Reviews (page 2 of 9)
If you listen for a minute you pretty much know how all of it is, maybe nice to have when doing annoying tasks meditations, but I don't really need it. Very repetitive
Ambient music is always going to be polarising, it's literally designed to be played in the background and so lacks a lot of the 'depth' over music gets to explore. Still, being able to craft something for that purpose takes skill, and it can be quite the experience to listen to when done right. I don't find this to blow me away as later ambient releases have done, but it's still well worth your time.
Generated 9/4/26 started listening at Logan Airport 9/20/26. It only felt right... Wow to the first track, sure to everything else.
Nope. 1/5
Ambient music existed before 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘪𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 — including in Brian Eno’s own earlier work — but few albums defined the idea quite so clearly. For a self-described non-musician, Eno was remarkably good at figuring out how little music actually needed to do. Piano notes drift in and out, voices appear like distant announcements, and almost nothing seems to happen in a conventional sense. It is music designed to exist around you rather than constantly demand your attention — the kind of thing that could make you pleasantly sleepy while waiting at an airport before your flight has even been delayed. And somehow it works. Quiet, spacious, slightly hypnotic, and much more interesting than music this uneventful has any right to be.
Ay we chillin ✌️
muy ambiental
This is so good man, a solid 10/10 in ambient chill music.
Great album. No favorite tracks, the whole album is excellent.
Wtf is this bro
no se si es tan ambiente para aeropuertos pero esta re viajera mal loco
Not music you can dance to but utterly beautiful. Perfect for me on this particular day. Like drifting through space. 4
Your call may be recording for training and monitoring purposes
81/100. Relaxing and calming, this is ambient done right. It's a beautifully orchestrated sound that really helps you wind down. That said, I’m not convinced this would calm anyone stuck in a terminal during a flight delay… but for a quiet night at home or a long introspective walk? Perfect.
No sé este que está haciendo acá jajaja, pero ya lo había escuchado, solo que para concentrarme o así, para su propósito le daré sus 5 estrellas
Nice but not very memorable
Aye top tier
Lovely and chill (4.5)
Sleep music for people who take ritalin
Got emotional listening to this alone in an airport. But can't recommend outside that situation. 2-3 rats
I'm sorry, must have dozed off.
wtf is this doing on this list? nonsense
I think this is my second Eno record on here. May the other was collaboration? So far I love this. Let’s see how this unfolds. It’s great album to work to. It’s background music that more to say than most background music.
very nice......
ja, unbedingt hinhören, auch wenn es nur hintergrundmusik sein soll.
Sicher ein Meisterwerk, aber eine noch grössere Leistung so ein Album zu kaufen und einfach Klasse es in dieser Liste zu erwähnen.
"Ambient 1/Music For Airports" isn't an album that I would typically buy and listen to. After the first track started I had the attitude of I'm not going to listen to this album again, but I soon found the opening track was oddly compelling and quite soothing and that continued for the following two tracks. This is an intriguing record that succeeds in its intent to create a calm, unobtrusive backdrop. While the minimalist approach and sparse arrangements mean it won't be a regular addition to daily listening, the first three tracks possess a soothing quality that holds the attention far better than expected. The final track feels a little too stark by comparison, but overall I found myself enjoying the album - quite a lot actually. Four stars. Side one 1 - "1/1" (Acoustic and electric piano; synthesizer) (4/5) 2 - "2/1" (Vocals; synthesizer) (4/5) Side two 3 - "1/2" (Vocals; acoustic piano) (4/5) 4 - "2/2" (Synthesiser only) (3/5) Total - 15 Average - 3.75 414/1001 215/414 albums reviewed were new to me
..
It Literally says for airports. Brian Eno’s work is great, why this?
I don't understand why ambient sounds. Really, I personally don't feel anything, and I most certainly don't see the fucking point in having this kind of music on this list. It's not bad, I just don't think this is actual music, it's like when you put white noise or "music to sleep" in your TV. Just some bs
There are many reasons that I love this album. 1) It's goal to stand in direct contrast to the muzak of the time is admirable. If you define pop music as structurally homogenic music that is engineered to placate the masses, you could consider this to be anti-pop. 2) I love the idea of this music being as forgettable as it is intriguing. So many subtle nuisances and textures throughout that make this a worthwhile active listen, though I've used this for working as well. 3) I've built countless memories around these moments, from falling asleep on my couch in Chicago listening to my vinyl version the first time, to giving my kids kitchen-sink baths and throwing this on as "spa music". One of my favorite records. 5/5
Mrzim aerodrome i bez ovoga, uspavalo me.
Well there’s a reason this isn’t called Music for Housekeeping. But really, I do understand and appreciate this album, I just wouldn’t throw it on to get the party started. Maybe to stare out of the window into the rain, though.
# An In-Depth Review of Brian Eno's *Ambient 1: Music for Airports* Released in 1978, *Ambient 1: Music for Airports* is more than just an album; it is a foundational text, a philosophical manifesto, and a functional piece of art. At a time when punk rock was at its most aggressive, Brian Eno was exploring the complete opposite: "music that was fully intellectualized and utterly translucent — sounds that disappeared completely" . The result is a work that has not only defined a genre but continues to challenge our fundamental understanding of what music can be and how we interact with it. ### The Music and Production: A Study in Space and Process The music on *Music for Airports* is minimalist, constructed not from traditional song structures, melodies, or rhythms, but from simple, repeating fragments of sound. The album comprises four tracks with the barest of names—**1/1, 2/1, 1/2, and 2/2**—each a slowly evolving soundscape created using tape loops, synthesizers, and acoustic instruments . The production techniques are central to the album's effect. Eno used unsynchronized tape loops of different lengths—for example, one loop might be 79 feet long and another 83 feet—which would drift in and out of phase with each other over time . This process, influenced by the work of minimalist composers like Steve Reich, creates music that is constantly in flux without any sudden, dramatic changes . The piano loop in "1/1" is one of the most famous examples: a simple, child-like phrase on piano and Fender Rhodes, drenched in reverb and played at half-speed, creating a sense of serene depth and timelessness . Key musical elements across the album include: * **Tape Loop Techniques:** Using unsynchronized loops of different lengths to create unpredictable, emergent patterns . * **Vocal Textures:** Wordless choral voices in tracks like "2/1" that function purely as instrumental texture, sounding "strangely affectless" and blending with the synth tones . * **Minimalist Arrangements:** A focus on individual tones and their sustain, creating "thickets" of sound for the listener to explore . * **Ambient Sound:** Carefully crafted to sit in the background, avoiding low-mid frequencies that would interfere with human speech . ### Themes: Defusing Fear and Creating Space The core of *Music for Airports* is its philosophical intent. The album was born from Eno's frustration with the "awful music" and the "very happy music" that was typically piped into airports—music that he felt was a dishonest attempt to soothe passengers by denying the inherent anxieties of air travel . Eno's ambition was radically different. He stated in an interview that he wanted to create music that would make you think, "we're all going to die and that's okay" . This approach creates a feeling of being "suspended in the universe, and