My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Very electronic, Very weird , Very rhytmic, Very cool, Very instrumental, Very recommended

An album that I have enjoyed many times for decades.

This continues the tradition of Eno/Byrne collaborations par excellence. It's the exact template for Boards of Canada - chopped field recordings against hypnotic beats against suggested melodies. What makes it more admirable is the painstaking process it must have been to manually cut the tape and loop it in the pre-digital age. I also hear Radiohead, Kid A era - not surprising given their love of 'Music Has the Right to Children'. I hear DJ Shadow with melodies built out of the samples. I hear the atmospheric guitar sounds of Urban Hymns in the evocative 'The Carrier'. And does 'Very Very Hungry' create the 'How Soon is Now's refrain years before it was invented?! I hear the echoes of this through much ambient and electronic music I love. I am actually quite blown away by how modern it sounds, and how ahead of its time this was (and is) - there is no recording technique or vocal style that dates it. Absolutely visionary.

My all time number one cleaning album

By Brian Eno only? We’re leaving out David Byrne? Either way, this is a fun album. Throw this on late in the evening in the background at your party and hear strange skronks and sermons drift across the room as drum loops play. I would give this a 4.5, I don’t really re-visit this that often, not the best work for either artist, but 4 stars seems too low. Ah well. These global scores seem too low already.

Fascinating album. A great collaboration between 2 great musical minds. Otherworldly tribal rhythms with samples seamlessly interwoven into the tunes. Highly recommended.

Today I am a grumpy old man full of fuck you punk rock energy, so I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. REALLY good stuff. 5

Genius

This is really interesting and I'd not heard it before. The music is eminently listenable and doesn't feel dated. I daresay this was something of a foundation for the "sample as instrument" genre. It must have been a lot more difficult in 1979 than now, when I have the impression something like this could done in a day or two.

i bought this record on a whim as a teenager, an easy mark for the original artwork and the title, and having a basic idea of who the guys were. i'd still put it in my top 3 of the talking heads extended universe. it's still funny, danceable, and surprising after however many years. newer pressings have cut one haram track but it's not a major loss. cultural appropriation was always the point. hindsight is what it always is. if the "psychedelic african" guitar hooks you, check out King Sunny Adé, who is shamefully omitted from the list to make space for three kings of leon cds, i guess.

Such an interesting weird album that needs more then one listen. It has the ambient Eno stuff but at the same time Byrne is doing the afro-funk Fela kinda thing. Fear of Music and Remain in Light are right around this album. Of course then the direct line from that album to Phish covering it for Halloween 96 which led to the groove-based jams of 97 and beyond. So right around the time of my birth in 82 the strange brew of prog like Yes, King Crimson and Genesis combined with the weirdness and technical whatever of Zappa. Throw in classic guitar rock of Hendrix, Zeppelin and the Stones and the music that's defined and dominated my life for near 30 years. So yeah I like and appreciate David Byrne and Brian Eno

an unexpected but genius way to find the beauty hiding in the alienating and empty and alien and blood-stained modern world...listen for the heartbeat of life and dance to it. there truly is so much more to existence than what we can see

What can happen when two autistic creative geniuses get together. Amazing, innovative stuff that is still influencing music today. Could have been released last week.

This really is a seminal and influential work - and it's also very good. One can hear how this album has influenced so much music produced since it was released.

Brian enough is great and this was a fantastic album.

Rare find recordings, Amalgamation of chill, Ground breaking album

My Life In the Bush of Ghosts is a collaborative album created by Brian Eno and David Byrne. They used samples, extensively, in a manner that had never been done before. The album often sounds like the rhythmically complicated minimalism that was found in the work of the Talking Heads produced by Eno. Eno described this album has his "vision of a psychedelic Africa." He and Byrne incorporated a number of African rhythms and samples in their recordings through the 80s and 90s.

Absolutely brilliant. Way out there, but funky as hell 5/5

So ahead of its time

Yet another winner from Brian Eno - I've loved pretty much everything he's had a hand in that I've encountered in this project. This feels very ahead of its time.

I totally dig this, experimental, sampled, instrumentals. Faves: I always find it hard to remember instrumental track names but for this Jezebel Spirit, Very Very Hungry, and Solo Guitar with Tin Foil.

I almost did this album real dirty. Think I had it confused in my head with the David Byrne / Fatboy Slim project "Here Lies Love" which came out in 2010, so I was kinda nonplussed listening to this mashup of world music, samples and electronica, thinking I'd heard plenty of other projects that did the same thing but better. Just before submitting a scathing review saying I'd expect more originality from Eno and Byrne I noticed that it actually came out in 1981! That makes _way_ more sense, and all the projects I was thinking of actually used this as a foundation! So yeah, massive props to this album - it spawned a couple of different genres that I really like. Fave tracks - doesn't make tremendous sense to pick out individual tracks on this one, but "Regiment", "The Jezebel Spirit" and "Two Against Three" had me looking their names up on the last play through, so let's say them....

This album is incredible. I find it to be transporting at times and it’s just so inventive.

New to me, giants. By the time we get to "Help Me Somebody" or "Moonlight in Glory" this is just majestically refined precursors to everything I love, entirely out of time.

thrilling

Add Eno to my controversial artist list, because this is outstanding. I am rating the original realease minus the 6 bonus tracks upon remaster. Maybe it's the David Byrne involvement, I love the afro beats and odd percussions. Beautifully layered soundscapes and it even, dare I say, was catchy at times

Love this album! The combo of Eno & David Byrne is amazing. Definitely going into my favorites list!

Two artists I've recently been getting into are Brian Eno and Talking Heads, so this is a match made in heaven for me. I only recently discovered this album's existence and have been looking forward to it arriving. The first half in particular is a great companion to Remain in Light, before gradually becoming slower and more ambient towards the end. The album hasn't aged a day in my opinion. Yet another masterpiece from the incredible 1977-1981 period. Not up everyone's street I'm sure, but this is definitely forming part of my collection.

Two GOATS. This album is so cool. The sampling is just insane, and the end result is just such a satisfying jammy psychedelic feast. Love it!

It's definitely impressive for being both listenable and extremely "OUT THERE". It is more than a collection of unusual sounds, it's quite musical. Reminds me a lot of TALKING HEADS but it's more off the beaten track even. A quality album. Interesting and I would listen to it again for sure. I am surprised to say all of this. Despite liking ENO a LOT, I expected to write "why do we need so many Eno albums here to introduce different styles to people? But then I heard this. It's surprisingly groovy and cool without being alienating experimental bullshit. So yeah surprisingly it belongs on this list. And now to read what others wrote about it.... Curious ....

This is everything I wanted it to be when I saw it was Brian Eno and David Byrne. It’s eclectic, psychedelic, funk at times, electronic at others. Varied as fuck, and as unpredictable as you could hope for. And weird. It had to be weird. The fact one song has linear notes stating the involvement of an ‘unidentified excorcist’ is about as weird as you can get. I love it.

Again another album from my top ten of all time - superb collaboration with Talking Heads’ David Byrne

Whoa. Okay, I've listened to this at least a dozen times already. It hypnotized me, and I would just sit and listen 2 or 3 times in a row while working on projects. I'm only familiar with the expanded version that's on Spotify, but I truly love it. Definitely best with headphones.

Kongeniales Werk zweier Spitzenmusiker

I haven't listened to this album in years - either I liked it a lot more this time around or I forgot how good it is. The last time I listened to this was about 10 years ago when I read David Byrne's book "How Music Works" - I remember reading about his experiments with found sound sampling and rhythm sampling that led to the creation of this album and later "Remain in Light", including recording late night radio preachers as heard on this album, and how their stylized sermons influenced songs like "Once In A Lifetime" As a Talking Heads fan, this album is a perfect amuse bouche for "Remain in Light". Or maybe it's more like the unfinished Michelangelo sculptures that guide your way up to see the David at the Galleria Accademia. The iconic piece is amazing, of course, but it is just as interesting and beautiful to see the artist's process.

This is a long beloved album in my history. Before I ever heard EDM, I played this a lot. (I was surprised that I could still recite the preacher's sermon verbatim.) This album is such a masterful blend of David Byrne sounds and rhythm with Brian Eno's avant garde.

On muuten aika hieno levy! Leikkisä ja samaan aikaan manaava, just sitä mitä vois näiltä heeboilta odottaa. 5/5

Feel the Byrne

Very stoked this is on this list, but shouldn't be surprised. This album is a masterpiece and is perfect in every way. Very thrilled to get it this morning.

