Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Great range of sounds in here, can see why Eno was such an influential figure
Definitely unique.... but I dig it. There was a lot of repetition within the songs, but it still felt interesting to listen to Favorite track(s): “Energy Fools the Magician” “Her He Comes”
Pretty ambient and truly music, definitely plays with my brain a little 4.2
Good stuff. I was surprised that this was pretty much straightforward instead of his usual soundscapes. I see where his Bowie/Talking Heads inspo came from.
Not bad actually 3-4 stars.
Pretty cool, worth another closer listen
8
Brian Enos wonderfully old alternative
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.
It was alright
'Meh.
I’ve had Brian EnoUGH.
A very smooth listen
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
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.
This weirdo rarely misses
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.
For some reason I thought this would be weirder but overall it was just fine!
Pink Floyd adjacent but a lil sleepy for me. 3.5 but rounding down
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.
Interesting
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.
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.
I listened to this 10 hours ago and the only thing I seem to recall is that it ended better than it started
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.
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
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*
Maybe a bit too arty for me, but may need to try it again 3
Foundations for a lot of psychedelic/rock at the time. Alright but not amazing.
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.
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.
Some nice and varied melodic tunes here. Didn't enjoy the really slow numbers. Pretty good all round.
tidy songs not too bad
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.
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.
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"
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.
It was okay.
Trust the process.
Kokeellista tonttumusiikkia.
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
A few times I thought I was really going to like it but mostly nothing memorable to me.
Julie With... By This River
Listened but didn’t like it.
pretty interesting to listen too, very varied. overall would defo listen again and liked the vibe in general best song - by this river
Einige Songs waren überraschend gut. Hatte ich zu Anfang gar nicht erwartet.
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"
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
Brian Eno is always fine.
It was fine but nothing really grabbed my interest
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.
Album has grown on me.
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.
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!
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
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
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.
Tbh this wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Pretty chill, some of the early stuff was kinda weird. The second half was very soothing. I don't really understand why this is so revolutionary or special that I needed to hear it before I croaked but whatever.
Brian Eno, when performing, often feels like a less engaging, more subdued take on David Bowie—a comparison I may have made before, but one that still rings true here. At times, it reinforces the sense that Eno might be a bit overrepresented on the 1001 Albums list. That said, I didn’t dislike the album. If anything, it left me somewhat conflicted. Before and After Science feels like two completely different albums. The first half comes across as disjointed and uneven, never quite settling into a cohesive rhythm, and I was ready to dismiss it as unnecessary—undeserving of a spot on this list. However, once “Julie With…” begins, the album finally finds its footing. From that point on, it becomes far more immersive and rewarding, settling into a subdued, reflective, and quietly melancholic atmosphere that—somewhat unexpectedly—is where it works best.
Only the back half of this album was worth the price of admission. It's a good thing he moved away from the rock genre because most of that isn't really very good.
This was great. Throughly enjoyed my time with this album. Will definitely be listening again and delving into the catalog.
Good
Ah. Structured songs. Notes that follow each other in a logical and pleasing order. Melody. Rhythm. A great improvement on his 'ambient' stuff. - possibly because it's 1977 and he hasn't gone down that road yet. This is actually quite pleasant in comparison.
Art rock, art pop, avant-pop, experimental pop.
Pretty but the album was not on spotify
Unique and accomplished throughout with strong melodies and a smooth drift into ambient textures
Ranges from pretty cool to kinda weird. Not bad. (Unavailable for normal streaming though — had to find it on YouTube).
Ok enough with the Brian Eno. I have a soft spot for him since he was an original Roxy Music member but I don’t think we need hear more than one of his solo albums before we die. This one is actually not terrible. 2.5
Usual eno wankery (in the good way)
Chill but nothing that totally got me going
Brian Eno is great
3.5
Hey! I guess this is my second favorite Brian Eno album that I forgot I used to listen to. Getting old is fun because you get to rediscover these things.
Best Song: By This River. As much as I found the vocals detracted from most of the songs on the album, that absolutely is not the case here. This song is beautifully melancholy and well-sung. Worst Song: Spider and I. A gospel song for a creepy little guy. Overall: Some of the grooves here are fun, but the vocals are almost all distinctly annoying. This largely would have been better as an instrumental album.
