Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Enough ambient stuff in there for me to enjoy, but I do not like his pop music.
Wat een heerlijke 'luisterplaat'
3.5
Never heard any of these before. It was alright.
Scratches an itch. I like the variety offered here between the punky art rock boogie, or whatever you would call it, and the more ambient material. All the styles blend together really nicely, too. An important listen for Talking Heads and Three Mile Pilot/Pinback fans.
Commits the sin of being boring
Ok
Liked it
First song has this awful echo effect to the vocals that I couldn't get past. Luckily, it was just the first track. After that, it was a pretty generic blend of 70s and 80s sound. It was fine. Would probably be 2.5 stars if half star ratings were a thing, but not bad enough to garner a 2.
weak 2
584/1089 - Very unique instrumentation and cool songs. Really really liked "By This River."
1977, fünftes Soloalbum, zwei Studios: Basing Street in London, Conny's Studio bei Köln, wo Conny Plank selbst am Pult saß. Man hört diese Teilung. Seite eins ist kantig, fast nervös. Seite zwei rutscht schon spürbar in Richtung der Ambient-Musik, die Eno kurz danach erfinden sollte. In Großbritannien lief das Album bei Polydor, in den USA bei Island – und es ist, das wird oft übersehen, für lange Zeit sein letztes Album mit Gesang. Eno arbeitete hier mit den Oblique-Strategies-Karten, ließ also bewusst Zufall in die Songs einsickern, und holte sich Musiker aus Großbritannien und Deutschland dazu, darunter Leute von Cluster und Can. "King's Lead Hat" ist das hektische Gegenstück – ein Titel, der ein Anagramm von "Talking Heads" ist, und der Song klingt fast danach. Daneben stehen ruhigere Stücke wie "Kurt's Rejoinder" oder "Backwater". Zwei völlig verschiedene Temperamente auf einer Platte. Was mich an dem Album packt: wie selbstverständlich diese zwei Welten nebeneinander existieren, ohne dass eine die andere erdrückt. Der nervöse Art-Pop und die schwebende Ruhe – beide sind vollständig da, keine Kompromisslösung. Eno auf der Schwelle zwischen zwei Karrierephasen, und man hört beide gleichzeitig.
Another good one from Mr. Eno
3.5
MONSTER SCORE INCOMING. This was fantastic, from the opening track I knew this was up right My alley. The “Off kilter” rhythms and odd vocals were just instant love. The next track had an XTC vibe and can definitely see them being influenced by Eno. Now By track 7 I was thinking do I have a least favourite song and nope I’ve loved them all. Up that point, and thought even if last couple tracks weren’t great it did so much right in the time I’ve been with it Now my only criticism and it’s slight is after “Kings Lead Hat” the album goes into a slower vibe for rest of the record. That being said these slow tracks are AMAZING “Here He Comes” , “Julie With…” (Gorgeous) , and “By This River” are top songs and I felt them in my stomach and to my core. After that there’s an instrumental and we finish with “Spider and I”. I think maybe one having one more Upbeat song before final track would have been nice. As is, the record did Slow down , but did not go out with a whimper. This album is getting a whomping 5/5 (it was so GOOD it might even be like a 6/5) it’s that GREAT and will be added to my Record collection It’s a shame Mr. Eno didn’t do more stuff like this and went strictly into his ambient direction after
Feels like a bonus Talking Heads album with some ambient sprinkled throughout, which is nice! Eno hasn’t clicked for me before this album and I think that his voice has been the main barrier, but I enjoyed this album a lot. Fingers crossed for the future.
The generator is a mind reader. Yesterday I was listening to my new "Another Green World" CD and thought to myself, "it'd be funny if I got this on the generator tomorrow". Well, I didn't get that, but I did get an Eno album. Scary.
Я думаю, що я міг би поставити цьому альбому 5, якби прослухав його ще два рази. Багато цікавого, неординарні пісні, які досить легко сприймаються. Сильний арті-вайб, але немає відчуття, що ти зайвий на цьому святі. Іно звичайно негарна людина, але що вже поробиш
От не люблю я музику Іно, хз. Але звісно ж by this river клас (і кінець альбома після неї). Тому виключно за ці три останні пісні поставлю загалом 3.
mh nah not my thing
I think Brian Eno is pretty alright, but I can't take much of his style/voice before I kinda get tired of it, so I really prefer him like one song at a time. But this was a fairly short album, so it wasn't too bad. Three stars.
First half: 😀🕺🚣👑✨😝 Second half: 😟🌧️🧍😢🕷️😭
- Two Brian Eno albums in a row - yesterday, I got Here Come the Warm Jets. It's only been a few bars of the first song on today's album, but this is sounding very David Bowie. - Like the other one, this album has a lot of experimental instrumentation, and I think it's cool. I like that it fits in with the songs and doesn't go on too long - sometimes that sort of thing can take you out of the song, but it's really nicely balanced, throughout. This album is definitely polished in its production. - I like the more chill songs on this album better - the others felt a little too perky. - Not really a fan of how meaningless the lyrics are and the vocals are fine, but not really that memorable. Neither are the songs or melodies, - though there are pretty melodic elements here and there. - Something that I appreciate is that both of these albums have a lot of songs but the album is only 40 min, so they don't really overstay their welcome.
This album reminds me of Bowie.
3.5
Another classic from the great Brian Eno. This is probably one of the most underrated releases in his catalog, despite it being released in the heart of his peak.
Really enjoyed this. Looking forward to digging more into his catalogue.
It’s not that I don’t like Brian no, in fact some of his melodies are nice. I think I just can’t get past his style. It’s dark, then slow, then melodic, then odd? I get lost.
I just love Eno so much but man some of these songs are goofy. So much texture and depth in the production with the most random lyrics. By This River is 100000000% an inspiration for C418's Wet Hands Favorite Songs: Here He Comes, By This River
Not my vibe. It's David Byrne but not as palatable.
I never need to hear this again.
nah, nicht so gut. 1.87 Sterne von mir aus, aber auch gut gemeint
After discovering Bowie's Berlin trilogy, I was expecting to like this. And it's great, unsurprisingly. It sounds like Low, only more pop and more ambient. There are also a couple of Talking Heads like tracks (with Phil Collins on drums on one of them). So it's almost a perfect album for me. 4.5
Not my beach but I've enjoyed it
I wasn't expecting this at all! When I think of Brian Eno, I usually picture super deep, moody ambient stuff, not weird, catchy art-pop. But the first half of this record is surprisingly funky and energetic. Songs like "No One Receiving" and "King's Lead Hat" have this cool, danceable vibe. It's a playful side of Eno that feels way ahead of its time, like he was basically writing the rulebook for 80s new wave back in 77. Then the album pulls a brilliant move. Right around the middle, the jittery rock energy fades out and you’re suddenly floating in these lush, dreamy soundscapes. It’s not depressing or boring, it’s just warm and super relaxing. "By This River" is a total gem, and "Spider and I" is the perfect way to wrap things up. It’s basically an album of two halves: the quirky pop-rock stuff transitioning into the ambient genius he’s famous for.
Not that great
It just passed me by. It didn’t offend but it had no consequence.
Not my fav Eno, arguably a 2.5 but I don’t like it enough to bump up, so 2
I like Brian Eno but was not familiar with this album. Its good and I find myself wanting to listen it again. I could see it becoming a favourite. The production sound is great.