your life or death wasn't so important" . The album "subverts the order of things," offering a deep, calm acceptance of the moment rather than a cheap promise of safety . This is achieved by creating a piece of "passive" music that reflects the listener's own emotions rather than dictating them; its "endless mutability of mood" means it can adapt to whatever emotional state the listener brings to it . In this way, it aims to "tint living situations" without commanding attention . ### Lyrics The album contains no lyrics in any traditional sense. The only "vocals" are the wordless "ahhh" of the choir, used as another instrument to add texture and a sense of ethereal, human presence . ### Influence: The Blueprint for a Genre *Music for Airports* is widely credited with formally defining the genre of ambient music . Its accompanying liner notes contain Eno's famous manifesto: "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" . This principle has become a cornerstone of ambient and electronic music, influencing countless artists from the Orb and Aphex Twin to generations of producers and sound designers . It synthesized ideas from avant-garde composers like Erik Satie (furniture music), John Cage (chance operations and the "activity of sounds"), and La Monte Young (drone music) into a coherent, popular, and commercially viable format . Its legacy is so profound that it has been re-evaluated by critics like Ivan Hewitt of *The Telegraph* as a "seismic moment in musical history" . --- ### Pros and Cons #### **Pros** * **Pioneering and Influential:** As the foundational text of ambient music, its influence on modern electronic, ambient, and experimental music is immeasurable . * **A Brilliant Conceptual Framework:** The philosophical intent behind the music—to provide a calm, non-intrusive space for thought, even in the anxiety-ridden environment of an airport—is intellectually profound and emotionally resonant . * **Innovative Production:** The use of tape loops and generative processes to create music that "composes itself" was a groundbreaking technique that has inspired countless artists . * **Functionality:** It is a masterpiece of "utilitarian" art, serving its purpose beautifully as a calming background element while remaining interesting enough to reward focused listening . #### **Cons** * **Passive Listening Requirement:** For listeners not in the right mindset, or those who prefer more active musical experiences, the album can be perceived as "tedious, repetitive, and somewhat boring," or "aesthetic white noise" . * **Uneven Tracks:** Some listeners find the tracks, particularly "2/1" and "1/2," less successful than the iconic "1/1" and "2/2," viewing them as less engaging or a less perfect fit for the album's core statement . * **Context-Dependent Appreciation:** The album's brilliance is highly dependent on the listening context. Its beauty is most apparent when used as intended, to complement another activity or space, rather than as a primary focus of attention . ### Conclusion *Ambient 1: Music for Airports* is a paradox: a deliberately "ignorable" piece of art that has become utterly unforgettable; a musical work created for airports that has found its true home in the homes, minds, and hearts of listeners worldwide. It is a work of "willfully perverse" genius that invites us to listen in a new way and to find beauty not in a catchy melody, but in the very space between the notes . Whether you find it a soothing masterpiece or a bore, its place as one of the most important and innovative albums of the 20th century is unquestionable. It doesn't just create a sound; it creates a world.
Bit weird this is an album to listen to before I die. Nice to chill to as background, but otherwise nothing groundbreaking.
I like this but it’s so limited in its application it’s hard to rank, nice to help you fall asleep or background music whilst getting a massage but realistically how often would you reach for it. 3
I like this. Nice to put on when you are working as it's pleasant and relaxing without being distracting.
background music. does its purpose
Ja, dette gidder jeg ikke. Dette er ikke noe jeg må ha på kistelista.
i am bored
*1978. *4 "tracks" varying in length from about 9-17 minutes. *I mean, I guess you know what you're getting. This is absolutely ambient music that you would never listen to except possibly trying to go to sleep in an airport/airplane. *I suppose it's fine for what it is, but this is a wild choice for this list. There are a total of 5 Brian Eno albums on here, inexplicably. RATING - 6/10
Porra de música de ambiente quase dormi ouvindo
Day 371 Really struggled to get through this one, just not my kind of music at all
Ambient Favorite Song: 2/2, although 1/1 sounds pleasant. Least Favorite Song: 2/1 So this is the album that 100% pioneered ambient. …admittedly, I’ve heard better ambient tracks/albums. A great recommendation goes to Autumn of Communion 2 by Autumn of Communion. Although, glad that I got to experience a piece of history. That being said, I do have two issues about this album. The first being that I can’t fathom this kind of music being equated to being played at an airport. 1/1 especially doesn’t sound like it should be played at an airport (even though I did like the calming piano notes throughout the track). I get that this is inspired about Brian Eno waiting at an airport for a few hours, and I get that this is the first of a four part series, but the title feels misleading. I feel like this should’ve been called, “Music for the Meditated” (although for me, I think I had the best experience listening to this album while being outside in the night. Kinda gives you that vibe that you’re alone in the universe, but it doesn’t mean that everything’s going to be bad. Idk, maybe a better title should’ve been, “Music for Wonderers”). Secondly, I did felt like the choices for how it sounds felt a bit dated. I do get that it’s the 70’s and that the technology hasn’t advanced yet, but I did not like 2/1 and bits of 1/2 due to the vocal loops. For an album that wants to sound calming, it definitely gives me a bit of ghostly dread instead. That being said, I did thought that, for an album of its time, it’s rather good. I don’t think that I would want this album (again, there’s better ambient tracks/albums out there for me), but as someone who listens to electronic stuff, I’m glad that I’ve heard it and learned a bit of history behind it. 7/10
This holds up. Slow, meditative, layered, gorgeous. Ambient gets a bad rap, but this started it all, and it is killer.
There IS something very airport-like, from a previous era, about this music. I know Brian Eno is one of the greats and helped fashion this kind of ambient soundscape in the first place, but in 2026 it mostly sounds like music for a massage, which is unfortunate.
Really chill music. I like it.
Fine for what it is meant for, but not a great listen if you're not in the mood for it.
Sonic wallpaper. I guess that's the definition of ambient music. Kind of felt like a whole lot of nothing. Respect the work, but nothing to see here.
It’s just background music
I have ADHD. I literally cant with this im sorry.
Music shouldn't be put in the background
John Ambient
magic
Love my Bri. Even he says that he didn't invent ambient music though. Review review: why would you expect ambient music to have a rhythmic structure. What a jackass.
How the fuck number 1 has Brian Eno got 5!albums on this list and number 2 is this one of the 5. I mean it’s not terrible it’s literally background music. Which I quite like but to make a list of 1001 albums you have to listen to and think yep guys whack this one in it makes you question if the author is actually alright and not completely insane.
Aburrido
Made for okay background track to my waiting in line at the DMV.
interesting album. i feel like it could be a soundtrack being played while you're walking on the moon. OK background music.
Not much you can say... Talented piano work for music meant to put you to sleep.
Good napping music.
I can’t believe this even exists!!!!!
This album must be listened to with headphones while doing nothing else. It is literally ambient background music, how good can it be? A pleasant listen in a quiet place with headphones but would never listen again.
His greatest achievement.
