My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

A strange blend of blade runner soundtrack, mad scientist delivering a sermon, and hari krishna worship, this album did not have much appeal for me. Very experimental, with diverse ethnic influences and eclectic instrumentation, but unfortunately without regard to aesthetics

A weird, experimental work that uses repetitive grooves to showcase oddball vocal samples, to lackluster results. In a way, this album is a precursor to sample-based music genres like instrumental hip hop, trip hop, sound collage, and plunderphonics, but does not fully capture the dynamic sound and composition of future albums in this vein. The percussion is interesting in an academic fashion, and there are respectable bass, guitar, and key riffs littered about, but any admiration quickly fades in the first minute of a song as the groove is repeated without change or derivation. The samples are interesting and sometimes chopped for variety, but do little to improve upon the tedious backing tracks. This album may have been groundbreaking upon release, but has since been surpassed by much more interesting and beautiful records. Stand out tracks include "Help Me Somebody" and "The Jezebel Spirit".

For every one thing cool about each song there are 50 things which are extremely annoying. Ok, Brian, David... If you want to have a playdate with one another and funk around on some new early 80s mixing/sampling tech, that's fine - but as an album it comes off as lazy. While saharan beats not often heard in 80s western music underpin many of the tracks, they are muddied to the point of being imperceptible. The moments where I start to groove with polyrhythm are almost immediately ruined over and over :( I can't help but feel like one 12 minute song with less noise, perhaps building off of Very Very Hungry, would have been a better application of effort. Favorite track: "Very, Very Hungry" Favorite track to get abducted to (by aliens): "Come with Us"

I was a bit underwhelmed with this but given the context that it was 1981 it's really impressive. Don't know how directly influential it was but can hear a lot of it in Primal Scream, Avalanches, DJ Shadow.

1/30/24. Very interesting! Didn't expect this to be a diverse, worldly instrumental album. I do think the length was a bit long, but this include some good sound landscapes.

why not? 3 stars.

Not bad but wow top one thousand?

This is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a collab between David Byrne and Brian eno. It has all the funky autistic sounds of the talking heads and all the weird samples and ambience of Brian enos stuff. It was definitely an interesting experience even if I’d rather listen to stop making sense or music for airports more. Regiment was the standout for me.

Such a unique sound

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!

I do love me some Talking Heads, I know the avant-garde weirdness can turn off some people, but to me it is just weird enough to work. And I love the sentiment behind trying to send a bigger message, and just saying "eff it we're gonna do it how we want", very punk rock. I love the African beats in the first song, especially paired with that guitar. Song two is good for the background, but a little forgettable. Regiment moves into a funky, psychedelic feel. Help Me Somebody goes back to the speech sampling, the intense beat, aggressive bass, and pointed guitar all work very nicely. It feels urgent and danceable. The Jezebel Spirit is weird, but great. There are redeeming parts to Very Very Hungry, but overall forgettable. Moonlight in Glory sounds like an 80s cop/mystery movie. The Carrier moves to a dream state with an incessant beat, it sounds like you're discovering something. A Secret Life is just kinda there, too quiet and slow. Come With Us definitely sounds like some 90s video game music on a level where you got sucked into a computer. Overall, I enjoyed it and could see having it on in the background, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to this. I would probably do 5/10, round up to 3/5. Favorite Songs: America is Waiting, Help Me Somebody, The Carrier Least Favorites: Very Very Hungry

Some truly putrid tracks, but mostly decently listenable. I would call it a failed experiment, but I didn't truly hate it.

Two brilliant creators. It didn't work for me. Probably needs a dedicated listen. In my spare time.

The album that paved the way for the Talking Heads album 'Remain in Light' (coincidentally, the album I got yesterday in this challenge). The experiments with world music and samples are very interesting and influential, particularly for the time. It lacks the hooks that you might expect from Byrne's music. Talking Heads is the album you play at your party. 'My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts' is the music you play when everyone has left and you want to spend some time alone with your thoughts. Definitely an album for people who are interested in experimental music and recording processes, not for everyone.

Spacey sound

Some good grooves; however, in general, a bit too experimental for me.

no more brian eno pls. i like david byrne but even he can’t make me like this

liked it but not gonna relisten

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!

Ну в целом можно было бы и альбомами Толкин Хедс обойтись... вспомнился таинственный Moujique с какой-то из их пластинок, где мы тоже много говорили про африканскую этнику. Прикольно, что сделан фокус на семплах, может это даже более прямолинейно толкает слушателя к принципиальной идее альбома. Энивей, непонятно как оценить. Потому что мне кажется, альбом слегка лишний для списка. Прогрессивный, но по большей части дублирует успехи Talking Heads на том же Remain in Light.

шо на рокси выебонил, шо в головах, шо здесь

When reaching for music to enjoy this wouldn't be it. They seem to want to be more artistic than musical and it's kind of tedious.

