Before And After Science

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I will say this music does sound very forward thinking especially since it was released in 1977. That being said, it’s ok by today’s standards but I can hear the future sounds of the great albums he produced.

Excellent album that I have never heard before. He has a little bit of a Talking Heads vibe which I think is really nice. There are also some instrumental tracks that I liked a lot. This is an album that I'm going to listen to again. I will probably keep a look out for it in record shops too.

I am very neutral on this one, not much to say.

I was hesitant to rate positive on this one given the previous two Eno records already heard. But after listening was pleasantly surprised. A much more listenable record than other Eno selections on this exercise. And songs like King’s Lead Hat and Backwater have sounds and dynamics that reminded me of bands like XTC which is a good thing.

In short, I gave this a chance but just found it to be kind of silly.

I did not get this at all. Found it very boring and not very interesting. Glanced at some of the global reviews and very confused. What am I missing here? Are we listening to the same album? 🥱🫩😴

Wasn't looking forward to this after the first two Eno albums...but it was actually pretty solid. His dupe of David Byrne on King's Lead Hat is on point and I gotta give props. Legit had to check the credits to confirm it wasn't actually Byrne singing. This is a 3/4 tweeter for me, but I'm rounding down since it lacked a certain...I don't know what. 3.25/5

This album is like eating one of the first loaves of sourdough bread I sold and pretending it’s good because it’s “where it all started.”

Super cool weird album I liked it

The Man!

A great album. Not is best. Maybe deserves a 4.5, but I don't think it is a 5, so I'll say it's a 4. I'm not sure I think this is one of his albums that everyone must hear, but it is solid, very good, and better than a lot of other music, as most of his music tends to be...

This album was not what I expected at the beginning, but then it became very much what I expected by the end.

Mostly background music but some tracks were nice enough to catch attention and nothing stood out negatively. Stand-out: Here He Comes

Fine. A few stupid nothing songs.

I feel the vibe was off.

2.5

2.5

The title “Before and After Science” intrigued me—I expected a sense of duality, and in a way, the album delivered that. With the first half feeling more playful and structured, and the second half drifting into ambient calm, it seemed split into two distinct moods. I wasn’t sure what genre to expect, but the slightly gothic cover made me anticipate something more rock-forward. Instead, I got art rock—something I wasn’t familiar with before this challenge. It reminded me of David Bowie’s “Low” and “Heroes,” which makes sense, since I learned that Eno worked on those albums too. On my first listen, I was distracted and barely noticed anything stand out—it felt like the album passed me by. I gave it another shot during a drive, but again, nothing really pulled me in. I felt a bit disinterested. That said, the opening track “No One Receiving” stuck with me—its groove kept creeping back into my head. I gravitate toward ambient and lo-fi sounds, so I appreciated some of the textured, hazy moments. I respect this album for its influence and for how much it’s adored, but it didn’t hit me emotionally. I listened a few times, hoping it would open up to me, but I think I connect more with albums that tell a clearer emotional story. A few tracks might stay in my rotation, but overall, I respect the experimentation more than I enjoyed the experience. Standout Tracks: “No One Receiving”, “King’s Lead Hat”, “Here He Comes”, “Through The Hollow Lands”

Me before this album: oh Brian Eno, this will be weird Me for the first half of this album: actually, this isn't that weird! Me for the second half of this album: oh actually this is weird 4/10

A long long time ago, this was the first Eno I really dove into, and to be honest, it's never been my favorite. It was good enough to charm me to keep exploring his catalog, though. Later, I learned just how busy he was in his collaborations with Cluster, Bowie, and David Byrne/Talking Heads in this era. What this album brings is a huge range of ideas that he surely was carrying around with him at this time, from the Roxy/punk sound of "Kings Lead Hat" to his ambient explorations such as "Spider And I". It might make for some uneven transitions from track to track, but on the whole, I recommend this if you're at all intrigued by Eno.

Nah.

i thought the first three songs were boring as shit but then kings lead hat came on and i changed my mind and the remaining songs were so beautiful . so maybe 3,5/4 idk . what the hell why not 4.

God I love Brian Eno

Mittelprächtig!

First track is alright. Tracks two and three are incredibly annoying. However, once the album gets to Energy Fools the Magician and especially King's Lead Hat, the record gets incredible and never stops being so. A very easy 4.5/5. On the higher end of that, so I'll give it the 5. Maybe I'll come around to those more oblique tracks another day.

Enjoyable, but I liked the Talking Heads-esque songs more than the ambient ones.

bem a frente do tempo, legalzinho mas not my thing

Listened Before? N Pretty mellow for the most part. Seems like a good sleeping album. Didn't hate it but didn't really register with me. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: By This River

Enjoyable album, more so than I expected actually. But nothing jumped out at me as incredible

Brian Eno can fuck off

There are some really solid pop tunes on this album. Cool to hear the breadth of Eno's talent in addition to the ambient stuff he's more known for.

Third Eno so far...not as good as the other two. 3

While I'm admittedly lacking the knowledge currently on the scope of Eno's ambient works between Another Green World and this album, but a return to pop music form seems like a solid move from the musician in context. It proves to his audience that he hadn't run out of ideas, rather, he was following his true calling of ruling a genre, and returned to his A-B-A song structure roots to prove he is not only a creative powerhouse, but handles variety in strides. Not every song here is some great art rock song, in fact, I'd say a lot of the rockier stuff pales in comparison to his works on Here Come the Warm Jets, but those slower pieces are on equal grounds with the vocal tracks from Another Green World, and just because Eno doesn't quite have that glam appeal anymore doesn't mean he can't pull off other fresh and new genres quite well. King's Lead Hat is not only a great love letter to the emerging Talking Heads, but a great new wave track to boot. A showcase of range and scope to the mysterious Brian Eno, this album may be best in its quieter moments similar to his most recent works, but it still is a solidly odd yet catchy release that is sure to show off its influence to anyone who hears it. It's a darn shame Eno mostly abandoned vocal albums post this work because this new wave of Brian Eno rock tunes could've really altered the 80s. Oh well, he left his influence via Bowie and Byrne, surely.

Fun, varied album of art rock. I never knew what was coming next. So far, after listening to a lot of Brian Eno’s music on this list, my favorite stuff is either the songs/albums he co-wrote and produced for other artists, or his ambient music. You can hear hints of Bowie and Talking Heads on a lot of the early tracks here. And the end of this album features some beautiful ambient-leaning instrumental sections.

Pretty cool alt-pop album. I think that's how I would genre it? Brian Eno is someone I haven't listened to much but I've been recommended him for a loooong time. This album is a definitely a delight. It's 1977 but definitely ahead of it's time because to me it sounds pretty 1980's. Great dynamics, nice production, and cool guitar sounds. Nice album cover too!

Not my favorite Brian Eno album. Some of this stuff, actually most of this stuff sounds like it could've been used on any early episode of Columbo, Simon & Simon, pretty much any Aaron Spelling series, Dynasty, Love Boat or even Murder She Wrote. Kinda disappointing...

A tale of two albums. Back half was completely different from the beginning, and thank goodness. It’s too bad, because as annoying as those first five tracks are, the rest is my favorite Eno of his five albums on the list.