Beautiful background music, similar to some Tangerine Dream. Not something I'd play on the regular. 4/5
Super chill, when I saw Brian Eno I was worried but I really enjoyed this
Relaxing
It’s kind of crazy that this album made the list and not “Early Riser” the first option for alarm sounds on my iPhone. Politics. 😒
Hard to rate. Very soothing felt like spa music. Kind of a palate cleanser after the last few
It was peaceful and I’m sure amazing when it came out. Def doesn’t hit the same way
Listened to it in an airport, 10/10 would recommend
1/1 2/1
I have an interesting connection to this album. (Forgive me if some of the details are sparse, it has been a few years since I heard this story.) One of my architecture professors at college met Brian Eno on a flight some time after this album released. They had a discussion about this album and about "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander. I believe they continued some level of correspondence over the following decades, trading thoughts on the interactions between music and architecture. This ambient music, first formalized here, became the basis for several installations by Brian Eno over the years. This album certainly lends itself to an art gallery atmosphere, there are similar sonic experiences on display at hundreds of museums around the globe, all of which owe something to this album. The simple looped tracks make for something unobtrusive and soothing, but there can be a great variety in music created just by altering the timing and patterns of the tracks. For a similar example, look at the work of 20th-century visual artist Thomas Wilfred, who created dancing aurora-like images using projected light. Some of these pieces have runtimes that are measured in years before they will repeat their pattern! As an album, this isn't the most interesting thing to listen to, and it doesn't feel very unique these days. You can go into dozens of protestant churches in my city alone and hear something that sounds similar played in the background on a synthesizer while the prematurely-balding pastor says a prayer. But there is still a significance to this album - in being one of the first, in the influence of the structure and mechanics behind it, and in the cultural impact of ambient music - that earns it a place on this list. Favorite track: "1/1." I think this song is the most interesting of the four due to having the dueling/complementing piano melodies woven throughout.
I which Brian writes songs which resolve to a finish after a minute or two, then plays the outro for 37.8 weeks. Take side 1 part 1- a simple figure in the major scale played in various inversions. It resolved quickly, the notes died out, then it started again. Repeat ad nauseum. It's actually pleasant - good passive listening when you need to calm your thoughts. Almost worthy of a 4
51/100
Really loved this. I don't always look for background music, but when I need it I need it. This really hit the spot. And a few days later I was taking a flight and it came back to me the purpose: creating a creative, relaxing, destressed atmosphere.
Seriously way to much Brian Eno and now this one is just ambient noise? What are we doing here
A great chill out album. I’m glad I didn’t get this on a night when I’m in work because I definitely don’t think I would’ve got as much out of it. It’s not an album that’s going to become a regular listen but I could see myself going back to it once or twice a year.
Pretty wallpaper is still wallpaper. I'm rating these albums as pieces of music I would sit and listen to and enjoy as a piece of art, not as a piece of wallpaper. I'd happily put this on as background music, but I would never sit and listen to it as an actual album.
I admire the concept and enjoyed it when I was paying attention.
A legendary work in the genre of ambient music. I think this is fantastic. I was excited to see it on the list and as today's album. I wish this played in my airport - it would help me keep calm on long travel days. For today, it is helping me focus and decrease stress at work. (And I don't even work in an airport!)
(4/7) in the process of listening to this I forgot that I was listening to this, which I guess was the goal
In 1978, after only 6 years on the music scene (as (non-)musician, songwriter, producer etc), it was already quite obvious that Brian Eno was a musical genius. This album simply raised the notion to a different level altogether. (A level where the players are not "pop musicians" but "serious composers": people like John Cage, Philip Glass, Steve Reich etc.)
The biggest gripe with this album is that when you first enter it, it starts off really intriguing... but listening to the same noise for 17 minutes, even if branded as "ambient" can genuinely just get more than tiring. Despite the runtime being only 48 minutes, I've felt like I've wasted half my day just listening to this album alone. Eno is a musical prodigy, and the album is very much an important staple in both ambient and electronic music as a whole... but it's not something I'd want to repeat my listen to.
Very relaxing
Ambient music with intent. I am not currently in an airport whilst listening to this though, so my work desk will have to do. It's... ambient music alright. I'll say that I preferred the piano pieces over the ethereal vocal ones. The former did a better job of providing a relaxing atmosphere. Can't really fault Eno here as this is exactly what he set out to do when recording this album. Not really something that I'll set out to listen to again, however.
This is good for what it is.
This feels like an unfair album to rate. As a conscious experience of listening for an hour, this was truly awful. Nothing memorable, truly. I’m not an ambient guy. However, if I was waiting to hear group 9 board at gate E62, I’d think this was perfectly fine. So for that I’m giving it a 2
This is like the music they play at a spa or when you are getting a massage. In that context it is really perfect and facilitates the extremely calm and meditative environment where you can just zone out and exist. I think trying to deeply listen to music like this an think critically about it is difficult- that's true for a lot of ambient music and I think it succeeds in cultivating a vibe. I think this is relaxing music but as I am trying to listen deeply it feels more like music to slit your wrists to. It is meant to fade into the background and it better when it does that.
Ambient music usually kind of sucks, but I like this so far (writing during the first track). It’s pretty; it reminds me of Explosions in the Sky. 7/10
meh
Very relaxing. Perfect to drift off to sleep to. Favorite track: 2/2
I wonder how many takes Mr. Eno had to make of this record?
Is this my favorite ambient album? No. Is this my favorite Eno album? No. Is this my favorite ambient Eno album? Still no. Is it a classic I fully respect, and literally paved the way for one or my favorite genres to exist? Absolutely. The literature and lore surrounding this album makes me want to enjoy it so much more, but it simply doesn't fascinate me the way the vast majority of ambient albums that have come out since. Zero disrespect to Eno, just a case of my reverence for an album outweighing my individual enjoyment. Fav Songs: 1/1, 1/2 Least Fav: 2/1 Score: 6
I was literally on the plane recently, this should've been the music that played. This album reminds me of those ambient YouTube videos where they have someone narrate Bible verses as you drift off to sleep. Ambient 1 gets you in a mood to reflect, journal, and play some Breath of the Wild. 1/1 sounds like the Zoom doorbell notification when someone has joined the waiting room. It definitely fits the airport vibe. 2/1 and 1/2 sound like a sanctuary. And 2/2 is the triumphant traveler going home. Can't believe I listened to 48 minutes of this... intently... (3.5)
This is so relaxing; it's also perfect for reading as well. Favourite Songs: 1/1, 1/2, 2/2. Least Favourite Songs: 2/1.
Es música ambiental, está bien. Es para otro momento.
Was decent - really enjoyed the first track. However the other 3 didn't hit as hard... almost seemed a tad dated?
Very ambient
's alright 3.4
Extatict, this have a lot space for silence. The monotonous tone can be difficult to concentrate on the music, but that is the goal here, is to the music mix with the environment, really great approach.
Certified garbage
Delivers on the title's promise, I guess.
Sure is ambient.
Ambient done so right! Love this album.
Good places to hear this music - getting a message, guided meditations, in bed as a sleep aid, yoga class, a planetarium. End of list.
The longest elevator ride of my life.
Most people, when their flight is delayed, pick up a magazine or grab a bite to eat. Not this asshat. He has to invent a whole new genre of music that subliminally leaves space to “resign you to the possibility of death.” Typical f’ing artist. Just get over yourself, order a drink or three, and hang out with the rest of us normal people instead of isolating into some self-important, nihilistic passion project no one else gives two shits about. It’s a lot less work, and no one will have to suffer through the results of your “art” when that plane finally lands.
Eno's description of this album: "as ignorable as it is interesting" Well, he's half right. It's absolutely ignorable.
Does me no harm, but bores me to death. Just elevator music. Nowadays one can find this kind of music a million times on playlists generated by AI.
