Before And After Science

This started off so funky, but the singing/speaking was so weird. The last three tracks (By the river, through hollow lands, spider and I) were really pretty. Overall, pretty meh, but the last 3 tracks bumped this up to 4* for me.

Brian Eno is one of those names I've heard over and over again for years but I've never sat down and listened to his music. Clearly, that was a big oversight because this is a really fun album I can definitely see myself listening to again.

very nice

One of the best Brian Eno albums I’ve heard so far

Didn’t like or dislike this. I’m more of a fan of Eno’s ambient electronic stuff.

It’s OK but he’s better producing than making music.

The album that got me into Eno’s art rock side! Probably my favorite record in his solo catalogue. Feels like Richard Dawson (one of my favorite 2010s/20s songwriters) took a lot of inspiration from this record’s time traveling adventures. Excellent.

A Seriously boring album. 2 stars or D-.

I have never heard this Talking Heads album before. I like it enough to give it a 4, but I like Remain In Light and More Songs About Buildings And Food much more.

rico

#507 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Oh, how much of the 80's sound was on this Eno album, again I might add. His stuff was really groundgreaking, or rather copied from a lot, I think both might be equally true. Regarding the sound, 80's kind of ruined this sound for me, but I tried to give this album a fair change regardless. It feels a bit... uneven, as far as the music goes. I wouldn't call any of it my favourite, but some of the tracks resonated with me quite a lot, while some some almost seemed to fight me. I'd like to give it 4 but feel it's not that for me and 2 feels like I'm being dishonest, so a luke warm 3/5 it is, sadly.

achei o melhor do brian até agora, por ser mais rockzinho e tals. bacana.

Side 2!

I may have to give this album another listen. The first few songs sounded like music he performed with Roxy Music. Then for the rest of the album, the songs were more ambient. Those are the tracks that I need to pay more attention to.

2.5/5

It wasn't terrible! Just wasn't memorable

Pretty cool. Good voice, interesting tracks here and there.

Its ok...

can't remember anything of it

Better than the last one, but not really my thang.

I like Brian Eno's ambient music, his forays into David Byrne's world music library, and some of Roxy Music. This, I liked much less.

This was recommended to me a few months ago. I listened once, liked it, and loved Here He Comes. Then I forgot about it and probably had albums on this list to catch up on. Glad it showed up on this list. It expanded my already deep appreciation for Eno.

I liked this a lot. More so the uptempo tracks like King's Lead Hat than the slow fade of the last few, but even those were good.

5/5 - This really drew me in. Listened to it three times today. Can see the Talking Heads connection, and it tickles my audio brain.

I surely prefer the more avant-garde Eno. But, weirdly, I found the more rock-influenced first half of the album to be the more interesting here. The vocals really worked. The second half of the album . . . lingered a little too long.

Its just too much and not enough at the same time. We are trying to make a deep point but the music just gets confusing and doesn't go well together so I can't really pay attention to what he is saying. Its not unpleasant but just nothing that I can connect with. At times it feels really pedistrian and rudimentary so it just really loses its depth for me.

The description said this was his last rock album before his transition to ambient music, but half of this already feels like ambient music, so the album itself feels like it's transitioning. Which is kinda neat I guess, and there was some cool sound experimentation happening throughout. In the end though, I found it disjointed and boring and I didn't really understand it as a complete album.

I was previously familiar with Brian Eno but not this album. It's beautifully weird as only Brian Eno can be. The sounds are lush but the song structure is still more traditional than his ambient material. This was cool and deserves another listen. I would come back to it for sure.

somehow missed this eno album, but damn it is really good

music is love

Feels very experimental and sporadic. I did not enjoy the first song, the rhythm and structure gnawed at my ears. I also did not like the second song, for similar reasons. That being said, it was an improvement to the previous track. By the third song, I started to realise that this was how the entire album was going to be. Not good. Slightly scared, I kept going. Only to be mildly confused by the next song. Was it better than the previous songs? Yes. But was it enjoyable? No. Moving on to King's Lead Hat, the change of tempo and style almost gave me whiplash. An album doesn't have to be completely cohesive, but Brian Eno's approach definitely pushes boundaries. Maybe those boundaries were there for a reason, though. Still, this song was my favourite of the album. After that, I lost track, but what I do remember is not liking it.

Oh weird, the guy who has produced a bunch of music I love and has otherwise been an influence on a lot of things I enjoy has good non-ambient solo albums, who could have seen this one coming? Very into the first half because it reminded me of his future collaborations with Byrne and Talking Heads (not just because of the song name), and then in turn very into the second half because once you ease into it, it’s a more lush openly-emotional spin of his incoming ambient work. All in all, feels so much like an album where you’re going back to find an origin or a turning point so it feels bold and new but also comforting in impact.