This definitely feels like a bridge between two different versions of Brian Eno. The second half of the album was markedly different, more ambient, and would have garnered an additional star if it was reflective of the album as a whole.

I liked this well enough. But I still maintain that Eno’s strength as an artist lies in producing more than performing.

I respect his love of sounds and his ability to fill up the silence/round out a full sound, but I don’t feel enough about these songs to round up. Talking Heads sound in the first songs; I can see why he worked with them on an album.

It was pretty OK. Reminded me of Talking Heads a bit. I like the music more than the lyrics and singing. Which is something, given how prevalent the synths are here. I guess? Yeah. Pretty OK.

enjoyed some of it because of some particular beatlesesque melodies

I liked it a little better than other Eno albums I've listened to from this list, but he's just not really for me I guess.

I don’t know what it was, maybe the day, maybe the weather, maybe work, but my mind had no interest in this album. I know I listened to the whole thing, but I don’t remember any of it. I’m sure Brian Eno is a genius to some people, but this album was apparently so bland to me that I couldn’t even be bothered to archive any of it to my memory. Maybe at some point it deserves another chance from me, but for now it’s shelved with other so-so albums.

Meh

I didn't finish it - it didn't bother me but I didn't like it

Cool but didn’t wow me. Enjoyed the listen

Brian Eno's stuff is usually weird but I usually like it

1. no one - 1.5 2. uuater - 1 3. kurtz - 1.5 4. energy - 2 5. hat - 1 6. comez - 1 7. julie - 2 8. river - 3 9. landz - 2 10. zpider - 1.5

I frigging love Brian Eno, this might be my favourite of his albums (that are under his name anyway). Unlike most folks, gauging from reviews here, I strongly prefer the first half of the album. But I can see how to second half works as a transition to a lot fo his later work.

Pass

Not bad

Mad respect for his work and influence on all of those artists. But I didn't get much out of this album.

I've never listened to a Brian Eno album before today, but I'm already reasonably familiar with his style, given that he's produced so much music I do know, most notably quite a few Bowie albums. But listening to a pure Brian Eno album is a whole different experience, and I mean that in the best way possible. The diversity and contrast on this album sounds fantastic, and coupled with Eno's beautiful slick production, there really is nothing to dislike about this album.

Too much ambient

Thought Brian Eno was meant to be 15 minute ambient songs what happened here

2.8 2x

Not for me

Great album. Apparently the last album of his before he went full ambient. First track and King's Lead Hat have definite Talking Heads vibes. The latter so much so that apparently King's Lead Hat is an anagram of Talking Heads. And Eno would go on the following year to produce the next three Talking Heads albums.

It's the best Eno album on the list, and it also helps to fill the "gap" between his rock albums and his other (not so great to me) ambient music albums. I feel that I understand his work better after this album.

Arguably, the peak of Eno's solo rock albums. Despite being often forgotten, "Before and After Science" has a kind if maturity that his previous albums lack. It was recorded in the brief period between his work with Bowie in Berlin and his later work with the Talking Heads (who are name checked on this album, in anagram form). The Oblique strategies that he used to spark creativity was really hitting its stride by this time. Working with musicians from Can, Cluster, as well as Robert Fripp and Phil Collins, Eno brought healthy experimentalism along with a lot of accessibility, at least if you're willing to put the time in. Like Bowie's album "Low", "Before and After Science", as two distinct sides, one bordering on pop music and one resembling his later ambient works. The album takes some time to fully appreciate but it's worth some effort.

The front half doesn’t really distinguish itself much from other artists that do that same thing better. The back half, which is more ambient, is better, like a less dark Pink Floyd. Ultimately, this shows why Will Shortz’s favorite artist is a better producer than a frontman.

Eno‘s music always has a fantastic texture/quality to it. Quirky pop mixed with fantastic production

Pretty uneven album imho. Side 1- meh, it's alright. Side 2 - god-tier musical masterpiece, especially By This River an all-time undisputable classic. Not sure whether that averages out to a weak or a strong 3.5. I guess I'm gonna have to round up again because the highlights here are just so incredibly high.

Interesting, chill music. I really like “By This River” but nothing else stood out to me. Parts were quite self indulgent.

Meh

It’s ok The top 10 songs are quite different, mostly ambient noise haha. How do you get >100 million Spotify streams of an ambient song lol. It does go hard though. But I’m just rating the album anyhow, not the artist’s top 10 tracks

I struggled to get through this. I sometimes liked the production and some of the slow songs were nice but half of it was just way too janky. Like talking heads if they were bad

Who knew Brian Eno could sing? I always thought he just did instrumentals. Some of the songs are quite cool. They sound like the 80s despite being made the decade before. A few are a bit bad though. 3 stars for "Before and After Science".

Oi ihan kiva a-puoli! B-puolella menee sitten vähän huhuiluksi. Mikä siis sinänsä kuulostaa kauniilta ja elokuvalliselta, mutta ei herätä mussa tunteita. Mutta Enon melodiat pääsivät alussa oikein hyvin oikeuksiinsa.

Niin ennalta-arvattavaa kuin se onkin, Enon paras levy on hänen rock-levynsä. Mutta ei sen takia, että se on rock-levy, vaan siksi, että LP sisältää hyviä kappaleita - ja RYTMIÄ. Tosin läheskään kaikki biisit levyllä eivät ole rockia. Joten ehkä tämä on vain hyvä levy.

Slipped in between alright and too weird for my tastes. I would probably give it another listen still. Didn't hate it.

70's album with the sounds of an 80s album

Fringe, best way to describe Eno and that is NOT a bad thing. His approach makes music fun. Today, it all sounds the same. That is why this era will always stand out.

man i really enjoyed that he writes some great songs i like the more art rock stuff the more ambient songs on the album are beautiful too

Hat mich nicht abgeholt

*snores loudly except for the occasional pretty song*

The first half is fun in the way of other acts of the time, some of whom Eno worked with: Bowie, Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc. but it lacks the distinct character of any of them. I can see why he elected to focus on the more atmospheric stuff, which feels much more his own!

Brian Eno is such an interesting character. Glam rock with Roxy Music, groundbreaking ambient albums, early adopter of sampling, and producer for a huge range of artists including Talking Heads, U2, Devo, Bowie, Slowdive (yay). He's also branched out into Nokia ringtones and the Windows 95 start up sound. First listen for me on this one, though I did recognize a few songs. Rock album, but not really - it gathers influences from everywhere.

Eno is a weird dude. Always has been, always will be. Brilliant producer, but I didn't know what to make of this.

I liked this more than I expected to. I was getting Depeche Mode vides during a couple of the songs, especially Julie With...

When this album popped up, I silently groaned. My limited previous exposure to Brian Eno has not been anything I have enjoyed. This album surprised me. Although I didn’t love it, I didn’t mind it either. I even genuinely liked the last song, Spider and I. Anyway, what I thought was going to be a two star rating from me will be a three star rating. It still isn’t really my thing at all, and I probably won’t listen to it again, but I was glad to be exposed to it.

Superb!!!

Whatever that was, yes.

