Reviews (page 5 of 9)
another entry from brian eno. it's music that's, you guessed it, made specifically in mind for airports to play. a quiet ambient album, the goal was to make pleasant sounding music that didn't interrupt any announcements. brian wanted to make the music not overtly cheerful, the kind of perky cliché muzak at the time made him want to kill himself. despite the very faint sounds, it's super relaxing to listen to. the synthy soundscapes make it perfect if you're needing some time to unwind. i also feel like this music would be appropriate for system menu music for, like... a video game console. it's minimalist music done right. props to eno.
Good ambience
Good study music, but I don’t like the cuts between each sound
This is not an album I would ever listen to. That said, I can see how people like it.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 🗺️🗂️🍵 Production (Remastered 2004): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎹🔄🧘♂️ Rating: 🛫✈️🛬/5
Not bad
In a nutshell: music for airports, savasana and insomnia. Overall: 7/10
what an atmosphere!!!
It never occurred to me to discover the genesis of ambient music. I listen to this music for relaxations or focused activities without much thought to the artist behind it. There’s something very charming about the original. I will save this album and revisit.
I’m sure it’s great for what it is, but I’m not listening to all of this.
Peaceful. Feels like putting it under 3 stars when it's so influential is unfair. Rating: 3.0
This is music, I guess.
Liked and felt it's easy to listen although not impactful enough for me
This album is an enormous surprise. It's insanely relaxing, and has a depth of sound that keeps it interesting even though it's technically simple sounding to me. Crafted with care by a mile. To hear it for the first time nearly 50 years after the fact does add some interesting perspective on the 4th track sound options. Almost a 'Close Encounters' vibe in it's final part.
Ahead of its time. Pretty good
The title explains it perfectly, because it is exactly music for airports. I knew what to expect before I hit play so I was prepared for this. I liked it, it made me want to start writing dissonant guitar riffs over it and put blast beats on, so I guess it was inspiring? I give it 3 stars though
Basically invented the ambient genre so have to give it props. Not really made to be an active listening experience but a good vibe.
Me encanta la música ambiental de Brian Eno, tiene la capacidad de generar un resultado muy emotivo con pocos elementos y tracks de larga duración. Es relajante y contemplativo. La elección de los sonidos, los timbres y la calidad de producción son excepcionales
this is what airports should sound like
I am not keen on this. Ambient/atmospheric slow tempo piano plus vocal pads for 50mins. What is the point?? Best track - 2/1 (shortest, otherwise they all sound the same!). No, 2/2 is slightly more tolerable and just slightly longer 2 stars
Literally a genre-defining album, and IMO one that succeeds in its goal of giving the listener a feeling of inner peace and tranquility.
Great ambient chill music. I think that he does some pretty great work. It's not something I would listen to all the time but when the mood for a sonic chill fest strikes me, this would be a great album to put on.
Ihana! 5/5
Ambient-levyjen klassikko eikä syyttä. Ilo aina kuunnella tätä kuulasta plattaa.
Established its genre and will listen again when reading/ meditating/ zoning out. Not sure I heard the airport vibes as such but still enjoyed it.
SO PEACEFUL REFLECTIVE
That’s… different. Jarring in parts. Far far too long.
hard to rate an album that serves a different purpose to usual 'music'. No hits, singles, live essence. But serves a purpose (reading, unwinding, landscapy)
Nice to listen to while I'm working but hard to score it really
It’s ambient so it’s never getting a high score, works as background music I suppose
It's ok, TOO CALM!
I've never gotten into Ambient music before but I have heard of Brian Eno. I don't really know what to expect. I do like the idea of it being music for Airports though. Only 4 songs but it's 48 minutes long lol. I can see why this is on the list, because it came out in 1978! Which feels really early for what this is! Like I would have expected the 2000s. Very cool. Very peaceful to listen to. I feel like I should be meditating. There's a lot of silence at the end of each track which is interesting! I have no doubt that this is well made and good but it also sounds like when I was a kid playing around on an electric piano with the different noises. I think for the time it was revolutionary but now the technology is so prolific that it's something that is much more easily or accessibly made. It's good but too long lol. It's definitely ambient, but it's not just noise.
.-- .... .- - . ...- . .-.
Listens: 2 Standout tracks: 1/2 (I guess) Definitely, unquestionably, music for airports. I'm not in the habit of being in, at or around airports for any longer than I need to, but I can imagine that this is the kind of album that would really come alive while wandering though a preferably foreign, catastrophically large, utterly deserted, international airport at, say, 3 am on a Tuesday. Let's also say its the dead of winter, to really set the mood. Just you, your supra-aural noise cancelling headphones, and this album playing as you casually stroll down miles of seemingly endless concourse, staring at the occasional sleeping person, janitors milling about, empty storefronts, and a wasteland of empty seating. Ambient music, meet liminal spaces. Enjoy. All that said, I've never done anything like that before and I have no desire to. This is not something I care for very much. I wanted to make a cheeky remark about Minecraft wanting it's music back, but this came out in 1978, so uh, its got C148 beat by about 30 years. This would go well with Minecraft. I would give this a 2, but bump it up to a 3, because Brian Eno has apparently coined the concept of the "Ambient" genre with this album.
ik zat niet op een luchthaven...
good!
This was a super pleasant surprise. I had the most meditative, calm commute into work this morning listening to this album. By chance, it's raining today, and the sound of rain on the windshield and the flashing on/flashing off of brake lights all added to the mood set by this album. I can't wait to listen to this again in the car, but at night, with the windows down, with absolutely no where to be and by no particular time.
