My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

I'm starting to think this list isn't all that random, since this Brian Eno came about 5-10 albums after getting the Talking Heads African-inspired album Remain in Light - and the last Eno album came right after Bowie's related album Low. I'm also starting to think that I will never fully understand Eno, but he is intriguing. This album isn't bad, though maybe a bit too spastic with the sampling - like it's too manufactured. I was missing those clear points of authenticity that I could really connect with to put this above a 3. Side one was pretty good. The Jezebel Spirit is awesome. that is my favorite on the whole album. Regiment and Help Me Somebody are other cool-sounding (African roots) songs from side one, though the latter feels less original after listening to the Talking Heads album. Side two wasn't quite as good, though Very Very Hungry (the first on that side) is my favorite. I kind of wish I could hear the song it replaced (Qu'ran). Moonlight in Glory was also decent. So maybe I'm getting to the point where I feel like Brian Eno doesn't really do anything bad, but I don't think this was his best.

Wow a really interesting mix on this album!! Love the first half maybe a lot more than the later tracks on it. Eno is just so fucking cool. The experimentation and mix of sounds and the backstory is so inspiring. It just gets a little bit too chaotic for my sensitive ears later on in the album. Nice and jazzy/electronic.

I haven't any idea what to make of this. There is some Brian Eno stuff I absolutely love but not going to lie I wasn't on board with absolutely all of this. Sorry Brian! There were elements I did so it has to be a middle of the road rating

That was like going to a contemporary art gallery. Is it cool? Yeah. Do you enjoy it? Yeah. Do you want it in your house? Nope.

This is pretty much exactly how I expected an album by Brian Eno and David Byrne to sound.

Bought this on CD at least 20 years ago and never really got it. The backing tracks are very TH. The overlay of found voices may have been very original back then. Dont really find it an enjoyable listen.

Eh, it's okay but doesn't do a lot for me. 2.5 stars.

A bizarre fusion of styles. A massive improvement on his way stuff which I found unlistenable. This is heading more towards his ambient era, and I quite liked it when played in the right scenario...

Very innovative and influential for sure, but it does not get me very excited, with the exception of a couple of songs, in particular the nicely grooving Regiment.

C'est très bon, le style ambiant est très bien fait et il y a un petit vibe psychédélique qui est très cool. Cependant, c'est un peu répétitif et long, rendu à la moitié je commençais à avoir hâte que ça finisse. Mais je comprends très bien l'impact qu'a pu avoir Eno sur la scène musicale. 6/10

This is one where the context really matters because I get it: samples and sampling! It is a totally fine album to listen to, but because it is 2023, the amount of sampling is the shoulder shrug emoji. I typically try and put myself into the mindset of what must this have sounded like when it came out and can't quite get there with this one. It isn't dated per se. It doesn't feel relevant to me either. I just feel like it sounds like a lot of the electronic albums on this list. Which is probably a testament to how important this one was at the time, but as a listener now...not as important.

Interesting in places but not really vibing with the vocal sampling thing here, especially in the first few tracks

A solid road trip album, offering a jumbled alternative to the radio. A two for the price of one, the imagination of the musician combining with the sparkle of the vocalist.

Pretty bonkers collaboration. It's sonically interesting in it's collage approach, but beyond a few of them it's sadly not something I'd wanna throw on all the time. 3.5 down to 3.

Eno c'est vraiment quelque chsoe. Cependant, on se perd un peu dans celui-ic. C'est quand ême orignale mais j'ai préféré d'autres de ces albums. 3.5

Ahead of its time, but I'm not actually sure this holds up that well. To me it has a really dated sound, and the only song I'd really bother coming back to is The Jezebel Spirit.

That sure was something.I think?It just kept going without a clear goal.It was like those sensory videos for babies but for the ears.Things just kept happening without rhyme or reason.The sounds weren’t horrible or anything but they didn’t have hooks or choruses.I didn’t mind it though.

Trippy

Experimental.

3.5

Listened to it twice; both times while working. Found it quite jarring. Think I need to listen to it when I can focus my full attention to it. Not sure if 3 stars is too much or not enough.

Some parts were hard to listen to but others were good. Experiments in music always welcome though maybe not always enjoyed.

Side one was pretty ok. Side two was not.

I like it. Just not as much as the other similar albums.

Bien, but experimental

Good

This album is, sonically, very interesting. You can definitely hear the combination of the Talking Heads' strange Afro rhythmic textures, and Eno's lush ambient soundscapes. Worth a listen

Super weird but a jam nonetheless

I'm not really one for instrumental albums, bit this one was better than some of the others I've gotten so far. Good experimentation without being annoying. Way better with good headphones in.

I liked this but thought it was a bit boring overall. I felt like the songs bust kind of meandered around in existence with no real purpose or direction. Cool concept with fun moments, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it anytime soon. 5.5/10

Glad I held on long enough to review entire album. Still sounds contemporary in my mind. Very much enjoyed!

3.5/5

I was fully expecting to dislike this based on the overview and genre, but it's remarkably listenable for the most part. It's definitely avant-garde, but doesn't feel pretentious in the same way similar albums do. At least, again, for the most part. There's clear musical melodies and themes here. I wouldn't really come back to it, but I quite liked it overall.

I think this must be a bit more revolutionary than it sounds, which I think happens when many other artists follow up on something really interesting. I have to remind myself that this is from 1981. It does sound somewhat timeless, although also very much like post-Talking-Heads David Byrne. There are some moments I really love here.

I remember getting this out of the library on tape back in the mid-80s but not getting into it. Older-me likes it more than teenage-me. It's a bit front-loaded, the first half being really interesting and pretty amazing for a 1981 album of samples, the second half sounds like unfinished ideas. Am I wrong to think of this as the dad of the Passengers Original Soundtracks 1 that Eno did with U2 in the mid 90s?

I like it more than I used to but still believe it's more wank than wonderful.

I mean, if you're going to do a musical thought experiment, I can't think of too many artists that would be better to do with than David Byrne.

Literally no idea. Super experimental in a way I liked but I don’t think I’ll ever listen to it again. 2-4 stars

Well that was a fun psychedelic experience. It’s not something that I’d personally listen to on any recurring basis and I think the noisy chaos of it gave me anxiety, but points for creativity. I really have never heard anything uhhh like this

This had some amazing trippy moments and was a really cool album to listen to. That said, I don’t ever really see myself putting it on to jam to, because it was rather weird. I could see this growing on me with more listens.