It's always refreshing when an album just. Does music like this. Not directly up my street but I didn't mind the detour, it felt like a record with purpose

Not an electronic album for me

I haven't quite got on board with Eno's solo work from this list so far. Not sure I'd go so far as to say this converted me but the more upbeat tracks, which remind of a kinda prototype Talking Heads, are pretty fun and there are some catchy hooks here. I zone out a bit in the more ambient and mellow tracks on the second side, such as Through Hollow Lands

Listening on a Friday made a big difference.. on a Monday this album would have been a flimsy 2, because lyrically it is, in fairness, just bollocks and nonsense.. but I admit I enjoyed it. Backwater was much catchier than it should have been, and being a relatively short album to listen to whilst sleep deprived behind a wheel made for a fun time. The small dog, and the much bigger old woman I hit were a small price to pay.. and in a way just made the nonsense all the more vivid. Hopefully there isn't another Brian Eno album on this list before my suspended sentence is finished.

I liked alot of the melancholy type sounds on this. Nice to drive to, but feels completely directionless and at times just abit dull

Perfect runtime for a quirky album like this. Couple of weaker songs but mostly good. By This River and Spider and I remind me of the Twin Peaks score, in their sublime eeriness. Backwater is my favourite. Ooh what to do, not a sausage to do. Marvelous.

I like Eno but I don't get this one. It sounds like XTC! That's not good. Through Hollow Lands was very enjoyable.

Not quite.

I have a working theory that, much like you can connect almost every actor to Kevin Bacon, you can do the same with Brian Eno. His production credits alone read like a who’s who of music history. Be it his heralded work with U2 before it became fashionable to hate them, his work with Coldplay after they became everyone’s favorite band to hate, or the legendary Berlin Trilogy with Bowie (and if you hate Bowie, please get your brain checked). With that in mind—and having occasionally dipped into Music for Airports—I was genuinely excited to dive into Before and After Science. Sadly, I walked away feeling a bit shortchanged. Recorded over two years in five sessions across two studios and two countries, the album has an ambient/art rock core but lacks cohesion. The first half, in particular, feels scattered—shifting from the jittery, funk-tinged “No One Receiving” to the jaunty, almost cabaret-like “Backwater” without much connective tissue. That's not to say that there weren't moments I enjoyed. “By This River”, for example, is a stunning, stripped-down piano ballad that feels like the album’s emotional center, its soft, repetitive melody gently pulling you into stillness. I found myself craving more moments like that. With 29 solo albums and 22 collaborative albums, it’s hard to know where to start with Eno. For me, this wasn’t quite the right entry point. Still, I’m optimistic that one of his other albums will win me over.

Much more Talking Headseseque than music you'd hear at an airport. Decent.

Impressive music in a time of disco and punk music, sometimes quiet, sometimes folky. Interesting pearl.

I listened through this album a couple of times and found myself drifting in and out of how attention I paid to it. Overall, I liked the sound and the style of the recording.

Bollix

Turning into more of an Old Sourpuss fangirl by the minute. Weirdo funk, melancholy synth noodling, ambient excellence. I wasn't sure how I felt about this one on the first listen, and then the second round had me hooked. I expect future listens will only bring more appreciation.

I thought it was weird when it started but then I realized it was good weird

I hear this record comes with a suicide kit, which includes a warm bath, candles, and razor blades. Awful.

A highly diverse album with very metaphorical lyrics, yet mostly somewhat understandable or at least thought-provoking for the imagination. Sonically, it contains many details that were experimental at the time but can now be heard even on mainstream albums. The first Brian Eno album I listened to as part of this project, and it's a true masterpiece.

Somehow a first time listen, I've heard a lot of his work with other artists and some of his ambient work but hadn't heard this record. Funky ass guitars Drumming is so sleek Then it turns into this beautiful dark album that has insanely sweet instrumentation and fuck I loved this album so much.

The perfect companion piece to Another Green World. Such a beautiful record.

While side A is great, it's side B that's truly gets me going on Before And After Science. It's a goodbye to Eno, the rock musician, and a welcome to Eno, the avant/ambient mastermind. This album is the definition of best of both worlds.

Interesante, oscuro y misterioso.Eno es diferente y no fácil de masticar y luego tragar. Me gusta

Back half of this album absolutely carries

Just kinda boring….

Well that was some weird shit.

I have a habit of comparing this to the masterpiece that is Another Green World, where Eno finds the perfect balance between, melodic beauty, ambiant explorations and studio manipulations. Well Before ad After Science doesn't quite find the melodic beauty of AGW at its best aand I have held that fact against it. But it is still a great album just as worthy of exploration even if it does not attain the same heights. 4 stars

послушала мельком, приятная музыка ставлю лайк

not for me

Kinda feels like he got really into ambient stuff while making this album, as the first few songs are completely different to the ones at the end. SO good though, I really like the talking heads (kinda) songs towards the start. and also the spacey vocals and vocal-less songs at the end. Favourite songs first one, last 6. Overall around 8/10

Mjoah, experimentell, schwankte so n bisschen zwischen Elektro Chill Musik und Pop. Nichts was meiner Meinung nach heraus stach, 3 Sterne

Unspektakulär

Goofy until I got to “Energy Fools the Musician”, that’s the Eno I know. Through Hollow Lands is fantastic as well.

its brian eno in the studio. how could you expect less than magic? how could you expect less than a world of comforting whimsy and wonder, as treacherous as its fleetingness may be? how could you expect less than to hold that world in the palm of your hand, like eternity in an hour?

New to me! Only heard him with Roxy and Bowie, before. The first track appealed, being so reminiscent of Station to Station and Japan. Generally, I found myself really liking the music, but sometimes alienated by rather naff "quirky" lyrics ("Backwater") and boring melody lines. I loved the synths and bass, though, and when the music came together to achieve a Talking Heads-like drive, for example on "King's Lead Hat" (ha, I see what he did there) I enjoyed it. The slower songs were atmospheric, and contained some beautiful synths (unsurprisingly, similar to Low, etc) but the vocals still didn't hook me in. In fact, I thought both "By This River" and "Spider and I" would have been gorgeous with a different melody line and vocal (loved the music) but what Mr Eno came up with, left me a bit cold. As if to emphasise my point, the instrumental "Through Hollow Lands" was, I thought, utterly gorgeous. I'm not sure if any of his other solo albums have made the list, but it was definitely interesting to hear this, as a big fan of 70s Bowie and Roxy... and Talking Heads.

