The Alphabetical Eno

[D_Davis]

I'll be listening to everything by Brian Eno I can get my hands on, in alphabetical order (kind of), and offering up comments/brief reviews here. As much as I love Eno, there is a ton of stuff I haven't heard; this is mainly for two reasons, 1) he's insanely prolific, and 2) a lot of his stuff (like his installation pieces) is hard to come by (but easier to get now thanks to the web).

Up first will be a collaboration with Cluster called After the Heat...

[Derek]

I'll be listening to everything by Brian Eno I can get my hands on, in alphabetical order, and offering up comments/brief reviews here. As much as I love Eno, there is a tone of stuff I haven't heard; this is mainly for two reasons, 1) he's insanely prolific, and 2) a lot of his stuff (like his installation pieces) is hard to come by (but easier to get now thanks to the web).

Up first will be a collaboration with Cluster called After the Heat...

FUCK. YEAH.

I just recently listened to a few Cluster albums and they're great. I'll be interested to see how this one is.

[D_Davis]

After the Heat - 1978

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/AfterTheHeatCover.jpg

Brian Eno and Cluster worked together on a few albums.

Eno needs no introduction, but Cluster might. They are a German band specializing in experimental music ranging from abrasive noise to beautiful ambiance, and from pseudo-industrial to progressive space rock. The band mainly consists of two musicians/composers, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius.

More info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_(band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_%28band))

After the heat is billed as being from Eno Moebius and Roedelius, and not Eno and Cluster, for what reasons I have no idea, as their other collaborations are billed as being from Eno and Cluster. I'm sure they had their reasons for this; probably something really artsy and out-there.

This album consists of a balanced mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. Most of these don't stand out, and fall under what Eno himself might have called "discrete music," a precursor to his more ambient stylings. While these tracks are not ambient in nature, they are still densely atmospheric, calming, and thought-provoking.

Some of them, like Tzima N'arki and Broken Head contain what I like to call "sticky rhythms." They are almost dub-like in quality, and they feel gooey.

The best tracks are The Belldog and Broken Head, both tracks with vocals by Eno. Broken Head has a rigid, robot-like rhythm with Eno practically rapping. It's very German, and progressive. The Belldog contains a number of shimmering keyboard layers creating interesting textures bubbling away beneath the melodic surface.

The album closes with a duo of beautiful somber compositions, The Shade and Old Land, each a expertly-crafted haunting piece in its own right.

After the Heat comes highly recommended to fans of Pink Floyd (the tune Luftschloss is entirely reminiscent of a Richard Wright composition), Neu, and other experimental/space rock from the same era. And even though it is over 30 years old, it still feels fresh and exciting. The only thing that really dates it are a few somewhat-cheesy keyboard patches and arpeggios.

Also, even though the album is experimental in nature, it is still highly accessible, melodic, and engaging. Often times, experimental music seems to want to push listeners away, or at least it wants to make the listeners work harder for enjoyment. Such is not the case with After the Heat. While its songs and compositions do require some thought, they also offer up instant gratification.


Listen:
The Belldog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TPxvsejbBc)

[D_Davis]

I just recently listened to a few Cluster albums and they're great. I'll be interested to see how this one is.

Which ones? I've always wanted to get more into this band. I've heard a lot, but I don't think I've ever heard a whole album from start to finish (except for the stuff they've done with Eno).

[D_Davis]

Another Day on Earth - 2005

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Another_Day_on_Earth.jpg/200px-Another_Day_on_Earth.jpg

Brian Eno's music has always been timeless. No matter the album, or the era, Eno's compositions and songs sound as if they are from a different time and place. This is especially true now with his latest studio collection of "pop" tunes, Another Day on Earth. In a musical landscape marked with brickwall mastering and bands trying to OUT LOUD one another, to here a modern-rock album as quiet as this one is something of an anomaly. Sometimes the album is so quiet and nuanced I forget that it is even playing. While to some this may sound as a negative quality, when it comes to Eno's discrete sensibilities I can assure you that it is not.

Another Day on Earth begins with This, one of the albums most upbeat tracks; compared to the four subsequent tracks, This is absolutely rocking. It's comprised of an intricate electronic rhythm and some brilliant synth work, while Eno's trademark vocal work as the highlight. Eno's voice is as distinct as his songwriting and production skills, and his lyrics are always interesting. He uses his vocal tracks as a delivery for both poetry and the voice as the instrument. He often choses words more for their sound than for their meaning, but given his Oblique Strategies there is bound to be subconscious meaning under the surface-nonsense.

As stated earlier, the next four songs are as quiet as can be. And Then So Clear (with Daniel Lanois on vocals, I think) is nothing but a vocodered-vocal part and a tiny little micro-melody and rhythm. Like a baby's breath or a soft summer breeze, the song is subtle and gentle, calming and reflective. A Long Way Down, Going Unconscious, and Caught Between are equally as quiet.