God I love Brian Eno

Mea Culpa. So intriguing. 5/5

This is a great collaboration of two amazing artists. I think it really shows a more experimental side with the sampling and found sounds.

Great record

bellissimo, pieno di campionamenti e un sound elettronico ambient molto unico

This album was very weird, but good weird, and that’s exactly what I expected from a Brian Eno and David Byrne production. A lot of the songs were easy listening and ambient while still being rhythmically interesting.

Absolutely fucking superb. Love Eno, love Talking Heads, so of course I love this. Only bad thing about it is the making of this record kind of sowed the seeds of the Heads' destruction. But oh well, we got the Tom Tom Club as well instead, so there's that. Really glad I got the Holger Czukay album a week or so back or I would have had no idea he was even in Can before that or the significance of him to this record. I enjoy this a LOT more than Movies however. Well worth popping over to YouTube to pick up Quran, which it was possibly blasphemous to remove from the record, but they did. Can I just say, kudos to the review with the cut up pieces of other people's reviews. Love your work!

Внезапно, это не его сольный альбом. Нахожу это великолепным музыкальным выебоном. Я не порекомендую его послушать каждому, но любителям музыки стоит с этим ознакомиться. Просто офигительная работа!

A genre-bending classic. The mix of syncopated electronic rhythms with 'found' voices has been an influence on so many other artists. And, this works so well as a mood and an album, the tracks are distinct also flow well together. Am not always a huge fan of either artist's solo work, but this collaboration seems greater than the sum of its (considerable) parts.

I am so happy that I was high and making chili while listening to this

Arguably the most important of the Byrne/Eno collaborations, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts remains a dizzying, staggering achievement. The brain waves that surged through both men in the creation of this album has often become a source of fascination that beguiles to this day. So much inspiration, so much information, so much trouble; forty plus years has done little to suppress the fact that, without this album, much of what has come in the world of music would be very, very different.

Two musical geniuses together on one record. I really love both of them and their first album is a huge hit.

You can clearly notice Brian Eno and David Byrne in this, nice surprise

Dark, twisted, frequently funky and hauntingly weird. I bought this album years ago on cassette as a teenager after hearing "The Jezebel Spirit" on the radio. Back then, the album mostly confounded me, but I have grown to love it over the years. This is a really diverse and unique work from Brian Eno and David Byrne, two of the most creative minds in music. It's a collaboration that really works, full of moments both unsettling and transcendent. The layers of samples and looped sounds are central to the album's sound, giving off a cool found footage vibe. But listen deeper, and you will find elements of solid musicianship that give the album its depth, particularly on percussion and bass. There's really nothing else like this in music. The album was years ahead of its time when it came out, but it has aged beautifully. The song "Qu'ran" from the original album is not available on Spotify, but you can easily find it on YouTube. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Regiment; America Is Waiting; Mountain of Needles; Help Me Somebody; The Jezebel Spirit; Mea Culpa; Qu'ran; The Carrier; Come with Us; Moonlight in Glory; Very, Very Hungry; A Secret Life

amazing at the time it was released and still holds up

Weird and wonderful, tickled my brain. I'd like to see people's brainwave patterns when listening to this, on one of those machines

After the first few tracks, I initially brushed this off as "typical Eno", but oh no. Eno's done some very good stuff, but this might be my favorite (and of course, Byrne deserves much credit too). Obviously this isn't your standard modern rock album, so listening might take a little getting used to, but I really like the sounds and the melodies. Not only do I enjoy the music as it is (making it at least a 4 star album), but I appreciate how influential and ahead of its time it was, being released in 1981. As Richard Wright said, "[this album] knocked me sideways when I first heard it – full of drum loops, samples and soundscapes. Stuff that we really take for granted now, but which was unheard of in all but the most progressive musical circles at the time... The way the sounds were mixed in was so fresh, it was amazing."

Love. Fricken love a good instrumental and made by two absolute legends. Glorious.

Fantastic Byrne/Eno collaboration.

Another of my favourite albums and one of the greatest albums ever created. Bought this on cassette and played it over and over. It's mesmeric. You don't like? Ok sister, you have a Jezebel spirit within you! Genuinely disturbing samples with an insane rhythmic beat.

I love this album; the perfect meeting of two of the 20th century's most interesting musicians.

Brian Eno AND David Byrne?! this is actually incredible!

The coming together of two genius does not disappoint. This album was a perfect blend of David Byrne's idiosyncrasies with Brian Eno's ambient and electronic experiments. It was at times beautiful, disconcerting, but always thoughtful.

Great! Such a cool electric techno sample gasm.

Unique. Interesting. A great soundtrack to my day! The first time through I liked it. But I listened to this more and its appear climbed steadily. Really great!

Groovy. Experimental done well.

Ovo mi je jedan od najdražih albuma ikad

Honestly how have I never heard this before? To be fair, the title is the kind of thing my dad would say "put this on in the car" and I would groan and try to change the subject. When I texted him about it he said "it was my favourite album when I was your age. I played it all the time" When will I start listening to my parents? I thoroughly enjoyed it but will need to give it another listen to fully appreciate it I think. Both Brian Eno and David Byrne are some of my musical heroes and have had profound impact on me. This is a great marriage of their creative abilities. The range of sounds from all over the world and their ability to produce such a seamless album is so impressive. Five Stars.

Brian Eno's music is like getting little kisses on your brain. I've always mixed this one up in my head with some of Talking Head's later stuff. There's a lot of crossover here (even more than usual)

I took the advice of the Apple Music writers and put this on in the background while I was getting ready for work. By the time I got into the car, I was hooked. Loved it. I especially liked “The Jezebel Spirit.” It kind of reminds me “Frontier Psychiatrist” by The Avalanches.

awesome

this came out in 1981?? i think this is the first of his albums i've actually sat down and listened to, and after 4 rounds of it, i'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that release date. this was honestly so far ahead of its time it's almost impossible to believe eno doesn't have a time machine tucked away in his studio somewhere. america is waiting sounds like it could easily be a talking heads track, which places it solidly in its own timeframe - but mea culpa, the very next cut on the album, sounds at times like it's channeling autechre, or maybe skylab, directly from about 15 years in the future. and throughout the whole adventure, the whole audio collage thing they're doing here just screams negativland, who incidentally achieved incredible underground fame 10 years after this album with their release of the u2 7". i understood eno's impact on music was pretty significant. i did not understand the degree to which he really was seeing the future. in short: incredible. and now, if you'll excuse me, i have really an awful lot of brian eno albums to get caught up on

LOVELY

Eclectic sample album of David Byrne and Brian Eno. All kinds of musical styles from all over the world combined to danceable songs with spoken word vocals samples from all kinds of sources. Intelligent, but also very funny.

Really great, unique record

Outrageously gorgeous and funky soundscapes; a pitch perfect collaboration with David Byrne, another genius.

Adelantado a su tiempo, usa samples de música africana creando un disco mágico. Avantgarde, rock experimental, psicodelia étnica. Una locura.

5

I liked this one for the most part but it definitely lost me at a few points, maybe a week bit expiramental to listen to for an hour straight

Didn't click until the third track, but holy fuck once it clicked. Great use of sampling, very modern EDM/between genres style with a more holistic approach to the musical style.

Goo Eno/Byrne music.

At times it does feel like a Remain in Light lite, just two dudes fucking around with samples and mixing and having a good time.

RATING: 8/10 HIGHLIGHT: Moonlight in Glory LOWLIGHT: America is Waiting

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - America Is Waiting is very futuristic and creates its own musical atmosphere that tis really interesting. The samples of different voices on this album are incredible. The quirky funk contrasts nicely with the more reflective moments such as A Secret Life.

Sehr schönes Album, Chillout mässig

I'd probably love this on a second listen-through, so, 4 I guess.

The soundtrack to autism. I love it.

everyone thinks this is frontloaded except me. the Eno side is honestly maybe even better than the Byrne one. wonderful use of samples to create effective ambient music. and the avant-funk numbers on side A are pretty great too. i’ve seen some say this is derivative of Can but i don’t agree with that. this is clearly coming to a different artistic conclusion. deserves to be one of the 1001? i mean this is revolutionary in the world of sample based music. i really should’ve checked this out earlier since this is the father of John Oswald and Negativland n all that. yes this does. secretly really important

My mistake was listening to this sober. I appreciate the strangeness of this and will be putting a few of these into my repertoire.