Not that memorable to me

This album goes from good to shit to A DROP DEAD BEAUTY. The start of this album has a lot of cool instrumentation decisions in a unique way (prob cause it's mostly MIDI stuff), and I was excited for an album with that direction. No One Receiving whilst having weird but pretty cool intentional vocal choices made me ponder if this was just gonna be another one of those "albums" that seems to litter this 1001 albums (the rock albums with a lil quirky change in them), or something unique and not expected. Sadly over the first 7 songs, the album just drops down in quality, ending up me letting it be background noise, with Julie With being... not a good song at all. I was so tuned out. I had 4 songs to go. I didn't want to continue. I hear the start of By This River. I froze. The gentle piano melody grabs all my attention. The backing chimes help add so much ambience. His vocals come in. They work so well. The midi strings come in. It gives the piece such a melancholic feeling to it. I hate making this comparison, but it honestly reminds me of "Waterfall" and "Quiet Water" from the UNDERTALE ost. But I think this does the vibe SO SO SO much better. The rest of the album complimented By The River so well... it saved the album. I assume this was the part after Science, because did the album just resonate with me once finishing. This album reminds me of the Grand Canyon :) Fav song: By This River (did i even need to say)

Brian gets points for Heros being my favorite David Bowie song, Viva La Vida being a certified Jam, and Once In A Lifetime because it's Once In A Lifetime. He also gets points for this being a very good album. Parts of this album straight up feel like Talking Heads B-Sides, even if this album came before Remain In Light, so I can see why him and David Byrne went on to do a lot more stuff together. Even if not every idea presented on this album is top notch, it's still a stellar showcase of Brian's ability, not just as a producer, but as a composer/artist. Would have appreciated more up tempo bangers like "King's Lead Hat", but the somber back half still has its shining moments, particularly in "By The River" and the instrumental "Through Hollow Lands". Fave Songs - No One Receiving, King's Lead Hat, By The River,

It is a very experimental album with a lot of quality and unique instrumentation. Enjoyable listen and I'm excited to hear more albums from him. Favourite Album - King's Lead Hat

What if a man was very drunk and had access to every instrument on gods green earth and just rolled around on the floor and wrote lyrics using a bag of Scrabble tiles. Absolute waffle.

Cosmic, wavy and ethereal. Unlike much of anything else I've listened to, but not necessarily in a way that makes me want to listen to more by Eno. It's gentle and comfortable enough.

The first time I listen to this album I didn't care for it, I much prefer Eno's instrumental albums, while the first few songs I still don't care for the rest of the album is excellent. 3.5 stars and added in to my rotation.

Eno can be hit or miss. I was expecting to not like this record but I rather did. And it felt much more contemporary than the 1977 date would suggest.

I liked this better then his other stuff.

I thought this was pretty good. I actually liked it a lot and would listen to it again.

Goofy cool

this was okay

Pre-listening thoughts: I thought this was gonna be ambient stuff (gross) but reading the Wikipedia has put my hopes back at neutral 🙏 Post/during listening thoughts: ok so I was reading up on Brian Eno while listening to this album and I would like to formally apologize to the Brian Eno fan community bc I thought he just made ambient music but oh my god this man has produced for so many of my favorite artists. I am so sorry. This is really good. Obviously well produced, the vocals are nice, the songs are varied but also all similar enough stylistically to make a cohesive body of work. Great album. I am not a fan of instrumentals so those knock it down some. 7.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nope Fav tracks: No One Receiving, Backwater, Kurt’s Rejoinder, King’s Lead Hat, Here He Comes Least fav tracks: Julie With, Through Hollow Lands

Didn't draw any attention while listening.

Some nice moments. Funky bass lines are cool but the album feels pretty dated as a whole. On the cusp between fun and obnoxious. It’ll probably scratch the itch for those who it’s nostalgic. I don’t think it’ll appeal to many new listeners.

Bien

Pleasant

4 - great producer album. Cool soundscapes. Favorite songs: by this river and backwater

Fun!

chill and ambient but i liked the tracks where he sang - fav is no one receiving

Old sour puss

норм. особенно ничего не впечатлило, но в целом музыка приятная.

I've had like 3 Eno touched albums in the last month (this, Roxy Music, and Bowie's Heros) and the more I know about him, the more I really appreciate his style and influence. This album is is basically two halves. 1 half 70s pop, 1 half dreamy soundscape. While the beginning is fun, with King's Lead Hat being particularly notable, the second half is really inspirational. Like nothing I've heard before, but at the same time nostalgic and incredibly well produced. It starts with Here He Comes, but really, Julie With... and By This River are the stars of this album. Great listen.

It was alright, 2.8

I loved this! 3.75

Some songs i liked, some i didn't. Saved one to listen to in future.

82/100. If I’m honest, I was worried after the first track—I didn’t really enjoy the sound of Eno’s voice with the heavy reverb. However, the rest of the songs were so calming. A beautiful record and probably my favorite Eno album so far.

I actually enjoyed this one. Brian Eno usually means a long drawn out and boring hour. This was a lot more interesting than anything I’ve heard from him before. Solid range. The whole thing is really quite lovely, honestly. 4/5

I'm a fan of a lot of Eno's work, but for some reason I've never listened to this one until recently. It's great but still growing on me. I don't like it quite as much as Taking Tiger Mountain or Another Green World, but it covers a lot of ground, and is a clear precursor to his later ambient work. It also really sounds like it had a big influence on Talking Heads! It's an 8/10 now but could see it becoming a 9 in future.

Very high quality art rock album, an ideal example of the genre. Unique electronic elements, diverse songs and the ability to be both artsy and accessible at once. A

was ok, a couple catchy songs

1977. Art rock, art pop, avant-pop, experimental pop

Really cool album. Sounds like this inspired a few of my favorite bands.

I've never actually listened to Brian Eno, but a lot of my favorite bands have been influenced by him. This album was pretty eclectic, but overall a cool sound.

Eno’s last pop/rock-oriented album is a bit of an odds and sods project, opening with a very funky track that foreshadows his work with Talking Heads a couple of years after this, and then jumping to some more glam-leaning work reminiscent of his first two solo albums, and a lot of more open and ambient tracks that hint towards his 80s solo projects. It’s a strong enough album but lacks the focus of his earlier records, and a couple of the songs don’t really seem to go anywhere

Well, at least it was identifiable as music, which is pretty good for Brian.

Wasn't sure what to expect because I had only known Brian Eno as the producer of some of U2's best albums. This was really good--inventive, and with variety. It's astounding that this came out in late 1970s since it so cuts against the trends of that era.

While the first half is standard boring rock, the second half is really interesting. There are some beautiful ambient songs.

I can hear where a lot of my New Wave favorites formative years were spent : listening to this. Very good.

3.5. I know many think this is the best album of the 70s. I think it's just really good.

Bounced between a 3 and a 2 on this one. Just wasn’t Eno’s day

Ég var ánægður með þessa. Annað, meira.

No Comment...

Phenomenal, trailblazer, unique.

It’s interesting rather than actually good

Some highlights but a bit dull.

Fell in love with this the first day it was released and the love has not diminished. 5 stars

shockingly great

Either I can remember of every Eno album is something different.

Cool

Not really my thing, a bit too talking heads'y

Brian MeNOListern

Why?? This is exactly what people think of when they think of music snobbery. Actually embarassing

freaking it sensitive style ….. ooh quiet down ….. quiet down …… highlights: no one receiving, king’s lead hat, here he comes (jan 8 2025)

find die ruhige lieder sehr hübsch, upbeat eher ahstrengend

Hat mich nicht weggehauen aber ingsesamt ganz i.O.