Brian Eno is a name I’m familiar with for a number of reasons. I’m aware of his connections to other notable bands and musicians from the time, such as Roxy Music, Bowie, and Robert Wyatt. What I know him best for, though, is his coining of the term “ambient music,” a genre which I absolutely adore. That said, I’m embarrassed to say that this was the first full-length album of Eno’s I’ve listened to. But it certainly did not disappoint. Every track delivered both melodically and instrumentally, and I was particularly taken in by the lush, beautiful sounds of the ’70s synths. I’m always slightly hesitant to give something a 5-star review after only one listen, but considering how much I enjoyed this album on my first playthrough, and knowing that I’ll only appreciate it more when I return to it, it's got to be a 5.
I like Brian Eno but don't know if we always need to encourage everything. Creative, but he has better. It kind of blows me away how many people that touched things I like worked on this and it still doesn't click.
I was excited to see Brian Eno again hoping to possibly be surprised. The excitement diminished quickly. The last 3 tracks saved it for me. This is not bad enough to be a 2, so I'm rounding heavily up to a 3.
In a nutshell: a Before and After production. I can hear sonic overlap on this album compared to Berlin era Bowie and early Talking Heads, so I did a quick check. Here is the timeline: 1975 * allegedly started recording this album and other projects- Discreet Music, Evening Star and Music For Films. * January: hit by a taxi, physical recovery at home * July and August: records Another Green World * November 14th: Another Green World released. * December: Discreet Music released. 1976 * September and October - Recording for Low by David Bowie begins. 1977 * January 14th: Low released * April - May: recording for Talking Heads '77 begins. * July and August: recording for "Heroes" begins. * September 16th: Talking Heads '77 released * October 14th: "Heroes" released * December: Before and After Science was released I have a theory on this album: Brian Eno was cross pollinating. It's not unusual for musicians to be inspired by other musicians. Maybe Eno infused the sounds he had in mind into the Bowie and TH records (which both parties obviously loved), and fleshed them out on B&AS. A "if you liked Low or Heroes, you might like my album" kind of thing. This could be a reach. But the thought has crossed my mind. Eno is more of a music person than a lyrics person. His work is textured, atmospheric. And when you add lyrics to his music, it feels strange. It's what I call the Jeff Tweedy rule- only add enough lyrics to not distract from the melody. Or music, in this case. Overall: 4/10
77
This list actually forcing me to sit down and appreciate Brian Eno is one of the best things it’s done. This is another great album of his. I don’t think it’s as good as Warm Jets, but this has Kings Lead Hat, one of the greatest songs I’ve heard on this list. There’s definitely hints of his later career and focus on ambient and experimental stuff.
Buen disco, para el dia de llucia de la fecha la verdad que acompaño
Personally I'm more fond of less experimental, more rocky Brian Eno's sound, so this is not for me, but it's not bad either!
Not what I expected at all (i guess I just expected ambient) I listened to this right after a talking heads album and I now kind of understand why he produced the talking heads. there's a throughline — though this is still so novel/experimental/art rocky for 77. Love the noise/punk elements here. super interesting listen, really enjoyed
I love this album. I’m surprised to see this instead of Another Green World or Music For Airports. I never hear people discussing this album. Such an album to listen to.
Bad Brit pop and electronica? I'm shocked! On this list? Why that's only the 100th or so album of this garbage out of 480+. Eye roll. 1.0
Wasn't expecting huge things from this, having always thought of Eno as a better producer than standalone artist, but I was blown away by this album. The first half is some excellent post punk fair, very Talking Heads style. Very enjoyable but King's Lead Hat is the true standout with a fantastic raucous energy. Then the album pivots towards 80s Eno ambient music, but the switch works magically and the three songs after King's Lead Hat (Her He Comes, Julie With and By The River) are really sensational. Listened to this three times today on the train up to and London and back to Brighton, and am excited to get to know it better. 9/10
N.18 I recognise that this album is objectively good, but 80% of the album is too quite for me and kind of boring. Brian Eno executed his vision well, I just don't like his vision. That said I absolutely love By this river and Spider and I. Rate it 3,2
Before and after science class? But seriously folks, this is some good Eno. "Backwater" gets stuck in my head easily. Top tracks: "Backwater," "King's Lead Hat"
this is the kind of album that makes me want to listen to like 15 other alubms that are categorically better
--No One Receiving...starting out with a funky rhythm guitar. shades of Bowie --Backwater...an artsy groove. it's a fun synth bop but a little too goofy --Kurt's Rejoinder...that's an interesting bass line --Energy Fools the Magician...left-of-center instrumental --King's Lead Hat...anagram for Talking Heads and it sounds like it --Here He Comes...this is more straightforward pop. it's quite nice --Julie With...perhaps the most Eno track on here. really cool atmosphere, but the actual songcraft is lacking --By This River...simple but compelling --Through Hollow Lands...spacey instrumental. title is apt --Spider and I...see "Julie With..."
Nah
It's got great production but I don't know if I like it. That's probably not great.
Good rock record
Another one of Eno's post-Roxy albums that I didn't know at all. I really enjoyed it.
#1018. Jesus Christ. So much Brian Eno. Too much Brian Eno. With only 72 albums left, surely this is the last one I have to listen to, right? Right? RIGHT? Please. 2/5: annoying
Side one is a fun Talking Heads adjacent art rock record. Side two is a sleepy emo Brian.
It’s okay. Very artsy naturally; some songs hit pretty well while there were a few that just felt like they dragged.
Second half took it to 4 stars for me. 'By the River' and 'Through Hollow Lands' really got me
Really not my thing atm
Not my thing. its fine but I did not catch my attention
Prefer the second disk overall, but love a lot of the songs.
A very good amount of variety while keeping it true to Eno's sound.
Poppy and odd in places, instrumental and beautiful in others. Quite enjoyed this. 3.5/5.
ethereal. electrocnic. pop?
Side one is too damn cool for school. Side two kinda puts me to sleep Why did I own "...Warm Jets" but not this one too? Gonna fix that soon (at least keep S1 in my library).
Yeah, this right here is straight fire actually, i have nothing else to say lol
This was pretty good. A slightly weird chill alternative album. It’s been a very Brian eno/ Roxy music centric week
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this one as much as I did. I especially liked King’s Lead Hat.
3.5
Pretty good
I can’t ever seem to properly get into Brian Eno despite liking many albums he produced for others. This one I at least didn’t dislike, I just don’t imagine myself ever listening by to it again
2/5
I had no idea that King's Lead Hat was written prior to his working with Talking Heads. What a mindfuck that must have been for them to have this land in their laps so early in their career. This album is pretty good but I don't get the big fuss about Brian Eno as a recording artist. He produced a lot of great albums but none under his own name. I mean, Roxy Music's best music was made after he left. [There, I said it!] Any list with 5 Brian Eno albums - 5! - and zero for heroes like Lee Scratch Perry, Sonny Rollins and Wayne Shorter is a fucked list made by morons who don't know shit. James Brown, the hardest working man in show business, possibly the single most influential musician of the past 50 years, has one album on this list. But Brian Eno has 5. Sure, pal.