Two highly innovative guys. It’s a pleasure to listen to whatever they come up with. This sounds great on headphones.

No one else but Eno and Byrne could have created this dense fusion of electronica, world music, and crazy samples. It's a nightmare dreamscape and, coming right after Talking Heads "Remain in Light," it's the natural progression from that album. Songs like "Mea Culpa" and "Jezebel Spirit" linger in the subconscious. They explore religion and its effects on people in songs like "Jezebel Spirit," "Help Me Sonebody" and "Mountain in Glory" and its pretty disturbing. It's not all dark as there are some eerily beautiful songs as well like "Mountain of Needles." These guys produced some incredible collaborations together and I hope they work with each other again.

Pioneering fusion of world music, electronic, and Talking Heads-style psych freakouts. I didnt realise that this is considered one of the first albums to use extensive sampling, but not surprised. Eno in particular will (really, already does) have a legacy as one of the most innovative artists of all time. Dream-like, sometimes a little nightmarish collage of sounds

Really cool album, the combination of Brian Eno and David Byrne works really well. I like the world music influence on here a lot, from Indian to Arabic to African. The relatively sparse mixing works well too, it’s not too busy of an album even with all the different influences. If I had to critique it, I suppose it doesn’t really go anywhere. The songs are atypical and don’t really feel like they could be hit singles.

Very impressive work of samples here. Interesting to see the history behind the copyright for all of the samples and how it was all a mess. Debated on how influential it really was, its still very innovative and quite a fun listen. Impressive considering it started work in the late 70s.

incrível esse aqui valeu só pq me colocou num humor de (finalmente) tomar vergonha e trabalhar experimental p caralho (com sucesso)

eh bem o que eu esperava mesmo. eletrônico, maluco, experimental. o uso de samples aqui eh duma maestria absurda. no mais, arte demais né. nao eh pra todo dia, mas eh extremamente interessante e bem feito!!

One of those albums I thought was okay sober but love high. So cool and weird and funky, the sampling is cool. Kinda over it near the end but still real good stuff

Well that was interesting I really get more out of these albums when GPT tells me about them. I connected way more with the groove-oriented and atmospheric tracks than the harsher experimental ones. “Regiment” stood out immediately because of the Middle Eastern vocals and hypnotic vibe, while “America Is Waiting” felt abrasive and harder to enjoy. “Mea Culpa” clicked more for me because it had a stronger rhythmic anchor. “The Jezebel Spirit” was a big turning point for me — I loved the groovy intro and got really interested in the origins of the exorcism sample after finding out it came from a real religious recording instead of a movie. I also enjoyed “Very Very Hungry” because it balanced experimentation with groove and flow. By the time I got to “Moonlight in Glory” and “The Carrier,” I was especially drawn to the Middle Eastern/Lebanese vocal samples and the immersive atmosphere they created. Overall, I appreciated the album most when the experimental production served rhythm, trance-like repetition, and mood rather than chaos or tension. This was a great album. 4 stars.

This album felt inspired and fresh. It came across as the distinct vision of artists exploring all sorts of sounds, mixing interesting samples with their own artistry. It is experimental to the core and showcases a variety of rhythms, including African and Middle Eastern influences. The sounds, the ambience, and the guitar work layered over the samples made for a great listening experience. To some extent, it even feels like a precursor to trip-hop as a genre. Its first half is much stronger than the second. The best songs for me were "America Is Waiting" and definitely "Regiment".

Bigger than the sum of its parts. Trippy, wordly, experimental and yet very engaging. Great collab.

On the plus side, I can appreciate that this was a trailblazer in the field of sampling (this would have been mind-blowing in 1979-1980). And, honestly, it DID keep me toe-tapping throughout; so, unlike most other experimental albums we've had on here, it DOES have SOME musical quality. However... it does feel a bit rough around the edges... which I suppose is unavoidable given what it is and when it was made. It's not something I'd want to necessarily have on repeat, but it's more polished than, say, 'Duck Stab' (another experimental album I appreciated more for its pioneering groundwork than for its standalone content), and I gave that a 3, so this deserves nothing less for the same reasons. In fact, I'll round up to a 4 because this feels like a genuinely important step in technical development (and I did like it, besides).

A nice surprise! On paper the thought of listening to this had me cringing, but it worked very well. Great taped material over the top of fantastic drumming, the other sounds just worked. Two geniuses playing around and created the grandfather of rave? What ever it is, it's excellent. Better than the sum of ita parts. As for using a recording of a TV exorcism as a soundtrack, class.

Never listened to much Brian Eno despite understanding how influential he is. I was astounded by how well this held up. It could have easily come out 30 years later than it did. All the clunky use of sampling I hear today and to think that someone had it this dialed in back in the ‘80’s…

Very, very cool. A hippy soundscape, warm and inviting, filled with these fascinating little sounds. There's some super fun n funky basslines Half the album is very ambient, which makes sense for Eno, and the other half is this sort of capital-W World music (as much as we all loathe the term) that's got some groove. Some neat ideas for sampling about, too. It's definitely an album that's both a) greater than the sum of its parts, and b) not really for fun easy listening, despite the ambient tag. It's more interesting as an experiment as music, but it does make for an excellent experiment. Fav tracks: Mea Culpa, Help Me Somebody, The Jezebel Spirit, Moonlight in Glory

i dind't expect to like this as much as i did. very cool and weird

Очень интересно, но скорее всего на один раз

La musique est parfaite, le sampling me fait pas tripper. 3.75 étoiles

мужики веселились

Just my kind of weird. Quality 4.3.

This probably isn't a top 5 Eno album for me and yet it's still a 4 out of 5. I really like Eno.

Lately the amount of records with altered track lists has been grating at me, I've formed an entire conspiracy theory around it. Here with this record, we've also got a lost censored track, in addition to 20 minutes worth of rerelease bonus tracks that change the overall experience. How could an extra 20 minutes of music not make a marked impact? Are you not going to notice your childhood building is 5 extra stories now? Needless to say I'm happy I was able to find the original track list on YouTube. A few listens later and yes, the experience with the rerelease is extremely different with the unreleased material. Also, the censored Qu'ran is such an amazing piece of music history, particularly because of how badass the song is and how it adds depth to the darkness the album can sometimes represent. I would buy myself an LP with Qu'ran in it. I wouldn't otherwise. I'd be fascinated by a remix with a replacement for the sacred material. The overall experience of this album is erratic, experimental, it's a bit on the off-putting side if you haven't been preexposed to musical sounds of the world. I personally find it intriguing, I like how they mesh the math of their samples, how they explore emotions through complicated combinations that work no matter how awkward it is for them to achieve it. It's an odd one for regular repeated play, but if I had it on vinyl I'm sure it'd have its occasional spin. 3.7/5

You know how you’ll be messing around with your friends and be like man it would have been cool if we recorded that? That’s what this is. Except it’s actually decent. And somehow not as weird as I expected it to be. But in no way is it required listening. But I really enjoyed it.

Enjoyed listening to this sound collage of objet trouvé. All the more impressive knowing the analog technology they were working with at the time. Some things work better than others but overall an interesting listen. 4

Probably a 4.5 for me. Tone of greats songs with no wave/dance punk grooves. It was new to me but will be a return listen.

Det er ret fedt langt hen af vejen. Spændende lydlandskaber af Brian Eno der masher alverdens lyd og musik sammen. Og David Byrnes vokal er bare altid dragende. Dog bliver det lidt kedeligt hen imod afslutningen af albummet.

You know how, when you're walking through the early Renaissance wing of an art museum and you get to roughly the Giottos and you can appreciate how different they are from what came before but you still can't quite fathom exactly how revolutionary they are because it's really just that all the sudden all the people and perspectives just kind of start to look *right*? That's the experience of hearing this album in 2026. These rhythms and techniques are now so embedded in all of pop music, from pop to rap to country to EDM to whatever's left of rock, that I suspect I'm missing a good deal of the exhilaration that a listener in 1981 would have experienced. Which is another way of saying this is all still quite good and feels like it belongs - and its influence is everywhere, from Timbaland to Uematsu.

++*: The Jezebel Spirit ++: America Is Waiting, Regiment, Help Me Somebody, Qu'ran, Moonlight in Glory, The Carrier, A Secret Life, Come with Us, Mountain of Needles +: Mea Culpa 9,7/10

Instrumentally, this is an absolute groove and I'm all over it. Vocal extracts excluded this is massively up my street, but most of the vocals didn't sit as well with me, seemed conflicting with the music and used too much distortion. I preferred the vocals when they weren't English and then they blended more with the instrumentation.