Zu formlos für mich

der Hall auf den Stimmen beim ersten Lied geht crazy, klingt fast, wie wenn die Stimmen rückwärts abgespielt würden.. Ich finde die Musik relativ dull. Sehr langweilig, keine spannenden Harmonien, die Singstimmen sind sehr basic und zeichnen sich durch nichts aus. Energy fools the Magician ist eine kurze Ausnahme: Abgespacet, es passieren spannende Dinge, keine Singstimmen dabei. Here he comes ist noch herzig, wird aber sehr bald sehr repetitiv. Die letzten vier Songs gefallen mir besser: Der Schluss vom Album hat nicht mehr so den Anspruch abzugehen und will einfach ruhig sein und das gelingt am Schluss des Albums gut.

While the focus here seems to be shifted more toward the endless possibility of sound experimentation as opposed to catchy pop tunes or immediate ear worms, the level of craftsmanship and beauty of synth sounds on display is more than enough to keep the listener hooked. Recommend a good pair of headphones for this one.

The perfect synthesis of Eno's art-rock "before" and ambient "after," a masterful bridge of musical alchemy where quirky complexity dissolves into ethereal expansiveness.

Brian Eno is a master of subtlety, though I think this was a slight step back from the progress he made on Another Green World. The atmospheric/ambient elements of this album weren't as well balanced as the tracks on the album, and both the instrumental and lyrical songs have a bit less sticking power. However, this is still a great album in it's own right. I would have just chosen to omit it on such a list to leave breathing room for Here Come the Warm Jets, Another Green World and Ambient 1. 3.7/5 -> 4/5

-I was kind of back and forth on how I wanted to rate this but I’m gonna go 3.5 stars. It’s pretty interesting, reminds me a lot of Another Green World and his work with David Bowie on the Berlin Trilogy -some of the songs were a bit more memorable than others just on a first listen but damnn I really love the instrumentation -Favorites are Kurt’s Rejoinder, King’s Lead Hat, and Through Hollow Lands

#84 - listened to it the whole day as background music. Love the mix of ambient and 70s upbeat. Great instrumentation. I was just unable to find the cohesive link of the album.

First album on the list that I've not heard before, Eno I am familiar with of course, but not his music to any real degree. I guess he was ahead of his time, because this sounds like early 80's to me. Not just the sounds, but the pop sensibilities... oh wait, Eno was in Roxy Music before this album came out. Okay, whatever, not my kind of music tho.

Completely new to me. I know Eno from his work with Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads, etc but haven't listened to any of his solo work before. The intro made me instantly think of "Golden Years" by Bowie or "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads. Interesting sounds and percussion but I found the album disconnected and more than a little repetitive while his vocals are average at best and a little distracting. Maybe this was influential to musicians who understand the nuances of making music like this. While I appreciated the multiple instruments and layers I didn't find the overall product compelling, it never came together for me. "King's Lead Hat" could easily have been a Heads song. "Here He Comes" is likeable and I hear some of his future work with U2 on it. "Juliet With" is a boring Pink Floyd ripoff. Nothing to dislike just not much to want to ever hear again. This is a nod to his body of work, not necessarily the content of this album, and the influence it had on future artists. Not Top 1001 unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Very different to the other Brian Eno albums we've had. But a bit like his previous albums, I'm really not sure what I make of it. Was it ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or was it ⭐⭐? I'm going in the middle and settling on ⭐⭐⭐. This list has made me want to explore Brian Eno more than any other artist, because I find his albums interesting, but challenging. I suspect he has probably made an album or two that I would really love, but I don't think I've found it yet.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be

I really wanted to hate this, not because I don’t like Eno’s music, but because each of the 4 albums I’ve reviewed has had a different rating, and I wanted a clean sweep. As it is, Before and After Science is probably my second favourite of his albums after Another Green World, with his best rock work, and more interesting ambient work than Music for Airports

Typically great Eno stuff. The first half of the album is perhaps a little stronger than the second, but the whole thing is enjoyable. Strong four, close to a five.

Brian Eno just is always very fun to listen to

I'm not an Eno fan, but, it's fine I guess.

3 - The two songs that I regularly listen to from this album are pretty strong tracks, and they ended carrying the album for me. That's not to say that the remaining tracks are bad, because I remember liking some of them, but I'll probably only ever come back to those two songs.

ScIeNcE rUlEs Alrighty I got the two Roxy Musics featuring him, and Bush of Ghosts, and Warm Jets, and the Airport one & Green World. I even listened to his collab with Lanois, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, of my own volition, and *loved* it. The exciting thing: I still have no idea what I'm getting into here- such is the guy’s creative restlessness. At first I thought “Here He Comes” was just Eno’s take on yacht rock, but the modern-sounding guitar and harmonies elevated it on a subsequent listen. Holay there are some beautiful moments in this ("By this River") This may come on top for solo Eno releases for me. In the past, his rock-y tracks took a back seat to the ambient ones, but here I didn't really have a preference between the two. HL: “Spider and I”, “By This River”, “King’s Lead Hat”, “Backwater”, “Here He Comes”, "No One Receiving" November 14, 2024

At first was soft Punk then ambient. Not the best

Good disco era beat. Kinda liked it

1.25

Nice album. Mostly relaxing and songs being sung which isn't your normal Eno album.

I feel like I'm missing a bit of the context here. I'm familiar with Brian Eno, which maybe makes me give it the time of day more than if it were an unknown artist. Still, though some songs were pretty decent, others were not. The erratic genre changing resulted in a poor flow, particularly in the first half. Latter half was a bit better though. 2.5*

Ethereal

Plätschert im Hintergrund so dahin...

I liked the 70s art pop vibe, got a bit boring at the end

Brian Eno seems to be maybe the most prolific musician in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die List. His name seems to come up a hell of a lot. I did enjoy this album, but it would be a stretch to say that it was amazing or that I feel it will stick with me. It was certainly interesting and a little odd, which is what I’ve come to expect, and I can appreciate how genre defying he is between albums. This album though, I’d say it’s fine.

This felt like a Saturday morning album. A little abstract but poppy

esta wea vale un poco de cornets

Pop experimental. Ni fu ni fa.

Art rock, art pop, avant-pop, experimental pop. Un 4 por las últimas canciones, son más tranquilas, relajantes y preciosas.

I seriously thought this was the talking heads album from yesterday. And then remembered that album was yesterday and that David Byrne worked with Eno at some point. There has to be a talking heads connection here. I really dig this album. I can’t believe this is from 1977. It sounds more like the 80s. Now I get my people gush over Eno. What a record.

Fav: King’s Lead Hat Least Fav: Kurt’s Rejoinder Ok I can see why Brian Eno is a big deal

Has some highs

Much prefer the ambient second half

Interesting and weird in the best possible way. Further investigation required

It was okay, but cool that it was in the 70s, sounds a lot more recent

Wasn't sure at first, but I ended really enjoying the cinematic feel of this album. Will definitely check out more of Eno's work

Brian Eno is one of a kind, isn't he? The music on Before and After Science is so beautiful. This album is definitely experimental, but it isn't so experimental that it's unrelatable. Sometimes songs are lively rock and pop numbers, but some songs are unexpectedly tender songs. Though Eno's next album was pure electronic ambiance, I hear hints of that here. I enjoyed the creative song titles, too. 3.5

Maybe it's the day I'm reviewing this that has me in a particular gloomy mood, or maybe I really didn't vibe with this, but yeah. Sorry, Brian Eno. I can appreciate your musical lean but this didn't really grab me.