Listened Before? N This is great.... for sleeping. I would seriously put this on to sleep. Good stuff but not on a Wednesday morning. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 2/1
A genre creating album. As an ambient fan, this is like listening to a caveman strike flint and tinder together.
Meh
very nice and relaxing! could definitely see myself coming back to this when i need background music.
very calm i feel peaceful
2/1
I’ve listened to over 500 albums from this list so far and this has got to be one of the most boring, uninspired album yet. Music for doctor’s offices and elevators.
No way one of the greatest 1001 albums of all time. I get the concept, but just no.
Are you kidding me?
Huge Eno fan. I have this on vinyl, purchased in the early 1980s. I love his more musical lyrical work, but he is a pioneer in the ambient genre, and he did amazing things with Talking Heads.
Unlike others, I do think this album should be on here, as it is influential as a genre/type of music. Relaxing but a little boring
broing
Well... He didn't lie about the album cover that's for sure. 2/10
Intéressant que l'album ai créé le genre de l'Ambient, mais beaucoup trop simple dans sa réalisation pour que je l'apprécie aujourd'hui
Relaxing, sparse, instrumental
I swear I listened to it.
Boring
What a weird and wonderful album. As a "song", this doesn't work at all. But it is still peaceful and interesting both when actively listening and when doing something else. I feel I've heard this during every Savasana during yoga, but also in hundreds of loading screens over the years. 2/2 in particular sounds straight out of Mass Effect, while 1/1 slunds like something from Blue Prince. Really interesting and definitely influential and I'm glad I listened. As an overall enjoyable album, but nothing I would ever willingly play without a specific purpose.
if i were more patient, i’d like this better
It’s not bad per se, but it is legitimately background music. Some of the noises were quite irritating after a while. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Absolute and timeless reference.
I think it actually really helps knowing how this album was made. That it's tape tracks of varying lengths looped together. So, it's the same melodic material, but when it loops in just the right way, you get new and interesting harmonies. The vocal sections don't do much for me, until they start getting really crunchy, harmonically. They've all but worn out my interest in them by that point, though. I do love the piano and keyboard percussion loops. What's really funny with this being today's album is that yesterday I was playing catch-up on some albums that I missed, and I listened to Sigur Rós, which is also a really atmospheric album. I honestly actually really love these kinds of ambient/atmospheric albums. It's a style/genre that I will admit is very much a personal preference, and there's a lot of people that do not like this kind of music. It's not a 10/10 for me, but it is an album that I'll save to listen to later when I'm looking for this kind of vibe. Favorite Song(s)?: 1/1, 2/2
Not mush here to get excited about. Will give the benefit of the doubt and put it in the 3 side of a 2.5.
Not an unpleasant album, but I am not chomping at the bit to listen to it again.
This has the same effect as white noise, but it's called ambient music. You can decide on which side you stand, I found mine.
Just finished cleaning up after a family dinner with lots of kids and chaos. HOW did you know I needed this album right now? Familiar with his name, but not his work. I absolutely love what I hear so far. The melodies are mending my tired ass
So chill
If you like NIN’s Ghosts albums or Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross soundtracks, you’ll love this album.
I really enjoyed listening to this album. There's a haunting, sad beauty to this that I find enchanting.
Ambient - yes, music - ?
I do love a good ambient record, and can absolutely see why this one would make it into this list. Favourite tracks: the whole thing is lovely. Great, warm synths.
First of all, I’m burnt out and stressed to the max, and this was precisely the balm I needed to clear that up. Secondly, how did Brian Eno take an album meant specifically for airports and make it one of the most ethereal beautiful pieces of music of all time?? Anyway, the GOAT of ambient music, 12/5 stars.
Soothing, beautiful, sleepy.
01) 1/1 - 5,5 02) 2/1 - 4,0 03) 1/2 - 4,0 04) 2/2 - 4,0 TOTAL: 4,38 (44/100) Current ranking: 534/554 This reminds me more like you are waiting for a live broadcast to start and some music plays while the minutes and seconds are counting down on the screen... And you are getting more and more nervous because it takes too long to start... What are they waiting for, it should have started twenty minutes ago!?
Reminds me of Houmous & Chutneys 21st studio album, Music For Car Parks. It was sponsored by NCP. 3.4 3. 1/2
I think this needs adding to my focus music collection - lovely ambient background music. 3/5
Pretty much essential Eno, but you need to be in the right mood for something like this. It's beautiful and tranquil and soothing, but it's very new age sounding. Would go great with your next massage
Why oh why would this be on here. It's literally spa/airport music. Not bad, but not "good".
On top of being influential and essentially creating a new genre of music, it’s pretty nice ambient music as well. 7/10
This album is a great example of the genius and creativity of Brian Eno, and why he is one of the greatest thinkers and innovators in music. It really says something that this was a first-of-its-kind record, and still stands as one of the best examples of the genre.
Loved this
This is what comes up when you lookup on YouTube “1 hr relaxing/focus music”
I got Brian Eno’s Here Come The Warm Jets a few months ago, and while I could hear its influence and the bones of future music it inspired, the album itself wasn’t very good. So when Brian Eno popped up again today, I was incredibly disappointed. But from the first note, I knew that I was in for something very, very different than Here Come The Warm Jets. I would have to say, that in nearly 550 albums, this one has been one of my top three or four most pleasant surprises. I’m a huge fan of the Ghosts albums by Nine Inch Nails, which I now understand to be a direct successor to this album. It’s simple, yet layered. Melancholy, yet hopeful. It’s haunting, yet accessible. It’s simply beautiful.
