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Dreamland

 
Album Review: Dreamland

  • Artist: Robert Miles
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1996 07
  • Total Time: 70:19
  • Genre: Electronica

Review

Italian pianist turned DJ Robert Miles scored a massive international hit with his wonderful, dreamy dance cut "Children" (one of the 1990s biggest and best dance hits) from his debut album Dreamland. The album at times sounds as if it were one continuous song (or set of beats with similar chord progressions) stretched over an hour, which may detract some, but, in essence, is what makes his sonic dreamscape so engaging. It's at once both dancefloor and chill out material; one of those discs where one can hit the play button, drift into a different dimension, and forget about worldly worries. Dreamland, which is both melancholy and blissful, succeeds in its simplicity. Highlights include the second single, "Fable," which continues with the same formula he utilized in "Children," this time using ethereal female chant-like vocals (also included is an instrumental version of "Fable"). By track three, however, the formula begins to get repetitive, and by track four one can start thinking that this album is really only one long, continuous song. Track five, "In My Dreams," serves to turn things around, utilizing different break beats and a key change towards the song's finish. That is followed by the album's true highlight, "One and One," a gorgeous, touching, dreamy song, featuring tender vocals by Maria Naylar, which also became a massive international hit, and remains one of the most sincere dance songs of its era. "Princess of Light" follows "One By One" and returns to the previous formula, but still manages to remain intoxicating. "In the Dawn" sets itself apart by featuring more straight-up, trance-like beats, and the album ends with the original version of "Children" and the album's closer, "Red Zone." Yes, the songs are very similar, but this album possesses a undeniably dreamlike, intoxicating quality, which can be appreciated by young and old, and, if nothing else, is worth it for the magical tracks "Children" and "One and One." ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Children [Dream Version] Roberto Concina Robert Miles (7:05)
Fable [Message Version] Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:23)
Fantasya Roberto Concina Robert Miles (5:44)
Landscape Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:02)
In My Dreams Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:15)
One and One Rick Nowels, Marie Claire D'Ubaldo, Billy Steinberg Robert Miles (3:59)
Princess of Light Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:21)
Fable [Dream Version] Roberto Concina Robert Miles (7:13)
In the Dawn Roberto Concina Robert Miles (8:00)
Children [Original Version] Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:20)
Red Zone Roberto Concina Robert Miles (6:57)

Credits

Robin Hancock (Producer), Robert Miles (Arranger), Maria Nayler (Vocals), Robert Miles (Producer)
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Wikipedia: Dreamland (Robert Miles album)
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Dreamland
Studio album by Robert Miles
Released June 7, 1996
Recorded ?
Genre Dream house
Length 70:15
Label Motor Music (Germany), Arista Records (US), Deconstruction Records (UK)
Producer Robert Miles
Professional reviews
Robert Miles chronology
Dreamland
(1996)
23am
(1997)

Dreamland is the debut album of Robert Miles. It was released on June 7, 1996 in Europe where it was a hit, and was also released a few days later in U.S. with a new track sung by Maria Nayler, "One & One". This new track became very popular and was later released as a single in the U.S. and Germany. At the end of 1996, Miles released a new version of Dreamland, called Dreamland - The Winter Edition in Germany. It was largely similar to Dreamland, but contains the tracks "4us" and "One & One" (which wasn't released on the European version) and removes "Fable (Dream Version)".

Track listing

(This is for the UK Deconstruction Records version.)

All songs written by Roberto Concina (Robert Miles) unless otherwise noted.

  1. One & One (Radio Edit) 3'52
  2. Children 6'59
  3. Fable (Message Version) 6'25
  4. Fantasya 5'41
  5. Landscape 6'04
  6. In My Dreams 6'09
  7. Princess of Light 6'19
  8. 4us 7'40
  9. In the Dawn 7'42
  10. Children 6'42
  11. Red Zone 6'36
  12. One & One (Club Mix) 6'31

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[1] 7
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart[1] 13
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart[1] 10
Dutch Albums Chart[1] 19
Finnish Albums Chart[1] 8
French SNEP Albums Chart[1] 4
German Albums Chart 2
Hungarian Albums Chart[2] 1
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[1] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[1] 18
Swedish Albums Chart[1] 6
Swiss Albums Chart[1] 2
UK Albums Chart[3] 7
U.S. Billboard 200[4] 54

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dreamland, in various Albums Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 8, 2008)
  2. ^ "Hungarian Albums Chart". Mahasz.hu. http://mahasz.hu/m/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=archivum&lista=top40&ev=1996&het=32&submit_=Keresés. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  3. ^ Dreamland, UK Albums Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 12, 2009)
  4. ^ Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved April 12, 2009)

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dreamland (Robert Miles album)" Read more

 

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