Brian Eno & David Byrne - (1981) My life in the bush of ghosts

Brian Eno & David Byrne - (1981) My life in the bush of ghosts

Studio Album, released in 1981

Making a chronologic first journey into Brian Eno means that “My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts” was placed between sessions of full ambient melancholic undisturbed waves of Brian Eno concept.Yet this came as a more rafined way of seeing music and a more abstract form of playing it.And that cought my attention immediately!Brian Eno,having David Byrne as a side-by-side collaborator,creates a music of mixtures,as it helds ambient,in the natural developed contemporary form,electronics,something less promulgated in other context,but made a key stroke here and tehniques of doing an expression in a less comformist way. Not that it would be a panic of unnatural scapes,but it is different from the usual Eno and you can sense that immediately.The goal seems another.The character changed.The result out of normal. David Byrne’s influenced can definitely be a reason,but I think the initiative and the main pulse is still that of Brian Eno approaching his other manifests possibilities.The album is among the key points of the discography.A point very appealing,that helds innovation,expression and subtility as high values. I like it very much and I applaud the effort entirely. Byrne’s contribution is more than notable and he makes the step towards being one of the most important collaborators of Brian Eno (no disregard to any other artist who worked long enough with the ambient master,still effects are effects). Easily among Fripp or Budd. What counts is an acomplised effort that deserves full credit.

Brian Eno works alone only when he wants that.Otherwise it can go to an unexpected vision of bringing several artists into the picture.Here he goes like that,have a royal list of guest.Leaving old friend Fripp aside,who only does arrangements,notable artists are Bill Laswell and Chris Frantz (uh…the other ones I don’t know anything about).Anyway,an impressive list.The main reason is of course the necesity of artist who can play specific instruments like Bodhran,Bata, congas, metals, cans et caetera. Otherwise it’s Eno and Byrne doing their performance. These mentioned instruments are also a queery,authentic to say improvisatorical idea of his.Not of an important role in the musical speech,yet interesting as a fact and as a choice.Eno clearly goes excentric and passionate for the un-common through this album.But it’s a good,”kind” gesture.

Non-conformist and striking towards valorous effect,this “My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts”.Something not really far from truth.A pleasant experience in a manner than serves more purposes.This time,Eno’s motto is not a simple ambient calculated pulse,but a “long shot” experiment,in which ambiguous maneuvers,experimental drops of magic and even a queery (positive thinking…) outlook make the combination.Probably David Byrne is the prevalent influence towards the (slight-?) change of direction,although saying that Brian Eno decided this by himself wouldn’t be that farfetched.Imposing its name,value and concept,the album can create a moment of subtilities to the extreme of mind-blowing and very unusual.The experience of this one is a sole subjective one.Plurimotivated,pluri-constructed.Maybe not at the highest valences,but enough to conserve an more than justified option and a more than promising echo.

Recommended Brian Eno album,in my opinion.A highlight feature of the 80s start (ah,why not,even general).Not the most spectacular,but among those that say very much.Comparisons with the deep ambient albums of Eno I shall not make.Staying on firm ground,there is a discrepance,but a smooth one and-more importantly-one not really important.Personally,ambient Eno stays “the” Eno,but “My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts” was a true pleasure.Thumbs up and cheers.

Track Listings

1. America is Waiting (3:36)
2. Mea Culpa (3.35)
3. Regiment (3:56)
4. Help Me Somebody (4:18)
5. The Jezebel Spirt (4:55)
6. Very, Very Hungry (3:20)
7. Moonlight in Glory (4:19)
8. The Carrier (3:30)
9. A Secret Life (2:30)
10. Come With Us (2:38)
11. Mountain of Needles (2:35)

Total Time: 39:41
Line-up/Musicians

Brian Eno & David Byrne / guitars, basses, synthesizers, drums, percussion and "found objects"

Guest musicians:
- John Cooksey / drums (4)
- Chris Frantz / drums, additional arranging (3)
- Robert Fripp / additional arranging (3)
- Busta Jones / bass, additional writing and arranging (3)
- Dennis Keeley / Bodhran (2)
- Bill Laswell / bass and additional arranging (1)
- Mingo Lewis / Bata, sticks (5, 8)
- Prairie Prince / can, bass drum (5, 8)
- Jose Rossy / congas, agong-gong (7)
- Steve Scales / congas, metals (4)
- David van Tieghem / drums, percussion (1, 3), additional arranging (1)
- Tim Wright / click bass (1)

Brian Eno - (1992) Nerve Net

Brian Eno - (1992) Nerve Net

Nerve Net is a 1992 music album by the British musician Brian Eno. It marked a return to more rock-oriented material, mixed with heavily syncopated rhythms, experimental electronic compositions and an occasional touch of jazz. The ambient sensibility is still there on several tracks, though it is often darker and moodier than the pieces Eno is best known for.

This is only the second album of Eno's to generate single releases (the first being "One Word" from 1990's Wrong Way Up): 12-inch and CD singles for the pieces "Ali Click"[1], and "Fractal Zoom"[2], both of which featured various remixes of the songs by the likes of Moby, Markus Draws and Isaac Osapanin.(wikipedia)


Track listing

All tracks composed by Brian Eno.