I went into this one with some trepidation but you know what? This Eno guy may have something here.

There are moments here that are plain goofy, a few tracks that fall just this side of slick - but when it gets to side two and Eno fully embraces a sound that points towards ambient - well, that's when I start to toss around words like 'beautiful' and 'transcendent'. One of these cuts sounds like early Devo, which is cool.

A strange mixture of songs, not sure what genre this album falls under, but I weirdly liked it. Was a overall pleasant listening experience

2.5 atmospheric

Better than the other one!

I think I have to sit down and listen to this more carefully. When I'm paying attention, I like it, but I tuning out, and next thing I know 5 tracks have gone by. So, I guess I'll give it 3 stars. I feel like it'll end up being a 4 after a few more listens, though.

I was ready to hate this as much as (or more than) I've hated everything else Brian Eno was involved. But dammit if this one wasn't actually good!

I like Eno, he has done great sound engineering for some of my favs like Bowie, this album was a bit slow tho.

I love Brian Eno, first album I’ve heard of his with his vocals so that was really interesting.

A really great album! I can see a ton of influence it had on future bands (Talking Heads and LCD in particular). May need to review more old Eno. 4.5/5

wow - I expected ambient - 4.5 stars

Love Eno and listen to his ambient stuff mire. This sounds like a good quality talking heads esq sound. A bit too many references to sausages, but enjoyable none the less

Cross between Talking Heads & Devo then his Mellow stuff.

This repetitive music with random warblings over the top is fine in small doses

its been so long since i last heard either eno's art rock records or bowie's berlin trilogy that i cant rly make meaningful comparisons and thus am more or less missing the two most obvious anchoring points here. that being said, it turned out not to be necessary...the cumulative effect of this album is absolutely magical and moving and even medicinal. winding up a tense storm of anxious jittery proto-talking heads thats as synesthetically and melodically satisfying as anything, and then all the tension is unwound perfectly on the gorgeous and moving back half for maximum catharsis. the unsung hero of the whole thing is the beautiful Here He Comes, which bridges the two halves and helps create an effect that doesnt hit u all at once but takes u in one step at a time, prolonging the feeling of unwinding and making the whole thing feel like a Whole instead of two halves. eno is probably among the most intuitive thinkers in all of music...every left field sound and stylistic switch-up feels absolutely inevitable. a lil bit in awe of this

Some great songs, some meh songs, 3/5 overall

My first experience with Brian Eno (other than albums he's produced for other artists). Some of the first tracks in the first half were enjoyable and I can see how they influenced other people like The Talking Heads, and I also liked the style of the lyrics. The second half leans more towards ambient music and it's the part of the album I enjoyed the most, there are parts of it that are quite moving. Favorite songs: No One Receiving, Backwater, King's Lead Hat, Here He Comes, Julia With, By This River, Spider and I Would I listen to it again? Definitely, I enjoyed this first listen and I feel like going more in depth with this album. 9/10

Words cannot describe how much I love Brian Eno and his music. Not only did the man cultivate an entirely unique sound in the '70s, but he's widely considered a forefather of one of my favorite music genres, ambient. I've always enjoyed the precursor to this album 'Another Green World' for that exact reason with its bold fusions of art rock and slow transition into pure ambient in its second half. This album however ditches most of those ambient sounds in favor of these lyrically cryptic and kooky art rock tracks. Admittedly this "regression" in sound turned me off this record initially, but 'Before and After Science' has done nothing but grow on me in the past few years. It even grew on me just a liiiitle bit more with this most recent listen. This album, like many of Eno's works, is beyond life itself. It doesn't feel of this planet. The percussion is so wayward, the songs violently shift in tone and atmosphere blasting you into these textured environments that may very well re-structure your brain matter or what have you and give you a new-found perspective on life. And no, I'm definitely not exaggerating! The song 'Backwater' is the grooviest thing here and is unabashedly catchy - and I have no idea what it's even about! 'King's Lead Hat', an anagram for "Talking Heads", is another catchy highlight that sounds a bit too much like David Byrne and company on the 1980 Eno-produced 'Remain in Light'...another absolute classic. I love the cacophonous and glitchy keyboard sounds that send this track off - that particular portion does not sound like something from '87...let alone '77. The best song here has to be 'By This River', but god it's so sad. I almost hate listening to it because it makes me picture the happiest place I can ever be in only to realize, usually once the song is over, that I'll never get there, as this painting is too perfect to manifest in this miserable world. And that humming at the end always gets me. I mentioned Eno sort of strays from the ambient sounds of his previous record here but a song like 'Through Hollow Lands' is one of his greatest ambient works and I love the way it seamlessly fades out and then into the closer 'Spider and I'. I don't know what it is about this closer but the image of Eno and his little spider friend sailing away paired with those towering synth waves moves me like very few songs do - IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. God, I love this album. Eno's '70s works in general reignite this child-like wonder and sense of hope within me. And this is not even Eno's best...in fact, I'd go as far as to say there are two of his albums that are better than this - if you can even believe that.

I don’t like Roxy Music I find weird ambient stuff very tiresome So imagine my surprise to discover how much I liked this

Ok 2/5

Vähiten lempparit: laulut 1-5 Lempparit: kaikki sen jälkeen

I thought the first half of this album was fantastic! King's Lead Hat was a really good song that I enjoyed. I thought the second half was still decent but I wasn't feeling the slower pace as much. Overall I enjoyed this album. Not sure if I will come back to the whole thing, but there are definitely songs I will.be listening to again. Another album I wouldn't have known about with this list.

I dont hate brian eno, but this album just isnt great. It drags on and on and never has a high or low point. Its like listening to static or a truck engine. 1/5

I thought this album was better than ok, but wasn't completely sold until the last 4 tracks that it really hit me. I'm not sure it would have normally but it's been an incredibly hectic day and from Julie With onwards I just felt the stress melt away. I listened again later and the first half of the album is actually pretty good, I just wasn't in the mood for it earlier.

Brian Eno is a genius, but Brian Eno is also weird as fuck when he's making solo music. Not a fun listen.

С одной стороны в этом всём уже слышится то, что засияет далее в его сольной карьере, буквально через год. С другой стороны это всё еще вот эта "берлинская" музыка - доступная и понятная, но будто бы из будущего. Лучшая песня - Here He Comes.

En mycket svag tvåa bara för att jag är snäll.

I should’ve known I was in for something different than what I’d normally expect from Eno when I saw the ‘art rock’ tag. And that’s exactly what he delivers here. Not to discount the few instrumental tracks on here, Eno delivers an album that falls into line into the niche (but still widely circulated) genre of whimsical, silly British songs. Something I’m not a fan of at the best of times. In these whimsical ditties, Eno feels strangely at home - yet not fully grounded in that these songs leave a lot to be desired, with the exception of the brilliantly-delivered King’s Lead Hat. An interesting listen considering I’d only heard Eno’s ambient albums before this, and I’m certainly glad that that’s what he stuck to.