It does exactly what it says in the label.
Go-to relaxing album
Soothing. Good for yoga
Like I got a massage but my muscles still ache.
I have come back to this a dozen times since 1985, trying to like it. Still no luck.
I know I've heard it before...but I can see why I'd forgotten it. Wow that was boring.
I think if I heard this in an airport I'd think some malign force was trying to control my brain, but as background for fairly stressful thinking and writing it was ideal. I'm not sure I would call it music, however; more like a nervous system intervention. No idea how to rate it.
Reminded me more of an art museum than an airport. It succeeds as a work of ambient music, but I didn't really enjoy it.
A product of its time; I liked the piano-focused parts a lot more than the annoyingly-dated synths. But nice.
I previously listened to this in an airport last summer (August 24). I was going from O'Hare to San Francisco at the ungodly hour of 4am all so I could make it to the Oakland Coliseum before the A's and all that history was over. This was pleasant to listen to in an airport terminal through ear buds, much better then on my early drive to work in the car. If this was played at even some airports just some of the time that would be great. Outside of airports maybe not so much
really bad white noise
starts out calming and peaceful. By the end it's just kind of tedious. Genre most easily replaced by AI
I liked the first track (of the four) a lot but not so much the other ones. The synthesized voices were a bit of a turnoff.
Love Eno, love ambient, love this. Minimalism leaves no room for fluff and this is beautiful dresmscape.
Unlike anything else, very very calming even on the tube. Good vessel to think to
the good part about ambient music is you'll never know when the album ends!
Pretty. Chill. Probably good meditation music for people who do that? It is what it says it is. Hard to give a ton of stars for what is meant to be background music.
bissl zu monoton for my taste
What a strange album. Nice to listen to while working on the computer I guess
Brian's gone full ambient here. Just the four tracks, all endless, all basically identical, and yet listen carefully and there's a whole world of beauty in there. It's such a feat to be able to produce ambient music that leaves the listener feeling something so strongly, while also achieving the most important goal of the genre - being almost unnoticed.
Dreamy and ethereal. Background music for airports, elevators, high end coffee shops, etc.
I remember when I first looked through the book and saw this album. The title, artwork, and even the tracklist were so evocative that even before listening to it, or having much experience with ambient music, I knew exactly what it was going to sound like. And even then, it totally exceeded my expectations. The thing is, there a sort of nostalgia permeating this music, from a time I wasn't even alive for. I'm sure airports in the pre-9/11 world were a very different place than they are today, way less busy and stressful, unless you were afraid of flying, of course. So these four sparse compositions suit the environment perfectly, while also evoking a sort of post-industrial ambience but in a positive way. Key tracks: 1/1
Better than the electronic music on Low, but still not something I would voluntarily listen to.
Nice sound
A wonderful, mesmerising album. It works very well as background music, but also stands up as a listen on its own.
people put on ambient music in order to fall asleep. after listening to this album, i can understand why.
The Rocket 88 of ambient. Many earlier tracks can be cited, but the genre is deemed to start here. Five subtle background stars.
Really lovely!
Great music to fall asleep to, but not as influential as other electronic music in my opinion.
Very experimental and truly ambient, but accessible and engaging. Perfect work from home soundtrack.
I'm already wound up by the album cover not being lined up properly. Not a great start if this album is designed to be chilling me out. It is a just a bunch of random sounds grouped into 4 tracks. I didn't find it ambient at all because there was no rhythmic structure to it. Every random note kept interrupting my train of thought. If you gave 1001 baboons a keyboard and a chorus pedal each, they could each knock out one of these in about 40 minutes. So would they all be indespensible? No. So why the fuck is this one? This album is a crock of shite.
Review 1 (the 'objective' one): I'm so glad this album exists. In a way, it's like a very simple modern painting in a Guggenheim eliciting a plethora of "I could have done that"-s. And they're right, most musicians *could* have done this, yet they didn't. Brian Eno's career had been leading up to this point, and it simply had to be made. And then, once it was out there, the world of electronic music would never be the same, and so many fantastic Ambient releases wouldn't exist without it. 5/5 stars. Review 2 (the subjective one): But really though, these aren't very great compositions. They're not very rewarding listens compared to all those other works it inspired; hell, it's not even close to being the best ambient work by Eno himself. The songs run on too long with too little colour, structure and variation, the sound palates are far too limited and those artificial ooh's that sound like cheap keyboard presets get a bit grating. The first track is really quite emotive, but afterwards... you quickly get the point and with every passing minute, that skip buttons seems ever more tempting. 3/5 stars. Conclusion: Essential yet flawed. 4/5 stars.
Meh. Might be segment defining, but it doesn't take much for that segment...
It’s ambient music so like, it’s fine. Not life changing.
Choose one: (a) More like an album you must ignore before you die. (b) More like an album you must hear WHILE you die. (c) My left arm hurts. Do I smell toast? (d) This is a really nice spa. I think I'll pay the extra for a mud bath. (e) This is a really nice airport. I don't even care that my flight is delayed, the Cinnabon is closed, and I'm pretty sure my suitcase was lost the moment it disappeared behind that curtain. This music has made me so calm that I can't even scream at a gate agent. (f) Did not listen.
This instantly turned into back ground.