1. "Fractal Zoom" – 6:24
2. "Wire Shock" – 5:27
3. "What Actually Happened?" – 4:41
4. "Pierre in Mist" – 3:47
5. "My Squelchy Life" – 4:02
6. "Juju Space Jazz" – 4:26
7. "The Roil, the Choke" – 5:00
8. "Ali Click" – 4:13
9. "Distributed Being" – 6:10
10. "Web" – 6:21
11. "Web (Lascaux Mix)" – 9:44
12. "Decentre" – 3:26

Personnel

* Robert Ahwai – Guitar
* Peter Anderson – Guitar
* Richard Bailey – Drums
* Duchess Nell Catchpole – Vocals, Voices
* Ian Dench – Drum loop
* Markus Dravs – Drums, Drum programming, Treatments
* Wayne Duchamp – Alto Saxophone
* Brian Eno – Organ, Synthesizer, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards, Tenor Saxophone, Vocals, Voices, Multi Instruments, Treatments, African Organ, Animal Sounds, Arabesque
* Roger Eno – Piano, Sampling
* Robert Fripp – Guitar
* John Paul Jones – Piano
* John May – Voices, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
* Roderick Melvin – Piano
* Sugarfoot Moffett – Drums
* John Moorby – Voices, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
* Alice Ngukwe – Tenor Saxophone
* Winston Ngukwe – Conga
* Isaac Osapanin – Conga
* Anita Patel – Voices, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
* Sunita Patel – Voices, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
* Yogish Patel – Voices, Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
* Curtis Pelican – Trumpet
* Robert Quine – Guitar, Rhythm Guitar
* Cecil Stamper III – Drums
* Benmont Tench – Percussion
* Christine West-Oram – Vocals
* Jamie West-Oram – Guitar, Rhythm Guitar
* Romeo WIlliams – Bass Guitar

David Bowie - (1979) Lodger

David Bowie - (1979) "Lodger"

Temas:
01. "Fantastic Voyage" – 2:55
02. "African Night Flight" – 2:54
03. "Move On" (Bowie) – 3:16
04. "Yassassin (Turkish for Long Live)" (Bowie) – 4:10
05. "Red Sails" – 3:43
06. "DJ" (Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar) – 3:59
07. "Look Back in Anger" – 3:08
08. "Boys Keep Swinging" – 3:17
09. "Repetition" (Bowie) – 2:59
10. "Red Money" (Bowie, Alomar) – 4:17
11. "I Pray, Olé" (Previously unreleased track recorded 1979) – 3:59
12. "Look Back in Anger" (New version recorded 1988) – 6:59

Personal:
* David Bowie – vocals, backing vocals, piano, guitar, synthesizer, Chamberlin
* Carlos Alomar – guitar, drums
* Dennis Davis – percussion, bass
* George Murray – bass
* Sean Mayes – piano
* Simon House – violin, mandolin
* Adrian Belew – guitar, mandolin
* Tony Visconti – backing vocals, guitar, mandolin, bass
* Brian Eno – synthesizers, ambient drone, prepared piano, cricket menace, guitar treatments, horse trumpet, eroica horn, piano
* Roger Powell – synthesizer
* Stan – saxophone

Brian Eno - (1982) Ambient 4 - On Land

On Land represented a significant move away from the strategies Brian Eno had employed in earlier ambient releases such as Discreet Music and Music for Airports. Instead of using a specific process to generate music with minimal interference from the composer, he here opts for a more gestural and intuitive approach, creating dreamy pictures of some specific geographical points or evocative memories of them. It's quite easy to imagine these works as soundtracks to mysterious footage of imprecisely glimpsed landscapes. On Land is an album that would become highly influential with the rising tide of new age composers, though few if any would capture the chilly beauty or latent romanticism that is part and parcel of Eno.

Studio Album, released in 1982

Track Listings

1. Lizard Point (4:34)
2. The Lost Day (9:12)
3. Tal Coat (5:27)
4. Shadow (3:00)
5. Lantern Marsh (5:31)
6. Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) (5:26)
7. A Clearing (4:07)
8. Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960 (7:10)

Total Time: 44:27
Line-up/Musicians

- Brian Eno / synthesizer, bass, keyboards, vocals, electronics
- Michael Beinhorn / synthesizer
- Michael Brook / guitar
- Axel Gros / guitar
- Jon Hassell / trumpet
- Bill Laswell / bass

Robert Wyatt - (1975) Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard

Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard is the third solo album by Robert Wyatt.

The follow-up to Rock Bottom, recorded either during or shortly after the sessions for that album, Ruth... is actually a collection of material Wyatt had written earlier in his career. Like its predecessor, the album was produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and once again features a host of Wyatt's Canterbury scene musical colleagues, including Fred Frith.

The album contains several pieces which recall the complexity and despair of Rock Bottom, but much of the record echoes the relaxed, almost jokey feel of earlier Wyatt efforts such as The End of an Ear or his work with Matching Mole. This becomes evident from the choice of title (a pun on "truth is stranger than fiction") onwards; the two sides of the original LP release were not labelled "Side A" and "Side B", but rather "Side Ruth" and "Side Richard", the implication being that Side B was less outlandish than Side A. True to his word, Wyatt punctuated the three "serious" pieces on Side A/Ruth - the beautiful ballad "Solar Flares", "5 Black Notes And 1 White Note" (a funereal instrumental, supposedly a cover of Jacques Offenbach's Bacarolle, which degenerates into a series of noises somewhere between free jazz and electronic noise) and the piano-led Rock Bottom-esque Fred Frith collaboration "Muddy Mouth" — with a series of brief, nonsensical interludes featuring only sparse piano accompaniment and some very strange high-pitched yelping vocals under the collective title "Muddy Mouse".