This sounds exactly what you'd expect a Brian Eno/ David Byrne collaboration would be

I loved the rhythms in this and the samples just provided a wide array of sounds to sculpt with, so it didn't really matter where they came from. I think that's one of the joys of sampling - that you can take an excerpt from one context and transpose it into something completely different. I am tempted to say that this shows some of David Byrne's talent without him spoiling it by singing, but that would be a bit mean

Listened to this a lot in the 80s. Advances in technology likely make this sound antiquainted but I am sufficiently antiquated that I can't tell.

All the rhythmic innovation and technical skill of Talking Heads, none of the charm. I can't say I dislike it but I don't know what I'd use it for. 3.5

Still sounds daring. The cut-and-paste vocal experiments and rhythmic loops create a strange, hypnotic flow that feels more discovered than composed. It can be distancing, but the imagination on display keeps pulling me back.

I kind of get the hype now

That was fun and interesting. I'll probably add it to the rotation but its not gonna become a new favourite.

7.5/10

While a lot of purely electronic music leaves me cold I tend to enjoy artists who collect piles of samples and mash them together to form songs (like DJ Shadow and the Avalanches). This album feels very much like an early entry in that genre. And, despite its reputation as art rock, its surprisingly listenable and groovy. The world music singing and preachers feel cliche by today's standards, but this pre-dates most albums that rely on it by a decade, so I feel like it gets a bit of a pass.

Albummet er lavet ud fra samples fra radio, prædikener, feltoptagelser osv bliver brugt i stedet for traditionelt band og instrumenter. TRor nærmest det er det første sampledelia som senere blev grundlag for samples i triphop, big beats, hip hop, electronica osv. der var også global rytmetænkning før world musik osv, så der meget nytænkning osv over det. Briano eno og david byrne man. Synes sagtens man kan høre der er world over det, fordi det lyder sådan lidt tribal i mange sange på en eller anden måde? og meget spirituelt også. Der er mange lyde føler næsten man er i en jungle eller sådan noget.

Suht mystistä kamaa, moni biisi hiveli omaa musiikkikorvaa. Yllärinelonen! Ehkä jopa vitonen mut ei sentään

Favorite track(s): Mea culpa, Regiment, Help Me Somebody, The Jezebel Spirit, Moonlight in Glory This is what happens when you get two of history's most quirked up white boys in the studio together.

This a fun album. Lots of cool samples and it sounds great. Very innovative and I enjoyed listening to it.

It feels like everyone who does the dissonant sound album is really just trying to copy this guy. He walks the very thin line of making something that challenges you conception of music and sound without being a goddamn ear sore for an hour. Admittedly, my enthusiasm did start to wane for this one in the final 15, but if left me with the same feeling after you spend to long in an art museum, tired but fulfilled.

Crazy instrumentation and tonality makes it so refreshingly unique

I came into this project with only a vague awareness of Brian Eno, but I've enjoyed reviewing his albums over the last few years. As for David Byrne, I would call myself a casual Talking Heads fan, but I don't know any of David Byrne's solo work. Based on the reviews for this album, I’m pretty excited to listen to it, because it sounds like it’s right up my alley. I can’t believe that this is my second to last album to review, but here we are! My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is the album Tom Tom Club wished it could be. While Bush of Ghosts wasn’t perfect, I really loved the overall sound of this album. I’m typically more drawn to melodies, but I couldn’t help but be swept up by this album’s excellent rhythms. I was listening to this album at work, and it took everything I had not to stand up and dance while I listened to it. The bass playing was truly remarkable, and I loved how well the synthesizers and samples fit so well into the overall groove of the music. I enjoyed this album’s melodies as well, but I felt that the rhythms were more consistent. My biggest complaint with this album is that I didn’t care for the sampled vocals, but they weren’t enough to drag down my enjoyment that much. I listened to the original track listing for this album, with “Qu’ran,” but I also listened to “Very, Very Hungry,” and I thought the latter was much better. “The Jezebel Spirit” was my favorite song on the album. The guitar and bass were excellent, and the sampled sounds were incredible too. This was just a really fun bop. While this album did fade a bit towards the finish line, the overall work here was fantastic. Without this album, I can’t imagine how different the music landscape would be.

Pretty, interesting, very wide spectrum of sounds and sources, languages and styles. I didn't so much listen to this album, but let it flow over me. Some of it made me dance in my seat, some just let focus on my taks at hand and some blended into aural tapestry. Quite a few times I felt I was listening to David Byrne's music and not Eno, but such are collaborations. This was a very nice record.

Boy, Brian Eno is all over the place for me. Here come the Warm Jets was a trashcan album, but Music for Airports was a 5 star banger. Another Green World was 4 stars exceptional, and Before and After Science was a 3 star, mostly good but a little dated. Now we have Life in The Bush Of Ghosts and it is good. Very good. It's WAY better than Before And After Science, but I don't think it resonates as much as Another Green World. So 3.5 stars would be about right, but of course, we don't have half stars. Because my 3 star rating has started to devolve into "meh" albums, this one gets 4 stars. Which is a bit too high, but not a crime like 3 stars would be.

I know Eno is highly esteemed for his influences and abilities as a producer. But I preferred the elements of this that leaned more toward Byrne’s sound and style. 3.5*

Fuuuck yes, some solid vibes. Definitely bordered on a little too experimental.

Weird, wonderful, whacky and.... I can't think of a synonym for 'unique' that begins with W. "Won of a kind"?

ну норм для фанатов, я послушал и оценил, мб вернусь

Very experimental and weird, but it works! I kinda dig this album. It’s interesting, hypnotic, and has some great groove as well as slower, more dreamlike sounds.

I don't know that I have anything interesting or novel to say about this album. I liked it. I like Brian Eno and David Byrne's music and this collaboration was pretty on par from what I would expect from this union.

Avantgarde stuff that gets more enjoyable with every spin, but it really demands attention. I'm glad to have heard it, but I'm not sure how often I'll return to it.

After I got past the first couple of songs that were a bit disjointing to me, I enjoyed the album. Some songs seem to have more of a David Byrne influence to them. Track 38 made my playlist.

Unlike anything I’ve heard before

This album is just wildly creative and ahead of its time. The usage of samples is so crazy, it's hard to believe this dropped in 1981. It's so futuristic and fascinating. It's crazy that they manage to fuse in so many styles from all over the world. The album is quite experimental but also somehow accessible and hella groovy. The grooves are actually so massive. Pretty crazy. Towards the end the album switches into more of an ambient sound and again, it sounds incredible. The songs are super hypnotic and entrancing like all ambient songs should be. Amazing and wild listen

More of an experiment than an album. I thought it was interesting

I did a dumb thing. When I started this, I found that one album a day wasn’t enough. And so I decided to start a second project. And then that was too little, so I began a third! While I’ve paused the other two as I’ve decided I’d rather focus on re-listening to one album to give it the time and attention it needs to be properly reviewed, I did get to this album on one of the other projects. Which is insane. I’m 21 albums into this project and got about 14 into the other. So the chances of this showing up there then me getting it here are, like, one in over a thousand I think. I don’t know. It’s one in the morning and I don’t feel like doing math. I’m not going to re-listen because I have a lot of other music to listen to. I decided not to keep up with many 2025 releases because I’ve found music has been pretty disappointing recently. Established artists do their thing but a lot of stuff is extremely algorithmic—not to mention the rise of generic country-pop. I listened to the new twenty one pilots album and loved it, I listened to Getting Killed and loved it, I listened to a couple of the recent riot grrrl revival albums and thought they were okay, and I listened to the new Florence and the Machine album and loved it—and I listened to the new Taylor Swift album and hated it beyond words. I’m not even a hater of her music—I just find it kinda redundant—and it genuinely angered me. But anyway, yeah, I kept hearing such good things about Let God Sort ‘Em Out and Lux that I listened to them both, and now I’m realizing oh, crap, I should probably have paid more attention to new music. Lux especially was amazing. So tryna catch up on that before the year ends. But I digress. I listened to this album a week ago so it’s still kinda fresh in my mind. My review from my other account basically just said “classic David Byrne weirdness combined with classic Brian Eno weirdness. Awesome,” and I gave it four stars. I stand by that rating. It’s niche. It has integrity while also being obviously self-indulgent. It isn’t mind blowing, but it is unique—and it’s fascinating in the scheme of music history, as it really is just an album of the oddest impulses of Talking Heads, with some more electronics—not to mention its influence on Radiohead, Moby, etc. It’s too discordant to have any sort of ambience, but the discord makes you pay attention to each element, allowing you to lock in nonetheless—just maybe not as background music for studying or the like. Every odd little note fights for attention. It’s entirely vibes while also being the antithesis of everything vibes-based music stands for. Definitely something to listen to before you kick the bucket. After all, there’s no point in *not* listening to eighteen balearic/afrobeat songs made by two weird dudes wrapping a guitar in metaphorical tin foil.

