buffyleigh
4
I think it's the first solo album by Eno I have ever listened to. I knew that he did some ambient music while producing great records with other musicians, but that never really seemed interesting to me. Now I am curious what else is there to be discovered.
This was interesting. I mostly know Eno for his ambient work, and this album is more diverse (exploring more different genres). It's interesting also to hear how much ahead he is of his time: bits of the album sound like post-punk when it was just emerging. What makes its strength (the diversity) is also sometimes a weakness, and even though the album is pretty short, some parts sound not as interesting to me. Actually it could be only side B and I would be very happy (OK, we'd need to swap Energy Fools the Magician and Here He Comes). Side A is a 2.5 for me, side B a good 5.
Brian Eno is probably best known for his iconic ambient albums and his work with some of the biggest names in rock music as a producer over the last fifty years. However, his solo albums are not to be missed. He had an amazing set of collaborators for this album including Robert Fripp, Robert Wyatt and even Phil Colllins playing drums on a couple of tracks. Apparently over a hundred songs were recorded and whittled down to ten for the album over a two year period. The music is interesting and varied, with some funky stuff on the first side and more introspective pieces on side two, giving hints of the ambient material he was also working on at the same time, albeit in smaller chunks. I like this a lot, but on balance I still prefer the previous album Another Green World which is one of my all time favourites.
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.