The second half of the album kicks off with Passing Over, a hauntingly beautiful tune, and continues with the albums most pop-orientated track How Many Worlds. Bottomliners reminds me a lot of the afformentioned And Then So Clear, in that it is basically only a vocodered voice offset with only a hint of melody and rhythm.

Even in a career teeming with discrete music, Another Day on Earth stands out as a most subtle work. Eno does so much with so very little. Every sound is placed perfectly; this is an extreme example of minimalism, an audio reduction made with only the most necessary ingredients. However, it must be noted that its subdued nature can lead to some tedium. It is not a sonically adventurous album, nor is it extremely interesting. It is, perhaps, too discrete. So while part of me embraces the album's nature with open arms, another part of me is a tad bored with it. I don't turn to this album often, but when I do I am grateful for it. It's a welcome breath of quiet air in a chaotic world, but sometimes it just a little boring.

Listen
Bottomliners (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9zfvoNpHUA)

[D_Davis]

Brian Eno on voices (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGB8M1Gh0Eo&feature=related)
(using autotuning on Another Day on Earth)

[MacGuffin]

My favorite Brian Eno album of the ones that I have heard is the first one that he did with Robert Fripp.

[D_Davis]

My favorite Brian Eno album of the ones that I have heard is the first one that he did with Robert Fripp.

They did some good work together. The Essential Fripp and Eno is, well, essential!

:)

Such an interesting pair. Fripp is almost anti-discrete with his music. His guitar playing demands your attention; it's in your face, often times challenging your ears with strange scales and piercing tones.

[MacGuffin]

They did some good work together. The Essential Fripp and Eno is, well, essential!

:)

Such an interesting pair. Fripp is almost anti-discrete with his music. His guitar playing demands your attention; it's in your face, often times challenging your ears with strange scales and piercing tones.

I was playing around yesterday in Reaktor with a synth based off of Robert Fripp's Frippertronics, which is basically a special kind of delay where the sound is played back in some special way (I think they originally used tapes). I forgot the basics though, since I haven't listened to the album in a while. Anyway, revolutionary stuff. I like Brian Eno's work on Remain in Light.

[D_Davis]

Yeah, they used mainly tape-based delays on the stuff they did with each other. A lot of the guitar stuff was played by Fripp and then manipulated later by Eno, similar to what Eno did with Harold Budd's piano on The Pearl and Ambient 2, although with much different results.

Those albums will be mentioned here later.

Eno's work with the Talking Heads produced some of the best music I've ever heard.

[Derek]

Which ones? I've always wanted to get more into this band. I've heard a lot, but I don't think I've ever heard a whole album from start to finish (except for the stuff they've done with Eno).

Cluster II, Zuckerzeit and Sowiesoso are all great. II is more ambient-based than the latter two, which have a more traditional krautrock sound, so I'd say start with that one.

[Acapelli]

Eno's work with the Talking Heads produced some of the best music I've ever heard.
yup

needle in the camel's eye may be my favorite eno song ever though

[D_Davis]

Another Green World - 1975

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Another_Green_World.jpg

Another Green World is an album of fragments; many of the songs sound unfinished, like small snippets from songs that might have potential, but in their released state few of them are interesting, engaging or memorable. This is Eno's 3rd studio album, coming right after Here Come the Warm Jets and Taking Tiger Mountain, two albums that sizzle and shine as brilliantly as any. Another Green World represents a changing Eno, and is more of an album of transitions than it is a proper, fully constructed work.

It is here that Eno began to more fully embrace synth textures and ambiance, leaving behind the quirky-pop-rock sensibilities of his first two albums. However, it wouldn't be until his next album, Discrete Music, that Eno would fully realize this transition, and so here the songs lack the strong points from his early work and from those that immediately followed. But that's not to say that there aren't some great tunes here. Golden Hours is an interesting little song, as is Everything Merges With the Night and Sky Saw.

At the end of the day, Another Green World just doesn't have a lot to offer. You're better off listening to the two previous albums and the one directly following, but there are a few tracks here that might make it worth your time.

Listen:
Golden Hours (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh9VdRQO2i4)

[trotchky]

Another Green World is my favorite Eno album. "Golden Hours" is a truly perfect song.

[D_Davis]

Another Green World is my favorite Eno album.

It's definitely one of my least favorites, if not my absolute least favorite. There just isn't anything there for me to grab onto. Most of the songs sound like demo versions of songs that I would want to hear if they were finished.

I feel as though everything it offers is better offered on the albums directly before and after it.

[Russ]

It's definitely one of my least favorites, if not my absolute least favorite. There just isn't anything there for me to grab onto. Most of the songs sound like demo versions of songs that I would want to hear if they were finished.