It’s obviously an important and influential album but it’s also self indulgent and ultimately Muzak. Bits of it I love but as a package it’s like the demo album of a special edition.

This is Talking Heads to the "nth" degree except without the witty lyrics. A little too experimental for me.

I'm not sure what it is, but Brian Eno really continues to puzzle me. When it comes to his solo albums I've heard of his so far, this one is probably my favorite, but it's a collaborative work between him and Byrne, which I also really enjoyed the music I heard from Roxy Music, that is until it came to the typical Brian Eno songs, which completely lost my interest. But then again, my favorite David Bowie albums are all produced by Brian Eno, and I think they're brilliant, and sound amazing. I don't know, maybe he will click for me one day, I'd love to understand the hype.

Liker bedre det andre han har skapt

Well above average art rock, so rounding way up!

Experimental and hypnotic, sometimes leaning towards atmospheric electronica, sometimes more focused on grooves and rhythms. I tended to enjoy the rhythmic tracks more, though I think the Eno-produced Talking Heads album "Remain in Light" does that style better. (Wikipedia tells me that "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" was recorded the year before "Remain in Light" but came out the year after that album. That makes sense to me. This feels like the experimenting that led to an even better, more focused album.) The music is fascinating and full of interesting sounds and grooves. But very few of the tracks develop into what I would consider songs. I suppose the album was made in a more of an ambient spirit than a pop one. Still, I wanted more development and structure. Most tracks just do their thing for a few minutes without introducing any new ideas. (I think my favorite was actually “Very, Very Hungry” — it’s the one that sounded most new and strange to me.)

Both of these acts are super respected but I never really listened to them too much. I think David Byrne is great and loved what I've heard in Talking Heads. Brian Eno I know less about but I know that he is revered as an experimental guitarist and that is definitely on display on this album. In Track 1, "America Is Waiting", I really liked the minor tonality sad synth that is played behind the wild rhythmic elements in the foreground for the second half of the song. It added a layer of intrigue. I think it comes in around 1:38. Track 2, "Mea Culpa", also has a darker synth layer behind the focal point elements in the foreground. The synth behind these is dark, tense, and full of staccato stabs that push this tension further along- that I think the foreground layers wouldn't totally convey alone. Track 3, "Regiment", was a nice change to the tension. Here we have a very sweet funky bass groove that sits really nicely in the pocket of some reverbed out minimal drums. Vocal riffs were a fun and unexpected change too. After some middle eastern (or Indian? I think that was a Tabla?) timbres in Track 4, by Track 5 I didn't know what was coming next. This concept continued throughout the record and resulted in a really pleasing listening experience! It's a bit cacophonous in a good way, but like most experimental music it is kind of tied to it's time period and as exploration happens, the idea of "experimental" becomes more normal, and after time it turns old experimental art into dated art. I kind of feel that way with this record (and others on this list have had this issue as well). Looking at it from a different vantage point- a "Dan shut up and enjoy it" perspective, I found it to be enjoyable once I shut up and let myself enjoy it. It's silly, goofy, fun, energetic, and still has a surprising amount of depth. This was a great album to put on and go along for the ride. Not quite a 4/5, but a high 3/5.

This was what I imagined Brian Eno music was like before actually hearing it. A bit left of centre to say the least. Kooky.

This was some kooky stuff. That said, it went well alongside a Saturday board game.

David Byrne sure knows how to ruin everything he touches. 1 But at least Eno is there to make it listenable 3

Música mezcla ambiental, electrónica y experimental. Para escuchar y relajarnos. Bien construida, pero sin nada especial a destacar

I’ve just listened to too much aphex twin for this to be good, defo good moments but overall it felt a little stale

Listened to the 3 songs NOT on Apple Music Canada first, “Regiment”, “Qu’Ran”, & “The Carrier”. (2/3 of those songs were apparently cleared of copyright issues and reinstated on streaming services. Not so.) Liked all 3, but all felt transitory. Kind of like how “Any Colour You Like” glues 2 other songs together in DSOTM. Upon finishing the rest of the album, that’s just how most songs are here. The mix of organic percussion, cut up vocals & cold synths can be really eerie (Mountain of Needles). Lived up to the “Ghosts” in the album title. HL: “The Jezebel Spirit”, “Very, Very, Hungry”, “The Carrier” October 28, 2022

ehhh

I like the beats under this but I could do without many of the vocals. "A Secret Life" and "Come with Us" could make good muzak for a budget haunted house. "New feet" might be the strangest song on the album.

I don’t know what to think about this album. It’s inbetweem something, I can’t discribe

Ahead of its time re collaging and world music? Sure. Interesting? Not so much. This suffers from the science experiement effect and a massive lack of lyricism and musicality.

It was fun to listen

Rock experimental. Ni fu ni fa.

1981. Regiment

I liked it in the background

I am not a big fan of Brian Eno or David Byrne and an experimental album full of samples was not something I was really looking forward to. And yet.. it kinda worked for me. Not by a huge amount but it wasn't as awful as I was expecting. It's albums like this that make me appreciate this challenge. There is no way I'd listen to this otherwise and I probably won't again, but I'm certainly happy I did.

This was a really cool, thought-provoking, and groundbreaking album. It is amazing seeing the sheer influence this thing had; I can see it's resemblance in things like Beastie Boys and The Avalanches. It is so interesting. But... I just didn't care much for the songs themselves, honestly. When speaking purely on the actual music, with no context, I could take it or leave it for most of the tracks. Oh well.

Nice to listen to while working. I think I'd rather choose a different ambient themed collection next, however.

Didn’t listen to the whole album, but definitely some stuff I would enjoy in the correct setting

6/10 Best song - Regiment

I have a hard time getting into Brian Eno. Not the worst, but wouldn't go out of my way for it

world music by brian eno if your idea of world music is a brunch at the u.n. the production and engineering are top shelf, as expected, but this really isn't the eno i love. it's a little "try hard" for me. give me "here come the warm jets 8/7 days per week.