It's funny how much Brian Eno is everywhere--in life, in this collection, meddling with other bands and artists with his oblique-strategies cards--yet we only get a handful of his albums (thankfully), and they've been somewhat hit or miss. This one largely hits more than misses, though, and it's nice to hear him graduating from his Roxy Music days, with a hint of what probably attracted Talking Heads (really, mainly David Byrne I suspect) to work with him; pretty funny that "King's lead hat" is an anagram for Talking Heads, too, and the track definitely feels inspired by them. If I hadn't read the Wikipedia entry, I'd likely have no idea that the album's 10 tracks were winnowed down from literally over 100 compositions, nor that he managed to recruit so many other artists to collaborate on various songs. Although there's something a bit 70s-soundtrack to the album as a whole--especially in the much more atmospheric-leaning second side--it still works well overall, with the highlights (for me) largely confined to the first side, especially the opening track "No one receiving" and "Kurt's rejoinder", although side two's Pink Floyd-esque "Spider and I" is strangely compelling too. Given that rave reviews this album has generated over the years, I feel kind of badly only giving it three stars, but there's something a bit too cold and detached to really draw me in.
Loved this new-to-me album and can't get over how much the first track sounds like something from Talking Heads' Remain in Light. Almost every track is a winner and I like how Eno takes familiar sounds and phrases into absurd and interesting directions.
This was a really interesting listen. It was like experiencing Eno’s development from Roxy Music art school madness, through Bowie- era synths (some sounds i definitely recalled from the low album) followed by more ambient sounds. Interesting, but nothing more than that.
A more straightforward rock album than expected from ol’ sourpuss. The flashes of ambience and experimentation are a fun look at what’s to come when he meets up with Bowie later.
A very odd album and very different from others on this list. I love weird and this has that in abundance. I'll give a 4 but could be a 5 with further listens
Very pleasant but his best work is instrumental
Three songs in, and I was firmly in 1 star land. Really disliked them. "Energy Fools the Magician" was decent, and "King's Lead Hat" reminded me a bit of The Cars "Shake It Up". "Here He Comes" is a brilliant song. BY FAR the best thing on this album. Overall, didn't enjoy it too much, though the second half was better than the first. Somewhere between a 2 and 3... I'll go 3 on the strength of "Here He Comes"
Not my favorite Eno album but the highs are high - King's Lead Hat is awesome on the coke-ier side and Spider and I is really pretty on the ambient-ier side. Love how much texture he's able to put into every song in unexpected ways and I kinda like the vocal layering he does to make up for not having a great voice. I am sad that he's transitioning into ambient here I want him coked out.
Always the legendary producer, but most songs in this album didn’t interest me.
This is pure beauty. Intricate songs that experimental, accessible, sad, joyful and somber at the same time. There are so many layers to unpack here that it begs for multiple listenings.
I prefer Eno's albums where he does weird ambient shit and doesn't sing.
On a tendance à l'oublier avec le recul, mais l'année 1977 n'a pas été uniquement le terrain de jeu exclusif de gamins en colère avec des épingles à nourrice dans le nez, des crêtes de couleur et des guitares mal accordées. Car pendant que le punk britannique tentait de foutre le feu à la vieille Europe à coups de trois accords rageurs et de crachats post-adolescents, un type étrange peinait à terminer son quatrième album solo dans les studios de Cologne et de Londres. Ce type, c'est Brian Eno et l'album en question, c'est Before And After Science. Ce disque est une véritable anomalie temporelle, un pont suspendu au-dessus du vide entre deux mondes esthétiques qui n'auraient jamais dû se croiser dans une existence normale. Eno sortait tout juste de sessions intensives et épuisantes avec David Bowie pour son fameux diptyque berlinois et on sent immédiatement à l'écoute qu'il avait le cerveau en ébullition permanente, saturé d'idées neuves, de concepts abstraits et de techniques de production totalement révolutionnaires pour l'époque. C’est précisément dans ce contexte de transition absolue que naît ce projet hybride, qui marque en réalité la fin d'une époque glorieuse pour lui : celle de la pop excentrique, chantée et structurée, juste avant le grand plongeon définitif et sans retour dans les eaux glacées, immobiles et purement instrumentales de l'ambient music. C'est le chant du cygne d'un chanteur qui ne voulait plus en être un, le testament pop d'un chercheur en esthétique sonore. Quand on se penche sérieusement sur la genèse de cet album, on ne peut qu'être bluffé par le casting de malades mentaux et de virtuoses qu'Eno a réussi à réunir autour de sa table de mixage. Le mec ne s'est pas fait chier une seule seconde : il a convoqué la crème de la crème de la scène expérimentale, rock et progressive de la fin des années soixante-dix. On retrouve ainsi Phil Collins, bien avant qu'il ne devienne le roi de la pop FM des années quatre-vingt, mais qui était alors un batteur de jazz-rock et de progressif absolument monstrueux chez Genesis et Brand X. À ses côtés, le bassiste virtuose Percy Jones fait vrombir ses lignes fretless de manière totalement extraterrestre. On ajoute à ce cocktail le métronome humain Jaki Liebezeit, batteur légendaire du groupe de krautrock Can, ainsi que Dieter Moebius et Hans-Joachim Roedelius du groupe électronique Cluster. Autant dire que réunir de tels lascars sur un même canevas sonore tenait soit du coup de génie pur, soit du suicide commercial le plus complet. Fidèle à ses méthodes de travail iconoclastes, Eno a guidé tout ce beau monde en utilisant son fameux jeu de cartes, les Stratégies Obliques. Pour ceux qui n'ont jamais essayé de composer avec ça, ce sont des aphorismes cryptiques destinés à débloquer la créativité en studio en forçant l'esprit à prendre des chemins de traverse. Imaginez un instant la scène : vous êtes un musicien de studio de haut niveau, habitué à la précision technique, et le producteur vous demande de jouer « comme si votre colonne vertébrale était une boussole » ou de « valoriser votre pire erreur ». C'est complètement perché, je vous l'accorde volontiers, mais c'est précisément ce traitement ultra-arty, cette dictature du concept sur la technique, qui donne à l'ensemble sa patine si particulière et sa cohérence magique. On n'est jamais ici dans la démonstration technique gratuite ou le solo pompeux, mais dans une déconstruction méticuleuse du format chanson. C’est pour cela que j'attribue un beau 4 sur 5 à cet album très arty, car il réussit l'exploit de rester profondément accessible tout en dynamitant les conventions musicales. Pour Eno, la console de mixage n'est pas un simple outil d'enregistrement, c'est un instrument de musique à part entière, peut-être même le plus important de tous. Durant les deux années qu'a nécessitées la création de cet album, il a accumulé des dizaines d'heures de bandes rétives, enregistrant des musiciens pour ensuite découper leurs performances, les passer à l'envers, en modifier la vitesse ou injecter des distorsions synthétiques jusqu'à rendre l'instrument d'origine totalement méconnaissable. C’est une esthétique de collage qui s'apparente presque aux arts plastiques ou au surréalisme. On sent qu'il cherche à vider la musique de son ego pour n'en garder que la vibration essentielle. Cette approche donne un disque qui ne ressemble à rien de ce qui se faisait en 1977. Ce n'est pas du rock, ce n'est pas de la pop, ce n'est pas de la variété, c'est une construction mentale pure, un paysage sonore mis en boîte par un laborantin en blouse blanche qui s'amuse avec des éprouvettes pleines de fréquences bizarres. Ma propre expérience d'auditeur face à ce travail est toujours double : il y a d'un côté le plaisir immédiat des mélodies, et de l'autre une fascination infinie pour la complexité des arrangements cachés sous la surface. C’est de l'art pop au sens noble du terme, une musique qui refuse la facilité mais qui ne tombe jamais dans le piège