The experiment failed

Some interesting ideas on here, but at no point did I feel like it was a necessary album to hear.

Check out the new ENO documentary its pretty cool.

A very interesting transition from his early art rock work to his more well known ambient pieces. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 5. Imagine if you will, two little spiders. They’re looking up at the sky. They can’t hear anything. Their purpose, for that night, is to produce a web so they can try to catch one fly. And yet, when they sleep in the morning, whether they’ve successfully caught that fly or not, they dream of something bigger. They dream of a ship, sailing a thousand miles away. Imagine if you will, that very ship. There are two people there, looking up at the sky. They can’t hear anything. Nobody’s passing it. Nobody can see it. Nobody’s picking up on its radio signals. They’re left to wonder if they’ll ever be seen again, or if time will leave them all alone to be forgotten. And yet, somewhere out there in the world, are two little spiders that can see them so vividly in their dreams. Brian Eno manages to make a world driven by ambition on this album. It’s got every side to that ambition. Some people totally lack that ambition & find themselves stuck in a bored rut. Some people lose their ambitions & find themselves only able to live in the past. Some people’s ambition is through pledging themselves to a religion that may never pay off. It’s a fascinating look at the world, while also managing to mix in some of Brian’s eccentricities to represent his own ambition – there’s a song that anagrams to “Talking Heads” that makes no sense, a song driven by the sounds of his vocals as a driving force, and a pair of instrumentals that feel like medieval noir & a walk through a barren wasteland. It seems like even the title itself references ambition, seemingly referring to the world before & after science. I think it’s a little fair to say that for most people, we’ve gotten so comfortable with the world at large that it’s hard to find the spark to keep innovating. And yet, somewhere out there in the world, are two little spiders that have that spark just to catch a single fly. It’s something we need to keep. It’s a miracle that Brian Eno managed to get that out of my brain, but I think scaling it down so effectively in the last track really framed the entire album for me. It feels like a perspective we all need. It also helps that it’s so nice on the ears to listen to. It’s 40 minutes that explore ambition in a way that I happened to really enjoy, and I’m so very glad it’s here as our final solo Brian Eno album on the list. I think it’s a 5, and frankly, a bit higher.

No m gusta

Brian Eno. Enough said.

He should never sing, his voice is weak and watery. The music is overindulgent at best, boring at worst.

It’s good to see him playing his ideas out. It was as varied and interesting as I would expect if not to the level of the bands he produced.

Excellent. Another album that rewards you if you stick with it. Music for Airports was my first, and for a long time- only, exposure to Eno. Roxy Music was hit/miss for me, but I enjoyed this album.

It was OK. Brian Eno has a very specific sound, and this deviates from that, but was more generic than his typical sound.

Something I never heard before. Surprisingly good and you can also hear the future of his music. But an essential album? Not sure about that.

Interesting to hear his influence on Talking Heads or their influence on him.

Interesting to hear new wave, not what I expected from Brian Eno

Trippy; sometimes electronic, sometimes folk. Lots of interesting noted [and unnoted] features. A cool listen!

I'm pretty familiar with Brian Eno’s breadth of style, from his glam rock days to his soaring ambient compositions, but I’m new to this album. It’s interesting to get a glimpse of his work right on the threshold between those two forms of expression, coinciding with his production work for Bowie. Frankly, that work is more powerful, but this album had some pleasant surprises, at moments evoking the Grateful Dead or Ringo Starr.

What a cool find! Brian Eno is an Ambient/Electronic Guru. Adding a bit of rock and roll flair to it makes it all the better (most of the time). This album is so Floydian and I think that's what I like about it. Favorite Tracks: "Here He Comes" and "Through Hollow Lands"

Good background noise

I've somehow skipped Brian eno for the whole of my life, not what I expected. Not horrendous

NO! NO MORE BRIAN ENO! SHIT!

Im stunned I scored it this high. But its a well balanced album

Can't really discredit any of the work he did. He's a genius and the genius is on display here. It kind of just feels like one of his many 70's albums here. It's good enough but doesn't really stand out to me. The novelty of this Synth driven experimental Pop was already a bit less in the late 70's. Can't say I was all that wowed by it this time around.

You learn something new every day: today I learned that I've been mixing up the names 'Brian Eno' and 'Brian Setzer' for a long time lol. I was confused when the album started because it didn't sound like I expected, then realized Brian Eno is a completely different person who didn't have his own "orchestra". Despite my mix up, I liked this a lot. I enjoyed the variety of songs and found it to be a pleasant and fun listen. I'm going to look into more Brian Eno.

Interesting as I had never listened to Brian Eno. Nice start to a long day in London

First time listen. Loved it.