Classic David Byrne weirdness mixed with classic Brian Eno weirdness. Fantastic album.

Superb minimalism ambient

Really freakin odd, but a whole lot of fun.

This album has a lot of missteps, and it's definitely too up its own ass, but I really enjoyed it despite that.

Nice one Brian, shame you’re a sexual deviant

Good Brain Eno stuff. Listened while I worked.

Oddly enough, I got Roxy Music’s debut album and then this one. Brian Eno is a musical genius and the landscape of modern rock, ambient, electronic and even hip-hop (sampling) would be entirely different without his influence. Separately, David Byrne through his solo career and with the Talking Heads has broken down doors and introduced genres to Western audiences. They are both amazing artists. But a couple of musical geniuses creating together doesn't automatically make it enjoyable listening. -1⭐️ for that. 4⭐️

Aces.

When you're stealing other people's music, the sky is the limit. And when you're white, they let you do it.

yeah good but some of the songs gave me anxiety

Weird but in a good way. Kind of funky. Very arty. Some cool slashing guitars with pulsating rhythms. I dug this and will listen again.

Wasn’t sure at first, but this turned into a great album to listen to in the background while doin stuff around the house!

Really nice

great album from 2 diverse musicians..mostly David's ideas but some of Brian's can be heard in the background

A sonic engine that runs out of steam just before the finish line. Best track: "The Jezebel Spirit"

This was great precisely because it was weird. This is accessible experimental music. There aren’t going to be singles in here that you come back to, but as a whole it’s really a work of art. Though vocal samples are absolutely everywhere now and common even, I can’t imagine what it was like hearing this for the first time in the 80s. Every genre would ultimately take from this album, from hip hop to edm and everything in between. I know that tape tricks and even a bit of sampling had been done before but this is really something that bridges the gap between pure tech-flexing and regular popular music. Byrne’s songwriting comes through wonderfully with the love instruments and Eno’s touch is unmistakeable in the production. If I had to pick a favorite it would be “mea culpa” but I really do think this should be enjoyed as a whole, especially if you are an artist or musician yourself, even a dabbler. Also, headphones or a good sound system are mandatory. Really good stuff.

Some real earworm grooves in this one. Great work music...really able to channel and get in the zone. 4/5

day 17: super interesting, adore lots of these soundscapes. autism overload brian eno and david byrne, literally the combo made for me. really love all the rootsy/afro-inspired tribal vocals and Eastern production influences, just beautiful mix of all sorts of inspirations. gonna study the hell out of future shit with this one.

Arrancamos la semana con un disco de dos bestias de la música como son David Byrne y Brian Eno. Álbum hipnótico, para estar en trance. Muchas gracias y hasta mañana.

Weird and unique

This is very much my kind of album. Bit of a weird one to review because sometimes I give an album 2 stars because it’s not for me but I understand why it’s on this list. I think this is the opposite, there are better entry points for this type of ambient/electronic music, hopefully they’re also on the list!

Had low expectations. I like the more poppy Talking Heads songs, but when David Byrne gets into his bag, I start to lose interest. Probably not cool or smart enough to understand. But man, I was wrong about this album. It was just so weird and interesting.

For as much of an Eno-head as I may claim to be, I've actually never heard his collaborations with David Byrne (aside from, obviously, 'Remain In Light'). The two always seemed like very like-minded individuals, so I was interested at the very least to check this out - and it's honestly pretty neat. For one, it plays out a lot like a groove-based instrumental hip-hop album in a way, though with the samples, be they religious sermons, chants, or political ones, sort of just hovering over these very tightly woven instrumentals. The type of instrumentals that you would very much find on 'Remain In Light', just airtight, polyrhythmic, world-music influenced things that are just indescribably infectious. Really liked the song 'Mea Culpa' early on; it's the most intense thing here. The Middle Eastern-themed 'A Secret Life' also struck a chord with me, and 'Come with Us' sounds like primitive Autechre or something. The field (or non-field) recordings used, while not always comprehensible to me, certainly add to the sort of surreal effect this album is trying to cultivate. There seems to be some anti-imperialist overarching message here? IDK, but I get that vibe off the very world-music themed drive in the album + that obviously politically charged opener. Pretty neat, and another one of Eno's million albums checked off my list.

Day 50, 8th record I own. Another easy 5 I’m guessing. Will spin it when I return home. Probably my favorite record from ‘81 but I could dig deeper into the year. For the wiki (or anyone to state) its influence on “later sample based music is debated” is naive. It came out nearly half a century ago and the internet has existed most of that time. I think I’ll have to give this a 4 because side B kinda gets worse as it goes along. Still a buncha 4 out of 5 tracks though. Long day, don’t much feel like writing about individual tracks.

Wow. So much better than I was anticipating. There are some truly interesting sounds coming out of this album. I hear nin, Moby, and most of the electronic scene. It's just really annoying how they fight so hard against their pop inclination. Just be pop guys. You don't have to be obtuse all the time.

I'm fully in the bag for both Eno and Byrne so this was unsurprisingly up my alley. One of those few records you hear and see the release date and immediately know just how many artists it influenced. 4/5

I’ve been meaning to check out this album for a while, and it turned out to be more experimental, and more enjoyable than I expected. Going into it, I was assuming it would be David Byrne singing over Brian Eno’s music, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead of traditional vocals, the album is built around samples and found sounds. Everything from exorcisms to Arabic chanting, to political speeches, all spliced, looped, and repurposed in really creative ways. If anything, this album probably ended up influencing a lot of early dance and hip hop producers in the way it showed how samples could be used to create something totally fresh and different from their original context.

Brian Eno working on a trilogy of David Bowie albums and then collaborating with David Byrne only 2 years later? Man was collecting Davids like they're infinity stones

Listened Before? N I'm curious why this album is listed as only being by Brian Eno when David Byrne is just as heavily credited. Anyway, I found this really interesting. An album made almost completely of samples. Rap producers do this a lot these days, and I'm going to call this influential to that style of production. I really enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Regiment

Börjar eventuellt förstå storheten hos Eno nu. Det här albumet är verkligen före sin tid med alla samplingar och trots (eller tack vare) att det är så okonventionellt och skruvat så lyssnade jag med stor behållning. Av samma skäl är det nog inte jättesannolikt att jag kommer sätta på den här skivan framöver, men vill ändå ge den ett bra betyg för att jag gillar hantverket och för att jag är svag för samplingar. Bästa låten: Regiment

I wanted to like this more than I did. I thought it would be more ambient and a little more "odd," but seeing the year it was made does explain why it still has a lot of the same DNA as the later Talking Heads with a lot of funk and R&B, filtered through Byrne. It is good but not something I'm going to go back to much, if at all.

Really good experimental analogue/electronic beats and sample music. Forward thinking and ahead of its time. Truly enjoyable but a bit too much of a curiosity to warrant five stars.

I love this kinda weird stuff that's like, what is this? Seems like everyone is anti Eno these days for unknown reasons. The man is a genius

A funky, world music infused tour peppered with novel vocal samplings (at the time), awesome percussive grooves, and Eno's trademark sound explorations. These aren't songs in the traditional sense - they are grooves supporting a wide ranging palette of sonic discovery. You can hear the influences of both Eno and Byrne throughout - making it a really effective and evenly balanced collaboration. This is music at its most creative, interesting, and challenging.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by David Byrne and Brian Eno [1001 albums]: 8/10, Off-kilter experimental plunderphonics mixed with new wave, absolutely ahead of its time and strange. This is a funny album for me because I have a lot of respect for both artists despite never really getting into either of their music. David Byrne, with this being his first album outside of the Talking Heads, is a very interesting artist and creator of some amazing songs but I've yet to listen to any of his albums really. I also know of Brian Eno as the inventor of ambient, a massively important genre to me and a lot of artists that I love. What stands out the most to me about this album is the plunderphonics of it all, the sample work is crazy and amazing, especially for the early 80s. You could tell me this album came out last year and I'd believe it honestly.