The second half is kinda neat
The first half was not a good shower soundtrack but the next half was nice to walk to
I don't know. Ok I guess. 2.5
I quite enjoyed Before And After Science. This one definitely feels like a really weird one even coming from Brian Eno who is a very experimental artist. This one seems to combine the glam rock style that was prevalent on Here Come The Warm Jets (and possibly the Roxy Music albums he worked on too but i have yet to hear those so i'm not completely sure). This one certainly did have some real funky moments and that was what i enjoyed most when it came to this album. However, the vocals here did not feel very well produced with them being simply far too quiet and i had trouble deciphering them at points. Still, i enjoyed this one and it's definitely not Eno's worst work. Best Song: Kurt's Rejoinder Worst Song: Here He Comes
Awesomely quirky. Holds up well.
Creative, unique sound. Does not feel like it is from the 1970’s.
I love the late-70s period of electronic, ambient, funky keyboard-heavy music of Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Gary Numan, Herbie Hancock… Eno fits right in this group. While I love to zone out on his later 22-minute mood bombs, this album offers a taste of that plus what passes for “pop” in Eno World.
ok
This kind of made me sleepy
I liked the first couple a lot, they sounded kinda like Peter Gabriel or like a lot of other British artists of the time, but then the later ones became slower and more instrumental, so those brought it down. Maybe other albums of his would be better
Like his other albums better
Interesting ideas but didn't hook me all that much.
Interesting
I listened to the second half while I was in the shower, and that greatly improved the listening experience. I think that's probably how this album is supposed to be listened to - with shower-like acoustics.
Creative. Kind of creepy, kind of slow, but not horrible.
Sweet Living Legends sample found!
Je sais pas pourquoi, du Eno (et Eno-adjacent comme Roxy Music) ça m'excite pas pentoute.
Nice lounge from long time ago before lounge
One of the most 80s sounding albums that didn’t take place in the 80s. Couple songs were enjoyable. I feel like you got to take this in small doses. 6/10
This was another fun listen from Brian Eno but after Here Come The Warm Jets I’m not sure that this one would be an essential listen. Definitely a more interesting listen than half the albums on this list though. It was great to get more into his discography. I wonder if there will be any of his ambient works coming up…
Kinda sleepy, but I think that might have been the point. I dig it
I actually expect WEIRDER from Eno, so I'm low key a bit disappointed.
Ok but not my thing
A cool and diverse album with some memorable moments, The Beach Boys-esque “here he comes” or the Kraft rock-like “King’s Lead Hat”. The album slowed down a lot toward the end and embraced a more atmospheric quality, which lost me a bit.
More Brian Eno... previous albums hasn't really deserved a place on this list in my opinion, so a bit on the fence with this one. Not very impressed, but a bit better than the other albums. I can see how one might like this, but it's not very accessible to me. Some weird songs, with or without strange lyrics, like 'Kurt's Rejoinder' and 'Backwater'. Then there's some more mellow songs, like 'Julie With' and 'By This River', which I think is this albums strongest work. And then the rest is a bit "meh". Perhaps it's me, but I fail to see the greatness with Eno. Feels a bit incohesive and... perhaps a bit too quirky for me. Weak 3.
Not the ambient Eno I was expecting… it was okay.
It was ok.
King’s Lead Hat is a banger
Solid 3 rating album. Not great, not terrible. 3/5
very nice listen
Such clear connection to so many artists I love - talking heads, Bowie. But can hear the past influence as well, the Beatles in particular. I respect this being so important but seeing there are four more Brian Eno plus some Roxy Music coming up I think I will revisit to compare the whole discography.
didn't get to listen enough.
I see why he got into ambient. The second half of the album is much stronger than the first.
The songs on this album aren't bad, but it feels like just listening to what Brian Eno was up to at the time instead of the album being a cohesive statement. A lot of the songs are almost discordant, which is not something I would have ever associated with Brian Eno, but they are also quite fun, like Backwater.
Starts out strong but tails off
Not the worst of his stuff, but just okay for me.
Brian Eno is one of the most innovative and acomplished musicans of all time. This feels like him trying to sum up every single thing he was doing at the time, from ambient to punk. The result is a mess with moments of pure beauty. I'll give it a very strong 3.
very interesting! the songs are all very distinct from each other and theyre very evocative of other artists
3 Stars (8/15)
Brian Eno is just a chill guy who likes to make chill music
Backwater is pretty good
Hidastempoista mieslaulua tunnelmallista. Ambient taustamusiikkia melkein.