The songs on Side B/Richard all have more traditional structures; the rollicking "Soup Song", written several years earlier, has the air of a pub singalong. The remaining songs are all covers or collaborations; the lengthy Mongezi Feza trumpet piece "Sonia", featuring a guest appearance by Feza himself (as do a number of other songs on the album) in the last year of his life, "Team Spirit" — written with Phil Manzanera, who would include the same song on his album Diamond Head under the title "Frontera" — and a straight cover of "Song for Che" by Charlie Haden round off the album.

For me is also essential just like Rock Bottom.

Track Listings

1. Muddy Mouse (0:50)
2. Solar Flares (5:35)
3. Muddy Mouse (0:50)
4. 5 Black Notes and 1 White Note (4:58)
5. Muddy Mouse (6:11)
6. Soup Song (5:00)
7. Sonia (4:12)
8. Team Spirit (8:26)
9. Song for Ché (3:36)

Total Time: 39:38

Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Wyatt / vocals, keyboards, drums
- Bill MacCormick / bass
- Laurie Allan / drums
- Gary Windo / tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, bass clarinet
- Nisar Ahmad Khan / tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone

With:
- Fred Frith / piano
- Brian Eno / guitar, synthesizer
- Mongezi Feza / trumpet
- John Greaves / bass

Robert Fripp - (1979) EXPOSURE

Studio Album, released in 1979

Track Listings

1. Preface (1:15)
2. You Burn Me Up I'm a Cigarette (2:23)
3. Breathless (4:39)
4. Disengage (2:52)
5. North Star (3:12)
6. Chicago (2:11)
7. NY3 (2:17)
8. Mary (2:10)
9. Exposure (4:26)
10. Haaden Two (1:56)
11. Urban Landscape (2:35)
12. I May Not Have Had Enough of Me But I've Had Enough of You (3:38)
13. First Inaugural Address to I.A.C.E. Sherborne House (0:04)
14. Water Music I (1:19)
15. Here Comes the Flood (3:52)
16. Water Music II (3:52)
17. Postscript (0:38)

Total Time: 49:43

Track listing of Discipline 2006 re-issue :

CD1 Exposure (first edition)
first edition -- original 1979 release as above

CD2 Exposure (third edition)
1. Preface (1:15)
2. You Burn Me Up I'm a Cigarette (2:24)
3. Breathless (4:42)
4. Disengage (2:43)
5. North Star (3:12)
6. Chicago (2:17)
7. New York, New York, New York (2:17)
8. Mary (2:08)
9. Exposure (4:25)
10. Haaden Two (1:57)
11. Urban Landscape (2:34)
12. I May Not Have Had Enough of Me But I've Had Enough of You (3:37)
13. First Inaugural Address to I.A.C.E. Sherborne House (0:07)
14. Water Music I (1:18)
15. Here Comes the Flood (3:55)
16. Water Music II (3:53)
17. Postscript (0:55)

Third edition: the 1983 remix, 1985 re-release, including 3 formerly unreleased Daryl Hall vocals

Bonus tracks: alternative takes
18. Exposure (4:28)
19. Mary (2:06)
20. Disengage (2:49)
21. Chicago (2:02)
22. NY3 (2:15)

Line-up/Musicians:
- Robert Fripp / guitars, Frippertronics
With:
- Barry Andrews / keyboards
- Phil Collins / drums
- Brian Eno / synthesizer, voice
- Peter Gabriel / vocal, piano
- Daryl Hall / vocal
- Peter Hammill / vocal
- Tony Levin / bass
- Jerry Marotta / drums
- Sid McGuinniss / guitar
- Terre Roche / vocal
- Narada Michael Walden / drums
- Joanna Walton / lyricist
- J.G. Bennett / voice

Peter Gabriel - (1992) Us

The atmospheric, understated "Us" may have come as a disappointment to some following the upbeat "So", but anyone who picked up "Passion" will anticipate the mix-heavy melange of third world sounds and electronic effects present here. Coproduced by Daniel Lanois, "Us" did feature a few singles that sought to cultivate the audience developed with "So": “Kiss That Frog", “Digging in the Dirt", and especially “Steam". And more groundbreaking videos were in the offing for each, giving the impression that little had changed over the years. And yet much had changed; Peter GABRIEL and Rosanna Arquette (yes, it’s nice to be a rock star) had split, and GABRIEL seems to have plumbed the experience to its depths in a post-mortem examination of their failed attempt to connect. More indicative of "Us" are the moments when GABRIEL exposes his wounds, such as “Love To Be Loved", “Secret World” and “Blood of Eden” (one of several tracks to reference Adam and Eve as aliases for the parties involved).

The album does take time to appreciate, slowly working its way under the skin with subtle melodies and exotic soundscapes. Although "Passion" and "So" are the albums most like it, "Us" does give a nod back to GABRIEL’s second album with “Washing of the Water", a piano-led ballad that recalls “Flotsam and Jetsam” and “Indigo". Building on his musical alliances with alternative rock’s leading ladies (Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush), GABRIEL here enlists the help of Sinead O’Connor on backing vocals, who makes an impression out of the gate with her distinctive voice on “Come Talk To Me". "Us" isn’t the happiest record in the GABRIEL arsenal, though the artist was increasingly disinterested in making commercial music (and perhaps music altogether). It is a sonically gorgeous effort, however; perhaps a little too subtle for some tastes, but bound to please his fans on at least a few levels.