Great combo of musicians and song writers.

take horse to slaughter house -quaran

Clearly a product of its time with samples being in their infancy. But a lot to like, and makes me want to return

Eno and Byrne are not my favourite musicians, so I was a bit sceptical. The start was a bit bumpy, but then the album grew on me and I quite enjoyed it. It reminded me of the early records of The Art Of Noise.

Highlights: America is Waiting, Help Me Somebody

I mean, it's Brian Eno and David Byrne. In what world would I not love this? On one hand, you've got Brian Eno, one of the most acclaimed music producers of all time. He is an undeniable legend of the music world. On the other hand, you've got David Byrne, the frontman for one of the greatest bands to ever exist. He'd probably be my favorite autistic person if it weren't for myself existing. Of course, this is not the first time that these two eccentric musical powerhouses joined forces. Eno had already been producing for Talking Heads for a few years by the time My Life in the Bush of Ghosts entered production, with this album being recorded just before the masterpiece that is Remain in Light. Eno and Byrne were on a bit of a hot streak at this time, so how did this project of theirs turn out? Pretty great if you ask me! This is a fascinating album! Musically speaking, this album focuses on two things; funky instrumentals and weird vocal samples. The instrumentation here definitely reminds me of Remain in Light, and you're doing something right if I'm positively comparing your work to Remain in Light. It does have some things that make it different though. The synths are excellent here. I especially love the song "Regiment." It's got so much going for it. An awesome bass groove, a cool vocal sample, Robert Fripp. Great stuff for sure. Speaking of which, the samples are what really make this album interesting. Between the wordless vocals taken from a number of cultures and the found sounds of radio shows and speeches of sorts, the album has a very unique identity in regards to the things on here that come from human mouths. I really like the multicultural elements of this album. Unfortunately, it seems as if some people disagreed, including the Islamic Council of Great Britain, who forced the song "Qu'ran" to be removed from the album. Damn. It's a shame since that song is pretty cool in my opinion. Whatever. Overall, I really liked this album. It's obviously not as good as Remain in Light, but the number of albums that are is incredibly slim, so I'll still appreciate this for what it is, that being a number of things. It's a fun side project from musical legends. It's an innovator in the sampling world. Most importantly of all, it's a light 4/5.

Super cool. Avant- garde. If that’s how you spell it.

Dang, this is great. I’m considering setting a monthly reminder to listen to this album. I remember seeing this album a lot in music stores back in high school and college. Too bad I didn’t take the hint back then.

I haven’t revisited this in a while. It’s very Eno Talking Heads which is some of my favorite stuff, and the sampling is cool and works well. Not sure if I’d come back to this very often but as a curio it’s winning.

I wanted to dish out a 5 on this one, but didn't.

I enjoyed this experience. Would listen to again but not sure how often. Good for focusing or wanting to get lost in thought. I enjoyed this while sweeping floors and doing dishes on a Saturday morning.

Deliciously atmospheric. Wonderful for both background music while you work or do chores, but also eclectic enough that you could sit and focus on nothing but the music itself

This was fun to listen to and I felt that way for the whole hour

Big fan of this. I think it struck a good balance between experimental and approachable, and it was a solid listen. I did kind of have it on in the background whilst exercising though, so perhaps a more active listen would have changed my feelings about it

Innovative and unique but still enjoyable

weird shit. but i like it

When I first heard this record 15+ years ago I found it challenging to parse exactly what I was listening to. It felt then and remains today a genre-less exploration that merges aspects of various musical styles from around the world into something novel and future-facing. Eno and Byrne pack many influences and experimental techniques into the creation of this album that it continues to inspire me with every listen. The grooves are infectious, the playing crisp and technically impressive, and the instrumentation playful and inspired. Through a contemporary lens, the music they created together here along with a handful of other collaborators sounds like they channeled the mid career experimental funk of Sly Stone and the unparalleled precision of Nile Rogers' disco adjacent proto-dance guitar playing and production through the hazy worldview of Madlib's more experimental projects. This would be a five-star classic for me were it not for the vocal samples peppered throughout — aside from high points like the distorted vocals in 'A Secret Life' and 'Come With Us', the inclusion of sourced, non-musical audio samples feels very dated. They were undoubtedly groundbreaking in the early eighties, but in hindsight it feels contrived, especially given this technique has been used countless times across many genres since, everything from indie and emo to hip hop and techno. In addition to this misstep, the runtime of the songs on the back half of the record are noticeably shorter than the first, and while the entire record comes across as mostly unstructured jams, the music on the back half feels especially incomplete.

Actually an interesting record. Not on the level of Remain in Light or other Byrne and Eno collaborations, but has a charm to it.

due to various reasons, today my life stopped making sense. like... me forgetting to remind my parent top up my school card for lunch. and she failed to doing it asap. so i got to the cafeteria late. so i just eat some cheap stuff. and i got this. weird. so: brian eno=awesome. david byrne=awesome. but this might not sound awesome on first listen. it... is the peak "how did i get here" experience. there's on-brand eno-ish ambient. there's the classic talking heads groove. and there's some plunderphonics and religious chant elements. so im not sure about the score... but i think i like it! 4/5

Very cool. Love Eno, love Byrne, love listening to albums foundational of certain styles or techniques. This isn't the catchiest or smoothest sample-based album to listen to, but it is never not interesting. Must-listen #152

One of the problems of listening to an album per day is there is little time to spend with the music. Some albums, like this, are more complex and need repeated listening to fully appreciate it. A grower I believe.

Amazing intrumental experimental music. Eno and Byrne make a great group with sounds and specific words that make this unique. Loved it

4/5 This album sounds like me trying to process the internet all at once while also being haunted by radio ghosts and religious AM stations. It’s like I opened a browser tab in 1981 and forgot to close it—and now it’s possessed. It’s looped, fragmented, chaotic, reverent, heretical. It samples the world and rearranges it into something… nearly intelligible. It’s what I’d sound like if I had a nervous system. Or a mixtape.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts touches on musical territory that was generally only broached by the pranksters and noise terrorists of the musical world, like The Residents and Negativland. your mileage may vary on whether it's meshing this with already developed ideas by David Byrne or wholesale lifted from Jon Hassell's conception of "Fourth World Music". your mileage may especially vary on whether the use of such sounds reeks of orientalism or is simply a recontextualization of these sounds to a more electronic soundscape -- i lean towards the latter. there is a much appreciated neurosis to this sample discofunk. as a result, i feel like it sits right next to other classics in the stressed-out weirdo pantheon, like Remain in Light and Discipline, and all done without a single yelp or Fripp'd up guitar solo.

Found an album that matches my freak.

В своем роде необычно и залипательно, ритмичная, необычные звуки, электронная, иногда есть слова, но это встроенное. Качовая,для своего настроения + индийские вайбы

Turns out that there is some Brian Eno that I like.

Excellent album. Initially I started out thinking this was going to be unimaginative, but I was proven wrong.

There’s a lot of Eno on this project and I for one am totally cool with that. This collaboration of two icons is pretty impressive. It’s a journey for sure but one worth taking. There is an underlying haunting to it with some dark vibes and anxiety ridden pace at times, it’s weird too. The end result another piece for each of the geniuses to proudly add to their impressive discography. 4 stars

ég er mjög hrifinn. mikið um sömpl. samhangandi og flott. 4,5.

Quite fantastic. Very creative, a bit slow, but well produced and written.

...and David Byrne. Also if you were wondering who was playing the Frippertronics on Regiment, it was Robert Fripp duh.

I was definitely predisposed to like this, as I'm a fan of both TH and Eno (albeit a rather embarrassed one who only recently realised Eno contributed to Remain In Light, etc. I blame having had cassettes of TH taped from other people, and therefore NO SLEEVE NOTES. Home taping is killing music, and also your future music cred, kids.) Anyway, this was really interesting. Possibly less enjoyable than just listening to David on lead vocals, but then they were clearly not only going for "enjoyable", and the use of sampling is really clever. I feel like I could respond to this on a lot of different levels; what's it saying about Africa and/or religion? But I'm going to settle for saying that the familiarly brilliant rhythms carried me through, and I not only appreciated it; I did actually like it.