I can see the great work that is coming from Eno in this music.
didnt love teh record but ive got to say amazing title and cover, i would give it 5 just for the cover art, so ill settle on 3
I can definitely hear influences to new wave, synth pop and all of the stuff that Brian Eno has done over the years in this album. I am a bit shocked that I liked it as much as I did as his previous albums I've heard on this list were not so much in my wheelhouse. 3.31 / 5 stars
I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I’ve heard other Eno albums and wasn’t super impressed. He’s a great producer but I never cared for his solo output as of now. This album was cool though, some interesting stuff on here. It wasn’t all amazing, some duds, but I’m glad I heard it.
Such an interesting album. It's as though Brian used up all his energy on the first three tracks and by the time he got to "Energy Fools The Magician" he thought he needed to slow it down!
It's fun, not quite rock but something like it
A pleasant listen, even if it didn't make much of a mark on me
It's OK. Brian Eno is a bit of a legend, I get it. Probably a better producer than performer though, I'd warrant. Some of this sounds Talking Heads-ish. One or two bits sound like Berlin-era Bowie. And some are just soundscapes, perhaps with a few not-important lyrics. There are some great musicians here, but I think it's mostly too restrained. It's fine, but nothing really grabbed me. Let's call it a 3 and move to the next one.
Liked some songs, would give it a 3.5.
Pretty chill in parts, other parts reminded me a lot of David Bowie. Both pretty cool and definitely piqued my interest, I want to dig more into his discography now for sure.
Mood music. It's not bad, it's not mind blowing. Would I throw this on again? Probably not. 3/5.
Side one - like a good John Cale 70s album. Really enjoyed it. Side two - like a Brian Eno album. Nothing happens. Final track Spider & I is gorgeous though.
not bad. tailed off at the end for me
This wasn't what I expected, but that doesn't mean it was particularly good. It was almost like soft rock, but without any good hooks. Harmless, really.
beautiful, but also a little boring. just came and went.
Not terrible, just not my thing.
Gear: INAWAKEN Twilight-DS Artwork: 👤😐🔳 Production (2004 Digital Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🪨💭🧘♂️ Rating: 🔬🔬🔬/5
Solid, not what I was expecting but pleasantly surprised
I barely found anything good about Brian Eno the first time I had heard him. So far, I’m sensing Talking Heads vibes. I found “no one receiving” went on too long and was too repetitive. I will say, this has more life than the other Eno album I had heard. It still has me wondering how someone who sounds like this could get signed. The same with Warren Zevon. I don’t get it. Anyways There also seems to be some Pink Floyd sounds here. Pre vocal Pink Floyd. Very similar. I’m ok with that. Ya, ok. This saves face for Brian Eno in my books. This is a decent enough album. Well done Eno.
Its cool maybe too experimental for my taste but pretty awesome to think what are they thinking sone unpredictable stuff in there
Liked some others ehhh
55/1001 First listen. This is an odd little album. It doesn’t stay in one spot too long. It’s got kind of a quirky vibe to start and is super chill by the end. I will revisit. 5/10
Man it is crazy how you can tell this is Eno off the first note of the first song, no singing needed. I may have a bit of loving bias to get over for this one, as this is a creative sequel to one of my favorite albums of all time, Another Green World. I can't help but love Eno's delivery and strange vocal disposition during this era as he spiraled towards ambient greatness. He seems so observant, still, and lucid in songs like "Kurt's Rejoinder". Something that wasn't as expected was how energetic "King's Lead Hat" was. I'm not sure if I loved it as much as some may. However, the following "Julie With" -- now that's what I'm talking about. Airy and a bit ethereal. This is all about what AGW was. This song is like taking a dreamy boat out to sea under a warm night sky. Really, every song beyond this point in the tracklisting is similar (in a good way). "Through Hollow Lands" is ambient Eno before he was fully formed. So delicate and pretty. The sweet, soft 2nd half of this album is just a revisitation of Another Green World, so go listen to that masterpiece. This one is a strong 3/5, could be a 4/5 (and probably is on a personal level) if it didn't live in the shadow of one of the best albums ever
Enjoyable experience and a very interesting album. Could probably be a four with a bit more time spent with it.
I like how it transitions into ambient in the second half
I really like his ambient stuff, not a big fan of the boring 60s stuff at the start
I'd probably consider myself a bigger Eno fan than most, but this was not very enjoyable to me, and probably doesn't deserve a spot on the list.
Was expecting a bit more. 3.5/5
It started off really upbeat with multi instruments and cool percussion. It moved into moodier more synth noises. Not something I need to listen to a lot, but it’s cool.
At first I was not loving it, but I settled in like I do with most Eno albums.
Best Track - "King's Lead Hat"
Ho hum
After the first couple of songs, it want as bad or weird as I expected.