Studio Album, released in 1992

Track Listings

1. Come Talk To Me (7:05)
2. Love To Be Loved (5:19)
3. Blood of Eden (6:38)
4. Steam (6:03)
5. Only Us (6:33)
6. Washing of the Water (3:52)
7. Digging in the Dirt (5:18)
8. Fourteen Black Paintings (4:38)
9. Kiss That Frog (5:20)
10. Secret World (7:01)

Total Time: 57:49
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Gabriel / bass, harmonica, keyboards, percussion, triangle, vocals
- Richard Blair / keyboards
- Bill Dillon / guitar, guitar (electric)
- N'Diaye Rose Doudou / drum loop
- Brian Eno / keyboards
- Kudsi Erguner / flute
- Babacar Faye / djembe, drums
- Tim Green / sax (Tenor)
- Reggie Houston / sax (Baritone)
- Gus Isidore / guitar
- Darryl Johnson / drums, percussion
- Manu Katche / drums
- Daniel Lanois / guitar, shaker, vocals
- Caroline LaVelle / cello
- Tony Levin / bass
- Marilyn McFarlane / vocals
- Levon Minassian / doudouk
- Leo Nocentelli / guitar
- Sinéad O'Connor / vocals
- Ayub Ogada / vocals
- Chris Ormston / bagpipes
- Renard Poché / trombone
- Hossam Ramzy / tabla
- David Rhodes / guitar
- Doudou N'Daiye Rose / loops
- Lakshminarayana Shankar / violin

Fripp and Eno - (2005) The Equatorial Stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this release. I figured that the chances were good that Fripp & Eno would phone in some half-hearted effort, perhaps cobbling together bits of old material that was cast aside from another project. Instead, they've put together an album that retains the charms of their previous collaborations while going off on some varied tangents. The best part is the fact that they didn't opt for an up-to-date, modern sound that employs lots of sampling, editing and especially "urban" hipness. Some of Eno's recent work has been diminished by that tendency, and I'm relieved that restraint was used here. I'm not saying that the overall sound is old-fashioned, just that it avoids pandering to the "youth of today" culture that permeates just about everything. I'd give it four stars, but I'll have to wait a few years to know for sure how it stacks up against their past work.


Studio Album, released in 2005

Track Listings

1. Meissa (8:08)
2. Lyra (7:45)
3. Tarazed (5:03)
4. Lupus (5:09)
5. Ankaa (7:01)
6. Altair (5:11)
7. Terebellum (9:40)

Total Time: 47:57

Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Fripp / guitar
- Brian Eno / synthesizer, electronics

Fripp and Eno - (1994) The Essential

The musical experiments of King Crimson guitarist, founder Robert Fripp and electronic music pioneer, former Roxy Music member Brian Eno were definitely groundbreaking when they were released in the early to mid '70s. The pair released two albums, 1973's "No Pussyfooting" and 1975's "Evening Star", which paved the way for ambient and so-called 'new age' music.
With the 1994 compilation "The Essential Fripp and Eno", we are offered an excellent sampling of the noise that these two musicians made so long ago. The compilation includes the "No Pussyfooting" album in its entirety plus two tracks from "Evening Star" and the previously unreleased "Healthy Colours Parts 1-4" which was recorded in 1978.
"No Pussyfooting's" "The Heavenly Music Corporation" and "Swastika Girls" consist mostly of Robert Fripp performing fluid sustained guitar lines which are manipulated by Brian Eno using tape machines and a primitive synthesizer. It's beautiful and frantic at the same time.
"Wind on Water" and the title track from "Evening Star" have a more quieter surreal mood to them. "Evening Star" in particular has beautiful melodic parts with simplistic piano and guitar lines.
The unreleased "Healthy Colours" suite is quite different from the previous music made by the duo. Each of the four sections consist of repeated rhythm guitar patterns, a bouncy elementary synthesizer line and various tapeloops of speech all set to a primitive drum machine. This music is quite minimalistic and dry-sounding.
All together, "The Essential Fripp and Eno" covers the basics of what Robert Fripp and Brian Eno did as a musical force. Since they only released two albums together, I personally think that releasing this as a 2-disc set with "Healthy Colours" tacked onto the end would have been a better idea (The lenghty "Index of Metals" from "Evening Star" is an essential piece in my opinion). However, I have no complaints with the way this compilation is put together. The sound quality is stellar on this CD and so is the music. Here's hoping that Robert and Brian will reunite for something new real soon.

Track List:

1. The Heavenly Music Corporation
2. Swastika Girls
3. Wind On Water
4. Evening Star
5. Healthy Colours I
6. Healthy Colours II
7. Healthy Colours III
8. Healthy Colours IV

Fripp and Eno - (1975) Evening Star

Fripp and Eno's second collaborative effort marked a considerable advance on their debut. On vinyl, tracks 1 - 4 took up side 1 while the lengthy An Index Of Metals filled side 2, and the contrast between the two halves of the album was striking.