Etwas langweilig aber grundsätzlich nicht schlecht

Good stuff but not as interesting as Eno's other albums which had that special experimental character without being too much. Compared to those, this album sounds just a bit too standard.

I love me an early Ol’ Sourpuss album.

One side of post-punk gems, quite incredibly released at a time when punk itself was barely just born + one side of very "ambient" songs, soothing and evocative = an absolute masterpiece. There is not a single dud in that wonderful record, which sees Eno using his singer-songwriter chops one last time before embarking on his 100% instrumental adventures for the next thirty years or so. The middle section of the album (rocker "King's Lead Hat", ballad "Here He Comes", and the two slow and gently minimalistic cuts that follow, "Julie With..." and "By This River") truly reaches iconic heights. Yet each track before and after said section, either with vocals or instrumentals, shines with its own muted, poetic light. *Before And After Science" is very much a swan song for Brian Eno. And what a swan song it is. Number of albums left to review: 51 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 409 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 238 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 303

Kind of dull. 2/5

Nicht meine Richtung

This was ok, but nothing that I'd ever want to actively listen to again.

I'm quite impressed by this. Musically it's very interesting, and it has a great mood running throughout it. Some of it is quite unusual, but always accomplished. The melodies are still really nice. It just stands out as something quite unique to my mind. I like how it tails off towards the end, going more lo-fi and chill, with those cool sci-fi synths. Surprised and quite delighted with this one.

broke: bach, brahms, beethoven // bespoke: byrne, bowie, brianeno

shines brightest in the second half when he leans into the ambient stuff - which makes sense being Brian Eno. i think a full album of that would be a 4 but i was indifferent for most of the first half so we’ll go high 3

didnt quite finish. generally a vibe.

I had me a well deserved smoke after a long drive while listening to this one. I sat in my backyard watching the cemetery behind, thinking about how ill be the same one day. The trees round me started staring as I realized that nature will last far longer than I. The rocks and trees don't feel like we do, but maybe they are just as alive. They come into existence and have a purpose that is always fulfilled one way or another. They evolve, take different forms. Leaning on my wooden fence I thought about the young sapling it once was. I could for a moment feel it breath under the weight of my arm. Looking down, I wonder if the dirt knows it's alive. If it were, would it ponder the significance of its own life and be satisfied? I think it would be glad to watch everything evolve: live, grow, prosper, die. If dirt could think, it would be closer to God than we are.

I kind of drifted out of this one, it was very calming. Need to revist when I'm more focused

all hail eno

My god enough eno already

Before and After Science, "No One Receiving" is straight up before and after LCD Soundsystem. Give me that 70s Eno who looked into the future and brought back songs that stand the test of time. Not every Eno track shines on this album like some of his others but there are plenty of delights to be had; e.g. "By This River" is a gem.

Ne znam kaj bi reko... meni je on užasna hipsterija... pokušavao sam ga slušati nekoliko puta, ali svaki put bih zaspao... Respect za originalnost, ali bolji mi je kao producent drugim bandovima... Prvi dio albuma zvuči ko neki Talking Headsi sa ali expressa, samo što njegov glas je dosadan i bezličan... na albumu su svirali svi živi, Fripp, Collins, Liebezeit itd. i dalje album kojeg vjerojatno neću dirati nikada... Drugi dio je njegova Klasična ambijentala koja me nikad nije emotivno doticala, radije se držim Tangerine Dreama i Klausa... Nadje se koja okej pjesma koja mi je ok, ali ništa više od toga... niti jedna stvar mi nije pravi hit... Preslušao album 2 puta... 4/10

Dosta kul, pogotovo uz kontekst albuma. Nisam ovo čula nikad prije i s te strane mi je zanimljivo, ali moram priznati da mi čisto po guštu nije pretjerano odgovarao album, osim nekoliko stvari pri kraju, koje zapravo nagovještavaju opus po kojem je on poznat. Svejedno, za ovaj album mogu razumjeti zašto je završio tu i rispekt, iako mi možda nije 100% legao. Sad već standardno - ocjena 3 (ili 6).

8/10 Uff right up my alley. Album nije cista desetka jer imaju neki dijelovi koji mi nisu bas top, ali u globalu, ovaj album je bas po mom ukusu. Pjesma King's Lead Hat je anagram, ako ga ne prepoznajete, kliknite na wikipedia link ispod albuma. Tu cete isto naci popis ljudi koji je radio na ovom albumu, a popis je stvarno impresivan, ovo je prakticki super group kind of deal. Pogotovo na B strani se cuje koliko Eno cesto odlazi u njemacku i druzi s narkomanskim kupusarima :D B strana mi je, kakvog li cuda, draza i zvuci mi puno bolje. Generalno volim ove albume gdje je aranzman bogat, zvukova koliko hoces, a glazba me jednostavno vodi. Mogao bih tripati na ovo sam u sobi s lava lampom i imati smijesak na licu. Generalno mi Eno ima i boljih albuma, meni osobito dragi su albumi s Cluster i Harmonia bendovima. Ne znam zasto, moguce zato sam dosta vremena proveo sam i high as a kite pa mi odgovaraju ti albumi koji te vode na putovanja. By This River mi je najbolja traka s albuma. Jednostavno me dirne tamo negdje. Jao popracena s ove dvije trake na kraju, kao da sam usao u ambijentalnu crkvu. Bit ce na kraju cetvorka, cuvam peticu za albume koji me bas sto posto izuju iz cipela.

7/10 Dosta zanimljiv album, definitivno me potaknuo da nastavim uskoro dalje po Enovoj diskografiji. Svidja mi se kako je album podijeljen na Before i After, gdje mi osobno prvi dio djeluje puno zanimljivije. Posebno mi se isticu Energy Foold The Magician od laganijh te King's Lead Hat (Fripp je samo bonus ovdje), koja mi je najdraza s albuma. Malo su me razaocarale krace i laganije stvari s After dijela, koje mi nisu toliko sjele, cak ni nakon drugog slusanja ali zato mi je bass Percy Jonesa (svirao i u Brand X sa Phil Collinsom) jedan od highlighta, pogotovo u E.F.T.M. Skroz solidno i odlican start za zaronit dalje u njegove albume.

I really like this. I know how important Eno is, and it’s easy to understand why - not only based on this album. But there is so much on here, that I can hear has inspired other musicians

Wow, I really enjoyed this. The non-ambient stuff reminds me a lot of Talking Heads.

Sits somewhere between Talking Heads style New Wave/post-punk, King Crimson prog, the glam of Roxy Music and Bowie, and the spaced out trippy textural ambience of krautrock. Loads of amazing synth tones, propulsive rhythms, gentle melody. There's a mix of high-energy stuff and some very patient, languid, verging on ambient stuff. Favorites: Here he comes, King's Lead Hat, No One Receiving, By the River

Отлично! Моя музыка!

Interesting but not really for me. 3

Not very interesting to me.

I think I like Eno better when he's producing for other artists. There just wasn't much here that captured my attention.

I liked this one much more than other Eno albums.

Meh. Probably suffering from too much Eno.

Eno's last rock album before his complete move to ambient and production. This was actually the first Brian Eno album I ever heard bandits good but doesn't blow me away like some of his other work, the songś are good and the album is probably worth a listen but there's a few Eno albums that are better already on the list so it's not essential.