Petit coup de gueule au sujet du morceau Moonlight in Glory. Alors que je déambulais joyeusement dans les rues d'Hambourg à la recherche d'un matelas gonflable et que le titre précité commença à défiler dans mes oreilles, je me surpris à me décaler plusieurs fois sur la droite, pensant entendre une sonnette de vélo. Après une dizaine de pas de côté et aucun signe d'un quelconque véhicule à deux roues dans les parages, je compris que Brian Eno venait de me jouer un très, très, mais alors très mauvais tour.

A collection of bizarre instrumental tracks, reminiscent of a relaxation CD you'd buy at a garden centre. A no from me.

I can't pretend to say I understand or enjoy the music, but I can't say I dislike it. To me, it's experimental, avant-garde noise sounds and it's no wonder Eno composes soundtracks. Collaborating with David Byrne helps and they work well together, so I might have another listen in a different state of mind.

Well two of music's greatest legends meet and make an interesting album that no one will really love. You might have it on your shelf, but really, would you ever pull it out except to pretend you're onto something? Maybe it's a dance album, but really? Which of these tracks will you party to? I guess it's bound to happen - it's not offensive, it wasn't annoying, it's just feels unnecessary.

5/14/2022 - ALBUM #108 Today's Album: "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" by Brian Eno & David Byrne - This album got me really excited right off the bat, with the name Brian Eno resonating with me as a name I have definitely heard brought up and compared to within music discussions. Alongside that is also David Byrne, who I have heard a decent bit of material from in both the Talking Heads and his own solo work. I have to say that although I am underwhelmed by the album I got out of this collaboration, it is still very interesting. Given my experience with albums so far, I expected the very strange ambient opener with lots of eclectic samples to simply be an introduction into some more digestible or lyric-driven music, but this album just keeps continuing with track after track of stranger and stranger instrumental grooves with no vocals, but many strange and random samples throughout. No track particularly stands out, but as you get deeper into the track list, the quick and fun dance grooves of songs like America is Waiting and Regiment slowly turn into experimental noise pieces like A Secret Life and Come With Us. It doesn't really get worse as it goes on in terms of it's presentation or style, but since many of these tracks focus on laying down a solid beat with little worry towards musical progression, the more experimental tracks do just end up sounding a bit more boring. When this album picks up and demonstrates a fun beat, it really pops off with a ton of fun auxiliary instrumentation and really groovy and varied percussion, but it honestly would be nice to hear a bit more of a cohesive song structure on at least some of the tracks given how awesome the band is. Overall, it's a really cool experimental work that doesn't ever apologize for going off the rails and being a weird experience from start to finish. It's an essential listen for anyone that loves the sharp and clean instrumentation of the talking heads or very experimental music in general so give it a listen if that sounds like you. Highlights: America Is Waiting, Mea Culpa, Regiment, Help Me Somebody, The Jezebel Spirit, Moonlight In Glory, Score: 7/10 Great experimental art-pop that gets less enjoyable as it goes on.

So, I like to think that I have a bit more of an eclectic taste in music. This album was a bit too much for me. There were songs I liked (two against three is a cool one) but many were just a bit too weird for me taste.

Another British-man-creates-"world"-music-sampler record. At least here it all sounds good; However, the production choices add almost nothing and sound especially out of place when they're on their own. Middling-to-solid if you like Eno or Byrne.

Pretty ok. Bit repetitive and not much in the way of memorable tune. But a good portfolio of cool music experiments.

not my jam but still iconic

Bom simploriedade um dos malucos fez música com o Caetano.

Not bad! A combo of Eno, whose albums I've really enjoyed, and David Byrne of Talking Heads, whose albums I've not enjoyed as much. It's extremely quirky music, and I love the tracks that really lean into that outlandish spirit, like "Solo Guitar with Tinfoil." Plays more like an archival collection of noises and songs than an album, but it's good. Favorite tracks: Regiment, Solo Guitar with Tin Foil, Mountain of Needles, America is Waiting. Album art: This lined one is a reissue, the original is a bit more textured and blocky. Some cool art either way. 3.5/5

Thought I'd love this, but it wasn't the easiest listen. Did sound very cool though and points for weirdness.

Andy called it post-Berlin, pre-ambient, avant- funk and I call it cool noises.

Brian Eno raises his bald auteur head again in this list and this time with a man in an oversized suit who occasionally wears a stiletto as a hat. That should give you a clue about the music herein. It's a mix of samples and rhythms. More of a party album than Eno's previous ones (though the kind of party where you'd listen to music, stroke beards and nod your head to the progressiveness of such an album) and that is probably David Byrne's influence. Definitely ahead of the game when it came out. I can agree it's an "important" album - I just don't know if it's an enjoyable one. Best Tracks: Mea Culpa; Regiment; The Jezebel Spirit;

adorei

Not my stuff.

good for listening during work

It was okay but not anything I will likely listen to again.

Wow? I appreciate the creativity and some of the tracks were very cool but overall this isn’t my cup of tea. It was thematically consistent and interesting but too jarring.

strange vibe but ok

2nd Listen. More interesting sounds from Brian Eno. This time paired with David Byrne. 3/5

Estremamente sperimentale. Un po' faticoso. Non dico che non sia interessante, ma devi proprio avere la voglia per ascoltarlo.

unique sounds !! this was a very well put together album, and was very easy to listen to. there werent any songs that really blew me out of the water, but i did enjoy pitch to voltage. 3.5/5

I wasn’t into this one but it’s damn influential

Didn't stand out to me much

Kinda funky and odd electronic. Good background music. 3.5

I don't even know how to pretend like I understand what is happening here. I think it's a very important album for the sound and shape of music, especially in regards to sampling. It's super cool, but I don't know man. However, moonlight in glory fucks. Check that one at the very least.

It's sort of interesting and I guess it must have been very original at its time. From a modern day perspective it's fine as background music, but nothing too special. I like some of the funk influences that liven the soundscapes up a bit.

