Listmania!
Chill-out Classics (cos all you need in life is calm...)
Moon SafariMoon Safari by Air
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £1.28
Gotta start with the defining work of Chillout! Air have never approached this brilliance again, but it is a wonderful thing that this has remained.
Black CherryBlack Cherry by Goldfrapp
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.59
Not as popular as 'Felt Mountain', but blissfully weird. Alison Goldfrapp's voice is at the peak of its powers.
Best Kept Secrets 1996 - 2004Best Kept Secrets 1996 - 2004 by Lamb
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.98
Any group that can write 'Gorecki', know chillout as second nature!
PlayPlay by Moby
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.29
Yea, yea - you probably know this one - but watch the video 'Jetman' & you'll see its brilliance anew...
LeftismLeftism by Leftfield
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.97
The best electronica Album of the 90's - blends at least 5 genres into serene melodies. If you don't believe me, then pick up any chillout compilation & I bet it has 'Melt' on it!
Rhythm and StealthRhythm and Stealth by Leftfield
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.70
Used to death by Ray Mears on his programmes, but that should not detract from it... ;)
VisionsVisions by Jakatta
Buy used from: £2.96
Thought these were just Bandwagon jumpers, but this album has some fine tracks on it, even if the 1st one is just the speaking clock over a beat!
ResistResist by Kosheen
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.66
I just love this album cover - its so serene! And the music on it is the same - blissed out drum & bass. 'Hungry' is easily the best song (from this perspective.)
The Best OfThe Best Of by Groove Armada
Buy new: £3.48 / Used from: £0.99
Although the constant looping of the same samples should be nauseating, it is somehow not & 'My Friend' (Track 5) is mesmerising...
Simple ThingsSimple Things by Zero 7
Buy new: £5.78 / Used from: £2.48
Way, way too overrated in the chillout stakes. However 'Waiting Line' & 'Destiny' are good...
The 5th ExoticThe 5th Exotic by Quantic
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £5.66
Obscure, but the first 4 tracks beat anything 'Zero 7' have done for World Peace!
The Cross of ChangesThe Cross of Changes by Enigma
Buy new: £5.78 / Used from: £0.40
Obscure again & only one good track. However, every time I play my Chillout compilation, people loop that song over & over again - Track one 'The Return of Innocence'.
Classic M People: The BestClassic M People: The Best by M People
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01
Lost wonders of the 90's - 'Search for the Hero' is blindingly powerful & the rest are guaranteed to bring you joy.
Fragments Of FreedomFragments Of Freedom by Morcheeba
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £0.31
Fleas on the above, but prolific enough to have moved out from the shadow of the big tree & into their own element...
3 Feet High and Rising3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £3.20
Often cited as chillout, and with good reason - what happened to the genre of Chillout Hip-Hop? Bring it back I say!
Jagged Little PillJagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £0.96
Ranked #613 in music? Superb album & a forgotten Chillout classic. One of those cases of an eloquent voice dispelling rage (like Eminem can be.)
James: The Best OfJames: The Best Of by James
Buy new: £5.18 / Used from: £0.91
Tis rare for a band to understand Chillout. These guys don't do it deliberately but, like Alanis Morrissette, their passion & soul speak to places other chillout doesn't reach! ;)
The Sophtware SlumpThe Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £1.98
Another Chillout Band, but this one do (or rather did) know what they were doing. This album never fails to calm me while driving as it has surreal touches & the lead singer's voice can't be bettered.
The Best TV Ads...EverThe Best TV Ads...Ever by Various Artists
Buy used from: £0.59
Another car chillout classic. This has so many tracks that are soulful & peaceful though, oddly, they don't seem to work as chillout when taken off the album & put on a compilation.
Chillout AlbumChillout Album by chillout album
Buy used from: £24.47
The original & best though gone out of issue. Quick - Go buy up all the copies!... Actually, maybe its best left as secret brilliance... D'oh!
Chilled IbizaChilled Ibiza by Various Artists
Buy used from: £1.08
These CD's are especially good for lazy bedroom afternoons without, though preferably with, company (if you know what I mean...;)
The Chillout SessionThe Chillout Session by Various Artists
Buy used from: £0.04
Very enjoyable & apparently better than the recent 'Best of'. As wise women say - 'it ain't what you do it's...'
The Good, The Bad and The UglyThe Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Original Soundtrack
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £5.91
A big secret among Chillout fans - keep it under your hat... Of course there is 'The Very Best of', but that's only the first three tracks & misses 'Ecstacy of Gold'...
Oxygene - 30th Anniversary + 2D DVDOxygene - 30th Anniversary + 2D DVD by Jean Michel Jarre
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £10.17
Purely Instrumental, but was the inspiration for Moby (& probably most of this list.)
The Voice of CalmThe Voice of Calm by Paul Wilson
Buy used from: £18.98
From the writer of the Little Book of Calm. The final word on all things peaceful & serene (unless you like reading as well as listening...)