Pretty experimental. Not much of this that I actually enjoyed listening too.

Not a Brian Eno fan

Enjoyed Regiment & Defiant. Overall, nothing else really grabbed me.

Really impressive for its time and had held up well over the years.

Some great stuff here. Very modern sounding: the way some tracks are layered up with samples sounds like the good ambient house music from 10 or 15 years later. Saying that, it starts to get boring and ultimately seems to peter out. Needs another spin

They must be taking the piss.

too slow and moody for me.

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 wanted to really like this. Music snobs rave about it. Music snobs are dicks. This was shit.

Couldn't get through it.

No, bot for me.

Hell no

Tough album to rate. Very unique and creative but nothing really stood out. Some could make cool soundtracks

Lekker gek

I continue to be surprised that I like Brian Enos work.

Listened Before? No Wish I were high and making chili when I was listening to this; instead I was trekking out and back from Ikea. Either way, this was an expectedly wild ride. Strong 4 leaning 5 for me. Album opens with constantly wandering "America Is Waiting." The song trudges forward with a repeating bass progression and some scratchy guitar work that congeals for about a bar or two at a time. All the while, there is some political sounding vocal recording buried throughout. Mea Culpa is almost post-punk in tone and form. Heavy synth work, syncopated drums, with fuzzed out vocal recordings make for a tense atmosphere. When my kids ask where babies come from, I'll point them to the bassline on Regiment. This is an early standout of the album IMO. Love the throaty bass, tribal sounding vocals, and overlaid synth work. Really cool track. The Jezebel Spirit is another standout. Dense groove of a track with condensed vocal sample that reminds vaguely of something Claypool would put together. Out of the gate, I really enjoy the trippy repeater / echo effects they employ on Very, Very Hungry. Layered rhythms make for a dense song that if you listen closely is the audio equivalent of weaving through a crowded dancefloor. Album ends on meditative Mountain of Needles. All throughout this album feels more "worldly," but this song in particular is spacey with a Far Eastern aroma. Added to Library? Yes Songs Added to Playlists: - Regiment (Driving)

Experimental, noodley album. Nothing too exciting. Too long and boring to ever go back to. There were a couple bright spots like Solo Guitar w/ Tin Foil, Jezebel Spirit, and Mea Culpa. Probably a 2.5 here, rounding down based on length.

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

This definitely starts out with a Talking Heads sound. Not surprising with my boy D Byrne. Mea Culpa has some wild samples on this one already with some backing of African drums and creepy instrumentals. Digging it. Bassline on Regiment rules. This one reminds me of Thievery Corporation a bunch. Help Me Somebody is another Talking Heads sounding instrumental. Eno and Byrne are so damn good with this kinda sound. Love it. Got distracted towards the end but it got a bit soundscapey. Still pretty good listening though. David Byrne just gets me.

It was a bit much, I liked it, I get it, but it didn't really float my boat.

If you’re old enough or lucky enough to remember the Electric Company’s animated short where you visually follow a pinball and the audio is the iconic “one-two-three-FOUR-FIVE”, my comment may resonate for you. A huge chunk of this album sounds like it could have been a contender for that kind of fun, veering around the curves, speedy sonic adventure. Eno and Byrne are clearly having fun together but know how to get out of each other’s way to let the pinball keep careening. And just when you give over to the colorful fun sounds that perhaps might be what it sounded like if all your small electronics picked two bars of tech music to stitch together, you tumble right on into Solo Guitar with Tinfoil which is beautifully soulful but still retains a hint of wacky verve around some of the curves. This album has serious fun factor.

David Byrne is one of my all time favorites. This album I like more for showing off how innovate and ahead of the music scene that Byrne and Eno were. It’s fun to listen to for the first time but not something to go back and relisten to. Rating: 3.6

2*

Ziemlich 80s. Manchmal anstrengend, aber insgesamt ganz interessant und abwechslungsreich.

Sample noodling in its earlyish days. Occasionally grooves but it’s more experimental than musical. Notable for what it helped pioneer but not for its own musical merits.

I have no idea how I feel about this. It's like a 1/5 and a 5/5 simultaneously. So hard to categorize and rate. Reckon they went a bit too silly on this one, Brian Eno you crazy bastard. I bet his bald head makes a gong sound when slapped.

An interesting listen. Like a soundtrack for a chase through Middle Eastern streets in a movie, washing going flying on lines, bins being overturned. (With the exception of Come With Us, which is a surreal horror accompaniment, surely.)

It's an interesting album, in a world music kind of way. I wouldn't have included it in this list, though. It may have been influential as far as sampling goes, but it has the feel of a pet project more than a serious contribution to music. As far as musical influences go, you'll get more milage out of listening to Talking Heads.