Standout Track- No One Recieving

Not as good as another green world

3.4 stars rounded down.

Is eno real?

Do you DEEPLY like ambient soothing music? I wonder how many do? A little discovery for me. The transitional album (so calming). In context, this musical easter egg isn't going to do it for most people. Its obscure even for here. And I nearly gave up on it, before realising Side B is on an amazing - unexpected - five tracks that morph as an intro to his new style of Ambient music (and his whole next album).. His ambient work, for me, goes beyond a mere “5”. So, by tiny joyful coincidence, to get past the rock bit and “skip to the good stuff”, start at track 6 . a nice experience if you love his Ambient and are likely to recognise some signature elements. It's like going back to watch the lost pilot of your favourite tv series. Or you *could* skip his kind introduction to his new style over 5 tracks, and simply jump ahead to his next album. You want have had the transition. And so, for those of you, really DEEPLY interested, we’re going back. To hear a genius do something for the first time, and for me it “worked”... Set aside a full 25 mins; as ‘set and setting’ is needed for this album to do its work.Skip to tracks 6-10. the first emergence of ENO’s ambient. And he takes you gently in. Side B (track 6: “Here He Comes”) after the jumble of side A this is different for its musical coherence; all floral , pastoral and calm; and settles you right down. Let it take you there. Tracks 7-10: he deepens and softens and almost drops all vocals; the transition into delightful droning AMBIENT. Like a psychic massage table. He goes right past ‘New Age music’ - then his new magic keyboard is introduced as the vehicle for meditative, almost astral transport. [We’ll hear heaps of it on “Ambient 1 Music for airports”, on his next album]. [edit or side note: if you are NOT interest in curious like transition or ‘missing link’ albums, I totally get it, I wasn’t either, so for a FULL taste of a basically perfect ambient album, listen instead to Brian Eno’s NEXT album which is “ambient 1: music for airports” which is ultra soothing calming musical meditation and sounds like it was made in 2010 or 2020 but is from 1978. I know. Genius. And I need to say, there is no better album for listening to when jet lagged, commuting for work utterly exhausted on long haul, or even in bed sick needing music that will be as soothing as a warm bath. I don't know where to go after it, as he has produced so much. I need a curator to help] Ambient 1: is also music for sleeping. And why its so treasured. And not played at parties or on the radio. Thank you Mr Eno.

I love a lot of Eno's 70s output up to and including My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, technically from 1981. I love it when he is still producing material with enough connection to pop music that I can understand the form (and possibly even dance to it) but weird enough to be surprising. Much of his later work is overly conceptual, and by the time it has devolved into generative music, I'm bored and over it. According to wikipedia, they recorded over 100 songs during the sessions for this album. This is a testament to the benefits of good editing (I'm looking at you, Robert Pollard - just because you hit 'record' and captured random sounds on tape, doesn't mean you have to release it). Before and After Science is an absolute classic for me. Proper songs, but with a fresh approach to sound that makes them pop through as something both familiar and different. Some tracks are surprisingly funky ("No One Receiving", "Kurt's Rejoinder"), and often catchy ("Backwater", "King's Lead Hat"). It's a smart album and conceptually driven, but he still understands that you need to feel the music in your gut. It's got to work at that level. Side 1 is uptempo and energetic, and side 2 is more open and emotional. Both sides have their secret pleasures. I've listened to this often over the past 40 years, I confess I did not initially get it, but once I did, I always hear something different and exciting when I listen to it.

Experimental and ethereal. I feel like Eno does his best work with others, but his solo work is cool.

I quite liked it. Some songs were rather silly, but that made for a fun time.

As per usual with Brian Eno - interesting stuff but not always in a good way

To artsy and jangly for me.

Not the Eno I'm used to hearing, because I've mostly listened to the ambient music he also made. But this was a pleasant surprise.

this was pretty good...the first half of the album reminded me a bit of early john cale/talking heads but less groovy in the sense that it was like...pretty goofy? in an incongruous way that grated on me a bit. i liked the second half of the album a lot more. his 'serious' lyrics are really very beautiful. fav tracks: king's lead hat, julie with..., by this river [absolute knockout song]

I reeeeally enjoyed this. The descent from the more energetic songs at the beginning into the meditative ones at the end was really impressive; I feel like I didn't notice a jarring shift while listening and then all the sudden I was at the last song and listening to something completely different from where I started. By This River is probably one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard also. Fav tracks: No One Receiving, By This River

Bedre end den der hed noget med airports

Virkelig lækkert til tider, bliver måske også til tider lidt for formløst

Lyder fint og alt sådan noget.. det er bare lidt kedeligt. Man kan ikke benægte hans indflydelse, for vi har allerede haft vildt mange plader med Eno som producer.

At first I got Kraftwerk vibes, and towards the end I got Pink Floyd vibes. I like the album and will listen again, but not sure I love it. I'd give it a 3.5 but will bump up to a 4 because it was good background music for working.

4 stars simply for.. Kings Lead Hat = Talking Head Kinda blew my mind

I'm getting close to the end & getting verklempt but I need to say Brian Eno is probably my biggest take away from the generator. I knew the name but only peripherally & fuck he made a lot of cool music. Solo & obviously all the collabs like I just had no idea how much shit he had his hand in. Bravo Brian Eno!

I like this, I like the production The only issue is that it feels like 2 different albums that don't go together. Good but not perfect

This contained a fair old whack of filler, and two of the most extraordinarily beautiful songs I've ever heard in my whole life - Here He Comes and By This River. Honestly, I've listened to Here He Comes about eight times and just want to cry. It feels like those are the jumping off point for his move into ambient, while the rest are more obvious homages to Bowie and Talking Heads etc, only done less well. I'm so glad to have heard this, even if it doesn't get a super high mark.

The A side of this is really great. I love the energy and there's some really great instrumentation and playing. The B side really slows things down though and I didn't like it quite as much. If A is a 4.5 and B is a 3, then it's like a 3.75 overall.

Was worried this would be ambient Eno, but it's more like Talking Heads, which I enjoy. Overall though, it wasn't super memorable to me. I'd give it another listen though. 3.25/5

I like the instrumental tracks the most... some of the lyrics were a bit silly

Good album with some catchy tunes. Like the 60s/70s rock sound.

Um...OK. Two Brian Eno albums in a row? I don't know if we needed two of them from his rock era. If you like Warm Jets, you'll like this a lot, too. Same formula -- crazy production, slightly weird tunes, some catchy hooks here and there. But I don't think this would warrant inclusion over his later ambient stuff. (Of course, watch me pull Music for Airports next...) Unexpected bangers: Energy Fools the Magician, No One Receiving, By This River.

A very nice collection of music. Thought it was going to be weird, perhaps to some it is. I thought the music was quite haunting. Perhaps a little samey but that didn't detract from the enjoyment of the album. Remember Eno from the days of Roxy Music when he always looked like the weird one 🤣. Very chilled out and relaxing collection. Worth a listen

Good album. Melodramatic with pop forward melodies. Kinda like the cure meets talking heads.

Had a hard time getting into this one, unfortunately not great.