I feel as though everything it offers is better offered on the albums directly before and after it.
I'm going to have lots more to offer here, but frankly, my dear, you're crazy.


:)

[D_Davis]

I'm going to have lots more to offer here, but frankly, my dear, you're crazy.


:)

Hey, there's plenty of love to throw around. Can't like it all!

I like the cover, though, if that counts for anything.

:)

[D_Davis]

(just copied and pasted from my Top 50 albums thread...)

Apollo - 1983

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Brianenoapollo.jpg

As of right now, this is my favorite Brian Eno album.

Hey look, another album with Eno and Lanois! It took me a few years to grow into this album. When I first heard it, almost 2 decades ago, I was turned off by its lack of melody and harmony - it's unmusical qualities. I first purchased it on vinyl, and it sat in my crates unlistened to for a very long time. But something clicked a few years ago, something changed within me, I gave the album another listen and I totally loved it.

In an ironic turn of events, this album has since become one of my musical touchstones. It is an ambient album that has greatly informed my own ambient aesthetic. Its sonic textures and bold and atmospheric, and the creative instrumentation is skillfully played and produced. And beneath all of the ambiance, there are also many great melodic compositions, especially on the tracks that Lanois plays guitar and PSG on.

Listen:
Weightless (with some amazing Lanois guitar) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PJzpp1UIk&feature=PlayList&p=A1024B4E0EE23D1C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8)
Deep Blue Day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9iOlhJfk_k&feature=PlayList&p=1A5BF60127C6E3C6&index=0&playnext=1)

[MacGuffin]

I like what I have heard off of Apollo. While we're here, Daniel, do you have a Rate Your Music page?

[D_Davis]

While we're here, Daniel, do you have a Rate Your Music page?

No, I don't.

[MacGuffin]

No, I don't.

Oh, okay.

[MacGuffin]

It's the best music site on the internet, by the way (and now features movies, too!).

[D_Davis]

Ambient 1: Music for Airports - 1978

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Music_for_Airports.jpg

It's way too easy to take this album for granted, after all this is basically ground zero for modern ambient music. Long, infrequently repeating, glacially-paced melodies swirl and evolve around the listeners' ears, enveloping the listener in a sonic womb, warm and inviting. Here, with his experimentation with generative music and tape loops, Eno laid the foundation for an entire genre. And while I would argue that there has been better ambient music made since this release (some of it coming from Eno himself), Music for Airports is still an incredible listen.

I remember in high school being into The Orb, and then reverse engineering my way back to Eno. I didn't really get Music for Airports. Compared to the ambient music I was into, the music on Eno's album was boring and uneventful. But as I matured, and my taste in music grew more discerning, I learned to embrace what Eno had done, and now I greatly prefer Eno's ambient compositions over those created by performers like The Orb. It's funny - ambient music from the 1990s has not aged well at all. Today, only a decade or so later, this music sounds totally dated and passe, while Eno's music, from three decades ago, still sounds fresh and new.

Listen:
1/1 (edit) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_4pe3ZVAGk&feature=related)

[MacGuffin]

I like the first track on Ambient 1, but the rest I'm ambivalent towards.

[D_Davis]

I like the first track on Ambient 1, but the rest I'm ambivalent towards.

I like 1/1, and 1/2, and a bit ambivalent towards 2/1 and 2/2.

[MacGuffin]

I like 1/1, and 1/2, and a bit ambivalent towards 2/1 and 2/2.

Which one has "The Dance"? I remember listening to some of that a while back and thought that the overall sound was kind of cool and unique — the sort of thing you'd expect from Brian Eno experimenting with the general ambient sound.

[D_Davis]

Which one has "The Dance"? I remember listening to some of that a while back and thought that the overall sound was kind of cool and unique — the sort of thing you'd expect from Brian Eno experimenting with the general ambient sound.

#3: Day of Radiance - it's actually my least favorite record from Eno (at least from the ones I've heard), but he didn't really do anything on it. He only produced it (doing less on this than he did with Harold Budd on The Pearl and Ambient 2); all the music is played by Laraaji.

I actually don't consider most of the album to be ambient at all, and it definitely doesn't conform to Eno's own Ambient Manifesto, stating that the music should be as interesting as it is ignorable. Laraaji's hammered dulcimer and zither are far too busy and chaotic to be properly ignored; the music cannot drift into the background, but instead it demands to be listened to, but unfortunately it is not interesting enough to be engaging.

It's definitely the odd man out in the Ambient series.

[MacGuffin]

#3: Day of Radiance - it's actually my least favorite record from Eno (at least from the ones I've heard), but he didn't really do anything on it. He only produced it (doing less on this than he did with Harold Budd on The Pearl and Ambient 2); all the music is played by Laraaji.