Brian Eno’s *Ambient 1: Music for Airports* is a polarizing exercise in minimalism that succeeds primarily as a functional sleep aid rather than an engaging listening experience. While the tracks vary in quality—ranging from the serene brilliance of "1/2" to the lackluster, repetitive drone of "2/2"—the album’s overarching issue is its excessive length and lack of dynamic tension. It effectively achieves its goal of creating a background atmosphere, but for anyone seeking a record that demands attention or repeated casual listening, this remains an underwhelming collection that will likely gather dust rather than playtime.
Might be a little harsh, the other 1 star albums I have aren’t as enjoyable but damn this does not need to be 50 min. It’s so repetitive, there’s no additional elements added on. The last song is the best but still doesn’t pull it out of the 1 spot for me. Fave song: 2/2
Background music
Takes me back to the time I first heard this album in 2015. Thanks Geoff!
Does exactly what it's intended to do, fades into the background. Can't fault it for that. 3 feels appropriate for an ambient album even if it's as influential as this was.
musica ambiente, legal para alguns momentos
They should play this at the airport. Or anywhere.
It wasn’t annoying to listen to, but what on earth is this? 2/5
1/1
Needed this after the bleep bloop nonsense, but it might have been a swing too far in the other direction. The abundance of ethereal "ahs" was a bit much for me. 5/10
1/1 = 4/5 2/1 = 3/5 1/2 = 3/5 2/2 = 3/5
After listening to the album I was less than impressed. Track 2 and 3 sound almost identical. Considering that is like 50% of the playtime, it's quite a letdown. Then I read about it on Wikipedia. Turns it out it's actually one of (the?) first actual ambient album. That flips things around for me. Sure, it's not the best ambient album I've heard (or even that good honestly), but it deserves recognition if this is the first of its kind. In the end I'll give this a 3 as a compromise. Weak 2 music wise, 4 or 5 for creativity. Definitely deserves a spot on the list. PS. Please let this be the last Brian Eno album.
Not sure how to review this. It’s not really music to focus on but rather background music which seems to be the entire point of the record. I think it succeeds in that, feels like music you could find in a spa. I found the effects pretty impressive for 1978 and it sure is different. It deserves a place on the list but for personal enjoyment it gets a meh. 3 stars I guess?
Ты очень умен, если слушаешь эмбиент
Приятная, успокаивающая музыка. Таких альбомов тысячи, вот только вышли они все позже, плюс сам термин появился благодаря этому альбому, так что как минимум за влияние стоит отдать должное.
Вайб плюс реально успокоило
После продолжительного отпуска камбэк ту зис топ. В меня редко попадает эмбиент, но тут прям с первого трека чем-то зацепило
спасибо, больше не послушаю этот альбом, причем более ранний альбом брайана - оч даже зашел, 2.5
should be listened to only in airports.
Nice and chill
Tough one to rate. It's artfully done, and Eno is undoubtedly a genius producer, but by its nature it's background music. I'm going to give it an extra star for being groundbreaking and influential.
Brian Eno said that this album was supposed to be "as ignorable as it is interesting". He failed in that mission because it is exceedingly more ignorable. Each of the 4 tracks is a repetitive loop of wasted time.
What a waste of time. Ambient 1 Star. Brian Eno was asked about this in an interview and he said that it’s not designed to listen to, it’s meant to be ignored, verbatim quote. Ignore it from this list forever. ⭐️
- I appreciate this being the "first," but a lot of ambient music has come out since that I vastly prefer. - 1/1 is the best track...easily could have come out post-2000. All of the others are much more dated, especially with the vocal inclusions.
would probably listen to it if i was a monk
How can one properly evaluate ambient music? It's not meant to be listened to with a critical ear, but to set a relaxing mood in spaces such as hotels, stores, and (as stated in the album's title) airports. So, as an album to be on the list, I'll give it a 3 for it's significance to ambient as a genre while not actually being a "listenable" album in the traditional sense.
It just kind of washed over me, which to be fair seems to be what Eno was going for.
nice. i do like ambient music. 1/1 and 2/2 are smooth and entrancing, but i found 2/1 and 1/2 to be a little boring. i imagine this album was a pioneering one in the ambient genre but i think it serves as a reminder of how the early work in a certain style isn't necessarily the best, regardless of its influence and impact. tbh i didn't really think either of the middle two tracks felt like music for an airport. 3.3/5
I don’t know what music was like in airports in the 1970s, I wasn’t around, but I’m glad that it wasn’t replaced by this. Everyone would miss their flight because they’d have fallen asleep out of boredom, although if the pilots were also listening at least they’d be asleep as well so the plane wouldn’t leave without passengers. I appreciate it has influenced other, less dull, music, but I also think that others such as Kraftwerk have been more influential on later ambient music. I also realise that this is meant to be background music, but I find it impossible not to listen to any music I hear, even if I don’t like it, so for me background music doesn’t work, I just want music I can listen to. 2/5
I truly am indebted to Brian Eno for helping pioneer the ambient genre, as I'm almost always listening to it, whether it be sleep, meditation, study, or reading.
Enjoyable but I am not into ambient music. Appreciate Eno though
Not my bag
I think I have heard this album while getting a massage before. That’s about when it is good.
Perfect for first day back
*A1: MFA* is a calm and meditative album that, when listened to in your hospital bed, will give you the strength to make a full recovery from that plane crash.
It's a solid 2.5 because I hear the influence it had on later works and while it's not something i'd listen to everyday, it's pleasant in it's own way.
One of my all time favourite albums! never found any music ambient or otherwise that relaxes me as much as 1/1 does.
album #87 BRIAN ENO, YOUR MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ꩜ album rating: ★★★★☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,002 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 42 (+1 Ambient 1/Music for Airports) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 18 (+1 Ambient 1/Music for Airports) ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 69
Eno es de los artistas con mayor presencia en este listado. Como artista en solitario, acompañado (Budd o Byrne), con su banda Roxy music, como productor (U2 y tanto otros)... Aquí otro disco esencial. Música ambiental y portada incónica para un músico genial. Eno pensó esta música para ser escuchada en aeropuertos. Estamos hablando de una época en la que no existía la música en formato portátil. 1/1 es el más monótono de los cuatro El segundo corte (2/1) se basa en un tres voces corales femeninas y seguro que le sirvió a Enya como inspiración 1/2 también comienza de forma coral, pero luego se van alternando los pasajes corales con los pianísticos, que es una manera de conjuntar las dos primeras piezas y hacerlo un poco más accesible. En cambio, solo escucharemos sintetizadores en 2/2, imitando lo que hubiera hecho en su lugar una orquesta que tocara música minimalista, pero creando unos pasajes cálidos y agradables. https://jesusgran.wixsite.com/clasicosdelrock/brian-eno
Huh, what? Sorry I dozed off.
I’m sorry what? I fell asleep.
Lovely peaceful music
Eno was a pioneer of what we now call ambient music. He envisioned this as an art piece as much as music. It's very influential today. But of course his earliest attempts at it were more about showing what could be done. There are many better ambient albums in the almost 50 years since he released this album. Anyway, I think a good addition to the list as a historical document. But rates a 3 only.