Непонятно, почему не указан Дэвид Бёрн из толкин хэдс как соавтор альбома, вроде как везде они вместе. Было бы больше мотивации слушать. Ну что сказать, в целом, наверное, норм, есть отдельные интересные моменты, но всё-таки фоновая музыка по большому счёту. Особенно зашла The carrier — похоже на прообраз того, что сейчас делает Лингва Игнота. В остальном душа не сильно легла — вряд ли когда-то вспомню и вернусь, разве что на сэмплы порезать (получатся вторичные сэмплы, найс). Такое, 6/10

Снова тот случай, когда после нескольких прослушиваний осознаёшь, что, оказывается, слушаешь не оригинальный альбом, а какую-то странную компиляцию. Ну да ничего, с оригинальными треками для справедливости тоже ознакомился. America Is Waiting – первый раз себя даже поймал на том, что взгрустнул, что трек закончился, с середины началась интересная партия клавишных, которую можно было бы интересно развить. Mea Culpa – партии голоса интересные, жаль, залуплены и не получают развития. С середины балдёжные этнические мотивы. Думаю, этот трек можно было бы репрезентативным синглом пускать, а не The Jezebel Spirit. Moonlight in Glory – норм почилить, вайб главного меню Hotline Miami Pitch To Voltage – отметил для себя просто как хороший трек от начала до конца. На удивление, в оригинальном издании его нет. Все остальные треки, добавленные опосля, а это Two Against Three, Vocal Out-Takes, New Feet, Defiant, Number 8 Mix представляют собой залупленную жижу, что я себе обычно и представляю, когда речь идёт о всяком старом экспериментальном авангарде. Разве что закрывашка Solo Guitar With Tin Foil благозвучна, только она будто вообще с другого альбома залетела. А вот Regiment, Qu'ran, The Carrier - нормальные темы, этника тащит, музыкальные темы развиваются. Видимо, с авторскими правами на сэмплы не удалось разобраться, так что ре-релиз вышел кастрированным, но с приделанным страпоном, так скать. По итогу, удивительно приятный для такого формата альбом. Как саундтрек к чему-либо вообще отлично бы зашёл, возможно. Была мысля даже 4 ёбнуть. А потом задал себе вопрос: Есть ли желание в будущем переслушать хоть что-то? Ответ, конечно: «Нет». Разве что для саундтрека к какому-нибудь проекту утащить. Так что 3. Но с плюсом.

Weird psychedelic album that's fairly enjoyable. 0RS

Solid rock

Meh

Dobar album gospon Briana uz pomoć Brynea. U jednom djelu se vidi to što je Eno napravio za Remain in Light, osjeti se i na ovom albumu. Nosi tu groovie/futuristic/afrobeat melodiju.

I don't know what to say 'bout this record, I need to give it another listen

An interesting and engaging listen but doesn't quite have the same meditative appeal as some of Eno's more esoteric records.

Not his best but he manages to create rhythm in seemingly random sounds. Very clever.

kind of like an electronic Tom Waits, not quite sure when I'd put it on

Really catchy electronic funk with a shit ton of sampling. I liked it, but I could have done without most of the "vocals". Something thats good for cruising or background music, but not something I want to really sit and listen (or replay) too often.

Interesting and different. I enjoyed it enough to listen twice ! ***

Beetje raar, maar wel lekker!

Pretty good! I liked Regiment and Help Me Somebody, though the songs got a bit samey toward the end. Transitions were cool, I could never tell when a song had ended / another began

unoffensive

america is calling is cool, mea culpa sucks. The album is a cool expirament with sampling. Jezebel spirit is a rad track. A secret life is really rubbing me the wrong way

I seem to enjoy each Brian Eno album we get a little bit less. This one was ok, but not fantastic.

I like David Byrne and all, but could you imagine him singing over these tracks? Good call to take the instrumental path here. That said, while I was digging the hell out of the first couple songs it definitely ended up a bit too repetitive for my tastes. I wouldn’t mind having it on while writing though.

I enjoyed some, not all.

A bit out there, early electronica I guess? A couple songs were region blocked on spotify :( but it's experimental overall and a bit out there. Maybe worth listening to again in a different state of mind.

I liked the techno/electrical vibe to it. Feels like something Moby would’ve taken inspiration from.

I don't know how to rate this one. I understand it is 'good' and an innovation at the time, but it also doesn't really do anything for me. Tracks 3, 4, 5, and 8 are the strongest, to me. But it's a 3 star album, maybe 3.5

Can understand why it's important, but it's too long and nearly gave me a headache. 6/10

Un sonido muy ambiental y tropical, no es lo mio

America is waiting - 2 Mea culpa - 2 Regiment - 4 Help me somebody - 2 The jezebel spirit - 2 Qu'ran - 3 Moonlight in glory - 2 The carrier - 2 A secret life - 2 Come with us - 2 Mountain of needles - 3

If you were to make a list of music artists who have collaborated with Brian Eno, you’d end up with a who's who list of relevant musicians of the last 40+ years. And so it’s cool to hear one of these early collaborations with David Byrne. And while it was cool to hear this and some of the interesting ideas they generated, I can't help feeling like I’m hearing something incomplete. Many of these 'songs' if you can call them that would benefit from a singer or lead instrument. Rather we have these experimental soundscapes that don't seem to go anywhere.

Expectation: -> No idea what to expect here…genre, decade, nothing. After listening: -> Not really my thing. Some ineresting sounds for sure. Some sounds I do not care for. An overall mish-mash that I won't go looking for. After a more intented second listen and at the 11th hour, I nudged this up to two. Track ranking: Regiment Solo Mountain Come America Moonlight Pitch 8 Help Two Defiant Hungry Secret Jezebel Mea Carrier New Vocal

The bass on a few of these tracks is so juicy. My favorite track is Regiment. However, most of the tracks lose the funk and go straight to that herky-jerky percussion that only David Byrne knows how to dance to.

No sé amigo creo que no.

This was a strange one.

No strong feelings. I think Eno and Byrne were mega talents. This isn’t my thing though.