I just had an Eno album a week ago. I'm kind of bummed to get another one so soon. Notably, this album is more ambient and calming than the other album I had. However, it's not any better, though the vocals are less grating. The songs tend to lack hooks, unlike the ones on his more poppy debut that I had earlier. It is interesting, but not enough to make it a properly great album. This album is ranked #22 of 27 albums for 1977. Other 1977 albums rated by me: Rumours(1/27)-5 Exodus(2/27)-4 The Stranger(3/27)-4 Out of the Blue(4/27)-3 "Heroes"(5/27)-3 Lust for Life(6/27)-4 Talking Heads '77(8/27)-4 Low(9/27)-3 Marquee Moon(11/27)-4 Aja(12/27)-3 Zombie(13/27)-4 Bat Out of Hell(15/27)-4 My Aim Is True(16/27)-2 Peter Gabriel(17/27)-3 The Idiot(18/27)-3

I liked the very peaceful songs, but some of the other ones were kind of boring.

Worse than the Beatles and worse than the Talking Heads. Don't really get this one.

Eh. Had some good songs, some were boring. I could hear his influence on Bowie for sure tho!

Really enjoyed the ambiant songs on this album

And for today's "final album," we have my last Brian Eno album of the list! I've gotten to understand Eno's talents pretty well with all of the albums he's involved with on the list, and I've got to say that his talent is absolutely remarkable. Whether he's producing for a different artist or working on his own material, you can trust that Brian Eno's work is going to be ahead of its time and exciting to listen to in one way or another. When it comes to Eno's own albums, I'd say that Before and After Science is one of the better ones I've heard! It's not quite as good as Another Green World, but I think this one might be my second favorite. Granted, it does take a lot of cues from Another Green World, but you know what they say. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Before and After Science does something pretty interesting, where the first half is mostly filled with bouncier art rock tracks, while the second half is on the more ambient side. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either side, though I do find the second half to be more appealing personally, with songs like "Spider and I" and especially "By This River" being some of the best on the album. The first half's got some fun songs though, with "King's Lead Hat" being the best of the bunch, though that song totally cheats by having a Robert Fripp guitar solo. Eno's voice is more present here than on Another Green World, and I think that might be the biggest reason why I don't enjoy this one quite as much as that album. Brian Eno's voice isn't bad, but it's not particularly strong either. It works well enough, but it doesn't go beyond that. Other than that one issue, Before and After Science is a really cool album. It's kinda the best of both worlds when it comes to Eno's rock side and his ambient side. I could totally see this being someone's favorite album of his. But as for me, it'll go at number 2 on my tentative Brian Eno album ranking. Great stuff. High 4/5.

una canción wena. ahora pude saber su procedencia.

This has a very Talking Heads vibe, and I dig it. Not quite as organized or refined, perhaps, but still enjoyed.

Sparky, punny, urgent - music pointing to the future

#451 The first half of this album, and particularly the first track have a Talking Heads vibe. I immediately checked the year of release to see where this falls vs his time working with Talking Heads and was slightly surprised to learn it was 1977, the same year as their debut. He certainly had a big influence on Talking Heads and notably across some of their best albums but clearly Talking Heads had an influence on him too since he named a track King’s Lead Hat (an anagram of Talking Heads). The second half of the album is much slower and reflective, which I found enjoyable but it drifts quite far from that quirky and anxious energy that sets it up. Spider and I rewards patience, and the right mood, and closes the album perfectly I debated between 3 and 4 stars and ultimately landed at the latter, probably helped by a 2nd listen which was mostly due to being forced to listen to it in a few parts first time round and I needed a more focused listen. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): No One Receiving; Spider and I Rating: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nice contrast between the rhythmic songs and the softer textures. Really interesting sound.

Pre-listening: sounds interesting but no idea who this is. Best: No One Recieving Runner-up: Kurt’s Rejoinder Third: Through Hollow Lands Post-listening: Started off with a bang! Wish the remainder of the album had been like that. Rating: 5/10 Stars: 3 Stars

Brian Eno always keeping it interesting… is it great? Not really but it’s cool and it feels fresh almost 50 years later.

Hmm, not sure about this one. Some lovely sounding songs with awful lyrics on it. There are some songs that really nail atmosphere ("Through Hollow Lands (For Harold Budd)") while the more 'popular' songs off this album I found myself not really enjoying ("King's Lead Hat.") So, I feel this album has left me a bit confused, but I know for sure the songs on here that nearly leans totally to the ambient side are pretty good; just the more traditional songs not so much. Highlight Song/s: "Here He Comes" and "Through Hollow Lands (For Harold Budd)"

I liked Ambient 1 more but still good

Bueno

A curious mix of rock tunes at the start and a more ambient second half - it doesn’t entirely hold together as an album but the parts still add up to a hefty sum.