Rate: 7/10
synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop synth synth synth synth synth synth beep boop synth beep boop ahhhhhhhhhhh synth beep boop
Brian Eno, 5 eme album proposé. Cet album est très différent des 4 autres déjà écoutés ('Here Come The Warm Jets', 'My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts' (notés 2/5), 'Before And After Science' et 'Another Green World' (notés 3/5)), relaxant mais pas très passionnant. Le premier morceau par exemple boucle sur un même motif de piano pendant plus de 16 mn, et les autres sonorités n'évoluent pas assez, elles échouent à apporter de la variété. Les morceaux suivants ne sont pas plus variés, je les ai trouvé ennuyeux aussi. Je connais d'autres albums dans le style ambiant (instrumentaux ou non) qui sont nettement plus intéressants ('Ricochet' ou 'Rubicon' de Tangerine Dream par exemple). Donc je ne suis pas sur d'avoir envie d'écouter celui-ci de nouveau. =>2/5
Absolutely adored this. I love ambient stuff though, and this is top echelon
really would enjoy this whilst studying
Why the freaky deaky are we getting relaxing sleeping music but it kinda angelic though 3 for putting me to sleep like a small baby and its for airports 🛫
i wouldnt play this in an airport maybe stranger things or something
I haven't listened to this in several years. The tracks are pretty calming, and I wondered the first time I heard it whether it would be surreal to listen on headphones while actually walking through an airport. I've never tried it, but I can sort of picture it. The Wikipedia article mentions that a journalist made a connection to Erik Satie, and I can totally hear that in "1/1".
My first reaction was not ANOTHER Brian Eno album. But this is different, he gave up singing and trying to be a pop star and just made some pleasant ambient music. For me this is a soundtrack for some other activity, not the main event on its own.
I don't mind ambient music, but this was particularly not engaging. 5/10
I mean...It came across exactly as labeled.
This actually but me to sleep. I’m not being hyperbolic- I put it on, and then woke up when the album ended. So, three stars, because music with a practical application is always appreciated.
The reviews that hate on this album are funny. Most 1-star reviews are pretty funny as a general rule, though. My reviews are really boring by comparison. Whatever. I love this. Happy chill Father’s Day. 5 stars.
1 - TERRIBLE
This album evidently created the genre of "ambient music". I find it really hard to determine whether ambient music is good or not good. I can picture this playing at the spa while I get a massage and it being perfect, so I guess it serves its purpose. Great respect for Brian Eno and the album is notable for creating a genre, but not sure about having it on this list as something I have to listen to before I die.
Pleasant mood music, nice in the background, but didn’t really grab me/have an emotional effect on me
I feel like Brian just went into the studio with a keyboard and just banged this out in a few hours. I was hoping it would be cool, but it just was too simple I think for me to really enjoy. Maybe that's the point? 6/18/26
A bit plain by modern ambient standards, but effective as a thesis statement for the genre. Makes good use of space and restraint. I would probably be a little bit calmer in an airport if this was playing.
PERFECT!!!
4 out of 5. Ambient music is so wonderful when the mood and time are right. First track was my favorite.
193. ok
This is better suited to be a movie soundtrack than an album you sit down to listen to on purpose. The best parts for me were when it faded into the background of my day and I forgot it was on. Perhaps I’d feel differently if I were an airport.
This begs the question: what is music? It’s not unpleasant, and it would do for an aquarium or planetarium, but it’s annoying as an album. Happy to be finished.
Mellow.
Honestly, not music I would ever want to hear in an airport. Maybe if the airport were completely empty, no one in it, and it was early morning where the sun is first peaking out, but yeah. I don't think there's much to say about it honestly. It's pleasant, but not something I'm ever going to "listen" to. Overly long where he just barely develops (with minor changes here and there) and idea or two over ten minute track lengths. I would have much preferred more interesting developments and movements over the loops. In comparison to the other Eno albums I've got, its probably one of the better ones, but that's more a function of it not doing stuff I dislike like on Before and After Science and My Life In the Bush of Ghosts as opposed to doing stuff I enjoy. Still think Another Green World is his best though. Need to get Here Come the Warm Jets, so the jury is out on that one.
Yeah, just plain NPC music. Not remotely interesting as My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Ei
It is so influential it has a whole genre named after it. It still sounds great, despite its age, and is a lovely way to spend 40 minutes of your day.
At this point I have listened to this album countless times. Like the best ambient music, the environmental context it is being listened to significantly changes the listening experience. Yesterday, it was playing in the kitchen whilst my two kids were running in and and out of the house like loonies and jumping in and out of a paddling pool. Eno’s album helped give pause for thought on the experience, as if slowing it down to take a snapshot of that moment, reminding me that these experiences are transient and will change as we age, and that moments like those should be treasured and savoured rather than ignored. Cue me jumping in like a loonie with them as this album faded into the background. I’m not sure many other albums can help frame my mindset in quite the same way.
Great album to have on the background and do a chill task. He is a big name in the industry and i see his vision.
nice
Grei bakgrunnsstøy, overraskende lite irriterende.
This is not the first time I’ve listened to this album. Amazing and warm for something so sparse. Really enjoy it in the right moments. Very inspiring
Inoffensive and pleasant but ultimately pointless, unfinishable, and worsened by the fact it should have been accompanied by a massage but wasn’t.
Anti-music.
Muzak
Meh
Yeah it’s kinda pretty ambient music, maybe could soundtrack the right movie, but it’s background noise through and through. This does not need to be heard before you die.
Full mousterpiece, I listen to it every day
Effectively relaxing
I’ve “listened” to this album before, or let it drift over me more like! Very good and does exactly what it says on the tin.
By coincidence I played a later work of Brian Eno, Reflection, last night quietly to help me drift off to sleep. It could easily have been this album or many others in his catalog. Eno’s music fulfils this function admirably. My one regret is that I didn’t discover this album until I I gained an interest in generative ambient music and the album Reflection a few ago. I listen to ambient music to accompany many daily events and not just for nodding off to. So it is as become a big part of my life and regret many years lost not experiencing its beauty. 5/5 9/6/26
To me and my wife it sounded like some kind of Terrance Malick movie where someone on their death bed is seeing their life flash before them. Too apt to enjoy.
Ambientmusikkens fader er tilbage. Jeg valgte at høre dette album mens jeg læste, hvilket det fungerede godt til. Brian Eno har beskrevet ambient som værende ligeså ignorerbart som interessant. Jeg er desværre nok mere til musik der både er interessant og drager min opmærksomhed. Min største udfordring med ambient musik er simpelthen at høre det. Når der er sagt, er det bedre end ikke at høre noget, og det lød ret nice. Måske høres dette album bedst i en lufthavn.
One of the astonishing things about this album was the mindfulness created by the 17 (give or take) seconds of silence that conclude each track. I found myself curious each time, wondering if my spotify link was broken, worried my headphones died or something, then giving in and waiting. The music was presenting a calmness I long for. This is a soundtrack to a life I long for, one that maybe, over time, can silence the cacophony of nonsense that rattles around this dusty mind.
Listening session: june 6th, while making dinner Listened to before: no Thoughts: this would be nice to listen to if I was trying to get into a meditative state during yoga but definitely not for a regular listen. Maybe I will revisit this album if I have important work to do Favourite track: 1/2
Ultimate ragebait would be hearing this in the airport while you’re shoving ur oversized personal item into the little baggage measuring thing
I’ve sunk HOURS into this album, Eno is a legend.