I normally enjoy Brian Eno, but I think I prefer his instrumental work more than this one
I admire it more than I enjoy it.
Like his For Your Pleasure, Eno's last album with Roxy music, you can feel an intense push and pull on Before and After Space. That title sort of gives the game away, to some extent: the first half of the album sees him approaching his more rock-oriented work, looking at it in a sort of funhouse mirror, while the second half presages his shift into an ambient music pioneer. I prefer the former, but it is fascinating to hear Eno wrestle with his own competing impulses, especially after listening to his and Ferry's on For Your Pleasure.
I honestly expect to like late 70’s solo rock Eno more than I do. I love his ambient work, and his production work on David Bowie and Talking Heads records in that period is some of the best ever. His track record as a producer is insane. I likely rated Another Green World higher than I actually liked it based on reputation. Before And After Science has interesting moments for sure, but it’s a chore to listen to and maybe I’m just not hearing enough for me to work hard enough for it to *click* as the masterpiece it’s sometimes rated as. His experimentation and weirdness should be applauded of course.
Favorite Track: King’s Lead Hat
3/5
Definitely better than Here Come The Warm Jets. I feel like this one had actual music on it.
интересный и разнообразный. от половины токин хедз вайбы
It's Eno for sure.
I’d always associated Brian Eno with instrumental and ambient music, so I’m glad I finally listened to this album. By This River and Spider and I really stood out to me. I listened to the album three times on Apple Music, and interestingly, the next song that always came up afterward was by Radiohead. It made me realize just how huge Eno’s influence must be — probably beyond what I can even imagine.
Backing Tracks - 5; Vocals - 2. He is so brilliant at creating soundscapes. Unfortunately, the vocals - both the quality of his voice and the quality of the melodies - are pretty pedestrian. I consistently found myself floating away into a track only to be jarred back to reality when his vocals dropped in. They don't ruin the album like they do with Spiritualized. But they definitely downgrade the listening experience.
mid
No 11 It’s very whimsical, artsy and it has such an ambience. Also the electronic and that bass guitar are amazing I feel it could be a great album to study to, because it’s so relaxing.
After a stream of crap ranging from Icelandic moaning, to anger rap, to loser garage rock this was actually tolerable. It wasn’t really good either but compared to the aforementioned it’s high praise to actually just get through an Album.
Pretty good for something that just isn't that good.
Stark angefangen, dann aber stark abgefallen.
Variert, helt ok.
Interesting and creative
Alright. I like the ambient stuff better.
It seems like every Eno sounds completely different. This version of Eno is mid-tier mellowed out Piano. Favorite Track: "Spider and I".
Good listen, perfect to listen to before work in the morning. 3/5
Mediocre vocals but beautiful instrumentals
Have listened about 5 times and whilst I have enjoyed it - its a surprisingly poppy/ accessible - nothing has really stayed with me or made its way on to a playlist.
Not what I was expecting from Brian Eno. Definite 70s rock, with a hint to his more ambient future. It was alright, enjoyed the listen. Nothing to make a point of coming back to listen again.
I’ll be honest I’d probably like this better if at least the second half was totally instrumental. Eno’s songs were better in diving into glambient experiments, full of noise and fury. This is yet again an example of an artist searching for a sound, but almost going backwards from Another Green World. It’s worth a listen but it’s definitely not something that needs to be on this list.
Again with Eno. Cool sounds and rhythms, sounds ahead of its time for the 70s and maybe even still today. King's Lead hat is great.
I had high expectations for this after reading who contributed to this - Phil Collins, Robert Fripp, Jaki Liebezeit (the list is remarkable). And after I finished it twice, I wouldnt say im disappointed, but this definitely failed to send me to outer space Supposedly, they wrote about 100 songs for this (which is bananas). I could only pull out maybe 3-4 tracks that I enjoyed. I give them some credit for branching out to a lot of unique genres, but most of the songs were not all that cool King’s Lead Hat, Julie With… and By This River were my most notable. 2.5 stars.
