cloud. like walking on the moon. like falling asleep while riding a sheep.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 16:03 (twenty-one years ago)

tim heckers mirages is a nice relaxing disc...and that last pluramon disc, with julie cruise on it...minimalism isn't always relaxing as one would thing, so think these would be better than say phil niblock

in a more accuostic vein, i find jack rose's records very relaxing...and im sure a number of john fahey records or robbie basho could work just as well.

― b b, Wednesday, 1 June 2005 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

"The last track on Keith Whitman's "Playthroughs" does it for me. It's beautiful too.

-- mrjosh (jrothma...), May 11th, 2005."

YES YES YES YES YES!

and for individual tracks, Pleasant Orbitings by Fuxa is absolutely amazing as well.

Multila by Vladislav Delay is a good one. The whole field of a,bient dub type stuff works well. Kit Clayton, Pole, pretty much everything in the Basic Channel family.
pretty much anything by The Orb too.
Oh, and I fall asleep to Free D Original Soundtrack by The Ecstacy Of St. Theresa several times a week.

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Monday, 22 August 2005 05:34 (twenty years ago)

Erik Satie is OTM. Took a nap while listening to the Best of and woke up during the orchestral version of Trois Gymnopédies. Great great great.

― Behold I will do a New Thing Chapel JESUS IS LORD (Matt Chesnut), Monday, 22 August 2005 05:39 (twenty years ago)

"Avalon" by John Tesh will instantly put a tantrumic
toddler to sleep.

("Fire Dances" by Killing Joke will get Granny out of
her slumber-chair)

― James, Monday, 22 August 2005 05:45 (twenty years ago)

Individual (classical) pieces...

"Lullaby" by Brahms will subdue a frenetic Robin
Williams.

"Hungarian Dance" by Brahms will motivate and animate the
most sluggish and lethargic of all potheads.

― James, Monday, 22 August 2005 05:49 (twenty years ago)

Maria Taylor's 11:11

― Eva van Rein (Gaia1981), Monday, 22 August 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

relaxing albums are always a must. the closest i've had this year may be Colleen, but it may just be an off year for drone-ambient.
Folke Rabe's "Was??" remains my champion. about as close as i've ever had sound turn into shimmering pillars of light slowly sliding through the spectrum. though i guess such luminosity imagery may not help you fall asleep. it's perfect, let's say.

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 22 August 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

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