Even though I've been getting into ambient music more and more, I do think there is some stuff that is entirely too chill for me
I've tried to listen to this before, so I knew there was no point. Listened to yesterday's album Talking Heads 77 again instead.
I rather liked this for what it was, nice ambient music for relaxation, meditation or as a calming background music. I would happily listen again.
4/5
Instead of trying to make better ambient movement for airports, why not just make good music?
Caught myself drifting in thought during this listen. Not sure if this is the “greatest ambient album” of all time but is was a good listen
Hypnotic, and vaguely sinister after the first one which i enjoyed. Really transportive overall. Liked the first one the least, which is gratifying as he wrote the rest entirely himself so clearly it's his style I'm after.
It’s the kind of thing I could listen to while working… which is the point.
Good mello music for meditation or when doing a painting.
If I could foot how to play this at 3x speed it might not move been too bad
A bit relentless!
Exceptionally dull. Not for me.
Liked it. Maybe because I’m going to an airport tomorrow so this was a fitting choice by the generator. It’s solid chill out music that will remind me of travelling going forward. My favourite Eno album from this list.
Trying to be open minded about it but I just can't get behind it.
Never has an album title fit the content better than this. I found this to be a really interesting listen as it remained in the forefront as an active listening experience but it wasn't distracting and never took me away from what I was doing, which seems to be exactly its goal. Just perfect for tasks where focus is critical but when silence is deafening.
An all timer in innovating music. Re-thinking what music can be, making it for a cool purpose and absolutely crushing the assignment. There is beauty in liminal spaces and being in the in between.
Very relaxing but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if it had a few more electronic elements
"Ambient 1: Music for Airports" is the sixth studio album by English musician Brian Eno. Ambient, minimalist and electronic are the wiki-listed genres. Yep, that defines it. Eno made the music with the intention to induce calm and as a place to think. One of the moments of inspiration came when Eno, who is a nervous flyer, was at an airport, heard "canned" Muzak and easy listening music and decided he wanted to make music to defuse the anxiety he was feeling. The album was dismissed initially by critics but is now credited with defining the ambient genre. The album is four songs. "1/1" leads off the album. Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine is on piano along with Eno on piano and synth. Soft piano keys looped for the entirety of the song. There's also a low drone sound Areas of silence. The second and third songs, "2/1" and "1/2" are very similar using female vocal loops with matching synthesizer tones. The songs differ by tonal changes and lengths. The closer "2/2" is all synths. Well, I do agree with Eno's intent; this ambient music is better than background Muzak. The music is relaxing and can definitely be put in the background. I don't really consider myself an ambient music expert but I have enjoyed listening to it from time to time. Even within the ambient music that I've heard there is an extreme minimalist approach to these songs: very few changes within songs and long pauses of silence which are just as important as the music. I recommend this album to any ambient electronic music fan and anyone who wants some soothing background music.
02/04/25 It really wasn't for me, but I can appreciate it would make good chill music or game music.
As advertised. Very easy to play in the background while doing anything. Great back in my day vibes.
I chose Brian Eno for my playlist when I was in labour (ambient Brian, not King's Lead Hat or Driving Me Backwards Brian - I'm not a masochist). I love him and everything he has ever touched (apart from that U2 album - as I say, I'm not a masochist). An easy 5* for me.
Perfect background music
gorgeous, relaxing, spacious and soothing album.
I feel like its quite hard to judge purely ambient music on a typical standpoint of good/bad, because it obviously can't compete by any rhythmic/lyrical standards, so it think the only real judgment you can make it to judge the 'atmosphere' as a whole. And I think totally this nails the atmosphere, as his vision for this album is kind of simply summed up in the title and doesn't need any more description for you to understand the vision. Also in terms of influence, this (and other Eno/other artist projects from this time) could possible be some of the most influential albums ever (for electronic music as at least). The only complaint is that it’s really minimal (I know that’s kind of the point) Favourite songs: all, especially first and last 2 Overall around 8/10
1/1 e ein av verdens beste sanga, hørre på den stadig vekk
too long but pretty good
Loved the first track so much but was so put off by the others. The choral vocals on the middle tracks really ruined them and made them quite unpleasant. They would have been so beautiful without the vocals because they distracted greatly from the music itself, which was fantastic. The last track was a mess on all fronts. A 45 minute version of “1/1” would have been perfect and I gladly would have listened to that than sit through the other three tracks. I understand why this album is on the list, but it ended up being so disappointing.
I just don't understand why someone would do this
I think this is fine probably? I don't really know what I think
Another good one for a busy workday. 4/5
Chill Beats to Study to - 1970’s version
Damn near fell asleep on the road by the time I got to 1/2. That thing is a tactical weapon. Broadcast it at a tank battalion and you’ll have them sleeping in no time. Don’t listen to this in a car. Good sleep aid.
Loved this, though I listen to these albums while I'm at work and this was not the best "working" music for me. Very relaxing and verging on putting me to sleep - great for some situations!
Really beautiful, kind of haunting at times but perfect background noise while at my desk.
Ambient classical music - Very calming, nice background music - Melodies are good but gets repetitive
I don't always resonate with Brian Eno's work, or with ambient in general, but something about this one feels special. It sounds like something I've heard before and know well, but haven't gotten tired of.
Music for airports, answering emails, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, walking to the gym, cooking and folding laundry — everything becomes more beautiful with this on
Great music to hear just before you die! Very soothing. Good for doing taxes, too. 3.8
I'll admit that I don't listen to this album often, but when I do it truly does calm and open my space to think. Given the speed at which the world moves today maybe I should be listening to this album more often?