éééé no que brian es average no ?
one minute in deja un classique de sample, 3, ses autres albums sont supers
The last 3 songs were wonderful, the rest weren't for me. By this river is one I've known for a long time, but the rest of the album was new to me
não é ruim de forma alguma mas sei lá, a sonoridade ainda não é um trem que me agrada completamente
Brian Eno is a fascinating guy, with a wildly creative approach to how he writes and produces songs. He has adopted and invented techniques and technologies way ahead of his time. Most of the time though, the music is pretty inoffensive. This is a pretty accessible and palatable album. The case for its necessity is pretty nerdy, though -- to steal a derogatory term from his home country, it takes a certain kind of anorak to appreciate what makes this album important. You'll need to do some reading, I imagine. That's not to say that it's not enjoyable, though. It's not as self-indulgent as a lot of songwriter-does-everything albums. It feels like a collection of songs that he polished until they took their proper shape, rather than an act of self pleasure inflicted upon the listener. If anything, the album is so un-grating that it fades into the background. It's a great work listen, though less good than his real ambient work (Music For Airports, for example). Talented, competent, pleasant. Maybe not emotionally resonant, but he's headed for (and inventing) that sterile 80s sound that just does that to me (this is 1977, but Eno is always ahead). Give it a go -- the worst that'll happen is you'll end up doing the dishes and forgetting it's on. 3/5
There should be half stars in the ratings, or double it to a score out of 10. This is a 2.5 / 5 if ever there was one. I'll round it up this time, but I won't be so generous next time, the next album has been warned
466/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Inoffensive, weird lyrics again.
This album has a cool vibe. Reminds me of the Talking Heads. 7/10.
This one was interesting, a few songs I didnt love as much others. But the second half of the album stood out to me. Lovedddd Spider and I, feel like ive had moments in the summer, just staring at a little spider while outside smoking a J lmfao. Reminded me of those moments.
A fun listen with a cool vibe but nothing really struck me
kinda weird but kinda cool sounded odd and normal at the same time
Really liked the songs, instrumentation and musicianship but the album was let down for me by the weak vocals. Imagine with Robert Wyatt singing for instance.
This was cool. I guess I’m not the biggest Eno Guy on the planet, but I had a good time listening to this one. A 3.5, but I’ll round it down because Eno is so heavily present on this list. He doesn’t need the stars. He’s swimming in em
This was a quirky album. I didnt hate it but I also didnt love it. Some parts had really engaging hooks but other songs had super slow intros. A wild ride
Listened in the background, was fine.
A little boring but had some interesting moments.
The guy on the cover looks like Christian Bale in the Thor movie. Some good songs but this album felt a lot longer than 40 mins. I enjoyed the Warm Jets album but this was more out there. High 3.
Musician's music, but liked this one!
Brian Eno's "Before and After Science", an album that I had not previously listened to or been aware of. I was expecting the experimental, often challenging sound he's known for. Instead, I found an album that's surprisingly accessible. It's a journey through different moods, from the catchy and upbeat "Backwater" to the gentle, mellowness of "Here He Comes" and "Julie With...". Even when things get a bit more sombre on "Through Hollow Lands," Eno's slightly off-kilter sensibility shines through without ever veering into the mainstream. The second side of the album, in particular, is stronger, even with its low-key vibe. While I can't say it's an album I'll be revisiting constantly, it was a genuinely pleasant listen — a nice, unobtrusive listen for an afternoon. It's a solid, good-to-very-good record that lands right on the cusp of a three or four star rating for me. I'll give it three stars, it was a pleasant surprise from an artist whose music I have not previously found this straightforward but it hasn't sparked enough of an interest for me to listen again. Side one 1 "No One Receiving" (3/5) 2 "Backwater" (4/5) 3 "Kurt's Rejoinder" (3/5) 4 "Energy Fools the Magician" (3/5) 5 "King's Lead Hat" (3/5) Side two 6 "Here He Comes" (4/5) 7 "Julie With..." (4/5) 8 "By this River" (4/5) 9 "Through Hollow Lands" (for Harold Budd) (4/5) 10 "Spider and I" (3/5) Total - 35 Average - 3.5 118/1001 62/118 albums reviewed were new to me.
