"A Brief History of Ambient Volume 2: Imaginary Landscapes" - Various Artists
Compilation Album
U2 Related Content:
- "Island" (Studio Version) - The Edge (01:53)
Full Track Listing:
Disc One:
Call To Prayer – Baaba Maal
Tal Coat – Brian Eno
In Mind – Amorphous Androgynous
Rubycon Part 2 (Edit) – Tangerine Dream
The Healing Place – David Sylvian
Crystal Clear (The Orb Remix: Clear, Like An Unmuddied Lake) – The Grid
Nuages – Ryuichi Sakamoto
Wind On Water – Fripp/Eno
Wildlife – Penguin Cafe Orchestra
When Things Dream – Jansen/Barbieri
Magick Mother Invocation – Gong
Bringing Down The Light – Sylvian/Fripp
Not Another – Jah Wobble
One Flower – The Guo Brothers
Black Jesus – God
Mountain Of Needles – Eno/Byrne
Disc Two:
You Are Here – Phil Manzanera
Bendel Dub – Prince Far l
Slow Kaliuki (Edit) – The Dimitri Pokrovsky Ensemble
Euterpe Gratitude Piece – Daevid Allen
Water Music – Robert Fripp
New Moon At Red Deer Wallow – Rain Tree Crow
Attack Of The 50 Foot Drum Demon – Bass-O-Matic
Mekong – Jam Nation
Endless Life – The Verve
Nachtmusick Schattenhaft – Klaus Schulze
Arrival (Edit) – Voyager
Specific Gravity Of Smile – Edgar Froese
Orovela – The Tsinandali Choir
The Dance No. 3 – Laraaji
Premonition – Sylvian/Czukay
Island – The Edge
Background Information
This 1994 compilation by Virgin Records was the second in a four-volume set called “A Brief History of Ambient”. The first compilation had sold well, so Virgin returned to the concept producing three additional compilations that explored the ambient sound of artists like Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, and David Sylvain. This second volume included the song “Island” which Michael Brook and The Edge had worked on and recorded for the soundtrack to the film “Captive” in 1986.
The “Captive” soundtrack had come about a time between U2 projects, and The Edge went looking for some project to fill the gap. Paul McGuinness brought back the idea of scoring the movie “Captive”, and it was the first, and remains the only, full length solo album by a member of U2. The album was done as a collaboration with Canadian musician Michael Brook, who had invented the infinite guitar, which the Edge would later use with great success on “The Joshua Tree”. Although others such as Sinéad O’Connor and Larry Mullen would show up on the “Captive” soundtrack, the song found here on this ambient compilation is credited to just Edge, with Michael Brook being listed as a producer.
Although “Heroine”, another song on the soundtrack has shown up on other compilations over the years, this compilation is the only one known to include another track from that soundtrack.
The liner notes of this compilation list the following: “U2’s guitarist, scored the Captive soundtrack, a movie virutally unknown in the USA. A 1986 European thriller starring Oliver Red and Irna Brook, the music is co-produced with Michael Brooks [sic], who is the inventor of the “infinite guitar” which the Edge frequently uses on U2’s recordings.”
Liner Notes
Island:
Written and performed by The Edge. Produced by The Edge and Michael Brook from The Captive