Sikkert nyskapende for sin tid, men utrolig repetitiv og kjedelig for meg.. hadde nok vært spinnvilt å oppleve det når det kom ut

Hey, this album. I've seen it while flicking through the book. I assume it's a matter of reissues and copyright laws, though it's a shame that Spotify uses this ugly, streaked design over the original album cover since I thinks it's pretty neat. Anyways, this is my fourth Brian Eno album, this time coming off the back of Music for Airports. I thought that album was solid and had a unique sound, though it's difficult for me to feel one way or the other about ambient music, which I suppose is by design. I didn't know until now that David Byrne collaborated on this album. I can hear the product of Eno and Byrne's sounds being fused together already, though the question remains as to whether this will feature vocals or not, which will obviously tip the scales as to whether this is more of an ambient or new wave album. Judging by the album cover, I think it's more likely that this will be an ambient album. Here goes. I was kind of right in assuming that this album would be a fusion of Eno and Byrne's sounds, though I was also completely blindsided by the prominent world music influence and the proto-hip-hop sound. I wanted to like this album, though I think the appeal is muddied by the high signal to noise ratio. The quirky instrumentation (notably the funky, Talking Heads-esque bass guitars) occasionally gives way to some solid chord progressions and melodies, though these stretches are few and far between and never last long. I can't say the sampling was implemented in a thoughtful or deliberate way, either. Overall, I found this album to be a bit dull, though I was content to let it wash over me. Book time. Inspired by Holger Czukay's Movies album, which definitely makes sense now that I think about it. How fortunate that I listened to that only a handful of albums ago. Meant to release ahead of Talking Heads' Remain In Light, but was caught up in legal troubles, presumably due to the clearance of its samples. "Qu'ran" was replaced on some pressings of this album with a B-side track after my favourite group of people got on their case for sampling an Islamic chant. Released years ahead of the popularisation of sampling and world music in the West. Wikipedia says the name of this album was taken from a Nigerian novel of the same name and backs up this album for being an innovator in sampling. Critics have been very receptive to this album and a few prominent musicians have cited it as an influence. It only performed modestly in the handful of countries where it charted, though New Zealand especially liked this album, with it peaking at No. 8. Yeah, this seems like a solid pick. I cosign this inclusion.

These concept albums that are for people who want to hear weird experimental music that isn’t very enjoyable to listen to should not be on a list claiming you should hear them before you die. This is for a niche set of fans only. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, but it’s not fun to listen to.

This is an oddity and I hear Byrne coming through stronger than Eno on many tracks. Props for the collab with Bill Laswell. Interesting that this was made before there were samplers, so precision playback wasn't a thing, putting the "art" into the artistry. Psychic TV comes to mind, who made similar music around the time of this release, but much noisier and without ethnic field recordings. The improvised instruments gave some freshness to the sounds as well, like cardboard boxes as kick drums. The experimental nature of this piece demonstrated what was possible for the electronic, industrial, and avant-garde music to come. There are some standouts (Solo Guitar with Tin Foil for me), but this stands more as a study on influence and a turning point in music history than an album I'd put on just to enjoy.

A bit Cronenbergesque, which I enjoyed. Otherwise, it is a very boring album.

Started off weird, then it got quite good in the middle, then ended even weirder than it was originally. Not quite sure what to make of this one in all honesty.

Was ready to give the first 1 star, but kind of enjoyed some of it

Not really a fan. DNF

Not very memorable.

Put off listening to this one for a bit because I expected a Brian Eno record to be weird. And it was, although in a slightly different way to what I thought. It was...fine, I guess. The music was OK, I found myself toe-tapping at times. I felt it was a bit of a weird shift into Middle Eastern and African sounds in the middle, then it kind of fizzled out. I've pretty much already forgotten it.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you have to.

I thought it was okay until it got to Mountain of Needles which then turned it into a slogfest. I had to look up the original track listing of the album and beg that this was the last song. Thankfully it was so I stopped after that track.

Best: #5 The Jezebel Spirit

I’m not doing another Eno album. 2 because a 1 without listening wouldn’t be fair.

I enjoyed the David Byrne bits. The Brian Eno bits, not so much.

I respect what it's trying to d and it's originality but it was just not fun to listen to.

I had very low expectations for this album and it met them with flying colours. 2 stars or D-.

Hallmarks of what’s to come, but nearly as good as their other work

Half of it sounds like demos for "Remain In Light" and the other half is just two guys messing around in the studio.

Couldn't get into this one at all.

Why? Why did this make the list? 2 stars for production value. This doesn't need to be an album it's a passion project.

Absolutley not a fan of this weird singing and talking stuff

Well, I had that damn Throbbing Gristle album a couple of days ago, so I guess this is pretty ho-hum by comparison. I could see myself getting used to this (and maybe even liking it) if I listened to it a few more times.

Experimental, weird nonsense. 1.5/5.

Wanted to quit listening after the first 5 seconds. Then I red that this album was a big influence for modern music so i gave it another shot. I like some rythmic parts of it or some melodys but most of the time i was not enjoying it. Really crazy sound effects in "come with us".

It insists upon itself, Lois.

As with anything David Byrne touches, it works best as long as his voice is not heard. The worst moments were built off samples of his voice. By the middle of the album they gave up trying to build a song from the random scraps of sound they produced. I agree with the wikipedia article that the influence of this album on sample-based music is debatable. Because if this was supposed to have convinced me, I'd rather have not bothered with the concept.

Disappointed in this one

Very interesting, but was disappointed not to hear any David Byrne singing. But I’m sure this was ahead of its time, with the synths, samples, and world music vibes.

Instrumentalexperiment mit hohem Anspuch aber langweiligem Doodle-Erlebnis.

Too weird for me

Some very interesting samples, loops and noises. Thought it tailed off in the second half of it, or maybe I just lost interest. Stand out track ‘Regiment’. I’ve been singing it out loud for ages now.

I'm historically a bit of a Byrne skeptic, Talking Heads do nothing for me beyond maybe four or five songs (and don't worry, I've tried all of them!), and the rest of his musical output feels a bit, let's say, 'colonial'. This record also features Brian Eno, the ambient work of whom I'm a tremendous fan, but who's other output often leaves me a little cold. How, then, do you imagine I found this generally well-regarded album from a pair of music giants? It's okay. There's a few good tracks up front and the last couple are interesting, but the middle just devolves into a morass of world music slop. Sorry Dave, sorry Bri, this just ain't doing it for me. 2*

Well. Electronica, not really my thing.

Honestly, my least favorite Eno album so far. Ended up not finishing it because I basically already knew what I was getting (I did skip through the later tracks to make sure, but yeah, just jammy, vibey electronic music that just isn't my thing).

I cannot tell if I like this or not lmaooo. Giving it a 2 bc I don't think I like it as a full project, but there are some songs I like enough that, if I were an indie filmmaker, I would have them in a production of sorts. But even still, idk what to do with that lol.

I understand the experimentation, and why it's cool, but I still don't find this a fun listen. This is what pretentious music snobs will tell you is the greatest album, not something people unironically listen to. Like Tate McRae

When to listen: Aliens have landed and we need to communicate. I respect that this is art, it's just not my kind of art. I love the global elements, but this is pretty dang inaccessible. I agree it belongs in the annals of history, and there it shall stay.

