Andreas Vollenweider – Down To The Moon [1986]

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Andreas Vollenweider – Down To The Moon

One of the most wonderful, most beautiful records in the world and of all time, incredibly fabulous, deep, soothing, transporting you to a wonderful world. A record that is one, inseparable, completely coherent and beautiful whole. Please listen only on good equipment, at home on your bed or in nature.
A comment here under the video prompted me to write a lot of text describing my impressions of this album. So now, a long time after the video was published (today is 2025-04-01), I'm adding this text:

I also grew up with this album, and my mom used to play it as well. It was the 80s, and this record was part of a rather sizable collection of vinyl records that my mom would play on a turntable connected to a radio with an amplifier. The turntable had a nice, warm-colored light that illuminated the platter where the record spun. The radio also had a very atmospheric tuning dial. The speakers, which were connected to it, would probably seem pretty bad to me today, but back then, not knowing any better equipment, it was all more than enough. The crackle of the vinyl, combined with those little lights, added even more magic – as if the incredible, deep magic of this album wasn’t already enough.

As for the other vinyl records in the collection, it was quite an interesting set. There was an original album "Bad" by Michael Jackson, and typically one record each from bands like Genesis and Tangerine Dream, or from singer Sade and many many more, along with albums from various Polish artists and bands (Niemen, Combii, music from the TV series "Polish Roads", etc.) – all gems in their own right.

Sometimes in the comments here, you can see that some people thoughtlessly associate the album with its title and cover. But so many elements in this music strongly suggest completely different imagery than the moon. Even without any extra clues, at times, you can hear an instrument that unmistakably evokes associations with Asia. As a child, I was fascinated by Asia and had a beautiful photo album filled with pictures of Japanese forests and parks. And that's exactly what I see when I listen to this music – Japanese forests and gardens. I also see forests as majestic and beautiful as the redwood forests in California (though sadly, I’ll probably never get the chance to see them in person…). This music is incredibly warm, intricate, majestic, and complex. Meanwhile, the moon, to me, is something cold and simple. I don’t deny that the moon has a certain majesty, and desolate landscapes like those on the Moon have always fascinated me. But associating this album with the Moon doesn’t feel right to me.

To me, it’s completely incomprehensible that one could link this album to the Moon – even if the artist strongly suggested it through both the title and the cover. The music on this album is warm, rich, majestic, and intricate – yet also harmonious. There are so many sounds (in terms of both tone and phrasing) that – when I hear them, or even now, just thinking about the album after a long time without listening to it – literally burst before my mind’s eye like sunlit, honey-like fountains. I can smell the forest floor and the indescribable scent of white lilies. I see tiny woodland flowers, mushrooms, streams; I feel peat bogs, marshes; I see caves, deep woods, and moss-covered forests – deep and dark, yet illuminated by majestic, warm, golden rays of sunlight.

Here and there, a beautiful, colorful butterfly flutters by, or a swarm of fireflies drifts through the air. A lion roars in the distance – not a menacing roar, but one that reassures, as if to say the king is present, watching over the entire kingdom. Occasionally, a deer might appear far in the distance. In general, I see a vast forest kingdom – empty (without people), pristine, wild, and untouched, overwhelming in its beauty. Yet, it does not feel lonely; instead, it inspires awe, a sense of peace, harmony, security, and completeness.

Thanks for your comment. It was valuable to me – perhaps even more than you might think. And in the process, it led me, effortlessly, to write – what you see here – the longest and most detailed description I’ve ever put into words about my feelings for this album. I’ve decided I’ll use it as the description under a video here on YouTube.

SIDE A:
00:04 1 Down To The Moon 2´27
02:27 2 Moon Dance 4´10
06:37 3 Steam Forest 4´57
11:35 4 Water Moon 2´14
13:51 5 Night Fire Dance 4´57

SIDE B:
18:49 6 Quiet Observer 2´44
21:34 7 Silver Wheel 3´57
25:32 8 Drown In Pale Light 2´13
27:45 9 The Secret, The Candle, And Love 3´43
31:29 10 Hush - Patience At Bamboo Forest 0´16
31:50 11 Three Silver Ladies Dance 2´38
34:23 12 La Lune Et L'Enfant 2´03