This album was like The Postal Service only when it was Ben Gibbard’s turn to record vocals he phoned it in and just recorded himself flipping through channels on the tv. There’s some really interesting music on here. It’s just ruined by pointless samples. Just because something was “innovative” does not mean it was a good idea. I have nothing against sampling, when done right it can be very cool. This was not very cool.

weird and nice!

Ehhhh

Wait, what if Barian Eno and david Bryne made a prot-plunderphonics album with folk songs from a number of different cultures, oh wait...

Nice to hear a mad experimental style of talking heads signature sound

2/5 - I did not gel with this

I think this was talking heads before they became talking heads. Not a bad album but their sound still needs some development at this point I think. High 2.

A couple great sorta funky songs, but also a couple stinkers. I appreciate the ingenuity of using loops and samples, but I hate when a loop is only a couple seconds long. It gets tired QUICK

Cool sounds and all, it’s just that I don’t want to listen to it too much. 2.8

"The Jezebel Spirit" was the standout. This was a pretty forward-thinking project for 1981. Lots of techno and sampling. It was Moby before Moby was Moby. It wasn't a bad listen, but nothing that I'd really listen to just to listen to. An extra star for being so ahead of its time.

Was worried that the album would be repetitive, but I ended up liking the majority of the songs. Plus, I got so much cleaning done while listening.

I love David Byrne and Talking Heads, and I've heard Brian Eno in interviews and he always sounds very interesting. But this was just a bit too experimental for me, a bit more of a noisescape than anything else.

I like David Byrne, but this was a little too esoteric for me. Did not enjoy. Two stars just because of his influence.

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.

Not sure what to expect from this, Brian Eno rings a bell for some reason. Collab album from 1981. Electronic. It’s not bad, it nothing special either. A low 3.

absolutely awful

Didnt really notice it.

- what duh - i get the concept. i don’t like listening to the concept

Only listened to a preview as it's not available via Apple in the UK, but it seemed OK, although I wasn't motivated to spend actual money on it

I've listened to this a few times over the years, and have always found it very intriguing. I imagine it was very ahead of its time with the number of samples involved, and I think a lot of the experiments turned out well. However, it's not quite a 5 star for me, because I don't find myself returning to it that often. Definitely worth a few listens though.

This is the kind of album you need drugs to appreciate. Lots and lots of drugs. Unfortunately for me I was sober listening to this and it made for a terrible experience. If I could give 0 stars I would but I guess by default this album gets a 1 out of 5.

So strange. So wonderful.

Really enjoyed this.

Lots of random samples of music put together

what

A very strange album of instrumentals, samples, loops. I wasn’t crazy about it but more listens might change that.

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

I listened to it, but I couldn't tell you a thing about it.

Instrumental and airy album. Not a big fan of the music but I can appreciate the art.

the kind of experimental music that gets boring really fast

I just couldn't get into this one starting with the first track. I like Brian Eno and I like David Bowie I just could not find a groove with this one.

Still quite revolutionary-sounding, but the repetitiveness isn't balanced that well (yet).

Weird as hell

Love the bassline for My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts is quite exotic and interesting Quite an experimental album, I've mixed feelings about it but it's alright.

you know who spends loads of time rummaging around in the bushes of ghosts? SHICK. Any holes a goal though ey SHICK?

Sound

I'm sure it's influential or whatever but I found it unlistenable

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

David Byrne est le chanteur des Talking Heads. Très expérimental, très pas mon style. Certains sont intéressants, mais plus d'ambiance de film que d'écoute musicale.

honestly what even was that? 2/5 (because there were some fun sounds and percussion in there)

ja weiiss ich nich… it‘s interesting

nah, nöd min gschmack

bof bof bof

wow! david byrne and brian eno created such a different album for 1981. it's rather experimental and electronic, but the usage of various world musics make this album so unique. the beats are pretty sick, which is a weird statement to make for a brian eno album, but it is what it is. and the inclusion of funk made this album made it stand out even more. the samples could be repetitive, as they usually are, but since the samples were so unusual, i found myself more intrigued than annoyed. the feel of the album is very brian eno, who seems to ooze some chill and psychedelia vibes in his music. the talking heads' new wave sound isn't here, but their typical art/avant music is! i suppose that's david byrne's influence on the talking heads, too. i do wish that perhaps two white men hadn't created this album, but from what i read, what byrne and eno did was create music respectfully and borrow inspiration from other cultures. when they received some complaints or requests for a song removal, they complied and adjusted the album--even in the last few years. i'm impressed.

The aspects of Eastern and African music were neat to hear, but even given that, a lot of this album was a bit of a slog. There's definitely a lot of avant-garde inspiration at play here that I'm sure influenced artists throughout the 80s and beyond. This was also an example of sampling in music long before sampling was popular or common. Overall, though, I wouldn't say this album did too much for me. It's higher than a 2, but I wouldn't say it's a 3.