The benchmark ambient album. It’s perfect. I’ve spent many hours listening to this while studying
One of the greatest ambient albums of all time. Puts you in a state of calmness and this isn’t AI. Great stuff.
Stunning
Wow. Great. I guess *someone* had to be the first one to intentionally create background/ambient music. Music that is IN the background is just that. It's 'background' music by virtue of where it is in the aural landscape. Creating music that is **supposed** to be there means you intend for it to be ignored. What pretentious nonsense. This is the off-white wall of music, and Eno committed it to album and sold it to the public. This is the same as a painter who takes a blank canvas, puts a line of eggshell white paint on it, and then calls it sophisticated art. So, rightfully, I'm giving this a background (1/5). Thanks for defining what was already there. Do not listen to this while operating heavy machinery.
From the outset, I would like to establish that I am not an aiport, and that I respectfully recognize that I am not the target audience of this album. That said, I will endeavor to imagine what I would think of this album if I WERE an airport, and rate it accordingly. The first impressions are of space, as there is a great deal of it between notes, giving an airy, purposefully flighty feeling. Vaguely technological, futuristic, and adventurous, yet relaxingly so. Calming and soothing, instilling a sense of cosmic tranquility, a feeling that everything is going to be okay. I imagine that an airport would thoroughly enjoy this sort of thing, that it would be right up an airport's runway, and that airports as a whole would give this a solid 4.5/5, rounded up by the sheer flattery that Brian Eno would write something so dreamy and beautiful specifically for them, when no one else had bothered to acknowledge them at all. As a human, though, this experience segues quite quickly into boredom and potential annoyance if one actually pays attention, so it's best not to. Just let all of those feelings and intentions wash over you as you go about the business that you're conducting in whatever airport, elevator, shopping mall, laundromat, or expensive restaurant you might be experiencing it. Don't FOCUS on it, as that would defeat the purpose, and certainly don't feel like you MUST listen to it before you die, as that (like so many on this list) is an absolutely ludicrous assertion. So, in my opinion as a human, it's going to come in at a 2.5/5 that I will round up, in recognition of it really sticking the landing regarding its truly underacknowledged theme.
3.6/ 5 "1/1" - Minimalist tranquility "2/1" - Austere peacefulness "1/2"- Placid reductionism "2/2"- Serene simplicity
This is fine music to ignore to. This is the fifth album categorized as ambient I've encountered on the list, though that doesn't include some that I also consider music for the background like DJ Shadow and the two The Chemical Brothers albums. So I reiterate my same reviews since this album did not encourage any new thoughts. It is slightly more boring than the ambient albums I've had so far. I much preferred William Orbit's "Strange Cargo III" and Röyksopp's "Melody A.M." I appreciate the functionality of this album but it rejects an active listen. Inoffensive and ambient - 2/5
climinha perfeito pra chegar em congonhas 4h25 da manhã e enfrentar o liminal space total que é aeroporto vazio e seu voo das 6h da manhã atrasando pq a latam é incapaz de fazer um embarque decente (e ainda assim não estressar
ou, combina bem com aeroporto/aviao. climinha pensativo, introspectivo. deu sono xd ambient eh mei chatim né mas reconheço a importância, muito bacana
It does what it says on the label. If only airports were as calm and soothing as this.
I don't really need to hear this ever again. I get that the point is not to hold my attention and make me feel anything emotional except for possibly calm but that also means I find it boring. I also get that this "invented" a genre, I find this genre to be boring background music. That being said this isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. 3 stars.
Listening to this in an airport 😅
i love this album so much.
I mean is this really any to just be a YouTube chill beats to study to album. Because if so I’m bailing out. Never heard of album or artist. Big time Minecraft vibes in the first one. Like the piano is good and relaxing but I wouldn’t say any of this is impressive or complicated. Unsure why it didn’t end at 10:30 that seemed like an obvious closing spot. The beeps are super disorienting. Keep thinking I’m abt to get hit by a truck. First one is a lot better than the second. Not enough going on with the second song. Much more opera-y. Missing the piano but good strings. I like the return of the piano on 1/2. Good mix of both of the first 2 songs. Relaxing again. And 2/2 is more of the same. The fact I made it all the way through says something. It’s like the Minecraft theme in a an album. Really good to listen to while working. A lot of good sounds, but not a ton of variety. Slightly better than JAA because it does take talent to make you enjoy music that doesn’t have lyrics. True average album. 2.5/5
Brian Eno described this as “background music to be ignored”… and he absolutely nailed that description. This was weirdly cool, but I definitely ignored much of it.
So soothing, very cool sounds. Good for studying or sleeping, but also for more intense listening it’s very good and interesting. I would say that Brian Eno has better (ambient) albums, but this is still among his best for me so far.
it was fun, it was ambient, it was a four
This would be boring, even in an airport.
Music for Airports: The universe has a sense of humor, as I follow the record I deemed only worthy of being background music in a Starbucks with a record explicitly made to be background music. And somehow someway, it's exponentially more interesting than the record that wasn't made to be ignored in an airport. I guess the “somehow someway” is Eno himself. This is a gorgeous record and really nails the aesthetic. It’s perfect for, ahem, ambience, or for focused listening. A beautiful work of art that launched a genre that has yet to reach this level of achievement
Absolute ambient perfection. Brian Eno has made an album that ticks every box for a great album in this genre, and to have done it so early on in the genre's history is even more impressive. His use of synths and electronic arrangements is so ahead of its time, and he uses it all so seamlessly. The whole album perfectly walks the line between having just enough substance to not be boring, but still keeping things calm and dreamy enough to be super atmospheric. Without a doubt one of the best ambient albums ever made, and it's insane how well it holds up considering where it is in the genre's timeline.
Ambient music is one of my favorite things, and Airports and Airplanes are maybe some of my least favorite things, so this was bound to be a masterpiece on so many levels. Ambient music in general has, a few times now, saved me on long, miserable plane rides. And it's kept me calm during those claustrophobic treks through germ-filled airports that are always much longer and less convenient than they need to be. And this was Eno's exact ethos behind this album, making awful environments more bearable. And that sort of became the mission statement for ambient, at least in my relationship to it; it's music that I can so easily close my eyes to and be transported to another place for a set period of time. And while this isn't the greatest ambient album of all time or anything, it certainly lacks the lush, encompassing, reverb spaces that many later ambient albums (and even Eno ambient albums) have, it's an incredible start to the genre. '1/1' contains maybe the most iconic ambient melody of all time, and while it isn't a super layered track or anything, it's still striking in just how welcoming it sounds. The sparseness and gleeful nature of this piano melody with that subtle synth layer in the background is all this song really needs. The simplicity of it all feels so primal and pure, like you're a baby staring out into a large, empty green meadow, where the sky is blue and wind turbines line the horizon. It's so perfect. And while '2/1' is maybe a bit too repetitive and one-note, the main reverb-choir-type samples come back in the following '1/2' with this newly established layer of piano, which makes for a far more meloncholic atmosphere when compared to the opener, almost dreary and sad, but never too much to get a negative reaction out of me, I still generally feel at peace listening to this part. '2/2' is maybe the most traditional-sounding piece here, with fat, swelling analog synth leads and luscious pads just floating along with no real discernible melody, which is really ambient in its purest form. A song that I throw on to remind myself of all the loved ones in my life who make everything worth it and to feel like a single balloon floating through that same meadow from the opener. I love ambient music; it's so important to me. And this is where it (mostly) started, at least ambient as we know it today takes many notes from this four-movement masterpiece. It's rare that you can pinpoint an entire music genre's origins to one single album that's literally named "<name of genre> 1", so I find it amazing that this thing exists for that exact reason. Whether you're trying to sleep when you have a heavy snorer in the same room, or trying to make it through that awful plane ride, or just feeling anxious in general and need to disassociate for just a little bit - Eno's got an album tailor-made for you.