I actually don't consider most of the album to be ambient at all, and it definitely doesn't conform to Eno's own Ambient Manifesto, stating that the music should be as interesting as it is ignorable. Laraaji's hammered dulcimer and zither are far too busy and chaotic to be properly ignored; the music cannot drift into the background, but instead it demands to be listened to, but unfortunately it is not interesting enough to be engaging.

It's definitely the odd man out in the Ambient series.

Interesting; I'll have to give it a listen sometime and see if I agree.

[D_Davis]

It's also weird that Ambient 3 is the hardest one to find; it's the only one of the four not available through iTunes and Amazon MP3. I wonder if there are rights issues involved with Laraaji? I finally got a copy awhile back, and after many years of anticipation, I was sorely disappointed.

[MacGuffin]

It's also weird that Ambient 3 is the hardest one to find; it's the only one of the four not available through iTunes and Amazon MP3. I wonder if there are rights issues involved with Laraaji? I finally got a copy awhile back, and after many years of anticipation, I was sorely disappointed.

I don't think it's a rights issue, I just think record labels get lazy, figure nobody wants to listen and don't bother reissuing it.

[D_Davis]

I don't think it's a rights issue, I just think record labels get lazy, figure nobody wants to listen and don't bother reissuing it.

Ah, actually, I just checked: it's filed under Laraaji on iTunes and Amazon.

That makes sense.

[Russ]

Daniel, have you ever used Bloom, Brian Eno's iPhone app for making your own ambient music?

Demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM_bOfTJVGY&feature=related)

[D_Davis]

Daniel, have you ever used Bloom, Brian Eno's iPhone app for making your own ambient music?

Demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM_bOfTJVGY&feature=related)

No, I haven't. No iPhone.

:)

Sounds great though. Eno's so into that generative music.

[MacGuffin]

Bloom's kinda cool, but I thought it got a little boring after a while. Surely, the background drone is the best part.

[D_Davis]

Ambient 2: Plateaux of Mirror - 1980

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/The_Plateaux_of_Mirror.jpg

This is a top 5 Eno album. Or should I say a Top 5 Harold Budd Album? I'm not sure. There is less manipulation by Eno here than on his other major Budd collaboration (The Pearl), but more so than on Budd's first album The Pavilion of Dreams, produced by Eno (and that album is unbelievably good). So even though this album is more Budd than Eno, it's still in Eno's Ambient series, and it is definitely more than worthy of any serious music-appreciator's time.

The opening composition, First Flight, rivals the opening heard on The Pearl, and so it too could be considered one of musics perfect moments. And that's the thing about this album: it's simply overflowing with perfect moments. From the short yet powerful Steal Away, to the softly ambling melodies of An Arc of Doves, Budd and Eno craft an album that is the very definition of the words beautiful, gorgeous, haunting, and enrapturing.

I'd love to see a documentary on Budd's and Eno's recording process for their collaborations, because they are some of the most skillfully and brilliantly produced albums I've heard. While some people turn to Chopin, Debussy or Rachmaninoff for their piano fix, I turn to Harold Budd. He is my favorite pianist, one of my favorite composers, and his albums with Eno represent this masterclass musician at his very best.

Listen:
First Light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgF99zTv6nY&feature=PlayList&p=B117B106D5E256AA&index=1)
An Arc of Doves (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJOtktgAtjE&feature=PlayList&p=B117B106D5E256AA&index=0)

[D_Davis]

Ambient 3: Day of Radiance - 1980

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Day_of_Radiance_2.jpg

This is, absolutely, my least favorite Eno record. I have a hard time even calling it an Eno album, and it is absolutely not ambient (for the most part). Basically Eno only produced this album, with only the most minimal amount of interference. All of the music is played by Laraaji, consisting of a hammered dulcimer and a zither. In his Ambient Manifesto, included in the liner notes for Music for Airports, Eno states, "Ambient Music must be able to accomodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." To me, this is the underlying philosphy of Ambient Music, and Day of Radiance is neither ignorable nor interesting; it is, on the other hand, chaotic and distracting.

For half of the album, The Dance (Nos. 1-3) Laraaji's phrasing and playing style is much too fast and busy. There is no space to think in this composition. It's all just a jumple of notes and repeating melodies. It actually makes me feel uneasy. However, the second half of the album, Meditation (Nos. 1 and 2) is much better, but simply not as good, or as interesting as the ambient music Eno had previously created.

Listen:
The Dance No. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hes0hRY9v8)

[D_Davis]

Ambient 4: On Land - 1982

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/Brian_Eno_On_Land.jpg

Ambient 4: On Land, may be the first example of dark-ambient, a sub-genre explored by modern artists such as Lustmord and Robert Rich. The music here can hardly be described as music, as it is mainly made of atmospheric sounds, nature samples, and strange textures creating an audio-world which transports the listener to an alien landscape. While Ambient 1 and 2 features music that is light and beautiful, On Land is comprised of compositions that are dark and murky, even a little spooky.