eno how to rlly release a banger of an album backwater was very good Kurt’s rejoiner aesthetically sounding beats Kings lead hat was my fav!!!! Rock alt sick
Das Albom hed so chli zwöi arte vo Lieder: einersiits die wo rächt abgönd ond eim rechtig energie gäbed, anderersiits aber au die, wo eher ruhig send. Agfange met was emmer chli de Fall esch, mues mer vorallem wäge de vele negativbiispel säge, send t Instromänt no rächt guet usgwoge. Kes esch vel z Dominant ond verdrängt die andere so fescht, dass mer sie chuum no ghört, sondern arbeitsts au no guet zäme was es au rächt spannend macht. Gliichziitig werds aber au e chli repetitiv dör ehri Melodie. Sie schaffed nämmlech relativ wenig met dere. Es ged ame eifach e eifachi Akkordfolg, gärn au mol eifach zwöi Akkörd, wo debi au ned bsonders Spannend send. Dröber speled de t Instromänt sehr äng ennerhalb vo dene oder möched eifach nome t Akkörd. Das wederholt sech de eifach pro Song einisch. Wemmer glöck hed esches de för e chorzi Reffrain schnell chli andersch, aber au ned revolutionär. Das esch de au chli s problem vo de ruhigere Songs. Eigentlech gsen ech settigi, vorallem wenn sie so e langsame Ufbau hend, chli als Reis dör e frömdi wält. Ganz langsam erkondet mer die ond entdeckt emmer weder neus. Dooferwiis geds aber ned wörk mega vel neus done. Das macht de Song schnell e chli wierd ond rechtigslos. För e Hendergrond okay, aber ned öppis woni jetzt aktiv wörd welle lose. Die energetische Songs hend das problem ned, au wenn sie doch au rächt repetitiv send. Dör ehre doch rächt Upbeat-Sound möcheds eim no rächt freud. Klar au nüd wommer mega gnau sett änelose ond so öppis mega spannends dehender sett erwarte, aber för eher i Hendergrond rächt okay. So esches e chli es komisches Albom. Es esch ned eis wommer lost, wels eifach cool tönt, wels de die chli sehr wierde songs denne hed, anderersiits au ned eis wommer ine donkle Ruum hockt ond eifach 39 minute Lang musig losst ond sech of es Abentür ihlod, wels sech för das z fescht wederholt. Eigentlech hätted gwössi Songs jo scho chli dä sound dass genau so vel passiert, wies för so öppis brucht. Schad.
Album split into art rock for the first half and ambient in the second half. Appreciate the concept a lot but found the first half drifted while the ambient portion of the album is really quite stunning and I much preferred. Production is immense on the whole album. Can see why it's a classic but not one for me
Не зле, но му липсва нещо
I listened to this 3 times and somehow can’t remember anything about it. I feel like it has different sounds and isn’t ambient like some of Enos stuff, but my brain just completely tuned it out. So it was listenable but completely forgettable to me
3.5/5
Day626 - maybe i’m starting to understand the talent that brian eno has. this was an easy to listen to album
Not a bad album. Liked this more than some of his other work. Overall, it was enjoyable. 3/5 Might listen again
The production was good. Even the voice was pleasant but not really my cup of tea. Some songs sounded the same
Really enjoy Brian Eno but this was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
Some really lovely music but left me overall flat. Expected more from Brian Eno. 3/5
Eh
I love Brian Eno but wasn’t totally wowed by this on this listen… still good of course. Sorry!!!
This didn't move me the same way most of Eno's other work does. Though, there are shades of ambient, and the simple melodies that form the skeletons of the music are still there, it feels... partial? Lacks the verve of his other solo work. I think he started getting into production more at this time, so perhaps he was moving away from this musical framework.
A little quiet
I would rate this one as ambient music which is how I feel about most of Brian Eno's work. It is catchy for a time but over the course of an album, I find his music to become background music and it is certainly not where I go to enhance a mood. Great composer who I enjoyed more when he played with Roxy Music.
Not what I thought it was going to be but not bad. I feel the sound is dated but the musicianship and lyrics are song. I do think I like more of the Eno ambient flavor, though.
I’m so connected to Eno's ambient music that I find myself disoriented with albums like Before And After Science. In theory I understand that Brian Eno was the synth player in Roxy Music, and that he worked with Talking Heads and a host of other singular, genre-busting bands. So, I tried to clear my mind and let go of my pre-conceived notions. The problem is that I’m conditioned to receive anything Eno touched as legendary, and so I find myself trying to fit what I’m hearing into that box. And this one just wasn't clicking for me at any point. I can give it three stars on craft alone, but if I were to give it any more, I’d be doing it to be someone who rates Brian Eno albums four stars. Mostly it made me want to listen to Roxy Music and Talking Heads though, which led to an LCD Soundsystem rabbit trail. So that was fun at least.
First song, I thought of The Talking Heads, second was XTC. So though I enjoyed this album, I more appreciated the exploration of the music rather than the music itself.
Better than the previous Brian eno album but not better enough to warrant 4 stars
Mid but had some good songs
I’m not sure
unsettling j’aime bien By This River et Spider And I
By This River will forever remind me of that sexy scene in Elite. It deserves at least 3 stars for that alone.
Album started out decent but bogged down toward the end
The second half of the album is definitely stronger, the first half wasn’t really that good but the rest I actually enjoyed quite a bit. The instruments were very pleasant to listen to in the second half, and I would have considered giving it a 4 if the first half was stronger.