Side 1 saw the duo exploring the more melodic possibilities of the guitar/tape loops/synth set up. Wind on Water, taken from a widely bootlegged French concert (Air Sculptures: the sound quality is appalling, don't bother) opens the proceedings with Fripp unleashing barrages of high speed clusters of notes over a backdrop of what would later be known as Frippertronics. For a piece created largely by tape delay systems it's a joyous, life affirming noise, which segues neatly into the gorgeous title track. Over a bed of tape loops (a couple of guitar arpeggios and a simple 6 note figure played on 12th fret harmonics) Fripp unleashes a slow paced, heartfelt solo of rare beauty and precision. Eno punctuates the music with the odd discreet synth embellishment, and at one point a few notes on piano are added to the mix. It seems that on this piece they took Miles Davis' advice and didn't play all the notes, just the beautiful ones. Side one closes with a couple of shorter pieces - Evensong is a Satie- esque piece composed of interlocking tape loops, while Wind on Wind is an extract from Eno's pioneering ambient piece Discreet Music. The mellow woodwind sound he coaxes from his synth brings the proceedings to an appropriately low key close.

The second half of the album picks up where the steely, dark ambience of No Pussyfooting left off and takes it to an altogether deeper level of intensity. Fripp's guitar noise is looped on itself to the Nth degree, creating a near impenetrable wall of sound. For much of the time it seems as though nothing is happening, although the odd fragment of something analagous to a tune can be heard from time to time. Where side 1 is full of space and light, An Index Of Metals exists in a disturbing minmal space where the odd flicker of light illuminates a distorted shape in the distance. Highly uneasy listening, but it rewards attention - there's a lot happening below the surface.

Although Fripp and Eno's paths would cross again, notably on Bowie's Heroes album, it would be almost 30 years before a third album would emerge, by which time technology had moved on an almost unimaginable distance. The fact that this album was made with a guitar, a monophonic synth and a couple of Revox reel-to-reel tape machines is remarkable. What is truly amazing is that so much could be achieved with such meagre resources. (PROG ARCHIVES)

tudio Album, released in 1975

Track Listings

1. Wind on Water (5:30)
2. Evening Star (7:48)
3. Evensong (2:53)
4. Wind on Wind (2:56)
5. An Index of Metals (28:36)

Total Time: 47:44
Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Fripp / guitar
- Brian Eno / synthesizer

Fripp and Eno - (1975) Air Structures

Links,

David Bowie - (1977) Low

This album supposedly opens the Berlin trilogy which is partially incorrect. The album is mostly recorded in France and only mixed in Berlin. But it is true that David and Angie spent some time together almost in front of the Wall which will add a depressive mood to this album, only augmented by their separation.

In 1976, David contacted Brian Eno (who was producing “Ultravox!”) and asked him to help with his new project. Again, Bowie is changing almost completely from musical inspiration. The coldness of the album is peaking during the whole of its B-side.

In terms of popularity, this change won’t affect David’s success. The album reached the second spot in the UK and the 11th in the US. For such an experimental effort, it was not too bad a result…

I have always felt a bit “hungry” about side one. A great collection of short pieces of music, some of them being extraordinarily catchy as the hit single “Sound & Vision” which I am profoundly fan of, to some great instrumental pieces of work like the opener “Speed Of Life” full of fabulous synth sounds and remarkably balanced. But I have always felt that most of them were kind of unfinished. And I still feel the same more than thirty years later.

It is sufficiently rare to be mentioned, but this album is mostly instrumental. To my knowledge, no other influent singer has ever produced such a piece of art. It’s like cutting one of your organ. But his voice is replaced with an orgy of synth and keys all the way through the magnificent B-side.

It starts with the cold, dark and oppressive atmosphere of “Warszawa”. Brian Eno is co-credited and one can notice his major influence on this album of course. Highly experimental but combined with an incredible and touching feeling. The “vocal” part is just wonderful. The most poignant of his whole career IMHHO.

As “Young Americans” was a shock for lots of fans (to which I belong), “Low” although unanimously acclaimed by the critics will also leave some fans incomprehensive. What was going into David’s mind? Releasing an almost electronic album?

I guess that because of my taste from 1973 through 1976, I was rather pleased with this change. And this part of the album is one of my preferred side of any Bowie album.

Of course “Art Decade” and “Weeping Wall” can’t compete with the other two songs but are not disturbing here.

THE masterpiece track of this masterpiece album is the closing number. “Subterraneans” is such a desperate call coming from the East Berliners, such an immaculate song. David is “singing” in an unknown language. He said that he was so bored about traditional rock lyrics that he voluntarily opted for some incomprehensible stuff. And it worked remarkably.

David also plays a fantastic sax part (remember, this was his first instrument). “Subterraneans” is a cold anthem, a solemn prayer, harrowing, almost metaphysical. Again, a grandiose number.

In 1977, David will also produce two albums for Iggy. For “The Idiot” he will write all the numbers of which the world known “China Girl” as well as “Nightclubbing”. Bowie is even holding the keys, almost anonymously, during the supporting tour.

A little later, it will be the turn of “Lust Of Life”. Bowie will sign the music for each of the song (with the notable exception of the great “Passenger”). What a gift to his Iggy friend! But such is Bowie.

The remastered CD version holds three bonus tracks of which two are essential IMHHO. The extended version of “Sound & Vision” of course (I never could get enough of this song) and the beautiful “Some Are”. It could have easily fit on the original album.

Did I say masterpiece? Oh yes, this time I have already mentioned it! Thanks a lot to both of you Brian and David. This was (and still is) a great moment in my musical life.