Kinda like being in a sound bath.
No private session used for Spotify. Giving credit were credit is due, this album did have the plodding, boredom, and slight anxiety of waiting for your flight at an airport. Not sure why I would listen again.
Nah.
It is trying to create meaning and "art" through ambience, but all I hear is a bunch of pretentious repetitive sounds. To each his own, but even this music snob thinks this is awful .5/5 stars
This was made in the '70s?! Seems like modern day ambient. Timeless ig
Instant classic
100% REAL UNCUT ROCK AND ROLL! THIS AINT YOUR GRANDMA’S ALBUM! 🚙🚛🔥🔥🔥🦅🔫🔫
Unbearably boring
Ambient
The world would be a little less crazy if we all spent more time listening to ambient music.
Sleep music
Good for a massage
I was excited to listen to this in the airport! Worked like a charm
Relaxing
It is what it is. Not made to be actively listened to on headphones. So I used it all wrong and ended up a bit bored.
It’s just kinda there.
2.5 - ambiance
I could see waiting for a flight listening to this.
I mean... A bit boring, but if you listen to it at the right moment (when your in need of some calm) it's certainly beautiful. Sounds like one of those albums that was genre defining at the time, but has since been improved upon.
great background music. thats about it
It's ambient. Before ambient was a thing. I mean, for background music, it's GREAT! But to put on rotation, maybe not. You need something to zone out to in order to get something tedious done, it's awesome. But I wouldn't listen to it on the regular for driving down the road or jamming with friends. Because I dig ambient for its purpose, I'm going to rate it high. But I still wouldn't listen to this album on the regular.
Poses interesting questions about the utility of music. Some reviewers seem perfectly happy with music that has the power to induce dancing, contextualize personal experiences, or change mood, but for some reason draw the line at music whose purpose is the absence of these things. I, for one, am for it.
Solid ambient album. A little boring at times.
I get why it exists and I respect it, but I don't think I would even know if I ever heard it again. Its ambient noise.
2.5
For years, this was one's morning listening – to get quiet and focused. And it still works very well for that, too. 1/1 is best cut but they all work and one can easily drift in and out of listening. One believes this is best work Eno ever did (though definitely don't sleep on Discreet Music) – and not just because it's title 100% pays off (provided one has good noise-cancelling headphones – as well as working well on airplanes, too). The dreaminess makes it more interesting than ingnorable but one wonders how many people would differentiate it from Muzak. Bangs was right about it having a "sunlight through a windowpane sort of quailty" and so too Sasha Frere-Jones calling it "too beautiful to ignore." One's fully down with the Pitchfork's naming it best ambient album of all time. Additionally, this records offers ample theory that Eno is secretly a romantic – and not mainly a cold, clinical studio artist – who wants everyone to relax and navigate the stressful modern world more quietly and peacefully. Rounding up for being first-ever ambient record and it remains the best.
(Rubs the temple) Oh good, another Brian Eno album. If this is music for airports then the volume better be turned up on the airport speakers because the songs tend to be softer. This is better listened to through headphones, so perhaps that's the key. Listen to this in an airport while wearing headphones. It is not driving music. This should really be called "Ambient 1/Music for Spas." It's just so sparse in its sound. This is fine and a bit sleepy. There's no need for it to be in this book, as there are already 3-4 other albums that attest to the genius of Brian Eno.
First? 3/5 Again? 2/5
This was really nice for what it is. Fantastic project idea. Was actually good to fall asleep to.
i respect ambient music but this was kinda long, i didn’t have a time where i wanted to listen to it so i kinda just forced myself to listen to it
A bit too ambient for my airports. Great background music. The cover art is a 5.
Ambient music should not be on this list. It should be on the 1001 Albums You Must Half-Listen to While You Die.
Well, this album did exactly what it was meant for: easy, soothing, forgettable soundscape.
chillig, gut zum einschlafen
Wow. Why would you create something so deliberately bland and pointless? What a weird thing to do.
This music made me feel as though I was at a spa rather than an airport... Very soothing.
Tough Album Sparse and haunting Leaves you alone with your thoughts and feelings in between tones. Introspective and challenging. Don’t know if I’ll listen to it again but I enjoyed the challenges it presented
I can only appreciate this intellectually
Apparently this is the OG Lo-Fi beats to relax to, so respect for that.
Álbum pionero de música ambiental, el primero de Eno en este estilo. Según él mismo, se trata de música "tan ignorable como interesante", y estoy de acuerdo. No es un álbum para ser escuchado activamente, ya que no se trata de música melódica de por sí. De hecho, me cuesta incluso calificarlo de música. Se trata, sobre todo, de sonidos etéreos, casi angelicales, perfectos para una sesión de meditación o, en general, para tenerlo de fondo (como he hecho mientras trabajaba). Por su relevancia histórica y porque cumple lo prometido, le voy a dar tres estrellas, a pesar de que no sea un álbum que me apasione.
Not an unpleasant listen, but a completely unnecessary listen
classic but i had to give a 3 because i wanted literally anything else today
Lovely and beautifully made, but I suppose I was a little bored. I prefer my ambient tracks to build and release eventually, like Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Talk Talk. Oh well! (13 known/25 new)
Esse tipo de música não deveria estar nesse livro!