Abstract but very fun to listen to

Quel titre! Une curiosité aux influences variées, que je devrai réécouter en m'y immergeant.

I get why this was groundbreaking and I like both Eno and Byrne but this was not an easy listen. Not my style

I guess this was an ambient album? I generally don’t like ambient music. It wasn’t bad, but I just didn’t get it

Brian Eno & David Byrne combine to create a post-world music soundscape. Some tracks captivate with mega-funky bass lines, where others lure with synth strings and ambient noises. The album is an experience, and there's a message in there somewhere.

Insanity

Pleasantly surprised. Did not expect to enjoy it, but did.

because of my lack of psychopathism im not giving this a 5, but its definetely something. there is nothing like this, great mix of danceable and interesting ambient music filled with talking people or whatever is talking. crazy that it came out on 81. gonna have to listen more to this until it sinks in but its already a 4 for me (8/10)

62/100

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

It was pretty good. Trippy and late 70s / early 80s electronic.

Musica muy peculiar, difícil de escuchar. Aunque interesante experimentación muscial, se siente desde sus entrañas la apropiación que conlleva. 2/5

plop desde la canción 5 ya se vuelve repetitivo en todo caso se puede escuchar este álbum https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/album/5YNZYOdNSUDyMfJu0exTeb?si=ca-W49qpRmOYR2O8NraPtQ y no es apropiación cultural xd y tiene un concepto sjajsj no sacado del culo con disque experimentación

Wat een bizar trippy album is dit. Van Brian Eno van Roxy Music en David Byrne van Talking Heads. Dit album gaat echt alle kanten op, maar om nou te zeggen dat het een lekker stukkie muziek luisteren is... Dit album is pure chaos en opzich vind ik het interessant, maar denk niet dat i kdit nou vaker op zou zetten. Ik denk dat het mij iets te experimenteel is en dan kom ik uiteindelijk uit op een schamele 2 sterren, iets wat ik heel jammer vind want ik vind het wel echt tof dat er iets anders word geprobeerd!

Not really for me, but it sounded well put together.

This is the kind of music to play during an acid trip. Rhythmic, repetitive in a good way, off the beaten path. There are a lot of Middle Eastern vocals with undulating British club mixes. It's fun for background music.

2.5

amazing at the time it was released and still holds up

More of Eno's garbage music for artsy hipsters. When I saw that this was a collaboration album between Eno and the equally fucked David Byrne, I knew I was in for a treat, and what a treat it was.... African chanting, sampled voices, theramin work, scratches, boops, beeps, and other irritating noises all packaged as one dumpster fire of a record. Absolute dogshit of an album. Really dumb, unoriginal album cover, and a nonsensical album title. I'm not on near enough drugs to even begin to enjoy this trash. Waste of an hr of my time (which I had to break up into sections because I couldn't stand to listen to the whole album all at once). Favourite songs: Help Me Somebody, Regiment Least favourite songs: Moonlight in Glory, Very Very Hungry, America is Waiting, The Carrier, A Secret Life, Vocal Out-Takes (why the fuck was this even on the record?), New Feet 1/5

Weird

21 Based on this scale: 1 - 0 to 19 2 - 20 to 39 3 - 40 to 59 4 - 60 to 79 5 - 80 to 100 More interesting than compelling, this album is more famous for its importance and influence than for its aesthetics.

- this is literally goofy ah music - the weirdest mix of sounds and lyrics - regiment is literally a groovy beat with a croaning lady over it - it’s at least interesting to listen to - chaotic neutral

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

These two mad hatters cooked up something good here!

Eh, heard better.

clearly well done but not my style

Noise/found sounds collage that flits between interesting, robotic funk, and something slightly above ambient. I appreciate the music it inspired, at the very least. Also, the bass playing on some of this is absolutely choice. Favorite tracks: "Regiment", "Very, Very Hungry"

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."

cool experimental album, but nothing i was too interested in. 2.6/5. listened 2x (Columbia SC)

9/10

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

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts really wasn't anything to write home about. Usually I don't mind the electronic/psychedelia type of sound however Brian Eno this time round really didn't do it for me. Best: The Carrier Worst: Mea Culpa Note: Had to listen to the Carrier on YouTube Music as it was unavailable on Spotify.

Un disco experimental pionero en el uso de samples. Suena sumamente futurista y actual, considerando que se estreno hace mas de 40 años. Un gran trabajo del productor más aclamado de Bowie y el genio sin igual y lider de los Talking Heads. (Es mejor la versión original que la extendida)

OK, so Eno & Byrne sampled like there's no tomorrow, and therefore one can argue they paved the way for others to follow. But it's not a good album, nor is this good music. P.S. I wonder if the curators here have picked albums to also commemorate the end of mass sampling, courtesy of the record companies' waking up and using copyrights to stop it from happening.