CD1
1. "Speed of Life" – 2:46
2. "Breaking Glass" (Bowie, Dennis Davis, George Murray) – 1:52
3. "What in the World" – 2:23
4. "Sound and Vision" – 3:05
5. "Always Crashing in the Same Car" – 3:33
6. "Be My Wife" – 2:58
7. "A New Career in a New Town" – 2:53
CD2
1. "Warszawa" (Bowie, Brian Eno) – 6:23
2. "Art Decade" – 3:46
3. "Weeping Wall" – 3:28
4. "Subterraneans" – 5:39

David Bowie - (1977) Heroes

In 1977, David Bowie and Brian Eno were riding a creative wave-- their first collaboration, "Low", was an artistic triumph and stands among the best work in the catalog of either musician. The followup, "Heroes", nearly equalled their first collaboration.

Following the formula of "Low", the first side of the LP was all rock songs, but this time Fripp and Eno brought in guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp to provide a third voice. The result is staggering-- the entire side is full of brilliant songs that find all three artists at the peak of their form-- explosive post-punk "Beauty and the Beast", sustained-guitar driven "Heroes" (with some of the most passionate singing Bowie has ever done), retro-modern "Sons of the Silent Age"... quite frankly, the whole side is a highlight, whether fierce and powerful ("Joe the Lion"-- check out Fripp underneath Bowie on the bridge) or the aching passion of the title track, this really is about as good as it gets in this vein.

The second side again is largely ambient pieces (excepting the closing track which is a dance piece). This material isn't quite as good as the instrumental material on "Low"-- it's not that it's uninteresting, in fact it's superb. Bowie's koto (a Japanese stringed instrument) performance over delicate synths on "Moss Garden" and the wailing saxopone on "Neukoln" make for fantastic pieces, it just doesn't quite stop you in your tracks like the second side of "Low".

Nonetheless, "Heroes" is unnervingly brilliant material, and as essential an album as anything in Bowie's catalog. Highly recommended.
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Track List:

1. "Beauty and the Beast" – 3:32
2. "Joe the Lion" – 3:05
3. "Heroes" (Bowie, Brian Eno) – 6:07
4. "Sons of the Silent Age" – 3:15
5. "Blackout" – 3:50
6. "V-2 Schneider" – 3:10
7. "Sense of Doubt" – 3:57
8. "Moss Garden" (Bowie, Eno) – 5:03
9. "Neuköln" (Bowie, Eno) – 4:34
10. "The Secret Life of Arabia" – 3:46

Brian Eno - (2005) Another Day On Earth

Brian Eno is a inspiration for me, as an aspiring low-profile ambient music ripper-offer. He has never really fit the progressive rock bill as far as I'm concerned, however. He's gone through phases: surreal quirk-rocker, soundscape extraordinaire, musique concrete noodler, techno purveyor....all of his phases have something to offer the fan of more cerebral electronic music. It seems Eno has done it all, or maybe he's just content with what he's accomplished, because Another Day on Earth feels like a decisively middle-aged album--the kind you'd expect from a pioneer of new technologies reflecting back on life. What Eno offers with Another Day is a steady stream of relaxing, swirling, modern, and relatable songs and atmospheric pieces that have a tendency to sweep you away from your cares for an hour.

When I hear Another Day on Earth, I think of our modern world, but not the grim warfare we see on the daily news. No, I think of sitting in a airport terminal, watching people walk by. It's a sunny day and life is serene. Or I imagine the Japanese market scene of the album front alive around me, the music as a soundtrack to so many people brushing past each other. I think of our vast knowledge of space and earth, that we have this enormous body of knowledge, and in the end, it doesn't matter to us. We go on with our lives like always, but every so often we think of our planet, a little marble in a sea of darkness, and we're humbled by it. Another Day On Earth is the soundtrack to happy times, drenched in sunlight.

Those are my feelings, and I hope they provide what is truly helpful in understanding the feeling of the album. But that probably is not enough to satisfy most people who prefer song descriptions. I'm sorry, but it is rather hard to dissect Another Day on Earth, doubly so for someone who neither plans reviews nor is particularly adept at dealing with the tediousness of such things. Another Day on Earth flows beautifully, and the songs manage to be distinct because of the solid ideas and meticulous yet effortless craftsmanship behind them. Eno is one of the best producers of our time, fellow living beings. He knows what he's doing.

So, this has been a spur of the moment review spawned by a moment of utter boredom, and in this brainstorm of glorious creativity, have neglected actually considering the star value I should assign to Another Day On Earth. I enjoy every song and moment on the album, but there seems to be no risks taken, and no advancement. This is not a revolutionary album, and it just doesn't feel like a 5-star album. Really, this is a hard one to rate in Eno's catalog, and I can easily see why someone could give it 2, 3, or 4 stars. To me, it's and honest 4 stars. Put it on, and take your mind to another, happy reality.


Studio Album, released in 2005

Track Listings

1. This (3:33)
2. And Then So Clear (5:49)
3. A Long Way Down (2:40)
4. Going Unconscious (4:22)
5. Caught Between (4:25)
6. Passing Over (4:25)
7. How Many Worlds (4:47)
8. Bottomliners (3:59)
9. Just Another Day (4:21)
10. Under (5:19)
11. Bone Bomb (3:09)