I feel like David Byrne just kinda makes everything less enjoyable. Like I really liked the last Brian Eno project I listened to, and this one was so insufferable. I really just didn't enjoy my time with this until maybe the last five minutes. Tragic stuff to be honest. Favorites: A Secret Life, Come With Us, Mountain of Needles

2.5 stars

Pretty groovy drums, but weird album. Too much talking for my tastes.

An interesting curio. Two stars. Side A 1 "America Is Waiting" (2/5) 2 "Mea Culpa" (2/5) 3 "Regiment" (3/5) 4 "Help Me Somebody" (2/5) 5 "The Jezebel Spirit" (3/5) Side B 1 "Very Very Hungry" (2/5) 2 "Moonlight in Glory" (2/5) 3 "The Carrier" (2/5) 4 "A Secret Life" (2/5) 5 "Come with Us" (2/5) 6 "Mountain of Needles" (2/5) Total - 24 Average - 2.18 303/1001 164/303 albums reviewed were new to me

This week im only receiving sht lowk

Not my type

i don't quite understand what this album is all about. it really just seemed like a bunch of looped sounds that he got from a trip to Africa, and then made it into an album. it was odd...

I guess this is an album that you sell to other artists? Do they just use these songs as samples, or they can chop and screw them? 1 hour is a long time for songs that go nowhere.

This got off to a good start. Played the first half when driving to work. The second half I listened to at work and it was either the location or the songs that didn’t do it for me. To be honest I think it was the tracks, some were pretty weak and weird. Would have been a 3 otherwise

I mean, I get it, but it's still Sims music.

This is the result of two musical geniuses, Logic Pro and far too many yes men

Brian Eno has been haunting my spotify for ages, but i have never listened to an album out of pure fear. What if i truly like it and then I am haunted??? NOT THE CASE, I REPEAT, NOT THE CASE. I FEEL SAFE IT WAS NOT THAT GOOD.

This wasn't as good as the Airports record - this felt a lot more random noise which I just wanted to skip

Best Song: Solo Guitar With Tin Foil. This had a sparse, original, agoraphobic feeling that I kind of liked, especially after the rest of the album that preceded it. Worst Song: A Secret Life. This feels like touristic voyeurism. I can almost imagine Brian Eno recording the vocalist his iPhone vertically, whispering to David Bryne, "I wonder what they're saying. I bet it's something spiritual." Overall: The wikipedia page for this album says this about the album's title: '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".' To me, that philosophy pervades the album and makes the whole thing worth less than the sum of its parts. It feels like they've taken important and meaningful cultural vocal samples, stripped them of all meaningful local context (and based on the above quote, were perhaps unaware of that context and meaning), and present them solely for their base aesthetic value, with a bit of electronic accompaniment. And yeah, what results sounds decent, but I always got the sense that the samples that they choose carried a lot more interest in situ, and something intangible is lost when they're used simply because they "sound good". Why did they sound good in the first place? Did it have something to do with the emotional and cultural context in which they were embedded?

Skabet venstrehåndsarbejde.. Ikke i i nærheden af at være interessant som takling heads kan være. Det virker mere som et afløb for alle de lyde som har været forbudte for Eno før.

A few good and funky songs mixed in with experimental noise garbage. Pretentious garbage like the other Eno albums on this list.

It’s unique, but not very good. It’s like they randomized each song’s parts. No vocals, which is probably for the better. I understand what they were meaning to do with this album, but it didn’t work out.

This is what mushrooms and privilege sounds like

As a fan of Talking Heads. I didn’t like this as much as I thought I was.

It has one good track. That's the only reason it's not a one star. Also for the love of all that is holy stop with all the electronica.

Talking Heads On Meth?

Some weird 80s experimental stuff. Definitely hit or miss. Not my idea of a good album though personally.

I have a really hard time rating this. I can see why it's important I enjoyed bits of it. But also it has strong Shoreditch dude sampling cultures they don't engage with. The mixing of jungle sounds with Lebanese folk singers feels not great even fir the time

It's an album

Did they make this album for jungle birds??

Thought I was gonna like this but wasn't really feeling it.

pan eno jest panem eno troche gorzej niz zwykle

No lo terminé

c'est expérimental et certains sons sont cool mais est ce que ça apporte vrmt qqchose

not too impressed, but not a Talking Heads fan, well, maybe a couple of songs

no escapará del 2

Bleep bloop blop

Not much of this worked for me sadly. I liked the idea of using recordings and tapes of news casts and such but I found it began to get a little tedious. I know this probably is in part to thank for the use of sampling found in hip-hop today but it definitely has improved since this. I did appreciate the sound influences from around the world but these moments were often overshadowed by the monotony of the accompanying beat. As influential as it may have been, wouldn’t say it’s for me.

I don't know that I buy that you don't get Air or Moby or Radiohead without this album. There are definitely moments that are interesting but some of the sampling is too dissonant or repetitive to actually enjoy, and I'm not sure I love that Talking Heads feel over a Radiohead/Air-style ambiance. Also, naming your album after a book you haven't read is too pretentious for words.

Okay this was genuinely an experience. not necessarily a good one. I mean I get what he was trying to do but it was so odd. guys like the only songs that I somewhat didnt want to turn off immediately was mountain of needles (it reminded me of the minecraft night time music but like damn why is it so repetitive) the rest of the songs were pretty good to start and then it was the SAME thing. over and over and over again. it was all background music, like I could deadass come up with scenarios in movies where these songs could play in the background (some of them, not all some of them are so odd that they cant even be background music.) i kept checking how far down the album i was and then keep listening in hopes id find a hidden gem in this mess of an album. I read a review saying that it sounds like something you'd come across on SoundCloud, that is literally the best explanation for this. like yes I get it wouldve been awesome in 1981 but right now it feels like some teenage boy just started putting shit together for shiggles (shits and giggles) literally help.

My second sort-of-ambient sort-of-background-music Brian Eno album in three days after Music for Airports, and this is much the same, if giving a different feel. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s not interesting, and it’s not getting another play from me. And it’s not getting more than 2 stars.