I am not surprised that this album is a thing that exists. I am a bit more bemused about what to do with it. I think I like it? A+ album cover art both on its own and in reflecting the feel of the content.

This album might have been groundbreaking at the time for its heavy sampling, and I have respect for both artists, but this is not in the top 10k albums I need to hear before death. There is nothing here aside from dated beats.

Chaotic pile of shit. 0 stars

This sample-heavy album is not nearly as musically intimidating as some of the other vocal-less albums on this list, while still being varied enough to steadily hold my interest in the first half before slowly losing me towards the finish line. That being said, I don't think there's much on the bone here, and nothing that would really make me want to listen again. Highlight: Mea Culpa Lowlight: Mountain of Needles Surprise Hit: Moonlight in Glory

Sinceramente al autor del libro le gustaba Brian Eno y por su cara decide que todo lo que haga el nota debes escucharlo antes de morir. Como ya he dicho antes, su música me gusta pero esto es complejo que sea imprescindible o para todos los públicos. Según la wikipedia este album fue pionero a la hora de usar samples. Me he guardado The Jezebel spirit. Es más interesante de de lo que esperaba.

Nope

I listened while drawing. Background music and not so enjoyable imho.

se não soubesse que a proposta é som ambiente ia dar menos, cumpre seu papel

Rock experimental. Ni fu ni fa.

Rollo patatero.

Raar, bij vlagen rommelig, en af en toe best wel cool. Heel origineel.

First listen Saved 0/11

3.5

soo boring

What a dumb album. Really excited to be done with this list so I don’t have to listen to anymore Brian eno music. I don’t think there’s anyone consistently as bad as him on this list maybe except for pj Harvey. It’s a shame David Byrne had to attach his name to this. On to the next one. 1.9/10

If there's one word for this, it's boring. You can hear aspects of both of their styles peeking through, but I'm just not crazy about how ambient it was. Oh well. The original album cover is kinda cool. My favourite song was Help Me Somebody.

The Bush of Ghosts is stuck in the Bardo for me. Too experimental to be called music to my ears.

i get this was really influential and whatever and is like a big reason as to why sampling is used the way it is nowadays but it kinda sucks

Still sounds ahead of its time 42 years later. Spooky and atmospheric.

They’re interesting soundscapes but I can’t imagine ever wanting to listen to it again

I understand why this album is important as it paved the way for sampled sounds in composition, but I don’t find that type of music enjoyable. Solid 3.

Goodish

I've listened to a few Eno albums on this 1001 journey and thoroughly disliked them all. This is a little better as you hear the Byrne/Talking Heads ideas nearly making it through the tosh.

When I saw David Byrne and Brian Eno I knew this was going to be a strange trippy album. There was definitely a Talking Heads vibe on some of the tracks, others were way out there experimental electronic music. The album was ahead of its time, I can hear how it influenced many acts to come. I could sew how this album had an impact on future music. Overall it wasn't bad, just wierd music

No. Me gusta la portada, pero eso es todo.

w. David Byrne, good job

Is this the first instance of samples being used in contemporary music?

Mostly just easy listening with some sound bytes sprinkled in. Not my favorite though.

Not my thing.

This is definitely Eno & Bryne, but it's muddled with no direction. I love their own stuff, but this felt like wasted air. What a shame.

This reminds me a lot of Talking Heads, but it feels more soundtrack-y, more atmospheric. (Yes, I know that would be obvious considering who is involved, but not necessarily.) It's a shame that they got in to trouble with sampling, but they tried their best to pay people the royalties for the songs. I liked this a lot, I think my favorite is "The Jezebel Spirit." "Moonlight In Glory" was kinda goofy-sounding, but that might have been the sounds they used. Definitely something I am going to come back to.

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.

An album by Brian Eno and David Byrne sounds exactly what you would expect an album by Brian Eno and David Byrne to sound like.

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.

Alkoi melulla, josta oli kyllä melodia ja idea havaittavissa, mutta ei makuuni tarpeeksi. Tuntuu silti siinä mielessä vaatimattomalta, ettei luota omaan oletettuun virtuoottisuuteensa vaan yrittää luoda jotain tiettyä sanomaa. Mutta en saa siitä kiinni.

Muusikoilla on herkästi tylsää. Tarkoittaako se, että minullakin täytyy olla?

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.

Awful noise

cool

Awful album.

Groundbreaking and influential in its use of samples, which makes it interesting from an academic point of view. It is, though, quite boring from a 'having to listen to it all the way through' point of view. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: The Jezebel Spirit Date listened: 26/07/23

Seriously, this is not good. Sorry Brian Eno, but this is a far cry from the hay days of Roxy Music! This album generator should be renamed 1001 albums that should never have been made!!

Shockingly shite

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...