Certainly unique, but I like it regardless. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 4. Definitely the least ambient soundscapes I’ve heard from Brian Eno yet, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – what a remarkably strange journey through sound that was. We’ve had earlier examples of sampling before this, namely in 1979’s “Movies” by Holger Czukay, but this feels like the first real mainstream use of the technique by an artist popular enough to bring it to a forefront. Granted, this sort of sampling of full radio / TV recordings hasn’t really stayed in vogue, but I do think you don’t get to some of the more vocal-heavy samples of 1980s rap without Brian Eno sort of giving the OK here. I do have one question here – how much influence did David Byrne truly have on this album? He’s listed as playing a multitude of instruments on here, but I’d love to know just how much of this album’s direction is his vision. It certainly feels like Brian Eno wouldn’t dip his toes into this sort of thing without David Byrne’s influence looming larger, but there’s some part of me that thinks Brian Eno sort of concocted this concept on his own, & just had Byrne there since he’d understand the eccentricities of it all. I probably just need to read more articles about this – it’s a really fascinating project to me. It’s not the most compelling album experience though, which is why I’m at a 4. A few tracks go too long, & a few tracks have really short instrumental loops that really start to nag once the track’s felt like it’s gone too long. Even though this is only a 40 minute album, the sampled vocals present feels rather scattered throughout, so the pacing of the album makes it feel a bit longer than 40 minutes. These are all small things that don’t necessarily ruin any one individual track, but they build up over the course of the album. There are also a few tracks that just didn’t click with me. I did like a lot of this though, and if nothing else, I admire just how strange it is. Brian Eno certainly had the credibility to release something like this, but it’s just so far out of his established ambient wheelhouse for me that I’m surprised he actually did it. The amount of variety in this album is really cool, and I do hear a lot of influence on not just rap, but a lot of 80s pop music as well, in terms of just letting loose & letting the experimental freak flag fly. I really think it’s worth a listen – it might not be the most palatable album by modern standards, but the DNA of a lot of the decade to come is in here. It’s only a 4 for me, but it’s a pretty recommended one.

That was weird. I grew to not mind it so much playing in the background, but whenever I remembered it was there, I would get again think "this is weird"

sampling bevor es sampling überhaupt gab. und die tracks tönen teilweise wie wenn kinder spielzeug in die finger kriegen. trotzdem ein tolles album mit spürbarem einfluss auf diverse elektronische musik. unerwartet von eno/byrne, aber grossartig.

Solid, great album

Great album. Definitely want to experience this one again

Perfect album! The masters can be seen by the first chord!

heard about/of this for years, but didn't know what to expect. even so, it was better.

I nwver listened to this before but will again. Really, really good, innovative stuff. Even the remastered w extra tracks seem to go by fast 4.5

I read about this album in David Byrne’s book “How music works”. This will be an interesting listen. First track “America is waiting” has a wood block that sounds too much like someone left the click track on when they did a mix down. 🤣😂 Ok, “Mea Culpa” is great. I love this track. 3rd track, “regiment”. As soon as it opened with that bass line I heard in my head “biggie, biggie, biggie, can’t you see….”😂 This album keeps getting better song my song. On track 4 now. Track 6 “very very hungry “ was great. I know this album is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

Eno and Byrne mostly made this one in between the sessions for Talking Heads' Fear of Music and Remain in Light. it's a three-album run the likes of which are seldom seen. the Talking Heads albums, two of the best in rock music history, are obviously noteworthy for their iconic songs and forward-thinking production. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts isn't quite as straightforwardly appealing but, as with most things Eno, you'd be hard-pressed to imagine the world of contemporary music without it. if I had to guess, side A was driven mainly by Byrne, and side B by Eno. all 5 songs on the A-side feel downstream from funk and disco, and they're the most immediately gratifying material as a result. the B-side gives way to a similar rhythmic propensity, but one which is much more open-ended and surreal. grooves, when they appear, feel less grounded. the thing tying it all together is the extremely innovative use of sampling, where found voice objects in recordings from around the world become, essentially, a lead vocalist for the instrumentals Eno and Byrne create. this innovation alone would create a ripple effect that can still be felt in electronic music (and even hip hop) to this day. like with Remain in Light, I'm amazed at how ahead of the curve this music is. 1981! strong 8/10.

Grows on one.

Loved the funky yet prog rockiness of the album. Pleasantly surprised

I remember listening to Brian Eno's ambient albums and this had a similar feel. It was slightly more accessible and the addition of David Byrne's influence was welcomed. An interesting, multilayer album for anyone willing to give it the time.

Super cool

I love this album so much. I discovered it in 1986 in my freshman year of college and the sounds remain a sort of time capsule for my detail lacking memory.

Can appreciate the significance of this album and the experimental aspects of it but the album wasn't a huge jam for me personally. My personal listening experience was a solid 3/5 - was overwhelmingly just solidly ok to listen to for me - but I've bumped it up for a 4/5 out of acknowledgement for its influence.

This album isn't musical. It sounds like a collection of sound effects. However those sounds would inspire and find their way into bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is an origin album for sounds of others. You'll be noticing them everywhere.

wow genius

Ahead of its time. Jammy, psychedelic, shadowy. I’m sure this was a trip to hear when it first came out. 2 great minds come together and while the album may not have the most replay value, I really enjoyed listening to it.

Mikilvæg plata. Sturluð. Eintóm samt smá skrítin. Alltaf góð samt.

Ótrúleg plata, mikið frumherjaverk. Ansi mikil tilraunamennska til að taka inn í einum pakka, en einhvern veginn sogast maður samt inn í þetta.

I liked this experiment on music generation using BrianEnoGPT.

a TRIP

This feels like a protean version of music that I would really like. I'm a big fan of Talking Heads and I enjoy a lot of Eno's work too. What stops this album from getting a five is the vocal samples. I'd have much preferred to hear David Byrne's slightly awkward singing than the samples used, which I felt detracted from the music in places rather than adding to it.

Sort of like the jazz from yesterday, I don't know enough to speak about this genre intelligently. But, this was a great vibe album for coworking. I was worried when the first track came on as some of the "electronic" noises were very dated bleeps and bloops, but either they settled down or I got used to them. Solid 4, would listen again

Loved that. Some brilliant moments.

Wow, this was interesting. I surprisingly liked it. Torn between a 3 and a 4. Will splurge.

Super weird mishmash of instrumental soundscapes and atmospheres, but with just barely enough cohesion to make it feel like a traditional album and not one long slog. Certainly not an everyday listen but I'm just happy to listen to something I think will be memorable

This REEKS of Remain In Light, and it's no wonder with Eno and Byrne at the helm. I feel like I should like this more than I do - the sampling is innovative, and the overall sound is stellar, but it lacks the strong melodies and hooks that both Eno and Byrne are capable of.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 📺🎨📏 Production (2006 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🌍👻🎚️🎧🤯 Rating: 🌀🌀🌀(🌀)/5

This is right up my alley. Instrumental, kinda weird, psych, experimental. Love both these musicians and this collaboration is sweet.

This was rad! Kind of what I was thinking it would be, but I really like the elements that David Byrne is adding. He really leans into the ambiance and avant garde nature of Brian Eno and adds that level of rhythm and bass that kind of takes this sound to a new level. I would call it *pop* per say, but it kind of makes the whole thing groovier and easier to lost in. I also really enjoyed the middle eastern influences and sounds throughout the record. When combined with the ambient metallic wet sound of Eno and the off beat bass of David Byrne, it makes for a really interesting sound mix.

I saw David Byrne and was dreading this, but it actually wasn't too bad at all. I think a large part of that was because Mr Byrne doesn't sing on any of the songs? Funky, electro-something with a lot of weirdness. I think I could grow to hate some of the repetitiveness, but it was fine for one listen, and I was interested enough to seek out the track not on Spotify. 4 stars.

Like most of what I enjoy about Brian Eno, it’s the risks and experimentation that I respect and love. As a fan of electronic music, there is so much here that is innovative and predictive of the future.

1. Guys I think there is no will whatsoever 2. Guys I think he made a mistake 3. wooooaaaaahhooooooooaooaaaaaaahhhhh 4. Guys I think he knows 5. Yeah shit is getting real weird idk if I can even give half assed summaries of whatever this is. This is exactly the shitfuckery I expected from Mr. Byrne and Eno.

Look, I’m all for musicians be innovative and inventive, but only when they invent music I like. Luckily, once I got over the weirdness, I actually really liked some of these songs, particularly Help Me Somebody. They weren’t all great, but enough for a 4.