Listened to about half
An enjoyable listen although not blown away by it.
voor iemand die 'music for airports' op zijn geweten heeft, viel dit onverwacht mee
I remember listening to this decades ago on vinyl and how side A was completely different than side B. Overall, a good listen, but not something I put on repeat.
Feel like I didn’t fully take this in while listening to it but I think that was more of a me problem tbh.
Atmospheric synth heavy studio creations.
Less enjoyable than some of the other Eno on the list to me, but still a good listen.
As per usual, I liked the airy instrumental tracks the most here (like Spider and I until the vocals started). Fun but not my favorite.
I thought worse
Alright, like a toned down xtc
I didn't like this much until I gave it a second listen. On the second time it started to click how much he influenced the way the Talking Heads sounded. Glad I was patient enough to give it a second chance, but it is still kind of a drag until the last few songs, where it gets more of a dreamy ambient edge. This album is a lot of different things, but I think only the last 15 minutes of it is worth hearing.
Good. Not great. But good.
This one slipped past me a little as I listened to it. There was a mix of styles, with it becoming more ambient on the second half. Three stars.
A solid outing from Eno. Not as good an album as ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ or ‘Music for Airports’, but it feels like a stepping stone between them. 3.5 stars but I’ll round down given the highs of his other output.
Really fitting album for the day it’s been. Brian’s vocals are almost haunting. Definitely a relisten for me.
Good sound, vocals aren’t great: maybe focus on ambient sound🤣
I think I listened to the album, but I can’t recall what I thought of it
I like the slower songs on this album, the faster paced ones aren't that great.
It was ok. Didn’t listen to much of it
Ok I really thought that Backwater song was so fun and a couple others. All cool and not annoying
Meh This album was better than his airport one. But wasn't anything groundbreaking or even memorable tbh. Can't even remember what I just listened to so that I can write this review It wasn't offensive though so I guess it was ok 3 ⭐️
Dad- 6 Mom- 7 Mike- NA Lori- 6.5 Michael- 7.5 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg-6.75
Ome Brian Eno. M'n lotgenoot heeft er een hekel aan, dus ben ik altijd blij als ik hem krijg. Althans hekel... Hij gaf nog niet lager dan een 2 en er zit zelfs een voldoende tussen. Ik denk niet dat dit dan het album is van ome Brian wat de grootste ergernis oproept. Ik vind het niet super hoogstaand, maar het zijn wat prima lichte oude rock/pop nummertjes afgewisseld met wat saaie lichte oude rock/pop nummertjes. De neiging naar gekke ambient schijnt er al wel wat doorheen (vanaf 'Julie With' zo'n beetje), maar voert nog niet de boventoon. Ik ben zeker niet kapot van z'n stem, tegelijkertijd is het nog net niet storend. Het wordt dus een wat flauwe 3 sterren van mij. Ik vind dit album zelfs net wat leuker dan het gemiddelde album op deze lijst, maar een 4 gaat me te ver voor nu. Ik heb 'Backwater' in m'n boomerplaylistje gezet en 'By This River' in m'n rustige-muziek-playlist. Twee playlisttoevoegingen is geen slechte score.
I appreciate that Brian Eno's music is weird, but it's not my particular brand of weird. 2.5
Ambient noise meets the precursor of Eno's collaborations with The Talking Heads. I liked it.
I was excited to see what I would get to hear. I liked many of Brian Eno's pieces. Recently, however, more and more pieces have been added that I couldn't do much with. Unfortunately, this album belongs to the latter category. 3/5
Energy fools the Magician made me think of incidental music from a 70s detective show.
The first part was more conventional. The end was more like how I think of Eno.
Decent, but a bit too sleepy and experimental for my taste
It's alright but not my type
At first I was disappointed that it wasn’t as interesting as I hoped, but I liked the second half better, and it started to win me over by the end. Favorites: By This River, Through Hollow Lands
me gusto mas de lo q esperaba
Bowie y Brian un solo corazon. Tiene puntos medio flojos, pero en lineas generales bastante bueno. 3.5
Good album. Some songs give a "Talking Heads" vibe. Other songs are kinda ambient music, and they're good!