Mitä tähän nyt sanois. Vissiin kovasti on jannut olleet edelläkävijöitä samplaamishommissa, mutta liekkö tätä kuunnella jaksaa. Kiva kuriositeetti.

Not a very fun listening experience. Yeah, okay, it's "experimental" but it should also be good, instead of just a bunch of disjointed noise with no structure or anything.

I generally like repetitive music, but holy criminy, this was too much.

The Jezebel Spirt

Avantgarde funk techno prob ahead of its time but not really that accessible to modern listeners.

Assuming that all albums have an intended audience, and aren’t just created as an entirely self-centered endeavor (which I am unsure of here), I’d really like to know who this was for. It felt like what would happen if you took a 90s “world music” cd, and gave it along with some dj equipment to a child. It was all over the place and with lots of noises.

This just didn’t go anywhere for me. Sort of interesting sample but not worth an album of it.

It’s just sound

There was no clear direction to it, it is all iver the place and hard to keep up. Although I will say I like the mix of different instruments, makes it chaotic and different from different artists but unfortunately it ultimately became too much for me. 2/5

very cartoonic

Two legends of music produce something not terribly exciting and feels a bit all over the place some of the time.

Música de doente mental. 2,5

I don't know...its not unlistenable, the sounds are all okay but they don't make sense. I want to connect and fall into it but I don't even understand what I am connecting to. Like the Carrier sounded like whale sounds I would hear in an aquarium layered with African tribal chants...why? I could have maybe done a 3, but it just felt so long and unnecessary to continue.

Interesting-ish I guess, though this isn't something I'd ever put on again. It feels more like a science experiment than actual listenable music.

This was an experience. I get why it’s on the list but far out it’s a tough listen. 1 hour of noise music with a cool vibe repeated for 5 minutes and random samples thrown at you gets old quick. I have huge respect and love for Brian eno and David Byrne but I won’t list to this again.

I love both Eno’s and Byrne’s work from other project before and after this, and I get the importance of the record. I don’t really enjoy this one though.

Didn’t impress me

Ik ben geen Brian Eno hater, maar ik vind dit maar een zenuwachtig schijtalbum. En dan druipt m'n niet zo favoriete decennium er ook nog vanaf. Ik kan hier echt bijzonder weinig mee. Vooruit, af en toe zit er een aardig stukje in of een leuk geluidje. Daar kan je niet heel lang op teren als het album bijna een uur duurt. Ik hou het op 2 sterren en ik hou het na 10 tracks lekker voor gezien.

Very repetitive

Very well produced background music. But I don’t really even know how to fairly compare this to other actual records on this list. No real lyrics or songs, just a lot of well produced interesting beats. Didn’t hate, but didn’t really think it was worthy of this list.

Just not worth listening to.

Another zone-out-and-get-shit-done kind of album. Personally didnt find anything special here but was glad to hear it.

Was amped for this Eno/Byrne combo that I’d never heard of. Interesting, but only until the limits of my attention span. Then I found myself craving, no, thirsting, for some solid grounding. At the end of the day, normie bullshit works because we’re all used to it. Props for doing something different. If anything, I learned that I’m agonizingly pretty normie.

I appreciate most of the work Brian Eno does, but this album was way too David Byrne forward - many of the songs sounded like instrumental stems of talking heads songs. That mixed with repetitive audio loops that were too long and uninteresting, and the prayer lean which was taken. Really just a mess that is mildly elevated through Eno's skill. 2/5

idk

I love David Byrne. I love Talking Heads. But this was a foray into something different, which I usually appreciate, but I just didn't connect with it sadly.

Although David Byrne has never been my vibe, I did enjoy several parts of this album. I felt like some tracks really spoke to me and others I tried to tone out. I’ll probably revisit although I do not foresee anything wowing me on the second pass.

Byrne and Eno were all over each other in this era. According to legend, they pushed for Remain In Light to be billed as “Talking Heads and Brian Eno” but the non-Byrne members of the group reverse psychologied them out of it by pointing out that Eno would have to tour in support of the album if his name was on it, which was a thing he didn’t want to do. That has nothing to do with this album but it’s amusing. I just kinda am not knowledgeable enough about production to comment on anything musically here other than to say “very bold use of sampling.” Another amusing anecdote that has nothing to with this album: “He’s a genuine eccentric,” Eno said of Byrne. “He’s always been exactly like that, and I’ve seen him remain like that in quite extreme situations.” Eno continued: “For instance, we were mugged together once in New York. It was quite frightening; we were mugged by 14 people. My enduring memory is of David being dragged off into the bushes, saying, ‘Uh-oh!’ That’s absolutely true; it was like a cartoon scene.” I doubt that happened but it’s pretty funny.

Not my favourite by any means

Meh

This seems to be a more foundational text for the DJ style, a style that through this list I have heard Moby, Avalanches, LTJ butem, DJ Shadow. 85 percent of the listen I am bored. There is one or two tracks that are well written, the rest is repetitive. I felt the same way about this album, however I heard the Byrne Eno sound throughout.

Never understood the Talking Heads and this is just David Byrne going even further.

2/5

not for me

< the Beatles Brian Eno, the world's foremost elevator and hold music composer, has far too many albums on this list. Admittedly, this is easily his best album but I give all credit for the "enjoyable" and borderline listenable parts to David Byrne.

Just another random collection of noise

Don't. Like. Brian. Eno. A bit shite. Lots of sounds =/= music.

An odd album to say the least...

I can't say I really enjoyed this album, but I also kind of get it? It's way more experimental than the Talking Heads, which is saying a lot. And, it's mostly instrumental, so depending on how you feel about Talking Heads vocals that could be a good thing or a bad thing. All in all, this was just a bit too abstract for me, and basically the more the song sounded like a funky groove that the Talking Heads would produce, the more I liked it. And the more it was just weird and out there, the more I was just waiting for the song to be over. I do think it's an interesting sound, and it feels like a precursor to some of the loop stuff we got in the 90s like Moby.

Kinda interesting. Sometimes it sounds like Byrne, sometimes Eno. First half was good, second half was boring. It's aight.

Bad electronic music that is either experimental noise or at best too repetitive. Vocals are random audio clips. The Middle Eastern motifs were strange and did not work well. Album cover sucks.

Nah. Felt like laying down the underlying rhythms for Talking Heads songs that never actually gain the story, complexity, or vitality of actual Talking Heads songs.