Insanely boring. Not sure I’d play this in the airport but I’d play it on the plane to get me some sleep
What are we doing here? Seriously. Brian Eno writing music to not listen to shouldn't be on the list. The list is 1001 albums to listen to before you die. Not 1 album to listen to while you die.
Good music for reading
Amazing
The title gives anyone an idea what it's about, even though it's best described as excellent music for relaxation.
😳
There's a lot of Eno on this list! Good background and/or sleeping music.
I’m speechless
Is it what it is? As a form of art, interesting. As an ambient, I mean, AI can do this shit in less than a minute. I did not hate it
Nice, calming music. Boring in a good way. It'll be kinda weird to hate it.
Ages since I listened to Eno, like it, wait, love it, off to find more
Listened to on my Apple EarPods. 'Ambient 1: Music for Airports' is an album I'm already a bit familiar with, as one of my conscious choices for ambient listening, alongside Aphex Twin's 'Selected Ambient Works Vol. II'. This album, and ambient music as a whole, is a very interesting prospect for music in general, as it's easily ignorable nature makes it that much more thought-provoking. The ignorable part isn't even my own conjecture--the artist Brian Eno agrees. He is quoted as to saying that the music of ambience should be "as ignorable as it is interesting." I think this really conveys Brian's creative process for this work. Lately, I have been listening to albums for this project whilst going on walks, and there is hardly anything more appropriate--I find--for the activity than good ambience such as this, because it really facilitates the ebb and flow of attention span that can be found on walks. I listen intently, then my mind drifts, and I fall into thought about something or other in my life or the environment around me. Will I get to see the dog Noodles that walks my route with her owner? I wonder what those goats are thinking behind that fence over there. Time to pause for the traffic, and wait to cross. It's these subtle thoughts that drift in and out of my mind as I go on my walks, and it can shift focus away, sometimes without even really noticing. What 'Ambient 1' says is: good. Let it happen. Let the music serve you. Let it blend into the environment. Think of the subtle presses of the piano keys while birds tweet in the trees ahead. Let it sink into your subconscious while you have an internal debate about a particular thought that has been clouding your mind lately. Just let it drift in and out. This, I think, is what can make ambient music so enticing to listen to. It's not just it's spacey, often peaceful, gently rhythmic quality that makes it good for filling the air, it's that when done excellently like done here, it truly serves you in the moment, on a deeper level. Specifically noting the four tracks, I find myself enamored particularly to the opener 1/1, with it's piano keys that feel assuring, and subtle synth droning that feels quizzical, an opening for thought. 1/2 is also a track I find myself attached to, in it's combination of heavenly sounding choral adornments with drifting piano. 2/2 also ends the listening experience on a strong note, with it's pure synth sounds rising in and out of each other, like waves crashing in the ocean. It feels like clarity, not of a particular end goal or certainty, but of an emotional understanding. Really, the only track I find not as interesting is the second track 2/1, with it's focus mainly on see-sawing vocal samples, which I find to be missing a little bit of something, which the next track makes up for with vocal samples in addition to piano. 'Ambient 1' was not the first ambient work, nor what Eno considers his own personal first, but it was the signpost for the genre moving forward. It gave it direction, it gave it a vibe, an understanding, and simply, a name. It's a fantastic work that does something entirely interesting for the world of music, and it finds that by stripping it down piece by piece until there's almost nothing left.
I don't know how to properly judge ambient music, but I'd imagine your listening environment has a lot to do with it and I had a perfect listening environment for this album. This album was the perfect compliment to my rainy commute to work and quiet solo time while I set up my classroom for the day. At times it made me feel like I was in the opening credits of an overly artsy movie (meant in the best way possible). I don't know if I would be rating this album as high if I had a different listening environment so maybe it got lucky that I got it when I did. I think next time I listen to it I will have to try it in an airport terminal to get the full experience. 5/5
For many years I didn't much care for Eno's ambient music, but it has really grown on me. I still prefer his more 'conventional' albums, such as Before and after Science, but I think he was an important influence on the ambient genre.
A classic
Very much background music as it says
es buenisiml
This one's been in the staple rotation for years in the category of "don't know what backround music to chuck on". Just serene. There's this liminal tranquillity to it, simultaneously timeless yet entirely of its vintage era. Smooth as silk, it's an auditory poetry while layers upon itself simply, letting you linger in the soundscape without adding too much complexity, a mantric aum. Fav tracks: 1/2, 2/1
About like it sounds it would be. Nice enough to listen to as background.
Heard it before. Not sure if it'd actually work as music for airports but certainly it's music that calms you down 3/5
The Rolls Royce of easy listening music.
Why?
Weird. Good background music so 4* I guess
AMbiente Musik, gut zum Einschlafen
I'm not sure if the name of the album was meant to be sarcastic or genuine, but it reflects well this album. I can see it as soft background for an art show that is trying to be esoteric. I found very little to connect to in this record. Next!
It’s ambient music, obviously, but still pretty interesting to listen to. And it’s probably some of the best music to have on in the background while doing something else. Still I prefer Eno’s more straightforward pop/rock stuff
45 minutes of synth swells, ethereal vocals, and piano tinkling. It's either brilliant or absolute wank, I'm not quite sure which. Not convinced I'd want to hear this in the airport though.
Have definitely heard of this one for decades. I know it’s a pioneering record. As a listening experience in 2026, I found it calming, soothing - which *would* be nice in airports. Having listened to electronic for 30 years though, its innovation for the time sadly doesn’t blow my socks off.
This is quintessential background music by design. While Eno didn’t invent ambient music, he solidified it as a genre in its own right. Put this album on while studying or meditating or doing anything that may be stressful. It will calm you down, guaranteed.
Looked at this in the kitchen at 9:45 PM on a Saturday on the way up to bed and said “ohhhhh yeah!”
Eno came up with the term and genre of "ambient music"??? Lofi Beats To Relax/Study To and all its ilk owes literally everything to this guy
I honestly don't know what to think, this probably is a great album but i listened to it when i was feeling upbeat. Maybe this is one of those albums that can't be enjoyed in other moods and is created for a very specific situation, which it very much seems like, i usually don't appreciate albums i can't find complex emotions to create the listening experience for diverse contexts. Glad to see people enjoyed it, sucks that i didn't, moving on
Mildly pleasant to listen to, but a bit boring overall. I have a hunch that the genre has more possibilities, but Eno's capabilities might be the limiting factor here.
Music to get put on hold to
Need to give credit any time an album is exactly what the artist intended. Beatless, wordless, all ambient whooshing with some piano meandering in the background - this was a major artistic statement and very influential on rock musicians going forward. This is the most extreme example, but this opened the door to pop/rock artists working with “textures” not just notes.
