Although this list is mostly about electronic music, I'm going to begin it with some classical music that is easily enjoyable on the first listen. Each of the planets is given a unique musical composition except Pluto, which hadn't been discovered yet in Holst's time. This CD also has a composition by Richard Strauss that was used in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey."

With this music I imagine spacecraft voyages in far corners of the universe with more mystery and danger than elicited in Macula Transfer by Froese. Sometimes it sounds as though one is descending into a black hole in slow motion (1st track), other times it sounds like the magical beauty of pulsars or quasars (2nd track), and other times the music is gorgeous, sublime, and meditative (track 3).

Joyful and adventurous space music to cure any earthly blues! This music was used in planetariums. If you're new to space music, this should be one of your first purchases. And if you enjoy Galaxies, try Braheny's CD "THE WAY HOME," which has relaxing space music of luminous beauty and serenity.

Another masterpiece of electronic music with a slightly darker mood than Phaedra above.

Soothing space music - imagine lying on your back on soft, summer grass and falling asleep while enjoying the majestic, star filled night sky above. I also recommend AND THE STARS GO WITH YOU by Serrie; I think the intricate sculptures in sound and beautiful lines of music seem to capture the feeling of the vastness and infinite beauty of outer space. Very relaxing music.

Paintings in sound that seem almost as vivid as looking at space with the Hubble telescope! If you enjoy this CD, try WEST OF THE GALAXY by Geodesium (see #34 below), which also has great planetarium type music.

A masterpiece that won acclaim from both classical and electronic music experts...but don't let that scare you off :) This double CD set is very "user friendly." The flow of music is flawless and enchanting. If you want a rougher edge in your space music then try CLUSTER 71 (see #28 below).

To me, this music suggests mystical water kingdoms and soaring aircraft. The aircraft sound effects seemed out of place on this CD when I first listened to it, but then I imagined the CD as a celebration of the four archaic elements (water, air, fire, and earth) which made sense to me. I also recommend "RAINBOW DOME MUSICK" by Steve Hillage for space music with cool sound effects of water.

I usually prefer space music that has a subtle beat (or none at all), but this CD is a remarkable exception with a strong beat. The nature sound effects are exciting and very enjoyable, especially on track one which sounds like the middle of an alien rain forest filled with weird creatures! The little sprinkling of vocals enhances the mystery of the sonic adventure. 39 minutes long.

Great organic electronica that sounds like life on far distant planets. It has vocals on track eight but this doesn't detract from the mysterious atmosphere of the music. I suggest you put all the discs mentioned in #16 through #20 in your CD player and enjoy an awesome musical celebration of life!

A critically acclaimed album from 1972 and the beginning of Klaus Schulze's amazing solo career in electronic music. For a great example of Schulze's style a decade later (1988), try his album EN=TRANCE, a tremendously satisfying serving of electronic space music!

If there's life on far distant planets, are there also carnivals, cotton candy, and clowns? If so, perhaps the carnival music sounds something like the 7th track on this CD, an irresistable charmer that ends much too soon after a minute and a half. I also recommend Mother Mallard's CD "1970-1973" and Terry Riley's "A RAINBOW IN CURVED AIR" for great electronic compositions.

I like to listen to this CD when I'm in the mood for intelligent, sophisticated, electronic music that's not as "busy" as the CONTINUING STORY OF COUNTERPOINT CDs above. There are some bizarre vocals on track three but they don't last too long and don't detract from the enjoyability of the CD.

Doomsday!...are you prepared? (cf. D&C 38:30)

A wonderful treasure of bold and sparkling electronic music (with a beat) from Vangelis before he settled into his "melodic style". The abstract vocals on track 2 are interesting. I also recommend BEAUBOURG by Vangelis (not shown) which is kind of chaotic, but in a very entertaining and "space sound effects" way. Don't expect to hear music like "Chariots of Fire" or you'll be very disappointed!

A shining example of great ambient music, although some tracks, like #8, seem a bit out of place for a space music CD. Used for the soundtrack of a documentary of the Apollo space mission.

This CD contains one track of a continuous unfolding of music that suggests to my ears the immeasurable immensity of space. The variety of sounds is limited but interesting enough to keep my attention. I recommend IMMERSION:ONE with reservation; it contains a constant stream of sound with very little variety and might not appeal to all listeners.

A "WILDCARD" on the list. Some "space sounding" music from the last place you'd expect...eighteenth century Baroque by Johann Sebastian Bach. I imagine the harpsichord notes are mysterious sounds from space craft, quasars, and other phenomena in outer space. This "space sound" isn't in all of Bach's harpsichord concertos, but I hear it in many of the fast paced ones.

The "WILDEST CARD." This modern classical music sounds like space music to me, why not give it a try yourself? Warning: don't let the first track scare you off, I recommend you listen to tracks 2-10 for music that sounds like space music. The other half of the CD contains tracks (11-23) that don't sound like space music but, in my opinion, do contain some great modern classical music.

Another great book to browse while listening to space music. This book has both actual pictures of space and paintings of artist's impressions of space. Not as many fanciful paintings as the book above. The focus is more on actual images from space. Just as enjoyable as "Futures".