Where to start with Eno?

KCAccidental · 06-09-2009 09:36PM #1

quite the body of work, where should i start with him? have already got music for aiports...

cheers lads

jiltloop · 06-09-2009 10:48PM

Apollo is excellant, Ambient 1 and 2 are great avoid ambient 4, I wasn't impressed with that one. Pretty much anything he's done with Harold Budd that I've heard has been excellant. Could be forgetting an album here not sure.

rottenhat · 07-09-2009 06:36AM

jiltloop wrote: »

avoid ambient 4, I wasn't impressed with that one.

Couldn't agree less - Ambient 4: On Land is the best of the ambient series by a country mile, followed by Ambient 2: Plateaux Of Mirrors (which does feature Harold Budd). But I'd say Another Green World is his best work - only John Martyn's One World is comparable.

jiltloop · 07-09-2009 10:31AM

rottenhat wrote: »

Couldn't agree less - Ambient 4: On Land is the best of the ambient series by a country mile, followed by Ambient 2: Plateaux Of Mirrors (which does feature Harold Budd). But I'd say Another Green World is his best work - only John Martyn's One World is comparable.

I think Plateau of mirror is the best of the ambient series, I really didn't take to ambient 4. It seems overly repetitive

Scubadevils · 07-09-2009 12:51PM

Worth giving Ambient 4 another few spins - I didn't take to it initially and wondered what the hype was about, I had heard from a few people that it was their favourite or high on the list... it took a few listens for me but one night it clicked when listening on headphones in bed and I now love it.

Outside of that the usuals for me too - Apollo, Music For Airports and the Budd collaborations.

I still haven't got Another Green World and I've been curious for ages about 'Discreet Music'... don't know why I haven't bought this yet!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Discreet-Music-Brian-Eno/dp/B0002PZVGQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1252327765&sr=8-14

Ghost Rider · 07-09-2009 04:35PM

"The Pearl" (with Harold Budd) is my personal favourite of his ambient stuff, although "Evening Star", Ambient #4 and "Thursday Afternoon" are all superb too. "Discreet Music" is lovely, if a bit austere in places.

Ambient #3, ("Day of Radiance") is tremendous but it seems unfair to call it an Eno album, as he only produced it. (The playing is by Laraaji.)

If you haven't heard "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts", the first of his collaborations with David Byrne, get that, and don't let Byrne's more recent stuff put you off. The closest thing to it is Talking Heads' "Remain In Light", which is recommendation enough.

For what it's worth, I think "Apollo" is over-rated (though there are two real gems on it) and I can't stand Eno's singing so I'm not a fan of most of "Before & After Science", "Here Come The Warm Jets", "Taking Tiger Mountain" etc. "Another Green World" does have a fair bit of singing on it but it also has a few awesome instrumental tracks.

Setun · 07-09-2009 06:34PM

He did a nice collaboration with John Cale and released an album called Wrong Way Up, which I quite like despite how dated it sounds. When it comes down to it though, I'd say the ambient series - I particularly like Ambient 1, and Thursday Afternoon is rather good aswell. He has some good "ethnic music" records, one called Third World with Jon Hassel, which is interesting too.

Has anyone read David Sheppard's Eno biography actually? Got it the other week, haven't really got a chance to start it yet.

jiltloop · 07-09-2009 09:03PM

Felixdhc wrote: »

Worth giving Ambient 4 another few spins - I didn't take to it initially and wondered what the hype was about, I had heard from a few people that it was their favourite or high on the list... it took a few listens for me but one night it clicked when listening on headphones in bed and I now love it.

Outside of that the usuals for me too - Apollo, Music For Airports and the Budd collaborations.

I still haven't got Another Green World and I've been curious for ages about 'Discreet Music'... don't know why I haven't bought this yet!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Discreet-Music-Brian-Eno/dp/B0002PZVGQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1252327765&sr=8-14

Yeah I must give it another listen then. I just felt after listening to it the first few times that it was a little repetitive and the songs didn't seem to evolve too much. Where as ambient 1 and 2 are full of gorgeous subtle melodies and seem more like a journey if you know what I mean. But yeah its a while since I gave it a listen so maybe I should give it another shot.

rottenhat · 08-09-2009 09:16AM

To me, Ambient 4 is the one that is most succcessful at creating an atmosphere or sense of place - I thought Apollo was quite similar in sound but less interesting. I agree that there isn't much musical development within the tracks but that's not really the point. And I find Music For Airports a bit too blandly obvious in comparison.

I don't have a problem with Eno's vocals so for me, the four pop albums would be one of the peaks of experimental pop music - easily up there with For Your Pleasure (Roxy Music), Acnalbasac Noom (Slapp Happy), Chairs Missing (Wire) or Fear Of Music (Talking Heads). Before And After Science is the weakest of them but it's still a cracking album.

As Ghost Rider says, there's plenty of interest to be had in Eno's production work - obviously rather more in the early days when it was the likes of Talking Heads, Devo and the No New York compilation than when he was working with James (I mean really, why?) or U2.

John · 08-09-2009 11:53AM

Aside from the core albums named above, his collaborations with Robert Fripp (No Pussyfooting) and the guys from Cluster and Harmonia (Cluster & Eno and After the Heat) are solid gold. And of course, his three albums with David Bowie (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger) are essential listening for fans of either artist and beyond essential for fans of both.

Ghost Rider · 08-09-2009 03:05PM

Very good call, John. The Cluster album is great and so is "Low" with Bowie. Don't know the other two Bowie collaborations - must check themo ut.

John wrote: »

Aside from the core albums named above, his collaborations with Robert Fripp (No Pussyfooting) and the guys from Cluster and Harmonia (Cluster & Eno and After the Heat) are solid gold. And of course, his three albums with David Bowie (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger) are essential listening for fans of either artist and beyond essential for fans of both.

John · 08-09-2009 04:01PM

Well I'm sure you know the song "Heroes" with that beautiful guitar by Fripp. Tremendous song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQFuNHCMF2Y

damonjewel · 08-09-2009 04:13PM

John wrote: »

Aside from the core albums named above, his collaborations with Robert Fripp (No Pussyfooting) and the guys from Cluster and Harmonia (Cluster & Eno and After the Heat) are solid gold. And of course, his three albums with David Bowie (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger) are essential listening for fans of either artist and beyond essential for fans of both.

There is a third album, although I have never heard it, Harmonia '76 Tracks and traces where he plays with all of harmonia. I think the albums you have mentioned don't include Michael Rother from Neu! on Guitar.

Heres a track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUQtF0NWkPk

Speaking of which this is La Dusseldorf which had Klaus Dinger of Neu! I think you would agree Bowie and Eno pretty much used it as the template for their 'Berlin' period

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ierHfXrN8G4

Music for airports 1 is my personal favourite, as for collaborational work look no further than Roxy Music's first album

Scubadevils · 08-09-2009 05:18PM

Yeah absolutely +1 on the Cluster & Eno album, stunning.

One he produced which I love is 'Power Spot' with Jon Hassel, highly recommended also...

http://www.discogs.com/Jon-Hassell-Power-Spot/release/104233

Where to start with Eno?

Comments