Highly influential Brian Eno / David Byrne album, some 5* tracks like Mea Culpa, but I always find the album as a whole a little bit too boring to listen to (just like the albums of Art of Noise) and would choose the Avalanches' Since I Left You over My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

Fantastic Byrne/Eno collaboration.

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.

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.

Before Tom Wamsgams and Greg Hirsch, there was Brian Eno and David Byrne. Yup, these guys are the original disgusting brothers and, by God, they got stanky on this ol thang. The album sounds like what AI would generate if it were trained on Eno and Talking Heads. It sounds like a musical representation of a description of a musical representation of a description of a song. It sounds like they recorded an album, cut it into chronological pieces, and randomly shuffled those pieces all around. Is it interesting? Yes. Is it pleasant to listen to? Not really. 2 stars (one for each of these legends)

really bad album. couldn’t wait for it to be over. actual struggle to get through

not for me

This is a joke, right?

Je suis sincèrement désolé Brian

sure grandpa lets get you to bed

'Regiment' and 'Help me somebody' - yes. Rest of the album - no.

Crazy experimental, so ahead of its time. Wow.

If you like soundscape electronica, you will like this.

Oooh very nice. Kept me on my toes and was mostly enjoyable to listen to. I think there were 2 or 3 songs I wasn't vibing with, but the rest are stunningly creative.

Noisy and cool

Meh really didn’t do much for me. The samples were strange and it felt quite disjointed at times

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

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

An experimental and difficult album to listen to in its entirety. It shouldn't be on this list.

I really wanted to like this, but it just did not hold my attention and was pretty forgettable. Maybe a future listen will change that, but for now it's a 2/5.

Actually really enjoyed this album. I haven't cared for the other Brian Eno albums I've heard, but this one is good. Probably David Byrne's fault. 4/5

Ambient music, like Eno’s, can be cool, but usually ends up as background music for me. This is no exception. Good background music, at least. B

Not for me but appreciate the concept

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.

Arriving at the tail end of Talking Heads’ peerless Eno-produced trilogy, “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” is a quirky side-project which saw alternative music’s favourite oddballs (David Byrne and Brian Eno) let loose in a toy shop of sampling. The album was first conceived in a questionable vision of “Fourth World” music, shared between Eno and would-be-oddball-composer Jon Hassell. Their intention: to create an “imagined” otherworldly culture fusing indigenous music (“primitive”, in Hassell’s words) with the latest pioneering synthesiser technology. When Hassell heard “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”, he threw his toys out of the pram and claimed his work had been “appropriated”. Interesting irony for a man whose approach could easily be called out for colonial overtones. So while “My Life…” is dated and flawed in its premise, it’s mostly dynamic and engaging in its execution. Eno’s soundscapes are as reliable and enticing as ever, and Byrne’s off-kilter perspective and knack for paranoia leaps headlong into the emergent world of sampling. Where these tracks could have been boring and indulgent, most of them are imbued with their own distinct character and flavour… same bush, different ghosts. Like “Remain in Light”, the first half of the album comprises jittery, unnerving funk and Afrobeat, with the second half becoming more insular, less beat-driven, more textural. Particular highlights from the first half include “Help Me Somebody” (feverish, restless, all-out-frenzy), “The Jezebel Spirit” (with a genuinely unnerving sample of a pastor performing an exorcism) and “Regiment” (the presence of Robert Fripp and Chris Frantz mean it could have been a song on “Fear of Music”). Afterwards there isn’t as much to immediately grip me, or keep me coming back to the record, but it’s enough to get under the skin. “A Secret Life” is eerie and disquieting, and “Mountain of Needles” is a remarkable landscape of calm, evocative of being left alone in the fog at the end of a dark and winding road through different cultures and ideas. It might not be perfect, and it’s not at all a conventional listening experience. I’m perhaps also biased as a Byrne/Talking Heads fanatic, but I feel “My Life…” deserves its place on this list. It’s a landmark record in experimental music and sampling: immerse yourself. IMMERSE!

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.

This album grew on my as I listened through a couple times. The combo of the samples with David Byrne's punchy guitar works well. The eclectic samples, combined from many different places, make the sounds fresh and unique.

At the very least, this album is 10-12 years ahead of its time. It was a breakthrough step in the way samples were used, and it also exposed more people to a wider variety of world music. It sounds incredibly modern compared to much of the music of its era, and yet, it also sounds like a sort of musical fanfiction. It's a noble experiment, and one which significantly broadened the possibilities for the musical palette, but it largely comes across like demo tracks for Talking Heads songs with samples of speech put in place of where lyrics might be. There's the core of a song there, but somehow it's not satisfying in the same way. It's like ordering the appetizer combo and just eating that for dinner instead of an entree. I do still enjoy this record, just as I would enjoy eating an appetizer combo for dinner, but, despite being a big fan of both Brian Eno and David Byrne, this is not one I come back to often.