During this time, Eno was growing more frustrated with the synthesizer, and large portions of this album were made without the use of these instruments. Also featured are a number of other experimental musicians, including the uber-prolific Bill Laswell on bass, and space-jazz trumpeter Jon Hassell.

Together, this troupe of audionauts compose a number of quietly meditative pieces, most of which are barely above a low rumble in volume. The sounds here are more felt than heard for the most part, and only on the rarest of occasions do genuine melodies pierce through the murky surface.

This is a hard album to fully embrace, but it can reward a careful and thoughtful listener.

Listen:
Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNzSczbuV_I&feature=related)
Lantern Marsh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xltFYEex-y4&feature=related)

[D_Davis]

Air Structures (with Robert Fripp) - 1975

http://www2.odn.ne.jp/airstructures/Resources/image18.gif

The first bootleg to be mentioned here, and easily available online. While Fripp and Eno created densely atmospheric music together, I would hesitate to call it ambient; I'm sure they would as well, because it's not. Fripp's guitar playing is too demanding and in yer face for it to fade into the background, it's tones are too piercing for a passive listen. And I don't think that's a problem, after all I doubt they were going for ambient.

These four compositions, recorded live, have more in common with the minimalist and atonal classical movements than they do with anything else. They were constructed with Fripp's guitar improvisations while Eno manipulated, looped, and sampled the melodic passages. It's funny how we often think of sampling and looping as more modern trends, usually associated with hip hop, when a large amount of the early, groundbreaking work was done by folks like Eno and Fripp (and long before them as well), modern composers utilizing new technologies. Fripp and Eno actually created their own brand of sampling tools based on tape-delay units; they called their invention Fripptronics.

Part 2 of this recording is my favorite. The guitar tones are wonderfully crafted. It begins with a looped melodic line, with Fripp soloing over it, and then the song transforms into an extended drone session for the second half. It has an organic flow to it, and this is something I appreciate about this kind of music. While most may call this self-indulgent (it is, but, then again, all art should be), I love making this kind of music and I love hearing great examples of it.

The recording quality of the bootleg is very good, especially for being from 1975. Because it's live, some of Fripp's feedback and sustain can get a little out of hand and is sometimes too loud, but overall it comes highly recommended. Just don't pay for it. Support the music, not the bootleggers.

[D_Davis]

Before and After Science - 1977

http://www.interference.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/before_and_after_science.jpg

On to the B's, and the first album mentioned to contain a number of Eno's more quirky pop songs. The opening track, No One Receiving, is brilliant, one of Eno's best; it's an extremely groovy, sonically interesting tune with cryptic lyrics and eclectic instrumentation. Backwater, the second track, is also quite good; it's bouncy and a little silly, and could easily be used on some wacky kids show like Sponge Bob or Yo Gabba Gabba! Side A ends with King's Lead Hat, a glam-rock sounding tune with a punk/new wave edge.

Side B opens with with the incredible tune, Here He Comes, signaling a shift in mood and tone. While side A is typically upbeat and rocking, the B side is slower and more somber. I sometimes miss the fact that albums no longer have sides. The physical limitations of LPs and cassettes allowed artists to be differently creative; Before and After Science really sounds like 2 thematically connected EPs (this is something I did on one of my release, The Sounds that Surround You), and depending on the mood I am in I will usually listen to one or the other. The final two tracks, Through Hollow Lands (for Harold Budd), and Spider and I are truly remarkable; each is haunting, atmospheric, and densely textured piece of music.

If you can't tell by now, I really like Before and After Science. It is expertly crafted, and contains a number of fantastic tunes covering two sides of Eno's early career. This is the album that Another Green World wishes it were, and I am always a little surprised at the lavish praise thrust upon that release while this one tends to be overlooked in comparison, especially by modern audiences.

[Derek]

Before and After Science - 1977

This is the album that Another Green World wishes it were

No Davis, no. This is a solid album, but I definitely prefer AGW.

[D_Davis]

I can't fathom why people love AGW so much. Usually when I am the odd man out (which happens all the freaking time, much to my chagrin), I can understand why, but with AGW I can't.

I understand why most people don't think Pygmalion is Slowdive's best. :)

The songs on AGW sound unfinished to me, and they just aren't very interestingly arranged or performed. I also don't care for the production or the mixing. Things sound out of place and disjointed, and not in an interesting or creative way. Most of the songs sound more like demo versions.

I simply cannot appreciate that album (except for a few great tracks) on any level beyond what it represented in Eno's journey as a musician and composer. Every couple of months for the last 5 years I throw it on to see if it clicks, but it never has.

