DOWN TO THE MOON

Many years ago, I think it was around 1990, I went for a dinner to the house of some relatives I barely knew. There was people I have never heard of and I've never seen after that evening. They had a hi-fi with few LPs and I was surprised when I saw that one of those was "Down To The Moon", which was laying in the middle of mainstream pop stuff.

Of course it was the album which went on the turntable. I asked how they knew about Vollenweider and what convinced them to but that disc...I don't remember the answer but I have thanked my prog guardian angel for having avoided Michael Jackson or some Italian actual pop star.

Down to the Moon is positive and melodic, things that have made this artist often classified into NewAge, but it has prog qualities, too. In my opinion this is the definitive Vollenweider's album, the one to start with as it contains the principal elements of his music. If you like the sound of his "electric harp" and in general, clean sounds, optimal production and you are looking for relaxing music able to make your mind travel, that's the album.

You will not be carried to the moon or to elven lands. The landscapes described by the music speak of Far East, nature, listening to Drown In Pale Light, just as example, I can imagine a sunny spring day below the mount Fuji, but the soundscape is various, including African like percussion, some spacey ambient moments and a great sense of melody, all permeated by a jazz sensibility which often makes me consider Vollenweider and Pat Metheny as similar artists.

Spin this album and dream on it, the closing track sounds like a lullaby with the harp's highest notes smoothly fading out. Let it adjust the frequency of your brainwaves, as many of Vollenweider's albums can do.

The only negative thing is that as many newage albums of the 80s, it's very short. Sometimes it was a technical choice intended to give more physical space to the tracks on the vinyl, the equivalent of ripping at a higher bitrate. A very good album if you are in the right mood, excellently composed, arranged, played and produced.