Das Album besteht aus vier Kompositionen, die durch Übereinanderlegen von Tonbandschleifen unterschiedlicher Länge erstellt wurden, und wurde als Klanginstallation konzipiert, um die angespannte, ängstliche Atmosphäre eines Flughafenterminals zu entschärfen. Diesem Album Pionierarbeit war Ambient-Musik. Es mag zwar künstlerisch wertvoll sein oder zur Hintergrundberieselung taugen aber es war definitiv kein Hörgenuss.
I’ll keep this in mind for when I buy an airport
Not as bad as I thought but not for me either 3/5
Good for airports or yoga, but not the most compelling listen.
Sehr angenehm.
I like to think of Brian Eno as Aphex Twin minus the beat. I generally don't have the patience for him, but when I am attentive I usually find it worthwhile.
This will be my third Brian Eno album to review, after Here Come The Warm Jets (3 stars) and Before and After Science (5 stars). I really loved Before and After Science, and based on the description of this album, I think I’m going to really like it. Here’s to a relaxing Sunday of ambient music! I didn’t fall in love with this, but I really enjoyed listening to it, and it’s an album that I would listen to again. The arrangements were absolutely beautiful, and I loved how the music really both put me at ease but also demanded my attention as I listened to it. It was a really strange experience to listen to something both actively and passively at the same time. I don’t think I could pick out a favorite part of this album, but I also couldn’t pick out a least favorite part either. The album moved seamlessly from song to song, and even though each song brought something unique to the table, this album was really cohesive. My only complaint with this album is that I think it would have been better to shorten these songs and add a couple more songs. While this music was beautiful and easy to take in, the length of these songs made them pretty tedious after a while.
I first gave this a listen to many years ago after reading reviews. I found it annoying and frustrating. As I become more and more of an Eno fan, I would come back to this album when I needed some background music. This and Apollo work so well when I need non distracting background music. So how does one rate music that's not meant to engage the mind? I feel a 3.5 but being in a very great mood I've give a 4.
I like this record for what it’s intended for: ambient music that your mind can tune into and out of. Great for listening to on a plane (not so much an airport itself) or for calling asleep, as Sunday morning background, or getting through a pile of work.
There wasn't a change between songs. There didn't seem to be much of a change between notes. I'd be annoyed if this was the background music in an airport.
My wife said, while listening to this, that it would be good on in the background of a massage parlor. For some reason this did not end with me getting a backrub, which is the only way to make this album better.
As back ground music? Sure. To sit down and listen to? No. 2.5/5
It invited a genre for chrissakes. Have YOU ever invited a genre? Probably not.
Ambient music hooray! I love listening to ambient music while I work, and I know nothing about the history and development of the genre, so this was a fun learning and listening album for me.
Part of my ratings are based on the likelihood of me listening to an album again, I'm not very likely to sit and listen to this again hence the 2 stars. However I do appreciate the music is good, it's creative and relaxing, it's just not something that I'll come back to I don't think
A bit tedious even for an elevator ride. I wanted to like it, but…
Day393 - im not sure this belongs on the list even though its good and i’ve had it on all morning and i’ll probably listen again
I hate to rate this so low, because I recognize what this music is supposed to be, I can see the originality of it, I can appreciate the artistic intent behind it and I know that it's influential. This is, simply put, music that isn't meant to be actively listened to. Certainly, not with intention. That in itself is kind of fascinating. You don't have songs here. You don't have any semblance of a structure. These are soundscapes. That said, even as background music, I didn't really enjoy this. I expected to feel kind of at ease listening to 1/1, but I began to feel this weird sort of dread whenever that sequence of piano notes popped up again. 2/1 and 1/2 perhaps the most unpleasant with those synth vocals. Perhaps they were novel in 1978, but they aren't now. I much preferred 2/2 as a soundscape. Perhaps if the rest of the album was more like this, I would like it more. All in all, it is fascinating as a piece of art, and it's a pioneer in ambient music. And I appreciate that. But I didn't find it enjoyable, and I likely won't put it on again, even as simple background music. Fav track: 2/2
Ah, that’s a no for me dude.
Helt ok
1/29/25. Definitely interesting. Familiar with Brian Eno and enjoyed one if his albums along this journey, but this one wasn't really for me. Obviously great for ambience, but there aren't many scenarios where I would listen to this. I hate to add subjectivity to my rating but oh well.
I love Brian Eno, but I had kind of avoided these ambient albums. And when I first started listening, I thought what in the hell is this? Then, I let it fade into the background as intended and you know what it did make me think pretty deeply and evoke some strong emotions. Touche Brian Eno.
Great for sleepless nights or rainy days with a cup of tea
It wasn't unpleasant to listen to, and it did what it was supposed to, sink into the background and be ambient. But I can't give this more than 3 stars, as it didn't do anything other than not annoy me.
zzzzzz....snooze fest
Są spokojne, kojące kawałki i jest nuda. Ten album należy do tej drugiej kategorii. 3/10
Good reading music
calm thanks robert wyatt
This is like sad meditation music. It's meant to be listened to while thinking, but then I'm focused most on everything OTHER THAN the music. It's not even music to get you lost in your own mind. It's more like 'I need something to listen to while studying'. Doesn't even apply to me anymore.
the man who pioneered yoga playlists
I remember that this was a great ambient album. Brian Eno does a good job.
Relaxing
Good to sleep to.
Boring
Exactly as described. If I heard this in an airport, it would probably brighten my mood.
Meditative - I listened to this as I was falling asleep so I don’t feel like I can give it a fair rating, but I’d say somewhere between 3ish and 4ish
Nailed the concept. Also, I cant fully grasp my own logic here— but I’m fairly certain Pure Moods would have never happened without this album.