Before and After Science is vastly superior in every way.

[Russ]

The songs on AGW sound unfinished to me, and they just aren't very interestingly arranged or performed. I also don't care for the production or the mixing. Things sound out of place and disjointed, and not in an interesting or creative way. Most of the songs sound more like demo versions.
See, I couldn't disagree more. One man's fragments are another's miniature masterpieces -- self-contained worlds that explore more territory in 90 seconds than just about any full-length bombastic "epics" of his progressive contemporaries. The album is a textbook example of how to structure a mixture of vocal and instrumental soundscapes for maximum impact. Before and After Science, a fine release in its own right, almost came across as stunted creative growth at the time of its release, so entwined in the comparisons of its predecessor it was, and for many it was a bit of a letdown after the immense anticipation -- based almost entirely on the excitement generated by Another Green World

If I had to pick my top favorites, I'd probably go with Apollo, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Another Green World, and maybe the unreleased album, My Squelchy Life (perhaps my favorite vocal songs come from this release).

I'm probably most captivated by Eno's vocal tunes (although I adore his instrumental and ambient stuff, too); it's just that his vocal offerings are so rare and intermittent these days (although I'm not especially fond of his recent fascination with vocal treatments, whether via vocodering or autotuning). His skill as both a wordsmith and as someone who is fascinated with sounds makes for a brilliant combination when he chooses to experiment with songs containing lyrics. You made an excellent point earlier about how Eno often chooses words more for their sound than for their meaning. A perfect example of this is his explanation of how he came up with the lyrics for The Roil, The Choke (from the album Nerve Net). First, the lyrics:

He raised the stake
And broke the soil
And phrased the stroke
That takes the oil
And stoked, erased and foiled the lake
And smoked and boiled the grazing snake
The roil, the choke, the cakes of praise
The spoils that break now cloak the days
That wake the coil of blazing coke
The flaking glaze of Royalty broke
He raises, stakes, admires, stokes
The flowery blaze, the fiery pokes

Brian's recollection: "The sequence of the phonemes [the four sounds, -oke, -ake , -aze and -oil] is from bell-ringing. It's quite a simple permutation actually, it only uses four bells. I think it's called Bob Doubles. It goes ABCD, ACBD..." (Eno writes A B C D, spaced out on one line, and draws lines down, to show how it goes on.) "I just thought 'the cakes of praise' was a great idea, and took it from there. I like to write words that are on the border between meaning and nonsense, so you're not quite sure whether they mean anything or not."

Time to pimp Enoweb (http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/), the best Eno fan site and resource I've found (from which the above interview was taken). It's a fantastic resource.

I do want to congratulate you for taking on such a gargantuan project. I've really enjoyed reading your thoughts on his discography. Which, btw, is so vast that it's really difficult to keep up with all the releases, especially given the amount of promotional-only and/or unreleased material he has floating around out there. Not to mention all the installation projects. One of my favorite of the "unavailable" releases is his 1989 release, Textures, with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno, which was commissioned for a library music company for licensing in television and films. About half of the 21 songs are unreleased compositions while the rest are edits of some ambient work from albums like Neroli and The Shutov Assembly. Several of the tunes sound as if they could have been lifted directly from Apollo.


http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7462/enoe.jpg


I'm greatly looking forward to the continuation of this most excellent thread. And perhaps, a couple of months from now when you once again re-listen to Another Green World, maybe, just maybe, it will finally start to "click" for you the way it has for almost all the rest of us.

[D_Davis]

I was listening to Textures this morning - it's really nice.

I also love My Squelchie Life - can't believe an album that strong was never officially released. That's just crazy. I Fall Up is one of my favorite Eno tracks - but I think it eventually ended up on another album (Nerve Net?).

That's really interesting about the way he writes lyrics.

It's a simple fact that Eno thinks about music and sound in a way that the vast majority of other musicians and artists don't.

[D_Davis]

Glad you're liking the thread, Russ.



I do want to congratulate you for taking on such a gargantuan project. I've really enjoyed reading your thoughts on his discography.

I've probably heard about 1/2 of the stuff I'll be mentioning here before starting this thread. The rest is stuff I've recently discovered from various torrents and what not - mainly his art installation and commissioned stuff.


And perhaps, a couple of months from now when you once again re-listen to Another Green World, maybe, just maybe, it will finally start to "click" for you the way it has for almost all the rest of us.I don't know if it ever will, but like I said earlier, it's no big loss. There are plenty of other Eno-related things that I love.

[Russ]

I also love My Squelchie Life - can't believe an album that strong was never officially released. That's just crazy. I Fall Up is one of my favorite Eno tracks - but I think it eventually ended up on another album (Nerve Net?).
Close. He released two CD maxi-singles for Fractal Zoom and Ali Click (both from Nerve Net). These contained multiple remixes (several on Fractal Zoom were by Moby); I Fall Up is featured on the Ali Click CD of remixes.