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.

Es un disco rarisimo, como una banda sonora. Cositas de electronica, cositas de musica tribal. No me gustó para nada.

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

Amazing first track

If you'd told me there would ever be a time when I would think, "Damn. I just wish Brian Eno would be more ambient," I'd have laughed in your face. And yet, here we are. I very much prefer the second half of the album where it seems that Eno and Byrne stopped tryin to make a statement and focused on making mostly inconsequential noise. Not that any of it was good. It's just that the last half was less horrible than the first half.

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.

Being innovative, unfortunately, often means that you won't be a master of a particular skill - voice sampling in this particular case. The album seemed dull. To name at least one advantage: I like that cover.

I know, it was innovative. But it does not mean that it is automatically good. It has two enjoyable songs. Despite them this album is all over the place and not good.

This is the musical equivalent of modern art. I don't care what innovative techniques were used if it's boring to listen to.

Trippy

Experimental.

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

BL: forgot to write a BL - aware of both artists and their work however. AL: I thought it was very cool and very well made. The instrumentation was fascinating and gave a lot to explore. I unfortunately just didn’t find it very listenable. It’s nice background drone but I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it a part as much as I would’ve wanted. I still enjoyed it very much though. FT: “America Is Waiting”, “Mountain of Needles”

achei péssimo o álbum, não gostei de nenhuma música mesmo.

alright

Cool album. Very unique and great for ambient music and helping with focus.

Wtf. Absolutely awful. Just a collection of random noises jumbled together that was annoying from the beginning to the very end.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: No, it’s not really my thing for experimental and ambience Favourite song: didn’t have one

Funky out-there background music fueled by David Byrne’s creative whimsy is still just background music at the end of the day

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.

I kept thinking I'd get bored of this eventually but somehow the album kept surprising me with its diverse sounds. I enjoyed the whole thing and it's been added to my Spotify favourites so I will return for sure!

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

Ja vielleicht is es das erste Album das Sampling benutzt hat, ich mag es trotzdem nicht.

Side one was pretty ok. Side two was not.

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

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.

Bien, but experimental

Classic, have the CD in my truck, cant get enough

Another high concept art album from legendary assholes. Important in terms of sampling and tracking but not a particularly enjoyable listen. Often sounds like the music from How It's Made

Didn't really care for most of the..... music?.....sounds.

"Hmm... Human Music... I like it!" There's millions of albums out there, and this was one of the 1001 that I just had to listen to before I died? This is an example of the editors of the list jacking eachother off for knowing random obscure albums.

I just don't understand what it is trying to tell me. It's not even so unpleasant, but quite empty

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

Usually I like Eno's works but that goes more for his straight-up ambient work, especially with Robert Fripp. Also his job as a producer is tremendous. This album is not for me. Some of the later tracks have a nice experimental character to them. Besides that it's not really for me.

One of those albums about which you can say that though it didn't sell a million copies, everybody who bought it was a musician. It's still a fantastic listen, and great working music. Got to love an album with nods from Kate Bush and Public Enemy.

This is terrible.

Super weird but a jam nonetheless

Another classic Brian Eno record, this time featuring David Byrne.

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

Must have done a lot of ecstasy before recording this album.

Great! Such a cool electric techno sample gasm.

It is great hearing two artists really going for it and trying to get what's in their heads out into the world. It doesn't always succeed and some of the cut and paste from world music feels a little pilfered and unearned but a fascinating listen all the same.

Great time, thoroughly original and gripping most of the time, in spite of lacking the focus of the heads' other members. A great record.

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 want to give this a 1 but I’ll be kind because I understand what it’s trying to do. Still, I kind of disagree with this being classified an album at all. It’s two incredibly talented and creative artists exploring something new. Unfortunately the end result is more academic than enjoyable. Low, low 2.

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.

This was interesting and not at all difficult to listen to. I can see pulling this one back up from time to time for some background listening.

Much less noisy and more musical than I'd assumed from the description. Outstanding! Very enjoyable.

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.

In a lot of ways this feels to me more like a David Byrne solo album produced by Eno than a true mixing of their styles and pretty much for that reason, this has never been my go to work from either of them. I don't find it as well formed as Talking Heads classics and I don't find it as engaging as some of Eno's work from the previous decade. That being said I'm definitely guilty here of criticising things I like more as its a brilliant album full of so many ideas and sounds that it could keep you entertained for weeks. I definitely perfer the back half of the album which is a bit more chilled out and I think it would have been more of a favourite if it had that vibe throughout. Still a solid 4 though dont get me wrong

I appreciate what they are doing on this album, and kudos to David Byrne for taking this step among so many he'd take over the decades into something new -- he could have easily stayed only on the Talking Heads' path and done just fine -- so I genuinely admire his curious mind, eagerness to explore, and desire to collaborate with Brian Eno and his desire to work with countless others through the present. There are some very interesting (at least to my ear) tracks on this album. 'Regiment' is just one example. Really drew me in. Sometimes "sampling" kind of annoys me, just a personal preference, but I understand why some artists like to create works with samples in them. Overall, though, the exploration of sound and textures is very interesting to me. Good work here.