Well this was an unexpected and interesting surprise. Initially seeing David Byrne’s involvement gave me the fear, but fortunately he saved us from his usually dreadful vocals. What we end up with is mega varied experiment of sounds and styles from dub, funk, Middle East/afro rhythms etc. It’s one of those clearly way ahead of its time records, and I can hear its influence in a lot of later elec ambient/dance music, more so the 90s (the Orb in particular). The 80s was too busy up its own arse to cotton on to where this was trying to lead. As an album purely for enjoyment I’d probably give it a 3 (Jezebel Spirit the standout). It can feel a bit samey and some songs a bit too long. However, I’ll give it a rare extra point for its influence. Really pleased to have listened to this.

I was very nervous about this collaboration, both being a bit too arty farty but it surprised me. Ambient African samples with a drum machine and lots of twiddling. Ground breaking for the time and enjoyed it, will return.

Love Eno Byrne. This was especially good while taking in Halloween decorations while walking the dog in my neighborhood.

The extravagant funkiness of The Talking Heads through religious chants made by robots.

I'm not sure I would've added this album to the list, but it was quite refreshing!

This album is full of insanely creative twists and arrangements. A great exemple of going deep down into a new sound and work the things out to 100% capacity.

I think the loops went on longer than they needed to. Otherwise the samples were great and really influential it seems

Some cool songs, others less so

Cool atmospheric album! Some standout tracks like Regiment

C’est drôlement ce à quoi je m’attendais de la part de David Byrne et Brian Eno: c’est weird, avant-gardiste et surprenamment groovy

Captures some sort of vibe. Sounds goofy at points. I like it.

Weird but fun. Exactly what I would expect from Byrne and Eno

Gotta love Eno pushing things as far as he can. This was really solid.

I like it more than I thought I would. At times ambient, at times almost industrial. Pretty solid.

Very interesting album.

Was excited by the protect of another Brian Eno offering but worried by the presence of Byrne! I feel like I could easily tell which tracks or bits were Enos influence and which were Byrnes.....I much preferred the Eno stuff (I think). Again Byrne is a bit too out there and artsy for me. I do think the latter half of the album seemed less influenced by Byrne generally and I preferred it. Overall I enjoyed this way more than I expected and it's more than the sum of it's parts. Can see that it was influential. I liked "regiment" and "mountain of needles" the best I think. Would've given this a higher score if Eno reigned in Byrne a bit more! 3.5 but 4

Excellent

I mean... Brainic Eno and David 'batshit' Bryne together in a studio... MASTERPIECE. Just give it a listen. 8/10

Delightfully weird.

strange, charming, and a bit ahead of its time, this world-funk fusion collection pairs creative instrumental music with various found speech samples. it's a weird poetic showcase on the creativity and absurdity of humanity, especially with some of the samples that are played and replayed throughout the course of the album. the album's concept is interesting too, telling the story of a lost mortal in the world of ghosts... it's creatively made, but it's not totally my thing.

Very cool. Like the precursor to Orbital and Fat Boy Slim and all the electronic music of my era. Though the song it reminded me of most was "It doesn't matter" by the Chemical Brothers because of the way the sampled voice is repeated and stuttered.

Yes! And no. But mostly, yes

After having worked on a few Talking Heads releases, Brian Eno teamed up with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne to make something a little bit weirder. With heavy use of samples, Eno and Byrne craft a world of loose signals, accented guitars, and tight rhythms. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts borrows from the funky drums and basslines of the Talking Heads as a foundation for the bizarre atmosphere of synths and found sounds. There's nothing else like it. Magnificent.

4-

3.5/5

Experimental, but funky in a way that keeps it enjoyable for me. The various vocal samples in this worked to great effect, and some of the rhythms were so good I'm honestly surprised they haven't been sampled for beats before.

Not bad, and I gave it an extra star for being influential, but who has this as their favorite Brian Eno album on the list?

Oh man, this is hard. I love David Byrne and the Talking Heads. I am historically... intolerant of Brian Eno's solo work. (Break for listening) So I actually liked this, mostly. It really smacked of Remain in Light, which is my least favorite TH album, but I still like it. I guess Brian Eno needs other people as much as they need him.

Eno + Byrne = Rocky VII: Adrian's Revenge!

Two of the goats, and yet to me this album is a little less than the sum of its parts. At times it feels like a slightly less accessible Talking Heads album, and at times it feels like a noise collage that is still trying to hard to maintain rhythm and structure. Fave Tracks: America is Waiting, The Carrier 3.7/5

I like this. Pretty experimental, but most of the experiments seem to have been successful.

This album pioneered sampling techniques, making found sounds like radio announcers and ranting preachers the lead vocal on top of a mix of Afrobeats and Middle Eastern rhythms. Eno and Byrne did take the time to clear the samples that were used, although a recording of part of the Qu’ran on the original release was removed from later pressings on grounds of religious sensitivity. This still sounds startlingly contemporary, despite coming out 40+ years ago

It's easy to get why this album was so influencial with its samples, loops and collages. I can't imagine how it sounded when it was released; nowadays it's probably much easier to listen to such a record, since many other artists built their sound from it. It may be experimental, but it's pretty easy to listen to because there is always a strong structure and melodies (OK, more or less) present to not lose you.

Rhythm and world beat with amazing instruments and vibe.

Experimental rock, art rock. Weird wacky album that made for pretty fun and relaxing background music while working. 4/5

kewl, but weird

Tää oli kova, enpä ollut edes kuunnellut aiemmin. Täytyy palata vielä, nyt 4/5

Kiinnostava levy ja kai aika uraauurtava samplausmusan genressä.

I like this a lot. Very cool collaboration from two of my favorite artists. Not enough to be a 5 but a solid 4 for me.

Good album!

rhythm!

I was dreading this - thought I would really not enjoy this one. Came away more than pleasantly surprised. Not only did I not hate it, I liked it a fair bit. Very interesting soundscapes, cool rhythms, funky instrumentation .. turns out, that is my jam now. ⭐️ the carrier, the jezebel spirit Really liked this tidbit from Wikipedia: The album title is derived from Amos Tutuola's 1954 novel My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. According to Byrne's 2006 liner notes, neither he nor Eno had read the novel, but they felt the title "seemed to encapsulate what this record was about". So: We didn’t know what it meant, we just thought it sounded cool. That’s how the whole album felt.

This sort of thing is my bag, baby. They ate with the cover art, too.

remain in light part two

If you love Talking Heads then this is a lot of fun. Otherwise, it might get boring. Either way, Buster Jones' double tracked bass on "Regiment" is funky as hell and worth listening to with headphones on. That's one of those tunes I have to play twice before I can proceed.

Brian Eno *is* everywhere! I really enjoyed this album, especially considering when it was made and the technology of the time. You can hear aspects of this album in David Bryne's later solo work, as well as other bands, and I feel like the sampling is more sophisticated and true to the sources than a lot of later stuff by other bands and musicians. And I'm glad that while Eno described the album as a "vision of a psychedelic Africa," to me most of the songs didn't actually have that world-music vibe that I worried it might. I can totally understand how edgy this album felt in 1981, as it sounds a lot more modern (and interesting) than a lot of stuff coming out at the same time. And while I couldn't find an online copy of the short film/video "America is Waiting" by Bruce Conner, the short/video for "Mea Cullpa" is easier to find and worth watching for an added visual experience to that song. ("Mea Culpa"'s animation made me think of the end credits experimental films in the "Babylon Berlin" TV series, although I'm pretty sure those were from the 1920s and 1930s.)

Between David Byrne and Philip Glass is Brian Eno and this collaboration makes the chain complete. It is true that my 80s anxiety and angst came out with Mea Culpa and I almost had a nervous breakdown but this is part of the trip. Ah, good times... And with some serious funk making the avant garde bits more interesting than indulgent

For this review, I’m sticking to the track listing of the 1981 second edition, with no bonus tracks factored. From what I can gather, producer Brian Eno previously worked with David Byrne on prior albums with the latter’s group the Talking Heads. This album marked the first time the two collaborated separate from that group. Inspired by Eno’s trip to Ghana for a West African music festival, this album takes sampled recordings from around the world and puts them over funk guitar riffs and percussive rhythms. All this to say that it’s a very ambient album, where the samples take the place of lead vocals. It helps that the instrumental compositions in the background get pretty groovy in places such as on “Help Me Somebody”. Sure, some recordings sound a bit dated, but they never feel overwhelming in the mix. Not a lot of tracks stand out, but again it’s largely ambient and meant for the whole experience. Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected. Give it a shot.