Daniel, do you have these? Of particular note is the "Small Country" remix of Fractal Zoom, which contains one of Eno's rare and particularly impressive excursions into "spoken word/rap".

[D_Davis]

Close. He released two CD maxi-singles for Fractal Zoom and Ali Click (both from Nerve Net). These contained multiple remixes (several on Fractal Zoom were by Moby); I Fall Up is featured on the Ali Click CD of remixes.

Daniel, do you have these? Of particular note is the "Small Country" remix of Fractal Zoom, which contains one of Eno's rare and particularly impressive excursions into "spoken word/rap".

Ah yeah, that's right. I have Ali Click (didn't feature it in a write up), but I don't have Fractral Zoom.

[Russ]

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6512/takeeno.gif

[D_Davis]

Bonn Kunsthalle - 1998

http://www.archimuse.com/mw99/papers/kanter/kanter.fig1.jpg

This is the first of Eno's art installation pieces to be mentioned. From what little information is available on the web, this recording was done live over the Internet, broadcast from the museum. Like most of these art installation pieces, much of the impact is lost when one simply listens to the music disconnected from the event.

However, that's not say that the music alone is without merit. On the contrary, each of these three extended pieces contains some captivating moments. The music here reminds me a lot of Herbie Hancock's work during the Sextant era. Comprised of deliciously groovy space-jazz-funk, these tunes are as entertaining as they are cererbral. Eno has always been known as a musician capable of laying down fat bass lines, and here, especially Track 2, he proves this point again.

Again, support the music, not the bootleggers - this performance is available on line, for free, and I don't believe Eno has ever released it himself, so download away.

[D_Davis]

Cluster & Eno - 1977

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Cluster_%26_Eno.jpg

Cluster & Eno is a collection of playful, electronic, miniature instrumentals. These compositions are airy and light, creating space as opposed to filling it with dense atmospherics. Once again I cannot help but think that the compositions here are much better examples of the same style and themes Eno attempted with his own release Another Green World.

Ho Renomo, the opening tune, perfectly sets the stage for the subsequent tracks with its bouncy piano melody, slight rhythm, and strange noises bubbling away beneath the surface. The best two tracks are Fur Luise, a haunting synth-based piece conjuring the best of sci-fi imagery, and Die Bunge, a sticky little tune part western, part eastern and almost dub-like in its execution; it's very interesting and playful.

While not as memorable or captivating as the previously mentioned Cluster/Eno collaboration, there is still a lot to be admired about this little album. It's extremely quirky and downright fun, a good-natured album that creates an uplifting mood.

It also has a fantastic cover.

listen:

Ho Renomo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l69w7kDIK_k&feature=PlayList&p=9DBA5D24BB510751&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=22)
Fur Luise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgAhr0aEho)

[monolith94]

Are you counting early Roxy Music as Brian Eno stuff?

[D_Davis]

I probably won't be touching upon the Roxy Music stuff.

[monolith94]

A personal preference thing, or a not enough Eno in the soup thing?

[D_Davis]

A personal preference thing, or a not enough Eno in the soup thing?

I just don't have any of the Roxy Music albums - that's basically it. I've never listened to them extensively, and I don't really know how much Eno contributed to the group's music.

Chalk it up to a lack of knowledge on my part.

[monolith94]

Well, the first two albums had, imo, significant Eno contribution, even though Bryan Ferry was apparently behind the writing. I like their first four albums, ranked this way:

1. Roxy Music *
2. Country Life
3. For Your Pleasure *
4. Stranded

With an asterix marking a bit of Eno. Highly recommended.

[D_Davis]

Cool, thanks. I'll probably get around to listening to them extensively some day. I'll check those out.

I probably won't be mentioning the 801 Live or the Harmonia (Tracks and Traces) stuff either, even though I love both of these, especially the Harmonia album (basically a Cluster/Eno thing).

Will mainly be focusing on Eno's solo stuff and the collaborations mentioning his name.

[Russ]

Is Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now worth checking out?

[D_Davis]

Is Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now worth checking out?

Looks like I forgot one of the B-entries.

I'll get back to this one once I'm done with vacation.

It's okay; your enjoyment of it will be directly related to how much you enjoy bell tones.

I was a little underwhelmed by the whole album, but some of the compositions are nice.

[Yxklyx]

(just copied and pasted from my Top 50 albums thread...)

Apollo - 1983

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Brianenoapollo.jpg

As of right now, this is my favorite Brian Eno album.



Same here. On Land is also excellent.

[D_Davis]

Is Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now worth checking out?

Figured out why I skipped this. I have it listed as a different title:

January 07003 - Bell Studies...

So it will come later. Next up is Compact Forest Proposal.

