Various – First Flight

Insights from the reviews of the "First Flight" compilation (1996) on Psynews.org highlight its strong tracks and lasting impact:

"Lunar Juice (Hallucinogen Moon Strudel Remix)" by Slinky Wizard is often described as a classic, with many claiming it outshines the original.
"Trance Africa Express" by Sheyba is noted for its vibrant African sounds and is a favorite for party settings.
"Zeta Reticuli (Lazy Spiral Remix)" by Pleiadians is praised but critiqued for being a bit long.
"Trancespotter" by Hallucinogen is mentioned as a slightly weaker track yet still enjoyable.
"Create Your Own Happiness" by X-Dream is highlighted as a standout closing track, praised for its uplifting vibe.
Overall, reviewers consider the compilation a seminal piece in Goa trance, with high ratings reflecting its influential status in the genre. Many agree it holds up well over time, making it essential listening for fans.

Wish this was a 5 track comp like Boyd In The Void. The real money tracks here are Lunar Juice Remix, Slinky Nuns, Funkus Munkus, and Technossomy. All cream of the crop goa, about as good as it gets.

Trancespotter and Our Own Happiness are fantastic, but later appeared on essential artist long players that most people will own anyway. These were probably insane additions in 1996 though.

I get a lot of shit for this, but Etnica/Pleiadians is really overrated outside of Alien Protein (which is a masterpiece), and the original Zeta Reticuli is sooo much better than this one and actually pretty cool, but even that would be too different sounding from anything here. It would have worked better on Boyd In The Void if time had worked out that way. Pleiadians don't use the same kind of diverse and stratified texture palettes and song structures that Posford and the Slinky Nuns guys do here. And the Sheyba track is so obviously corny how they just go up and down the phrygian dominant scale in the most banally stereotypical way, and throw in Deep Forest kinds of ethnic samples, even with lion and elephant sounds... bro. Come on man, it sounds like a parody, it makes me laugh honestly.

As good as the money tracks are I probably wouldn't pay the money for this. If the Hallucinogen and X-Dream songs remained exclusive to this comp, then yeah I'd buy this. But for 4 out of 8 tracks I think I'll just stick to playing my Boyd In The Void and Air-Born CDs, which I think are by far the most consistent comps in the entire FR catalog.

The Best Compilation Ever! You can’t find weak track on this piece. Ask James how good this can be...

The greatest compilation of goa trance available. All the tracks are winners, although I particularly love X-Dream and Technossomy's contributions. I have the vinyl edition which unfortunately does not have the Pleiadians track (WTF!).

Pleiadians / Zeta Reticuli (Lazy Spiral Remix) is just amazing. The cleverness of this production is just pure genius. Sheyba / Trance Africa Express is another gem.

Super Energetic Oldskul Goa! Highly recommended!

You're unlikely to find a better 45 minutes of well engineered goa trance. This is also a good blend of sub-styles that come under the genre so definitely something for everyone here and worth seeking out. My favourite is the mix of Shitty Stick. Great name for a track too. :)

The best Goa compilation I ever heared. Great OLD School!!!

Just how good can a compilation get?!? In my ears this still is the best old school compilation. Just check out the tracklist: X-Dream, Pleiadians, Slinky Wizard, Hallucinogen, Sheyba, Technossomy... THE acts that defined an entire era and music style! There isn't a single tune here which I wouldn't rank as marvellous. Trying to explain the level of excellence of these tracks would be as pointless and redundant as pointing out the most valuable Faberge egg... It is almost impossible to chose an all time fave' from the extensive Flying Rhino Records catalogue, but force me to it, and this is my pick! Eight classics delivered by eight genre defining acts, accompanied by a trippy as hell cover art, add the hisotrical importance of this release and there you have it: 5/5. No questions asked. I can hardly think of a better overview of the initial, goanish sound of this influental, now defunct label.