Listening to this is torture... I couldn't even finish it. Never before have I disliked an album so badly

*S o u n d C o l l a g e* I love both Eno and Byrne, and I like to put this album on every so often, but it's also not the best work either of them was doing around this time

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.

Очень смелым было решение основать поп рок альбом практически полностью на сэмплах. Как результат, получилось довольно интересно, хоть и местами слишком экспериментально даже для меня. Определённо чувствуется рука Дэвида Бирна, я как будто послушал что-то от сошедших с ума Talking Heads. (7.5)

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.

Huh, onpahan ollut tullut melkosta paskaa viime viikot ja tämäkään ei ole poikkeus. Tämän levyn kuuntelu ei tuottanut edes hetkellistä mielihyvää ja helppo jättää lopullisesti unholaan.

Öööö, joo eips

4.2 - An impressive collaboration that draws on Eno's skill at creating textural soundscapes and Byrne's ear for rhythms. The innovative use of samples makes the sum of this project greater than its parts. I especially appreciate how they handle Quranic chanting without descending into preciosity; for example, I love how the guitar voicing on "Regiment" echoes the plaintive vocals. Eno and Byrne could've easily puttered out something safe but instead took bold risks that they were able to execute beautifully.

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

Don’t like, found it to be very grating on the ears

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts’ is a record I find hide to describe. It’s an uneasy, queasy listen with a dreamlike quality. I was underwhelmed when I first heard it, but I adore it now. It definitely rewards repeated listening and is actually quite a nice companion piece to ‘Remain In Light’.

This is my second Brian Eno album, and I greatly disliked the first one. I'm hoping to enjoy this one more. I wouldn't really consider this to be music that someone should listen to regularly. I don't enjoy experimental music like this, but I can appreciate them trying to think outside of the box.

This was the first album title that I heard of from Brian Eno, but I never listened to the album. It is not difficult to hear that David Byrne collaborated on My Life In the Bush of Ghosts - some tracks seem to echo sounds from live tracks that I've heard from the Talking Heads. The album could be categorized somewhere between ambient and world music. Some of the spoken word recordings were distracting, yet there were some vocals / spoken parts that did swirl into the mix of sound and became part of a general audio landscape. After listening to the original release, I listned to the bonus tracks on the re-release. Overall, "Qu'ran" and "The Carrier" were the tracks I liked the best. These two tracks may have had the least amount of vocals / spoken word. I could come back to this album for a second listen.

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.

“I wasn’t a huge fan of the Bolognese stuff” - Bill Hader, Documentary NOW Definitely a kooky album. Exactly what I expect from Eno and Byrne. But like everything these guys put out, I ended up really enjoying most of it.

I usually find these experimental albums to be pretentious and self-indulgent but this was pretty enjoyable to listen to. Probably wouldn’t seek it out again very often but it was simultaneously interesting and soothing.

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.

Horrible. Why would anyone want to listen to this? Twitchy loops and repeated vocal samples. Sounds like a panic attack. Ew.

Here I am writing the review 3 days after I listened and I don't really remember what I listened to. That can't be good.

Mostly instrumental/samples, kind of hip-hoppy.

When I bought this back in the day (being bog fans of both artists) I thought it was an experiment by two musical compatriots. While I still believe that is the case, its influence over the years has been profound. The use of sampling and tape loops were revolutionary at the time. The fact the loops still sound funky after all these years surprised me. Perhaps the use of found objects as sources of percussion is simply better than most of the garage band-esque beats we have today. The vocals, taken from disparate sources (many religous) is a technique that Bynre would revisit over the years, but not as successfully as this album.

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

A full album of drums/space? No thank you

Ovo mi je jedan od najdražih albuma ikad

я пока не очень поняла альбом, но он меня привлекает, вдумывает пока слушала, в какой-то момент правда наполовину оказалась в другом измерении брайан ино великий, конечно

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.

Very experimental rock, Not my type of music. Probably a good source of inspiration for a lot of artists

It is just a glorious, weird experiment. You can see how Talking Heads evolved through this.

just not my kinda music

Actually a really interesting album. I can’t say I loved every single song but many were super groovy with really fun samples. It feels like the much older, more pessimistic/depressed Since I Left You by The Avalanches, but a really good listen nonetheless. 8/10

Enorm experimenteel. Maar daar is Eno wel voor gekend. Niet iets dat ik opnieuw zou opzetten

Well that was annoying. 2/5.

Liker bedre det andre han har skapt

Well above average art rock, so rounding way up!