It’s like a giant installation in an art museum ever present but also in the background. It adds to the experience without being the center of it
Tråkigt men säkert fint på konstutställningar, 2/5
Can something be too relaxing?
1/10 I'm so serious why is this on the list
Ada minecraft minecraft nya gitu
The wrong album to listen to when you're tired. The album title seemed very fitting for the first track - I could definitely picture listening to it in the tunnel at DTW. I didn't enjoy the rest of the album much.
+1 star as I imagine this is music I would hear at an airport
This is the album that makes me think this whole list is one lomg troll project. How can an album, whose sole purpose is to be used as background noise intended to be ignored and forgotten, be something i have to listen to before i die? The music is nice for the first couple minutes, its well orchestrated, its pleasant. But the firstbtrack itself is 17 minutes long and if you haven't successfully turned your brain off as intended by the 4th minute, you start to doubt your sanity.
Too ambient!
I understand the concept of the album and on paper it should be ideal for slipping in to the back of my head while it plays in the background while I work. But there were some times where it was a bit discordant that drew my attention away. Not at all a bad album but certainly not 5 stars either.
So gentle, so so gentle. One of the easiest records to listen to because of it's...ahem...ambience. The compositions are soft and flow so slowly, weaving together moments of being present for a listener. To think this came out in the 70s is refreshing, knowing that musicians and creativity like this existed and was distributed at a high level. This is one of those records that everyone should listen to before they die.
I put this on while studying and got every question correct.
Credit for being the inventor of the term "Ambient". Good music to work to. As expected quite calm and monotone.
Very peaceful album, just straight to the point chill-out music. This is like the definition of minimalistic and sparse music. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, not a whole lot, but it's semi-interesting for sure. Reading the Wikipedia page - because I've been semi-interested in this album for quite a while now - makes it sound more boring than it actually is, when reading a Wikipedia page about an album usually does the opposite for me. I'd recommend this album. Highlight Song/s: "1/1"
I thought this was really good. I think it hit the mood I was in right. It's ambient, and maybe it's not all that different from a lot of ambient music, being an innovator in that genre is pretty cool.
Ik vind dit best geinig. Gewoon lekker voor achter werk of studeren waar je goeie focus voor moet hebben
Dit is geen muziek, dit zijn geluiden. Terwijl deze gast vrij lekkere nummers heeft, waarom dit album?
Vind het concept keihard, de muziek is natuurlijk niet heel pakkend maar als dat de bedoeling is vind ik het goed uitgevoerd
FTL: Well… that was fucking boring. Took me an eternity to get through. Checks every box for music to focus to, so will definitely recycle it for that. But imo for pure listening purposes, ondraaglijk. Good album title however so 1 star for that.
Opzich best ontspannend maar het klonk als iemand die alle standen op zn keyboard aan het uitproberen is
It deliberately was not interesting or enjoyable.
Cool?
If I'm understanding this correctly, this album is the seminal ambient music album. Not really sure that makes it something I need to hear before I die, especially since it's literally meant to be heard while being ignored. Focusing on it/giving it a critical listen seems to defeat the point. I could see playing it for meditation or as a work soundtrack. It's good to have on to fill background space, and that's about it. That doesn't warrant a high rating from me, even if it fills that niche well. Overall: .5/5
I've spent hundreds of hours with this and in all of my attempts to find other ambient albums that hit me the same way, I've come up empty. It's sparseness is fully engrossing. I dare say something spiritual is happening.
I'd fly a lot less if airports had this on loop.
REALLY boring, but had the benefit that I was doing work and it was inoffensive in the background. If I was only listening to it, I think my body would have shut down as a defensive mechanism against boredom and I wouldn't be typing this review right now...
No lo considero malo, pero no creo que música en bucle creada para estar de fondo en lugar de ser escuchada activamente merezca un lugar en una lista de álbumes para escuchar antes de morir...
One of my favorite ambient albums
boring
I seem to be giving lots of threes these days. Same for this album. But in a way, a 3 is probably a perfect score for this. A 5 would mean it's probably too exciting and that was not the aim of this album. I like the overall sound and the influence this album had as a very early (the first?) ambient album. So I feel it deserves to be on the list. But it's still what it is, background music.
It did grow on my over the day but still pretty boring (though I suppose that is the point of this ambient electronica).
Loving all the piano and synth songs, no matter how long they are, that's the kind of ambient I can get into. The vocal tracks... not so much. Actually, not at all
music for work
Ambient 1/Music For Airports does what it sets out to accomplish perfectly, and that’s why I don’t really like it. Listen, when I want to relax with an album, I’m going to play something like Metal or Grunge. I get the people who can work with this on, but to me it’s just boring and has no substance, which also ends up making it distracting, ironically. I’m just not into it at all. This was a critically important album for the birth of Ambient music, but I don’t really like a lot of Ambient music in general, so this was always personally going to be a hard sell. The crazy thing is, this is the second Brian Eno album I’ve rolled within a week. This is my second of 5 Brian Eno solo albums for this project, following “Here Come The Warm Jets”. That album was surprising in that it featured Brian Eno, who has a very peculiar voice, performing all manner of different genres of Rock, Pop and even a little bit of Jazz. I ended up giving it a 5 and mentioned being excited to check out the rest of his stuff. I’m aware now that Brian Eno was known for pioneering this genre, and now I don’t know what to expect from his 3 other solo albums on the site. Again, I understand that this album is meant to be unobtrusive and fade into the background. And again I say, unfortunately, it succeeds in doing so. 279 albums in and I’ve come to my very first “Controversial” artist. I didn’t think it was going to happen, but here we are. I can see why someone would like this, but I’m never going to be caught dead vibing to most ambient or Lo-Fi music. It’s just never been my thing and unfortunately, this album only enforced that belief. Even when I’m sleeping I’d rather listen to something else. Sorry Brian. Still curious to listen to your other albums, but now I’m also a little cautious as well. Didn’t love this one, but it succeeds perfectly with what it’s trying to do and it’s historically relevant. I’m not mad that I listened to it, but I very quickly needed to turn it off and absolutely will never return to it. I liked the last song, “2/2” the best because it felt very space-y. In yet another fun instance of immediately hearing an artist I’d only just learned about from this bot out in the wild, the animated show Invincible prominently featured a Brian Eno song in Season 4. Always very cool hearing an artist like that, I hope that trend continues. Anyway, yeah. Didn’t like this one, sorry about that.
Snooze but that was intended, class revision music
Beautiful and I love it. Instant 5 stars for depth and breadth and value. This album has beautiful soundscapes, and I listened to the whole thing probably 5 times in a row.
Listened to during my 5 AM commute to work. Damn near fell asleep but hey the music is good.
I dug it
I think this is the epitome of achieving exactly what the artist set out to do. I loved it. Fuck it, five stars.
Great ambient music. Really enjoyed listening to these songs during work! Very slow but beautiful sounds incorporated.
backrooms music. liked the first bu the other tracks were too mysterious x
It was a simpler time. No airport sounds like this anymore. I don't really want to hear what an airport sounds like today, I kind of miss 'simpler' times.
"Relaxing", "boring"??! This album makes me feel like I'm being hunted for sport. Genuinely upset.