Sunday, August 16, 2009

Rain Forest: Escape to the Amazon



Stephen Erickson - Rain Forest: Escape to the Amazon

cassette released in 1986

Location recording and post-production: Stephen Erickson
Co-producer: Eve Beglarian

Despite what the cover says, this is not an audiobook. This is a recording of sounds somewhere inside the Amazon Rainforest. Apparently, the Great Escapes series were targeted at folks who buy audiobooks. (There are two other titles listed on the back of the cover - Ocean: Escape to the South Pacific and Space: Escape to the Stars.) Of course, people could still think that this was actually an audiobook about either some sort of adventure or spiritual quest in the Amazon undertaken by people who want to get away from the drudgery of daily life in the suburbs or cities. I do wonder if some people bought this believing this was an audiobook and were not pleased once they played the tape to hear only the sounds of birds, insects and the rain. Actually, once you get past the deceiving label of "books on tape", this is a soothing soundscape that does offer an escape without one having to be actually there to confront the potential dangers of the Amazon and endure the humidity (that is assuming the Amazon will still exist).

Tracklisting:

1. Rain Forest {28:11}

both sides of the cassette are the same

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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 16, 2009 at 6:15 AM

    Very interesting cassette. Thanks for sharing. Is one of the best recordings I have heard yet. Kind of "history" haw the forest did sound like once? - Kind a glad that it is a "clean" recording, with no human voice over. Its a truly a great escape :)

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  2. AnonymousAugust 16, 2009 at 2:56 PM

    thank you very much for this!

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2009 at 10:50 PM

    Thank you for sharing. I've never run across this one, and it isn't offered as a CD anywhere, as far as I can tell. Sounds great for a cassette.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2009 at 4:09 AM

    yes i live in the amazon florest(close) in pará a state of brazil, is realy same is fantastic have this song in your computer
    thx you so much

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  5. sashaOctober 1, 2009 at 8:25 AM

    This is just beautiful! Have you any recordings of the sea? Or the wind in a forest? Truly as a player of acoustic music this inspires me every much as Webern, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Debussy etc

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  6. grey calxOctober 1, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    Here are a few recordings of the sea:

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/05/sounds-of-storm-and-sea.html

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/08/ocean.html

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/12/solitudes-volume-2.html

    Here are a couple of recordings of the wind. These are not actually in a forest, in the woods, but close enough:

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2009/05/environmental-sounds.html

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/04/environments-disc-5.html

    This one has recordings of the wind in a desert. This may be of interest to you.

    http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/04/desert-winds.html

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  7. grey calxOctober 1, 2009 at 11:55 AM

    By the way, let me know if the links are dead. I do not have time to check if they're still alive or not.

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  8. juicyDecember 17, 2014 at 10:33 PM

    Nice recording.
    "A subtle touch of the coolest Brazilian drummings" from the liner notes, must refer to "the drumming of the rain"...
    I wonder what "Space: Escape to the Stars" sounds like. Unusual subject for field recordings.

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