BUAN!!!!! BRIAN ENO I LOVE YOIY!!!!!!! PLEASE MAKE MORE ALBUMS WITH DAVID BYRNE!!!!!!! I LOVE HIM TOO!!!!

🙂

Sometimes brilliant. Sometimes a bit boring honestly. But Eno is a genius at creating amazing soundscapes. 3.5/5 rounded to 4.

I think this is a very nice Eno album, but not the most 1001 essential. Here Come the Warm Jets is an opening statement. Another Green World is an expansive exploration of new things. The Ambient works are a distinctive pivot. This album is much safer than all those. But its still good. I really could melt into "Here He Comes". And "By This River" is so simple but just triggers something so emotive. Fave Tracks: No One Receiving, King's Lead Hat, Here He Comes, By This River 4.1/5

irgendwo zwischen nicht-mein-Geschmack, Twin Peaks Soundtrack, 2001 A Space Odissey und Fahrstuhlmusik?

Can just never get past how corny a lot of solo Eno sounds.

2.4. This got better as it went on, but nothing really stood out.

Interesting and about what I’d expect from a Brian Eno album.

Boo!!!

This album came out the same year as Low by David Bowie, an album I got generated a few days ago. Kinda cool that you can see these artists giving each other ideas and collaborating. I have a soft spot for these atmospheric albums. Only a couple of tracks on this album didn't do it for me. Sometimes very proto-Ween.

I don't know. Ok I guess?

Another that was alright I guess.

Quite enjoyed the it at the moment start but deteriorated over the course of the album

I kinda like this guy's music Will I listen to again: 95%

Not the biggest fan of the airports album, this was quite nice! 3/5

I just don’t like Brian Eno.

Hear He comes

Brian Eno and the rest of the Eno-sphere have already saturated this list to the point of maximum density. If Brian Eno were to collaborate with Elvis Costello and produce an album, a wormhole would open within this list and the universe would collapse into it.

Probably my favourite that I've heard of Brian Eno. Unsurprisingly pretty reminiscent of both Talking Heads and the Berlin Trilogy. A lot of these songs sound like they could have been on those albums, particularly the more atmospheric stuff Highlights: Energy Tools The Magician, Spider and I, King's Lead Hat

5 albums is way too many for any artist, the authors biased is screaming, however, this is the fist Brian Eno album to earn a 3

good listen

Why is Phil Collins everywhere. And what is this. Why is it in reverse. Why are we on a speeding train yelling. Like sure. Avant garde and ambient music. Sure. Why not. Just weird. What is this. At least it's short. Ok weird but not that bad. Hold on. Let him cook. Just funky as hell. Kinda Psycho Killers. Genuinely what is this. What tf is he saying. Bruh no one gaf about your melancholy instrumentals. Mid. Favourite: Backwater Least favourite: Kurt's Rejoinder

Very relaxing, would leave this on for sure

Didn't connect with this at all

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (narrowly) In my Emo phase? No, in my Eno phase bro. Love him so much, and I’ve been excited for this album to crop up. Though Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy still, so far, reigns supreme as my favorite pre-ambient Eno solo album (stipulation city), as far as individual songs go, “King’s Lead Hat” could be among my favorite solo Eno bops alongside “Needle in the Camel’s Eye,” “Baby’s On Fire,” and “Third Uncle.” Having only heard that song and the goofier, Bowie/Talking Heads-esque “No One Receiving” off of Before and After Science, I assumed these two songs were sort of opposite ends of the album’s spectrum, which I guess set me up to expect much more of a rocker. Turns out, these are both towards the higher end of the rockin’ spectrum, with “King’s Lead Hat” being far and away the jangliest this album gets. That’s fine, I guess—this is, after all, approaching his ambient era—but I do sort of mourn the idea of this album I had in my head. In reality, it’s a much more atmospheric, contemplative sound, though not without its hints of pop—I can’t help but wonder if one of my faves, Jim Noir, was emulating Before and After Science after hearing the mellower, rolling “Here He Comes” and “Spider and I.” Maybe I was just in the wrong mood for this sort of album—it doesn’t hit on a hot, stressed, and tired day like I’d like it to—but I can tell it’s good because my list of liked songs kept getting longer even though my general impression seemed unimpressed. “Backwater,” “Kurt’s Rejoinder,” “Energy Fools the Magician” (fantastic title btw), and “Julie With...” all stuck with me, and ”By the River” made a big impact on me despite being so slow. Today, this is dwindling above a 3.5, but I’m guessing subsequent listens will make this a bit higher. 1: Bad | 2: Below Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

Fun but eh