[Russ]

Paramount Pictures has confirmed to Upcoming Film Scores that the music for Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's new film, The Lovely Bones, is by Brian Eno. The ambient music icon gets an "Original Music by" credit in the film, according to Paramount, who are distributing the film in the US next year. 60-year old Eno (who started out as a keyboardist in Roxy Music, worked with artists such as David Bowie and John Cale, and produced albums by U2 and Coldplay) is perhaps not best known as a film composer but he has indeed scored several feature films, including the 2005 thriller The Jacket starring Adrien Brody. The Lovely Bones is based on the Alice Sebold novel and stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon. It's Peter Jackson's first feature as a director since King Kong.

http://match-cut.org/images/icons/icon14.gif

[D_Davis]

Compact Forest Proposal - 2001

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/Compact_Forest_Proposal.jpg/200px-Compact_Forest_Proposal.jpg

These five compositions were written and recorded for an art installation piece at the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art. The music here is interesting, and I can't imagine much being lost in the translation from audio and visual to merely audio, although I'm sure the experience of actually being there to see the exhibit was something all together different.

There are three interesting aspects about these pieces.

The first is an Eno trademark: thick bass tones. The first track, Condition 5, contains a number of booming bass swells, probably created by a heavily treated fretless bass. As mentioned earlier, Eno has always been known for his bass production, and it is a trait I, as a bass player and recording artist, am envious of.

The second aspect is another Eno trademark, and deals with the creation of space. All too often in ambient music, even in my own, the artist packs the stereofield with dense drones and solid sounds. There is a tendency to fill the space we hear. While there is a place for this style of ambiance, I think a more mature and complex approach is to leave some of the space empty. Eno excells at this. His compositions are minimal and nuanced, but they still contain melody. He doesn't just fill space, but by the careful placement of notes and tones he works around silence to create a more interesting composition.

The final aspect is introduced during the opening moments of the second piece, Condition 3. Eno appears to be using his voice as an instrument, altering it with a vocoder or a talkbox of somekind. The remainder of the album is peppered with human-voice-like sounds, and while the words are unintelligible, the organic quality of the tones adds a haunting, warm, and somber emotion to the somewhat cold music.

Like a lot of Eno's music, I don't just listen to this album - I study it. Albums like this are my text books, and Compact Forest Proposal is a masterclass lesson in the creation of space and atmosphere.

[D_Davis]

Curiosities Volumes I and II (http://stupidd.blogspot.com/2008/04/brian-eno-curiosities-volume-iii-200304.html)

http://www.enoshop.co.uk/artistimages/curiosities.jpg


http://www.enoshop.co.uk/artistimages/curiosities2.jpg


Like most collections of unreleased curiosities, this bootleg collection of Eno's discarded, unfinished, and unpolished ideas is more miss than hit. Some of the tracks on these two collections are just that: tracks stripped away from the context of actual compositions or songs, and thus they sound uninteresting.

The titles often present clues that the tracks are unfinished, as they often have names that describe the sound of the track, such as: Cheeky Hop, My Lonely Organ, Ambient Savage, Swept, and Native Tambourine. I, too, often name my tracks in such a way so that I can conceptualize what they sound like without having to listen to them.

Volume II is a better listen than volume I, but when it's all said and done this collection is only for the most hardcore of Eno fan. And even then there isn't a lot here to recommend. You could probably assemble a decent EP from these two releases, and it is kind of fun to hear bits and pieces of songs you might recognize on other albums, but that's the extent of the enjoyment on hand.

[D_Davis]

Dali's Car - ~1976

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GMDZWCG5L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/a7e2c76fda5f6d672c228d80b220ba e0/333487.jpg

This is one kick ass EP. It's a collection of live tracks from a couple of BBC recording sessions focusing on some of the best tracks off of Eno's early rock albums. The Pow Pow Negro Blowtorch kicks things off in a spectacular fashion: a ripping rendition of an already ripping tune. The second track is the only one I don't care for: a cover of Eddie Cooley's Fever. Never cared for the tune, and it seems like a waste of talent here. Things pick up again with The Fat Lady of Limbourg. It's an odd pick for a live performance, but Eno and co. pull it off. It's off kilter rhythms and jarring melody sound robotic and bizarre in the best ways possible.

The final three tracks are where its at - and that's a fact. Third Uncle, one of Eno's best punky new-wave tune, is intense and expertly played. The duo of Baby's on Fire and I'll Come Running close out this mini-album, and each is a stunning performance. The drum and guitar work on Baby's is brilliantly played, and the keyboard sequence bubbling away below the surface propels the song along with the driving bass line. And finally is I'll Come Running, another Eno classic - one of the few songs I really dig off of Another Green World. However, I prefer this live version because of its intense energy and superbly crafted mid-point freak-out.