de l'austérité chiante des intellectuels de conservatoire. Cet album est un monstre à deux têtes, une création volontairement schizophrène qui se sépare distinctement entre sa face A et sa face B sur le vinyle d'origine. La première moitié du disque est un concentré de pop mutante, nerveuse, mécanique et furieusement funky. Les rythmes y sont syncopés, les basses claquent comme des élastiques tendus à l'extrême, et la voix d'Eno adopte ce ton narquois, distant, presque détaché de toute humanité qui le caractérise si bien. On y croise des sonorités électroniques bizarres, des traitements de guitare saturés qui ressemblent à des cris d'animaux synthétiques piégés dans une matrice, et une énergie rythmique implacable qui doit énormément aux expérimentations du krautrock allemand. C'est une pop art glaciale mais incroyablement dansante, qui pose sans le savoir les bases de ce qui deviendra la New Wave, la Synth-Pop et le Post-Punk au début des années quatre-vingt. On sent l'influence directe de ce style anguleux et moderne qu'Eno injectera un peu plus tard chez les Talking Heads ou chez Devo. Puis, sans crier gare, on retourne le disque, et on plonge sans transition dans un tout autre univers. La face B est un long fleuve tranquille, une descente en pente douce vers l'apaisement, la contemplation et la mélancolie la plus pure. C'est là que réside le véritable choc esthétique pour moi. Les rythmes s'effacent presque totalement, laissant la place à des nappes de piano aquatiques, des textures de synthétiseurs pastorales et des mélodies d'une beauté désarmante. On n'est plus du tout dans la réflexion cérébrale, l'ironie pop ou la danse mécanique, mais dans le ressenti brut, l'émotion pure, le flottement spatial. Les morceaux s'enchaînent avec la fluidité de paysages embrumés vus à travers la vitre d'un train un après-midi de pluie. C'est d'une poésie totale, suspendue dans le temps, une merveille absolue qui annonce directement ses chefs-d'œuvre ambient à venir comme Music For Airports ou Ambient 1. Ce n'est certes pas un album parfait au sens traditionnel du terme, car cette rupture esthétique brutale entre les deux faces peut parfois déstabiliser l'auditeur qui s'attend à une œuvre uniforme, mais c'est justement ce manque total de compromis et cette prise de risque permanente qui font sa force brute. On sent un artiste en état de grâce et en totale liberté créative, qui n'en a absolument rien à foutre des quotas de programmation radio, des classements du Billboard ou des attentes de son directeur artistique. Pour résumer ma pensée profonde sans tourner autour du pot pendant des plombes, ce quatrième effort solo de Brian Eno reste un pilier incontournable, une œuvre charnière de sa discographie rock, juste avant qu'il ne décide de refermer définitivement la parenthèse des chansons traditionnelles avec paroles pour devenir le pape de l'ambient et le producteur le plus convoité de la planète.
Not my thing at all. Yet? The soundstage is insane on it. It's incredible that this is stereo mixing. For the sound quality alone, this was a worthwhile listen
I love his early solo work. This one has some great stuff on it.
It’s ok some beautiful songs some weird ones
Somehow, my first Brian Eno record! I am very familiar with him as a person, his overall impact, and music he worked on with other artists but I somehow never ended up actually listening to his work. Maybe it is just this album, but it is REALLY not what I was expecting. I think I was anticipating it being more pretentious? I pretty much only know Eno as "the ambient music guy" so I was really not expecting the album to open the way it did. The first song that actually kind of fit what I expected was Energy Fools the Magician. The track following that, King's Lead Hat, made me realize exactly why Eno and David Byrne have worked together frequently. This album actually came out the same year as Talking Heads' debut, and the following year was when Talking Heads released their first album produced by Eno. Listening to this record (and this song specifically) I can REALLY hear Eno's influence on the albums he collaborated with them on. I just realized the song title is an anagram for Talking Heads so I mean... that has to be intentional right? He hadn't produced their records yet but I'm going to assume him and Byrne were already working together or at the very least VERY aware of each others work. The only other track on the records that sounded the way I anticipated going into this was Through Hollow Lands, which was also the highlight of the record for me. Overall I think I can see myself liking his other work too, so fine Brian Eno, maybe I will watch the weird documentary about your music on Criterion that can be reshuffled into billions (oh sorry, looked it up, quintillion) of combinations.
I enjoyed this.
Pretty cool not that relistenable
He has much better but still ok
Enjoyed this, By The River was my highlight (3.5)
It's alright. Some nice songs . I am a fan though
Didn't move or interest me.
Getting pretty sick of listening to Brian Eno’s music (second album this week and fifth overall). By now I get what he’s all about: he’s a savant producer that had some innovative ideas about incorporating ambient sounds and electronic components into rock music. We didn’t need six of his albums on this list to hammer this point home, especially the album Music for Airports. His music, to me, is sleepy, boring, and uninspiring. Hope I get something worth my time tomorrow. 2/5
'Uncelebrated masterpiece' could be code for "it's alright, not every hit an artist puts out is going to be the next best thing since sliced bread."
From a scholarly perspective you should perhaps familiarize yourself with the work of Brian Eno. If only because he was a big name in music production. But this album in itself sounds rather dated. It's pioneering for its time but most of the techniques on display here can be achieved with basic computers today.
Wasn’t terrible but wasn’t particularly memorable either
My 4th Brian Eno album, and this may have been my favorite one yet. And yet I still don’t fully get into his music. :/5
I hadn't heard an album from him before, so it was a surprise. It feels ahead of its time and with many good ideas. I wasn't ready for the sounds, but it felt good. I will listen to it again.
I love Brian Eno, especially in conjuction with David Byrne or John Cale. Side A of this album is really great, but I sputter out in the second half. Not that it's bad, they just feel so different.
Fan of Eno. This is a great transition from his glam rock into his authentic sound pieces, which are mesmerizing. I do not understand some of the reviews that like the first side vs. the second side (us wisened folks know about album sides) - not the case, Side "B" is where he begins to blossom. Either way , a good listen,
I like its weirdness. Definitely prefer the before side. some great musicians here.. i can hear how influential this has been. I’m glad the generator introduced me to Eno’s solo stuff. You never quite know what you’re gonna get
Only familiar with eno through his work with David Byrne. Had some flashes of talking heads. Can appreciate the production and arraignments, but ultimately it is just fine.
Good. But need to be in the mood
It was alright
I understand why people would not like this album, and yet I’m charmed by it. I grew up listening to different phases of Eno, but only began to understand his life’s work after seeing the Eno film that came out in 2024. Now I appreciate him even more. That film shows how he dedicated his life and career to play—a playful approach to sound and music. That comes through clearly on this album from 1977. The first half is goofy, but charming with that background knowledge. And the last few songs show his early ambient side. I get that others might hear it and think “ick” 😆 and that's a reminder to me that everyone has their individual associations with songs, artists, and albums that make them more or less open to the music. This one was a treat for me.
This was cool. I'm not sure if I'll listen to it again. But I'm glad I did.
I've been a huge Eno fan since his Roxy Music days, and I've always felt his pop and rock albums have been unfairly overlooked.
'Meh.
Loved it
(5/7) fairly interesting stuff
some artists got a little too greedy on this list.....one album from Brian would be plenty....
I’ve had Brian EnoUGH.