I know I'm not really supposed to actively listen to this, but I paid attention and it's great Feels like I should be in the cooldown section at a yoga class
This calmed me down while commuting through Union square so it really is transportative. Yes I paused it on the train to watch several Lonely Island videos but that’s really none of your business.
I found myself forgetting there was even music playing if this is truly considered music. I really wish there was anything interesting going on with this.
I was prepared to hate this but I did find it very relaxing to listen to.
I agree with the top reviever in that this is not an album that was ever meant to be actively listened to, so I am only willing to score it so high. It's effective at what it does, though, and I get the historical significance.
Tried to listen to but …
I like Eno a lot, but like damn. This is good, but in an ambient kind of way. Nothing is really going on but that's the point. Its perfect
Very soothing! Felt like I was at a spa.
lemme try listening to it when I go to the airport next. Very pretty from what I’ve heard (I’m on the first song). I think it would be good for when you stressed out and don’t want to hear aggressive ass rap coupled with aggressive ass airport security lemme give it a cool 3.
Found this album to be boring. The music wasnt bad- it was technically proficient. But it was repeptitive in tone and not very interesting. Fine background music. Overall- didnt enjoy it. Probably a 1.5/5
3 Stars (8/15)
Not for me.
Been avoiding this record - although I love myself a good ambient record - this one seemed like it was going to be too spacey… but the opening track is hauntingly beautiful - it came on during a ran on a foggy morning - a perfect soundtrack and I was hooked. The rest is good too but that first track - chef’s kiss
I wonder…if one counts producer and contributor credits, would Eno be the most prolific participant on this list? Anyway. If I were to pick one Eno album for this, it would be Discreet Music.
As good as ambient music can be!
It was what it was. Overall score 5.0/10
It;s not often you get to hear the birth of a new form of music. It’s far more melodic than a lot of the ambient music that followed, but this is pure musical genius. It remains one of my personal Top 10 records of all time
Great working music.
Zzzzzz
Je suis pas mal un fan de musique d'ambiance en tout genre, mais celle-là rentre pas vraiment dans ma vibe, y'a quelque chose de sinistre en dessous des notes fantomatiques des synthés qui me déconcerte et nique la sois disante ambiance
I mean, it's my fault for signing up to this "quest" - this was not go to the gym music...
I've listened a few times before. Tried to again, but each time this shit stresses me out so bad for some reason
Its super interesting to me how this is still as relevant today as it was in 1978. '1/1' reminded me a lot of the Minecraft soundtrack where C418 managed to make some music that nobody noticed and yet it has wormed its way into the collective consciousness of a generation. And is now inspiring a whole new generation of musicians Standouts 1/1 4/5
Great music to be productive at work for
It is what it says on the label: ambient music. Super chill and slow paced. If you like ambient music you should really enjoy this.
This was entirely as advertised by the title. There's no clever wordplay going on here, this really is just ambient music for an airport terminal. If you're into that sort of thing, it's great. It wasn't a lot of fun, though.
я нихуя не понял
Made me want to take a train. In all seriousness, this was a hard listen. Repetitive, and not at all interesting.
INcredible
Wow. Stunning stuff, especially that first one literally had me getting lost in the Whole Foods lol.
I was in airports and airplanes almost all day yesterday and could’ve used this. But I already am quite familiar with and enjoy this and other ambient works.
Album 642 of 1001 Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music For Airports (1978) Rating : 4/ 5 Perhaps one of the most peaceful and I have ever heard. Serene would sum it up nicely. Would certainly be perfect for the noisy and bustling atmosphere of an airport. Nice listen.
Perfect album for being at an airport. Beautiful soundscapes that could put you to sleep
This might've been the most boring thing I've ever heard.
Does what it does really well but unfortunately what it does is bore you to fucking death.
Extraordinarily boring
A beautiful and quiet album that seduces slowly and subtly. 3.5 stars
This is so perfectly balanced for the background that it can only be a 3
Top album.
Ganska soft och lugnt men är det så jävla bra?
Pleasant ambience - not a fan of Track #2, though.
I've had 2 previous Brian Eno albums on this list, and both were utter horse-shit. I wasn't expecting much from this, and it duly obliged. In fairness it was nowhere near the banality of one of the previous Eno albums, and was on a par with the other one. I get that it was the ambient music ground-breaker, but any old prick with a keyboard could have made this album by just striking one or two keys periodically. I was a given a voucher for a massage last year and this music could have been what they played during the massage, it sent me to sleep then and it did the same now.
Crushingly boring. Only gets 2 stars because I made it through the whole thing as background music. I can accept it being on the list as an important historical album, but released in any other year I would be aghast.
I’ve been waiting for this one! I have a lot to thank this album for. This was the first ambient album that I ever heard, and I fell in love with it instantly. It made me branch out my tastes and helped encourage me to try out new music, especially ambient and other genres. Ambient has become one of my favorite genres. But with that out of the way, is this still a good album? Yes! Brian Eno got the idea for this album from hearing music in actual airports and thinking it stunk. I’ve had the pleasure of listening to this in an airport with headphones, and it really does capture the atmosphere. Brian Eno coined the term ambient with this album, and described it to be, “as ignorable as it is interesting.” I think that fits this album really well. This album is just so meditative and calming. Its atmospheric loops, simplistic synthesizers and piano melodies evoke such a sense of serenity. 1/1 is just so iconic, and in my opinion one of the best ambient songs ever made. It perfectly encapsulates ambient music as a whole. 2/1, while being my least favorite track, has minimalist vocal samples and harmonies that are angelic and ethereal. 1/2 vocals combines those choir-like vocals with the soothing piano and synthesizers of 1/1, and it’s a fantastic combination. The final track, 2/2, has layers of soothing synthesizers that evoke a sense of wonder, like the other songs on this album. It’s an example of the fantastic minimalism to be found on this album. Ambient 1: Music For Airports is genre defining, and a pioneering work of ambient music. I highly recommend this for people who want a calming atmosphere, and want to get into ambient music. It’s a true classic, and I love it.