This was my first time listening to Brian Eno's music. He produced one of my favourite albums of all time, Coldplay's Viva la Vida, so I know he's a musical genius. I'm not sure what I expected from his own music, but this was scattered and all over the place, although I liked the last couple of tracks. Overall, a bit too avant-garde for me. 2.5 rounded up
Good
A lovely little album to journal too, I feel very relaxed right now. Standout tracks: - Backwater: 4/5 - King’s Lead Hat 3:19 onwards: 4/5
Yeah not a bad listen Got a bit bored in the middle
I don't really know that I "get it"? I hear what's happening with the Ambient Music and I guess that's what he's known for? I guess I would say this is above average but I didn't save any songs really from it. Maybe I'll give it another listen through and we'll see if anything stands out ... Ok I like the song "By This River" "Through Hollow Lands" and "Spider and I". The Wikipedia said the back half of the album is kind of what this album is known for.
first half is more lively and new wavey than i've heard brian eno before and i can't say i'm exactly a fan. not a bad album by any means but certainly not my favorite of his
Fun, Interesting and even ethereal at times. Good time, but ultimately a little forgetable. Stand out songs: Backwater Here He comes
I can appreciate how important this was in the evolution of modern music but it was meh to listen to.
part of the problem with this project is that i usually play the albums while i’m working, so i can’t say i’m really paying close attention to every one. on the other hand, i’m confident a real 5 star album will reach out and grab me even when my mind is elsewhere. with that in mind, this inoffensive collection gets a solid 3
Second half was better, first half was stupid. Why so much Brian Eno on this list??
The first half of this did not really do it for me. The B-side is tonally different and I really enjoyed it. Side A: 3/10 Side B: 8/10
Better than expected given it's Brian Eno.
3.5 I enjoyed it, especially the later, more instrumental tracks. But if I’m being honest, it sounded very similar to the other Eno album I got back in December. This is still Eno in pop rock mode, before he gets ambient and weird, so I’m not really sure what new aspect of his contributions to music (which there are admittedly many) I got listening to this. Merely pleasant.
Next time I get a Brian Eno album I'm murdering somebody. That being said it wasn't half bad.
smooth
nero. ei voi muuten kutsua tätä miestä kuin NEROKAS.. bliip bloop chikichikichikichiki bloop bloop blaap blaap ach ich ach ich ach.. uskomaton ÄÄNI.. miten voi tämä ääni olla todellista? miten kukaan löysi tämän äänen.. tämä partikulaarinen ääni uskomaton.. miettijä ja aktivisti myös.. miettii aktivismia.. aikamme yksi miettijöistä koskaan! hmm sosialismi... mutta hmm liberalismi? hmm antakaas hekti.. antakaas pikku hetki menen mietiskelemään pikkurillillisen verran.. ok mietin. mietitty! mietitty! sanoisin että molemmilla hyviä pointteja.. the soundss... the sounds.... sound surround me... envelop me... the sounds.... restrain me... and free my soul... the sounds... incredible.. unbelievabel.. here he cometh
1977, and Punk was grabbing the music world's attention, Disco was in its death throws, New Wave was finding its feet and NWOBHM was realising that success was in it's grasp. And Brian Eno was over there doing his own thing. A little world music, some Krautrock, a pinch od DaDa poetry and some almost-pop. It doesn't all work, but it's a fascinately artist's sketchpad of ideas.
This is interesting, because I hated Here Come The Warm Jets, but I adored Music for Airports. I’m not excited to check this out, but I’m curious. So, I think this album is smack in the middle of the other two. I think there was a lot to like, but I also think there were songs that just sounded out of date. I kind of liked it, so three stars it is.
This is the second album this week from Brian Eno that I was given and they couldn't be more different from one another. While there's the early days of his exploring (inventing) electronic music on Before And After Science, it still at times feels like a late 70s prog-rock album. Where as the album that came the following year, Ambient 1/Music For Airports, was an album with only 4 tracks of instrumental music. Ultimately an interesting listen, but not sure if I'll come back or not. Definitely saved King's Lead Hat though, that's a bop
Brian Eno’s music makes me irrationally angry. I feel like there’s so much unique and imaginative stuff in his work, but everything in between is just… whatever. Like, this album is so close to greatness, and the good moments are very good, but it doesn’t have good enough structure to hold them together, so I found myself just waiting for the next good part and not engaging with the music much. He experiments too much, so what ends up happening is that some songs are right ip my alley, and other are way outside of my taste. Also, since he’s the inventor of ambient music or whatever, a couple of ambient tracks had to be on here… and they’re pretty boring. It isn’t really Eno’s fault, thought. It’s just that ambient music is fundamentally incapable with my tastes. I like music to be more exciting, and that’s just not the point of ambient. 7/10
I generally love Eno's contributions to others work maybe more than his own solo works. This one is interesting and varied.
Quite good