Not something I'd usually be into. The album really grew into itself and I feel I grew into it as well. The deeper into it I got the more I found myself wanting to take a few moments to really enjoy what I was hearing for the first ever time, not something that happens a lot. Review: 8.4/10 Favorites: Energy Fools the Magician, King's Lead Hat, Here He Comes, Julia With..., By This River,
It was alright. Relisten to his other album
More interesting than it is enjoyable
I prefer Glam Eno over Art Eno, but I still really liked this one. Really loved King's Lead Hat.
Some OK, but more noise than I really enjoy.
Experimental, but not full of itself. Really wasn't familiar with his game. Props!
Pretty great and surprised I hadn’t given it a go before. Kinda talking headsy and no surprise one of the songs is an anagram of them
Liking this kind of music more
Really good, and mostly new to me. I start going into Shake It Up during Kings Lead Hat every time. Had to have influenced The Cars.
Eno has always been able to catch my feelings and steer them in fun ways, and this is another good example. Has the ambient tracks and some more upbeat ones to go with it, it's a pretty fun journey
This is super cool. This is my favorite version of Brian Eno. When he's making post punk art rock before its really even invented yet. Is he inspired by Bowie or The VU or is he just getting ready to produce Talking Heads and have that change the world? Its weird and playful. Its somber. Its endearing. The music is odd, but never over the top. Its homaging a million different things and being totally comfortable in itself. Some of the ballads draw you in, and then next minute you're in a post punk anthem pogo-ing in a mosh pit. But it all kind of exists before any of that really takes off. I also like how it ends with Windows 98 style Brian Eno, ambient noise soft rock. I like it. I really enjoyed this today.
That's two Eno-involved projects in a row, three and it's a hat trick. But I'm not exactly complaining, Eno is kind of a musical genius, and there's something *incredibly* special about this period in his career (really from Here Come The Warm Jets through this album). I love his later ambient work, but there's really something about the albums which are basically just ultra art-damaged pop music. Before And After Science is a great representation of this sound, but is definitely looking forwards to Music For Airports, which pretty much immediately follows it. One Of Eno's very favorite tricks is also in full display here; starting the album with kind of odd, but still energetic art pop/art rock songs, then slowly dissolving into ultra-expressive ambient soliloquies. Here, No One's Receiving, Backwater, and Kurt's Rejoinder gleefully throw together Eno's signature futuristic sound with rock energy, pop catchiness, funk influence, and a little theatricality. But by Julie With, the quiet sadness and lurking mystery slowly creeping up on this album has fully immersed it, and until the end, it just sinks deeper into shadowed motifs, gorgeous melodies, and lush arrangements. The sensation is as though the listener is slowly enveloped, but remaining calm. It's like slowly gliding to the bottom of the sea. And when you get there it isn't dark, or menacing per se, but it is unfamiliar, and bizarre, and weirdly gorgeous. By This River is particularly spellbinding, if I had to single out just one song. But this is very much an album that needs to be listened to as a single piece of art. There's a really powerful cumulative effect here. I don't know if this is as perfect as Eno's best, but it is still pretty magnificent. I genuinely think this will eventually be a 5, but I don't really want to jump the gun.
Arrancó raro, siguió bien y terminó aburrido. Igual, en general, sorprendió para bien.
Good ol’ sourpuss
A very smooth listen
A couple of okay sounding songs but pretty boring and weird for the most part
There's no question that Brian Eno created some of the most interesting music of the 1970s, influencing contemporary musical directions and generations of musicians that have followed. The only question is how many Eno albums do we need to hear to become aware of the depth and directions of his influences. The 1001 albums list seems to think we need to hear five. I'd say the number would be just as sufficient at three, especially for a list that includes ZERO albums by Warren Zevon. Eno would not be the first over-represented artist I would go for to make room for Warren and others who have been forgotten (Can you feel me looking at you, Morrissey?!), and its semi-transitional nature might just save this particular Eno album for me. But I can't really say that listening to it feels overly transformative. Or even all that enjoyable.
I like the new wave-y first half better than the second
By This River an absolute classic but the rest of the album is consistently really good without blowing me away. RYM: Y (#492) Saved a song: N
The passage of my life is measured out in shirts.
I've already come across a David Bowie's Low, produced by Brian Eno, and the album's structure was as follows: the first half is the artist's usual glam rock, the second half is experimental ambient. On his album, released a little later that year, Eno didn't fix what wasn't broken. Side one is soft rock with elements of funk and glam (logical, considering Brian was one of the founders of Roxy Music), while Side two is melodies for watching the Windows boot screen. Judging by the title, before science there were guitars, and after science came ambient. What science itself is, then, is unclear. An average album. The second half, surprisingly, didn't put me to sleep, so I can't give it anything lower than a three; I wouldn't give it a higher grade either, since the first half is completely lackluster. These songs should have been given to Bowie too, he probably would have perfected them.
I've never really listened to Brian Eno before. Now I have I don't think I'm likely to again. Quite diverse, and not particularly memorable.
Truly wonderful. Brimming with beauty. The most compelling blend of Brian's two modes: Camp Glam Rock Creature and Ambient Music King.
Jesus. Just when this list has been on a role for a while, they throw me the 183th Brian Eno album. Had to save this one for a few days as I wasn't in a tolerant mood. Anyway, now I'm in the thick of it. This goofiness really makes me think it wasn't a bad think this guy just started making ambient elevator music afterwards. At least you can tune that out. The first song isn't bad. The rest is mostly either cheesy, goofy or ambiance type elevator tracks. 1/5
This weirdo rarely misses
I really liked this one. You can hear Eno responding to the punk moment without making a punk record. It's playful and quirky and immediately engaging. I really wish we had gotten more of this kind of album from Eno.
Pish!!! Who sits and listens to this and thinks “yes, what an album”? In the bin
Yet another album that is absolutely awful. And another album I’m wondering WHY is this in this list? Why must I listen to this before I die 💀☠️
first half very forgettable, second half quite good, by the river very good. i dont know how to rate an album that i really liked some of but not the other half.
Enos most complete rock-centric album. A lot of fun.
For some reason I thought this would be weirder but overall it was just fine!
This was not a very good album and Def not the best I have ever heard, pretty mid to low
Pink Floyd adjacent but a lil sleepy for me. 3.5 but rounding down
The man behind the crossword clue! This album is ahead of its time, but ultimately not a sound I am into.
# Album Name: Before And After Science # Artist: Brian Eno # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Wow, about time. The first Eno project i have connected with. Strange but hypnotic in places. I think i prefer this style over his later ambiance stuff. # Top Tunes: no one receiving / backwater / Kings Hat / Here he comes / By this river # Would I listen to it again? Yes
A perfectly serviceable prog rock album. Mostly okay. The more ambient tracks were strong, in my opinion; that is what I love about Eno's catalogue. "By The River" and "Julie With" were standouts.
Listening to this album keeps making me think of David Bowie's "Heroes", both in the quieter second half, and the distinctly different vibe of the whole album. And I have say, I prefer this over "Heroes", personally. I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why, but this feels more cohesive of an album. Or maybe the quirkiness matches more what I appreciate. I don't know, maybe I need to relisten to that Bowie album. Anyway, I like this...a unique and very listenable album that doesn't sound like anything else I know.
A nice sound scape
Just because something is avant garde doesn’t make it interesting. You can accept going into it that it’s not going to be easy or enjoyable, but it doesn’t resonate either.
Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes Here he coooooomes
I have to be in the mood to enjoy Brian Eno. It’s like when a funky restaurant is trying to “challenge” your pallet. Wasn’t in the mood this time
6/11/26. Enjoyed this one, a bit eclectic and then dives into more ambient styles toward the end, kind of Radiohead like but before their time.
Interesting
Unusual, artsy, but also really pretty at parts.
This may be the okayest album ever. It's pleasant enough and has a nice warm sound, but the songs feel more like extended sketches. He has ideas but nothing that cohesive, the songs kind of exist pleasantly yet uselessly, like bubbles in a lava lamp. They don't really go anywhere but they sound nice while they do it. It does sound nice but it's a bit empty at the same time. He's not particularly great at vocals or songwriting, but he really does excel with production.
Eno was just occupying his own space at this point although it goes downhill from here for me.
Vamos hoy martes con otro disco que el reto comparte del genio de Brian Eno. El álbum arranca con vibes a David Bowie pero más eteréas, experimentales, y se mantiene bien arriba hasta los últimos temas, más instrumentales, soñados. El tipo es una bestia de la música. Un genio creando atmósferas. Favourite track: King's Lead Hat. Muchas gracias por el mimo musical y nos vemos mañana.
Brian you’re cool. I honestly thought this was great. Wasn’t too serious and really experimental for a late 70s album. I did feel like it didn’t all fit together though. Quite similar to a talking heads sound with some Bowie and Beatles inspiration.
Not really sure how I feel about this, don't think I gave it a proper hearing. There were definitely points where I thought it was doing something interesting, but also times where I found it a bit annoying and sing-song.
Figured one the best to ever do it would really impress me, but this never seemed like it took off from a slow start
Cool early 80’s sound.
I listened to this 10 hours ago and the only thing I seem to recall is that it ended better than it started
4 out of 5. Liked this album much more than I expected!
Pretty nice and interesting but kind of falls in line with other things from this era. I like the drama and subtlety of the second half.
Rock and roll Brian Eno is not nearly as good as art rock/electronic Brian Eno. This is fine but only the first and last tracks really made any lasting good impression on me, with Backwater being actively bad. More experimental stuff please.
rollazo de albu
Qué fino. Tiene canciones que parecen cómicas y otras que son profundas y poeticas. Sirvió pop y le dio de comer a todo el mundo.
That had a great atmosphere
Ei iskenyt. 2/5.
The ending was way better than the beginning, but nothing to write home about.
Just not my thing.
That was... Interesting.
I’m sad to say this album had a HARD fall off for me. I’ll explain, it starts with 6 GREAT songs, they are super creative, bold, and legitimately interesting. The instrumentals are incredibly original and fun. I even like the slowest song in this group “energy fools the magician”. The issue is that, both in tone and direction, this album takes a HARD left turn at “Julie With”. It becomes like an uber serious instrumental (almost orchestra-esque) which is impressive sure, but it doesn’t excite me and inspire me the way the first half does. And I don’t think it’s a quality issue. Like the last few songs are really instrumentally impressive and subtle sounding. It just didn’t compare to the first half.
"By this river" stands out here. Lots of the other songs are not my cup of tea
This took me by surprise. The first few songs didn't really hit me one way or the other, but at some point it snuck up on me.
What a versatile album, a cross between experimental rock with ambient moments. Genius really
I prefer the serving half.
This is my favourite of the Brian Eno art rock albums I’ve heard. There is a perfect harmony and balance between the hyped up pop tracks and the more zen, drawn out offerings. The calmer songs have more of a pop flare to them than their equivalents on Another Green World; and the energetic ones are beautifully silly and bouncy. I particularly love Eno’s childlike, wide-eyed approach to the lyrics. The thoughtful, sombre piano led By This River is my favourite Eno song I’ve heard - I’d love to hear him in this mode again.
Today’s Eno is getting a solid to high 4 from me. If the whole record followed the sound of the second half it’d be pushing a 5, some stunningly beautiful and unique stuff here. The first half is good but less enjoyable than similar cuts on Warm Jets for me.
Some cool tracks to start: "No One Receiving" and "King's Lead Hat" sound like the Talking Heads (the latter song title is an anagram for the band), while "Backwater" is catchy and fun. The last couple of songs were more on the experimental side, and didn't quite fit in with the other tunes.
I liked just one song, i think art rock/art pop is not for me...
The instruments were so varied you can tell this guy is a musical genius. The music very ‘ambient’ almost…I enjoyed it
This album started decently enough, with a Talking heads-esque sound I imagine was precursor to their future collaborations. But that sound really shows how integral David Byrne’s presence and charisma were to making that band, as it doesn’t hit me in the same way without it. It fades towards ambient after that (even if there aren’t fully ambient songs as in the rest of Eno’s work), which did nothing for me. Enough to hold on for 3*
As the album title suggests, this is an album of two very different halves, equally brilliant in their own way. As the first half of the last album before he devoted his solo career almost entirely to ambient music, the 'Before Science' section is all jaunty, offbeat art rock. It's bookended by two tracks inspired by the band Eno would go on to produce three albums for, Talking Heads, the opener 'No One Receiving' and 'King's Lead Hat' (an anagram of Talking Heads). The more ambient and pastoral 'After Science' half is full of lush, dreamlike soundscapes that are evocative and never dull. The album showcases two styles of music that are very different but which I like very much.
A quirky and very enjoyable album, occupying a space somewhere in the vicinity of late-70s Bowie and early Talking Heads (whom Eno had and would subsequently work with respectively) while still sounding highly distinctive. Side one has the rockier numbers, all of which are great fun, especially the opener ‘No One Receiving’ (which sounds vaguely like Joy Division to me), the jaunty ‘Backwater’, and the weird but extremely catchy ‘King’s Lead Hat’. Side two changes tack, mostly consisting of more ambient, and usually quite beautiful songs, of which my favourites were ‘By the River’, and the closer, ‘Spider and I’.
Lots of variety, never knew what Eno sounded like before now, assumed he only existed in the form of drawn out synth tones and NYT crossword answers
Maybe a bit too arty for me, but may need to try it again 3
Horrible
Oh another Eno album just a week later? That will be my last Eno album from the list. Also one I haven't listen to before. I'm afraid this one was the most boring one of the bunch 2/5
Foundations for a lot of psychedelic/rock at the time. Alright but not amazing.
I don't normally skip my way through albums, but I had to on this one.
Enjoyable listen, very unique for something from the 70s 4*
This album covered a lot of genres and styles so I cannot say what the genre of it is. I appreciate the idea and the balls to do it, but it did nothing for me.
Arty but not for me
Great production if slightly lacking in the song department. Mr. Eno was ahead of his time in many way.
Unique music that is begging for a relisten. The instrumentation and the vocals come together somehow to a surprising extent.
Wafted past my ears this morning. Pleasant, if not entirely riveting
Quite good, better than expected.
Funky, melodic. Good variety from track to track! Nothing especially stood out to me, but it was a solid listen.