This is some very weird shit. It sounds like the backing tracks to a bunch of rap songs without the rapping. I can see this being influential on the rap and electronic music scenes, but it doesn't really hit with me. There are some good parts, but a lot of it is just weird for weird's sake. It might be some kind of highbrow art, but if flew way over my head if that's the case.

this album is very experimental. it did not hold my attention.

I know it's innovative and influential, but at the end of the day it's just samples and I don't care for that. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

a few good grooves, but mostly just a collage of samples which did not make for a very enjoyable listen

Is this album influential? Yes. Is it fun to listen to? No. 5/10 Favourite track: Regiment

Interesting but not my bag.

Really wanted to like this more

I thought I would enjoy this; I've really enjoyed the other Brian Eno albums this project has given me. This, being a collab with David Byrne, was a bit too out there for me.

Understand why it may have been advanced for its time, wasn't that into musically.

Thought this would be a good choice to help me get some work done today, but it really wasn't. Influential or not, it just sounded like noise. 2/5

Two musical geniuses/pioneers… one bland/forgettable album.

Definitely weird music.

I liked the vibe and a lot of the different types of music used but this didn’t hit as a whole for me unfortunately

Not bad. Some I had to skip over, but mostly a good listen.

I'm sure it's influential, I can almost hear it. Doesn't make it great though.

Not as enjoyable to listen to as it was interesting. A lot of bleep bloop really.

mucho mé

Bunch of some pretty interesting instrumental tracks.

I sat up seeing that this album was by Eno as I have recently come to have a new found appreciation for his talent after paying attention to his work with Roxy Music. I wouldn’t say that the albums they made after he left were bad, but I feel his contribution led to some of the most intricate and interesting songs of their work. But here is the rub – David Byrne – Not really a fan of Talking heads and it feels like he is the dominant partner here. I don’t mind songs that don’t fit into the traditional mould but this felt cold to me hence the score.

I’m a fan of David Byrne, I’m increasingly becoming (thanks to the generator) a fan of Brian Eno, and I’m even a fan of some of the twisted grooves served up on this album, like on the wonderfully deranged Mea Culpa. But I don’t think I’m a particularly big fan of MLITBOG as a whole - the impact wears off after a few tracks. It’s still worth hearing as a document of then-revolutionary sampling techniques, but to these modern ears it doesn’t sound like anything special today. 2.5

How much noise can we make and still get away with calling it music? Not for me. But not entirely unlistenable for avant-garde rock.

I'm sure they enjoyed making this but it's pretty much shit to listen to 1.8

I’m sure this is influential, but it’s also disorganized and hard to listen to in parts.

I just dont get Eno.

I appreciate Brian Eno's contribution to modern music via his collaboration, but his solo stuff...I don't know. I think Kraftwerk was more melodic. I enjoy them more.

An interesting experiment of an album. The pull of all kinds of music can be felt across this record, and I definitely feel Byrne's influence on it as well.

When I saw this album was in collaboration with David Byrne I was very excited. Unfortunately didn’t live up to expectations as I found the patterns repetitive and the sampling to be abit lacklustre.

459/1001

The beginning of "Mea Culpa" made me think of StarFox on SNES. I tried, but I couldn't get into it. There's a certain 'je ne sais pas' about it, but overall it wasn't for me. I did find "Regiment" quite good though. 2.

I'm getting into the track Mia Culpa. This album, it would seem is here for how influential it was. Seems like a direct path to Moby (give Gregor back his CDs) Felt more like a technical demo or an educational field trip than an enjoyable listen.

Sounded like the soundtrack to 3 or 4 different movies that I don't really care if I ever see. There was some interesting stuff in here, but I was bored.

Rating: 3.5/10 Not good...what a disappointment.

I love David Byrne for his originality, uniqueness and innovation and this is all of those. What it's not is entertaining, interesting or fun.

Interesting... but I'm no longer interested.

David Byrne is one of my faves, and I certainly respect Eno’s contributions to music. I can see how this would be influential at the time but in our modern age it feels frustratingly simple, repetitive and overlong.

Didn’t care for it I thought it was unique tho

Better than music for airports

Konstpop! Till en början känns det mer intressant än vad jag väntat mig. Det går emellertid över relativt snabbt. Andra halvan av skivan känns totalt meningslös. Ni kan göra konstiga ljud med era maskiner i studion. Jaha, det är noterat. Var det något annat? Nähä inte det. Då går vi vidare till nästa.

Not for me - bit to 'experimental' not a relaxing listen

I can objectively recognize that this music is good. It's just not for me.

Parts are funky which is really cool but it’s also just a bit too weird

it feels built upon a novelty that is no longer novel

Współczuję członkom zespołu, granie tego musi być strasznie nudne

Okay, I like Brian Eno. I like David Byrne too. And together they've made some incredible music. But this? I'm really not sure what to make of it. It's like an ambient instrumental album, which is the best way I could put it. Favorite track: Solo Guitar with Tin Foil

*two white guys travel to africa and the middle east and have the great idea of making an album with those sounds* the rest of the world: is this the birth of modern day music??

Favorite: Moonlight in Glory

Starts off interesting enough but quickly outstays it's welcome just like that distant cousin who seems quirky, so you invite him over for lunch & it turns out he's just batshit crazy not quirky.

A promising start but loses interest in the middle of the album. Top track: Mae Culpa / Regiment

Influential? Significantly. Important? Sure Listenable? Not in the slightest.

Drugs? Drugs.

You know at EPCOT's Journey to the Imagination where there is that floor and you step on a different tile and it plays a different instrument sounds? It is designed to all play together and flow in the same general direction but it is just a complete hodge podge of everything ... This is an hour long album of that

A bunch of decent song ideas and fragments presented as complete songs. Not for me. But ok. 5/10

3/10

Felt like sketches rather than anything finished

It don't really sucks. But anyway nothing that hooks me or that I even enjoyed. Whether it has been influential or not. Weak two stars for all those colorful, horizontal stripes. 1,5

This was a bit too experimental for my tastes, sacrificing quality for the new. Maybe I’m too shallow of a listener for Brian Eno but I just don’t get the hype.

2 out of 5. While Avant Garde isn't my thing I enjoy David Byrne's music and wanted to give it a chance. This album does have parts with great world music beats but there isn't enough to really sustain me.