Total Time: 46:49
Line-up/Musicians

- Brian Eno / synthesizer, keyboards

Brian Eno - (1978) Music For Airports

"Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." - Brain Eno

"This album is usually accepted as the first real experiment with ambient music. It is simple, repetitive, nearly unnoticeable. At the same time it is groundbreaking, interesting, and it truly enhances whatever atmosphere (unless a turbulent one) it is introduced to. Eno took his idea for a new type of music, and revolutionised the world of atmospheric music. Eno had been building up to the idea of ambient music for a few years before creating this(starting with the Robert Fripp collaboration "No Pussy Footing"), and this is the first time it really comes out as a finished product. This is amongst the most important albums ever, as with any revolutionary piece (i.e. King Crimson's "In the Court Of The Crimson King", Miles Davis' "Bitches' Brew"). This album delivers exactly what it sets out to, perfect background music. It consists mainly of small repetitions of different piano lines or synth washes. All of which simple yet strikingly appropriate. Not much to be said about the style other than, this is the kind of music which would sound perfect in an airport to brighten moods, and calm nerves. It would make working more pleasant, and help take the edge out of stressful situations. Soothing and simple. Almost womb like. The genius of this recording lies in its ability to be noticed without any registered effect on what you are doing. I can guarantee if you put it on while someone was doing something without letting them know they wouldn't register the music consciously at all but they would almost instantly improve their mood. Musically the album is very haunting and pretty, letting every note sit in completely and wonderfully. Although, it is not perfect. Even though without doubt this recording was the realisation of the ambient genre, it isn't its pinnacle. For example I find Bach to be the first person to realise listenable western music, but he's certainly did not reach the complexity and power of Stravinsky or the sheer genius of Mozart. The problem with this album is that even if you want it to be it is not engaging. Even if its not the purpose the perfect ambient album would need to be able to interest you if you sit in silence and just listen to the music. An example of this would be Mike Oldfield's "Songs Of A Distant Earth", which can interest you should you just listen to it and at the same time be background music. I'm still tormented with the 4 star rating, because it did invent the genre, and its pretty darn close to being the perfect ambient album. When it comes down the wire however, it is flawed. The best track on the album is 2/1 which has the prettiest piano composition and combines the ideas in the first two tracks. Every track however (there is only 4) is perfectly suited to the album and there isn't a single weak point. If one were a collector of every genre of music, this album is essential based on historical significance alone. But this is a prog website, and in a lot of ways this is the polar opposite to prog. Also I think to get the coveted 5 star rating an album must be perfect, and this album just falls short of that. This really is an excellent addition to any collection, and for fans of more electronic music you should go out and buy it post haste!
review by Hangedman (Eric) - www.progarchives.com"

Track Listings:
1. 1/1 (16:30)
2. 1/2 (8:55)
3. 2/1 (11:45)
4. 2/2 (12:20)
Total time: 46:18

Line-up/Musicians:
- Brian Eno / synthesizer, electric piano
- Robert Wyatt / piano
- Christina Fast / vocals
- Christine Gomez / vocals

Brian Eno - (1975) Another Green World

Brian Eno - Another Green World (1975):
It is my opinion that Brian Eno's third release, 1975's Another Green World, is not just a great album but one of the best that I have ever heard. Split between vocal tracks and moody instrumentals, Another Green World balanced Eno's established ability to write quirky pop songs with his burgeoning interests in ambient instrumental music. The result is a song cycle in which the vocal tracks are more atmospheric and less rock-oriented than Eno's previous work, while the wordless pieces are more diverse and less minimalistic than the bulk of Eno's subsequent ambient projects. I think that the two styles cohere brilliantly and the album is one of those special records that is so engrossing and unique that it is almost impossible for me to not actively listen to all of it when I put it on.

Apart from simply being great, Another Green World is significant because it marks a turning point for Eno as an artist. Whereas Eno had a secondary role as a musican on his first two solo albums (one got the impression that guitarist Phil Manzanera had lots of input on those) he is clearly at the reins here. He is the only player on most of the instrumental tracks and, for the others, he culled different combinations of personnel from a roster that included Robert Fripp and the rhythm section from Brand X (Phil Collins, Percy Jones). Fripp had already distinguished himself as an excellent musical partner for Eno, but Collins and Jones also prove to be a great fit on the tracks that they appear — a somewhat unexpected result, considering how different this music is from Brand X's jazz fusion.

Many of the songs on Another Green World have a static, weightless quality and I've seen them likened to elsewhere as "sonic paintings." But they're never mere musical wallpaper (Eno would do plenty of that later); rather, I find them all to be quite evocative and, at times ("The Big Ship," "Zawinul/Lava") powerfully emotional. Even the very short pieces play masterfully with mood; for example, the curious, probing nature of "Over Fire Island" gets abruptly cut off and replaced by an unsettling synthesizer that is set somewhere between a buzz and a shimmer. It's a small thing on the surface, but I've come to regard this transition as one of the most memorable moments on the album. There's a straight-up, Beatles-esque pop song ("I'll Come Running") stuck right in the middle of the album but rather than break the mood, the melancholy, introspective nature of the rest of the music draws out these characteristics in the song, giving it a wistful air that it never would never have exhibited so clearly if sequenced alongside the tracks on Here Come the Warm Jets or Taking Tiger Mountain. And then there's "Everything Merges With The Night," a masterful confluence of atmosphere and melody that I'd rate as the greatest four minutes that Eno ever recorded.

Unfortunately for fans of Brian Eno's pop albums, the artist would only make one more record in this vein — 1977's Before And After Science — before virtually retiring the format and embarking on a long obsession with ambient music. There are actually some people out there who prefer Before and After Science, but I'll stick by Another Green World as not only Eno's best, but one of the few perfect albums that I've ever heard.

review by Matt P.