8/10
It's a widely known fact that Before and After Science is Brian Eno's last conventional rock album, but something I don't see talked about is how the cover also reflects that. A stark, black and white illustration of Eno on a black background. Reeks desolation and coldness, like how huge explosions and supernovas are depicted in media. The music also depicts that well. I know it has mostly to do with the fact that Eno was getting more and more into the ambient side of things, but most songs here sound like a farewell of sorts. Especially side B, which combines the breathtaking sounds of ambiance with the sparse brand of rock, to create an intimate cradle of nostalgia for our hearts to play in. Side A is very much ahead of its time, with a combination of new wave, proto-punk, and an artsy side of rock to reel in the casual listener. You come for the A side, but stay for the B-side type of album. To come back to the cover, or rather the packaging, the original LP also came with four simple prints of empty rooms and a mountain chain, that evoke a feeling of emptiness, but also a sense of happiness and contentment. That's the power of true art right there.
The highlights are brilliant, where he combines rocking out with experimentation with synths, mucking about with rhythms and different sections within songs. But the second half was ethereal to the point of snoozy. I enjoyed it enough when it was good and I generally think he's a cool and interesting artist to dig into and just let the music do its thing. He's a master of making music to sit in that space between active and passive listening. It keeps you company enough that you can listen and engage but also doesn't distract too much to have it on while working or reading and not feel like you're multitasking.
It has Talking Heads vibes so I guess a bit ahead of its time. I respect Brian Eno’s experimental approach to music.
Emo has a very unique voice. Very weird. Very good.
To know that Eno was making Ambient Music for Airports, and his Berlin records for Bowie at the same time as this album, this feels a bit disappointing. The more structured pop songs on the first half are a bit boring and Enos voice is uninteresting. The more ambient leaning stuff in the second half is a bit more interesting but it's just gentle and sappy rather than the immersive ambient bliss of the albums to come after this. Not my bag today.
If I forgot I was listening to it, quite enjoyed it. Any focus and it is a bit meh
Some nice and varied melodic tunes here. Didn't enjoy the really slow numbers. Pretty good all round.
Second half better than the first. Prefer his ambient stuff which is superior to his forgettable pop stuff.
tidy songs not too bad
Expected a full ambient album from brian eno but it was rocky sounding with pitadas of ambient Really nice
Not his best, but a good effort with some very interesting soundscapes. Favorite track: Julie With...
Curious and experimental. Pretty neat and unintrusive. Listened at work and it was not distracting but also I was focused on something else.
This was good listening. It blended into the background as I worked, which I think was the goal he was aiming for. Nothing special, but just solidly good music.
Some of this was very cool and some was not so much. "Julie With" is a great track! Got some good stuff here but didn't blow my mind
Extremely Talking Heads coded. But I guess it's the other way around. Talking Heads is coded to this.
I don't think this is Eno's finest hour.
A lot of distinguishable styles he's done before, but nothing really stood out and it was ultimately worse than the sum of its parts
Not my favorite Eno album but it's still really good
This sounds like it might be experimental, don’t mind that. Pioneer of ambient eh. I enjoyed it more than I guessed but it really wasn’t like I expected. Some really cool songs and can see how it was groundbreaking. 4/5.
I love his producing but his music has felt kind of weak not gonna lie.
Good for doing work
Proto Egg Punk Eno admirably balances both the endearingly goofy and the eye rollingly high brow sides of art rock here, meaning there are thoughtful, serious synth and piano studies (more heavily on side 2) next to uptempo bops. It more or less coalesces, and overall the artistic vision is an enjoyable listen.
Great
Ambient music mit einem Hauch 70er Progressive Rock. Erinnert stellenweise an Alan Parsons. Angenehm zu hören. 4/5
I hate to admit it, but this was not horrible. I normally hate Brian Eno, but this wasn't that bad. There were definitely some songs that were very noise-like and those annoyed me, but overall this wasn't that bad. Probably a solid 3. There is some good stuff here Liked Songs: "No One Receiving" , "Backwater" , "King's Lead Hat" , "By This River" , "Spider And I"
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno es una figura esencial de la música, por talento, influencia, producción y trayectoria. En este listado presenta varios discos, y todos con merecimiento de ser escuchados. Nada menos que 5 (4 en solitario y uno con David Byrne), al nivel de Bruce, Who, Sonic Youth o los Byrds... Sin su intervención nombres como Roxy Music, Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads, U2, James, Jon Hassell, David Byrne, Robert Fripp, Daniel Lanois, Harold Budd y otros no serían lo que son o fueron. La lista es inabarcable: Coldplay, Peter Gabriel, Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Slowdive, Underworld, Kevin Shields, Damon Albarn... No One Receiving (con Phill Colins a la batería) tiene una gran influencia en el sonido de Talking Heads, por ritmo y por forma de cantar. Ya en otro tema de su excepcional álbum (también en este listado) Here comes the warm jets había base de sobra para los neoyorkinos (The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch), con quienes colaboraría a partir de More Songs About Buildings And Food . No en vano hay un tema en este disco que es King's Lead Hat, escúchenla, aten cabos y reordenen las letras... También en Bowie hubo influencias para dar y tomar ( a estas alturas ya había publicado Low, que es un disco casi tan Bowie como Eno). Tras una serie de discos más experimentales y difíciles (después de Another green world), aquí vuelve por sus fueros. Dos partes, una más convencional (hablando de Eno, claro está y la otra más ambiental). 10 temas y más de 90 descartados... Cuenta con una buena lista de colaboradores, entre ellos Shirley Williams que en realidad es Robert Wyatt. Backwater con el batería de Can, Jaki Liebezeit. Kurt's Rejoinder, con ritmos africanos (que Fela Kuti pagó con Paul McCartney equivocadamente). Energy Fools The Magician , de tono ambiental y con la guitarra de un Fred Frith que ya había tocado sin ir más lejos en Tubular Bells... Una de las joyas es Here He Comes, que abre la cara B con una buena colaboración de Phil Manzanera. Es uno de mis temas favoritos de Eno, con su Yamaha CS80, además del moog y el piano. Sigue esta cara B con más temas ambientales como Julie With..., By This River (con los Cluster Hans-Joachim Roedelius y Dieter Moebius) y Through Hollow Lands (dedicada a Harold Budd), Spider And I es un final solemne para un disco imprescindible.
I hate Brian Eno, but this turned out to be better than I expected. I really wish he'd learn to play an instrument, though. Mashing the piano does not a solo make.
getting "we have bowie at home" energy (this was the year eno worked with bowie on low). lyrics are utterly bonkers. overall was fine, nothing stood out, little
It was okay.
eu de verdad me gustó muchoooo. cuatro estrellas y media. me guarde como tres canciones empezó re arriba y después fue bajando a melodías más melancólicas. ame
Trust the process.
Kokeellista tonttumusiikkia.
Dang, a lotta people involved here. You really hear the seeds that would eventually grow into Eno's collaboration with the Talking Heads too. In fact, I'd say this was a Talking Heads record if I didn't know any better (at least for the first half). That's a compliment if anything. I wasn't expecting to speak highly of Eno given what I've already heard of his on this list, but here we are. The second half gets more dreamy, reflective and instrumental-laden, exuding a strange beauty in its moodiness. Definitely a tale of two sides here, but both shine in differing ways.
I love some of Eno's stuff, but this came off as sounding too adult....in the late 70's. I did not find any settings to be truly memorable. That said it's pretty good
3.5/5. Not my personal favorite Eno record but there’s still quite a few great cuts on here. It’s actually an example of an album that I would say is back-loaded in that most of the songs I really love are in the second half such as the beautiful sounding “Julie With…” or “by this river.” I mostly preferred the slower, more spacey and ambient cuts on this one. The more art-rocky cuts mostly came off as slightly weaker than those found on Brian Eno’s “Another Green World.” Still worth the full listen though IMO.