Beautiful. Could listen to it for days.
This is too ambient for me. After discussions with the wiser ones I understood the meaning of this album in this list. But still. Not my thing.
I love the idea behind the album, "music as ignorable as it is interesting... capable of inducing calm and a space to think". Also the fact that this is the first piece of music to be called "ambient" is quite astonishing. In 1978 synths were very expensive and new, so not many artists used them and even fewer made music that focus around them. While modern ambient or even 90's modern style ambient, is quite different, I can hear the seeds of the soothing music in this record. I might've listened to this at the wrong moment, it was morning and I just started working, but it still held my attention wonderfully well. Lovely.
this is the greatest album of all time well extremely repetitive for what it is okay second track kind of holy, am i ascending?
get hacked bro
I get the point for this, but I wish the songs were a bit... shorter? Maybe that's being picky, it's supposed to be ambient music. So it's really background music. But it just feels... too simple. Like anyone with a keyboard could make this. And the songs don't really have an ending, either. Again, the whole thing with ambient music, right? I respect the experiment Eno is doing here, he is best for me doing something in the background (not "the star"), like his "Enossification" in Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway." Definitely will be good background, relaxing music, something to fall asleep to (not necessarily a bad thing)...
About 500 albums ago when I got Eno's previous album to this one, I noted how I could get into the ambient approach he took on side two. I didn't know that this album was the first time he, or anyone really, would go full bore ambient. I absolutely loved it. 1/1 in particular is a masterpiece. I have friends who listen to classical music when they work or need to think but I think this is the style for me. Which is funny as I had been avoiding this album because I had some work I needed to concentrate on and wanted no distractions. I didn't look at the title of the album, just that it was eclectic Eno. What a mistake that was. This album perfectly does what ambient music is supposed to do - induce calm and a space to think. When I am done listening to this album on repeat (which could be awhile) I will have to listen to the other three albums in his ambient series.
I initially expected I would just listen to this in the background, but instead found myself absolutely transfixed. What a beautiful album. I'm impressed how all 4 tracks differ from each other yet maintain a unified atmosphere. The opener (1/1) is just plain beautiful and mesmerizing. I'll admit it faded a little into the background for me, but was beautiful regardless of focus. 2/1 was also gorgeous. I loved how the vocal sounds would emerge from the synths at different intervals. 1/2 was an interesting counterpart to 1/1 - while 1/1 sounded calm and tranquil, 1/2 had a melancholic tone. Finally, 2/2 paired with 2/1 but without the vocals, this time only synths, with an almost hopeful motif. Loved this album right from my first listen and continued to lose myself in it with repeat listens, even when not focusing on it, consistent with Eno's point: "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." Fantastic album.
The album that invented ambient as an art form and it's well worth a listen. A soothing balm that will definitely go onto my "bedtime" list. I've listened to a bit of ambient over the years some of it I like, some of it is screamingly affected by the desire to be atonal. This is definitely in the musical side of the genre. It is what it is, and absolutely belongs in a list that tries to demonstrate the development of music in all forms.
I can admire how this pretty much birthed the genre of Ambient music, but its not for me. I don't like ambient music and while there's probably a time and place for it for me, that time and place wasn't today.
Ekstremt chill. Glemte at jeg hørte på det. På en god måte. Første låt er best
bad
Quite relaxing and meditative. I could see myself coming back to this while I'm working on something in the office.
I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I thought I would
7.5/10
nice 3/5
Seriously? This is indistinguishable from any of the tracks on YouTube/Spotify with titles like "BEST DEEP SLEEP MUSIC LOFI CHILL RELAX SLOW BRAINWAVE CALM". Track 1: hitting piano keys in a repetitive motif with ambient droning in the background. Track 2: aaaaaaahhhhhhh with ambient droning in the background. Track 3: piano + aaaaahhhhh. Track 4: synth instead of piano.
This is not music its just sound! Has nothing to commend it
Good background music, I suppose.
Imagine waiting for a flight in a terminal in a large North American city. The sights and sounds can be overwhelming, passengers rushing to their gates, kids crying, loud announcements over the P.A. system, the sheer volume of noise at the peak of travel and you just want to sit and wait for your flight. Then you slip on a set of noise-cancelling headphones, click play on your Walkman or CD player or stream on your phone to "Ambient 1/Music For Airports" and let your mind and eyes delight to the calm, pastoral sounds from Eno. You're not really listening to the "songs", but the ambient sound feels like you've transported to a totally different environment and I guess that's the point of "Music for Airports". Listening to this and observing the hustle and bustle of the airport will feel like your watching a bizarre-version of theatre. It feels like you're in a spa or lounging out in a float pool to relaxing, soothing sounds, but wait are there any other ambient music outside of airports? Yes, (give Ambient 4: On Land, a listen)...now close your eyes, relax...ZZZzzzzzzz.......