Track listing:

1. Sky Saw
2. Over Fire Island
3. St. Elmo's Fire
4. In Dark Trees
5. The Big Ship
6. I'll Come Running
7. Another Green World
8. Sombre Reptiles
9. Little Fishes
10. Golden Hours
11. Becalmed
12. Zawinul/Lava
13. Everything Merges With the Night
14. Spirits Drifting

Personnel:

* Brian Eno: "Sky Saw": vocals, Snake Guitar, Digital-Guitar
"Over Fire Island": synthesizers, guitar, tapes
"St. Elmo's Fire": vocals, organ, piano, bass, synthesizedpercussion, Desert-Guitar
"In Dark Trees": synthesizers, guitar, synt-perc, treatments, rhythm generator
"The Big Ship": synthesizers, synthesized-percussion, treatments,rhythm generator
"I'll Come Running": vocals, Castanet-Guitar, chord piano,synthesizers, synthesized-percussion
"Another Green World": organ, Desert-Guitar, piano
"Sombre Reptiles": organ, synthesizers, guitar, synthesized-percussion
"Little Fishes": organ, prepared piano
"Golden Hours": vocals, Org, Uncertain Piano, Club-Guitar, percussion
"Becalmed": electric piano, synthesizer
"Zawinul/Lava": electric piano, synthesizers, organ, tapes
"Everything Merges With The Night": vocals, guitar
"Spirits Drifting": bass guitar, organ, synthesizer
* John Cale: viola on "Sky Saw" and "Golden Hours"
* Phil Collins: drums on "Sky Saw", "Over Fire Island" and "Zawinul/Lava"
* Robert Fripp: Wimshurst-Guitar on "St. Elmo's Fire", Restrained-Guitar on"I'll Come Running", Wimborne-Guitar on "Golden Hours"
* Percy Jones: bass on "Sky Saw", "Over Fire Island" and "Zawinul/Lava"
* Roderick Melvin: electric piano on "Sky Saw" and "Zawinul/Lava", piano on"I'll Come Running"
* Paul Rudolph: bass on "Sky Saw", bass, Castanet-Guitar and drums on "I'llCome Running", guitar on "Zawinul/Lava"
* Brian Turrington: bass and piano on "Everything Merges With The Night"

Brian Eno - (1974) Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy)

Brian Eno - (1974) Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

Released in 1974, second Eno album. this album just like it's predecessor "Here Come The Warm Jets" this album is more glam-rock/roxy oriented album compared to Eno's majority ambient albums. This album features Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music on guitar. I remember thinking to myself the first time I heard this album "that's weird" and not paying much attention to it, mainly because I was just discovering the wonders on Pink Floyd, which had cast a temperary shadow over music I was bound to stumble across such as: Soft Machine, Os Mutantes, etc. 1 Burning Airlines Give You So Much More remindes me of much of Needles In The Camels Eye, a great song to open the album with, it's the most accessible track on the album with micro camera''s. 2 Back In Judy's Jungle has a military type drum beat, which leads me to think this is an anti-war song, an interesting concept of the song Eno uses his synthesizers as the chorus of the song, "file under futile". 3 The Fat Lady Of Limboug remindes me of a cat burgler sneaking into a musium, or is that what the song is about?? Includes Roxy Music's saxophonist Andy MacKay playing the sax and oboe, also has a rhythm generator as the beat, this song demands a jelly-fish kiss. 4 Mother Whale Eyeless soundes like it shoud belong on "For Your Pleasure" apart from being the best song on the entire album includes a guitar solo from Phil Manzanera and superb bass work done by sessionist/friend of Eno's> Brian Turrington. 5 The Great Pretender I heard some-where that Eno opened a piano and had a friend sit on the strings while he played/recorded the opening keys, kind of a dark song, extremely tripppy as is much of this album is, as the song fades of you hear Eno's synth once again creating some kind of mechcanical crickets which ends side one. .::SIDE TWO::. 6 Third Uncle is a strong heart pounding song that sounds almost like punk rock, very fast past and the most progressive song on the entire album,I don't think Eno takes a single breath while singing , after this song you'll need a jelly-fish kiss.7 Put A Straw Under Baby is almost the exact opposite as 3rd Uncle, slow and soft, with a nursery- rhyme overtone, listening to the lyrics makes me think Eno is poking fun at the Christian Cult.8 The True Wheel is very progressive,almost psychedelic but certainly triippy, strong opening accomponied by Eno's hissing "electronics" and corney vocals, I heard this song explains the orgins of the mysterious meaning of 801 "looking for the certain ratio".9 China My China is an odd song with Manzanera on guitar, thumping bass, sifting drums, once again corney vocals, At 1:45min into the song Phil Manzanera performs a backwards guitar solo.10 Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy is the slowest, most relaxing, and final song on this album, and what a way to end this great Eno classic. Jake E from Progarcheives

Studio Album, released in 1974

Track Listings

1. Burning Airlines Give You So Much More (3:15)
2. Back In Judy's Jungle (5:14)
3. The Fat Lady of Limbourg (5:05)
4. Mother Whale Eyeless (6:00)
5. The Great Pretender (5:10)
6. Third Uncle (5:01)
7. Put A Straw Under Baby (3:28)
8. The True Wheel (5:20)
9. China My China (5:45)
10. Taking Tiger Mountain (6:00)
Line-up/Musicians

- Brian Eno / vocals, electronics, guitar, keyboards
- Phil Manzanera / guitar
- Freddie Smith & Phil Collins / drums
- Brian Turrington / bass
- Robert Wyatt / percussion, backing vocals
- Polly Eltes / vocals (4)