Before and After Science by Brian Eno is a bit of an odd one. It’s the kind of album that’s very easy to have on in the background, and while it’s undeniably well put together, I came away feeling like there’s nothing particularly wrong with it… but also not much that really stands out or pulls you back in for another listen. It has that typical Eno feel, drifting between art rock and more ambient, atmospheric moments. You can appreciate the textures and the production, and there’s clearly a lot of thought behind it, but it never quite clicks into something memorable. It feels more like a mood piece than an album full of songs you’d actively go back to. Given how many Brian Eno records appear on this list, I’m not convinced this one was essential. It’s fine for what it is, but it doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression compared to some of his other work. Favourite tracks: “Spider and I” is a decent closer and probably the one that stood out the most Least favourite tracks: There are quite a few long, slow instrumentals that drift by without really going anywhere and make parts of the album feel a bit dull Album artwork: Fairly standard cover, nothing particularly striking
A few times I thought I was really going to like it but mostly nothing memorable to me.
Julie With... By This River
Was ok. Music wasn’t for me, was chill background music MAYBE. Wouldn’t listen again 3-4/10
when the song is beeping and booping >>
Original as expected, will listen again 3.7
Listened but didn’t like it.
Was alright, bit mental in places...
I'm not sure what the point of this is. 1.8/5
little bit too chill started nodding off 6/10
pretty interesting to listen too, very varied. overall would defo listen again and liked the vibe in general best song - by this river
Die Wundertüte Brian Eno hat mal wieder zugeschlagen... und getroffen.
Einige Songs waren überraschend gut. Hatte ich zu Anfang gar nicht erwartet.
Kann mit seinen Ambient-Sachen deutlich mehr anfangen.
I wasn't really into the first half of this album, but everything from "Here He Comes" on was really great. It looks like that is the second side of the original album, and I could definitely see myself just playing that side and skipping the first side. I can also see myself playing through the whole album until it becomes one of my favorites, I do think the rest of this could grow on me. Favorite track(s): "Here He Comes," "By This River"
Enos last forget into art rock before he became a fully ambient artist is a great sendoff to his older sound. The first side of this record has some really good new wave and post punk stuff like "No One Receiving" and "Kings Lead Hat" and the second side with some very lush and dreamy ambient pop making for a exciting and captivating listen all throughout 9/10 Favourite: King's Lead Hat Least Favourite: None
Much like a night of passion with Len Houmous, this album really is a game of 2 halves. 3.4 6/10 Here He Comes
Embarrassingly, I hadn't listened to other Eno albums all the way through before this. I can definitely see how he's influenced so many others. I've always loved the song 'By the River.'. Overall, solid album.
So done with Brian Eno albums. This was so boring. We definitely don’t need 4 albums of this dude on here. I pray there isn’t another one.
Baanbrekend (in Dutch : groundbracking🥰)
💘
Brian Eno is always fine.
It was fine but nothing really grabbed my interest
This is an experimental album. It contains ideas that are used by future musicians in a more polished audience friendly way, as evidenced by the Talking Heads. The song Autobaun by Kraftwork is similar in that parts of it were used in the early development of rap.
a lot more upbeat than I expected for Brian Eno
Brian Eno is pretty cool.
Will be honest, I’ve not given Brian eno as much attention as he deserves. This was a great opportunity to actually listen to his music, and you won’t be disappointed. Track two is an absolute earworm.
The middle section is where I think Eno's pop shines as something unique. Though my bias here is that I'm coming into this an Eno fan but not a fan of his pop work. Highlight: By The River. Surprisingly this reminds me very heavily of C418 and the Minecraft soundtrack and it wouldn't surprise me if Eno inspired him from one of his albums.
It was a weird little listen. Seems a bit ahead of it’s time for a late 70’s album.
Feels like a little bit of new wave, and a little bit of ambient. Interesting listen. Could definitely see this dude vibing with Bowie around the time of the Berlin trilogy.
Eh bah, rompiche quand même hein. J’étais curieux de découvrir ce nom
Album has grown on me.
No me gustó, muy triste pero me aburrió más que entristecer.
Hot damn! I do love some Brian Eno. I hadn't actually listened to this one. I don't think it's bumping Warm Jets or Another Green World off their status as the favorites, but I bet I'll be be picking up a copy of this one. King's Lead Hat is great fun. Definitely slowed down towards the end, still good stuff.
Honestly didn't know his career went that far back. I think of U2 when I think of Brian Eno. Anyways, he have evolved quite a bit, hasn't he?
Sounds heavily influenced by the Talking Heads. I don't much like Talking Heads. A bit of a chore to get through. So very boring.
Pretty OK album. I listed through it a couple of times and I liked it, but overall I didn't think it was that super memorable for the long run. If it came back up in my rotation in the future, I wouldn't be mad, but nothing to write home about. Certainly interesting.
I'd never heard of this guy before this list, this is the second of his albums I've gotten and im becoming a fan, he's got such a unique sound. it's kinda like listening to a surrealist painting or something
Special
The hell?
Es el disco donde Brian Eno pasa de su glam punk al ambient entre el lado y lado
A cool album. It’s a shame he gave up on rock pop song writing as this album demonstrates he was quite good at it
Had no idea wha to expect from a guy who I only knew from crossword clues, but this was a pretty fun listen. The lyrics seemed to stray a bit further into “goofy territory” than I tend to prefer, but overall, this was pretty good!
Vet, best uniek
An album that gets more interesting the more details you learn about it, not my favorite thing Eno has had his hand in but of his solo works it's a great look into his style
no scale for brian eno
astilla la verdad me saturo
Not a big enough fan. But thay was pretty good
I have liked other Brian Eno work, but I guess I wasn't feeling this album?
Franchement, album très propre. En toute honnêteté, le projet n'est pas un casseur de code et ne se prétends absolument pas à ça. Pourtant,.il reste très agréable à écouté, s'illustrant dans un style Artpop assez particulier mais qui guide à mon sens plutôt bien le projet. De plus, je trouve que l'un des points forts qui marque profondément l'identité des differents titres sont la diversités d'interprètes qui les composent, offrant dès lors une combinaison de différentes approches musicales, alternant entre l'instrumental et les singles, en proposant à chaque fois de véritables techniques composites comme sur "BackWater" ou "Spider and I", deux morceaux à l'atmosphère différentes, mais liée par la production vraiment propre de Eno. Pour autant, l'album conserve une certaine non prise de risque, en restant à mon sens dans une démarche trop "scolaire" et n'osant pas s'aventurer dans une recherche trop experimental en proposant quelque chose de stable, ce qui est pour moi une occasion manquée surtout quand on voit des guests comme des membres de "CAN".
Nice.
Brian Eno er Brian Eno
This is #day603 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my third record from Brian Eno already. I guess I'll always prefer the art/avant-pop/rock side of him over the more ambient direction, which this album leans toward for the most part. That said, "King's Lead Hat" is an obvious standout, along with a few others. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day604.
So, I love other Brian Eno albums, which I presume will be on this list. I’m not really familiar with this one. I think it was good, not great. I may come spend more time with this down the road, but I’ll give it a solid 3 for now.
Выдающийся альбом. Изумительное звучание обгоняющее своё время. By This River - своим спокойным, медитативным фоном и философским подтекстом будто приземлил меня, пригвоздил на место и успокоил. Очень впечатлило. С радостью буду изучать Ино и дальше.