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Brian Eno:
Original Masters (soundtrack works selection)
Brian Enos name gets tossed around in music critic circles more than hacky sacks gets kicked around at Bonnaroo. Yet, many people remain sort of oblivious to his actual recordings. Maybe thats because his recorded output is one of the most confusing discographies in modern music to keep track of, and where on earth is the best place to start with this guy, anyways? I guess producing The Joshua Tree, one of the most influential albums in the history of mainstream rock music can overshadow the contributions of your solo output. Oh, and you could mention his co-production of David Bowies Low and easily argue that he had a crucial role in creating the most influential album in the post-punk canon as well. Or you could just remember him as the exiled prince of glam-rock after his early role in Roxy Music. No wonder people forget his crucial activity producing lesser-known indie classics like Remain In Light by The Talking Heads, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! by Devo, and even Laid by James. Oh wait, I was going to talk about his solo albums, wasnt I? Well, right after Brian got kicked out of Roxy Music in 1973, he did two or three fantastic albums in the glam rock vein that gradually became more and more experimental. Those albums are crucial. Here Come the Warm Jets is a glam-rock masterpiece, appropriately milked by the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack a few years ago. Then came Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy). Another brilliant release; you may have heard the standout track Third Uncle covered by Bauhaus as the double A-side to their version of Ziggy Stardust. Another Green World points Brian in the direction in which his solo work is most often remembered. That is: atmospheric ambient tracks without vocals. A few vocal tracks still pop up on Another Green World, but by the time Music for Films arrived, the lyrics were ditched, and Brian let his subtle electronic moodscapes speak for themselves. Ignoring his collaborations with John Cale, Harold Budd, David Byrne, his brother Roger Eno, and Robert Fripp (which are also worth investigating, however) we can begin to pigeonhole his solo output as continuing in the instrumental arena, oddly enough, until 2005s recent release of Another Day On Earth. Are you still with me here? Good. Soon after Music for Films patented electronic ambient, the unbelievably good Ambient 1: Music For Airpoprts was released in 1978. The 80s saw more ambient releases like Ambient 4: On Land, More Music For Films, Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks, Thursday Afternoon, and Music For Films III. Which brings us to the Brian Eno slipcase re-release campaign that probably confuses the hell out of any record shoppers that stumble into his section in the music store. And I suppose this CD here is a result of this campaign. Original Masters (soundtrack works selection) has seven songs on it, from four of Brians ambient albums. Certainly, it is a sampler, not an attempt at any sort of justified compilation. The albums used on this sampler are Music For Films, More Music For Films, Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks, and Thursday Afternoon. Why was Ambient 1: Music For Airports skipped? God only knows. Perhaps its reputation has it still secured as a decent seller, while Im sure More Music for Films probably isnt jumping off the shelves. So, Brians early vocal albums and Ambient 1: Music for Airports are the best starting points; but that doesnt mean the four albums represented on Original Masters (soundtrack works selection) arent worth acquiring as well. Two Rapid Formations is a great ambient track off Music for Films. Dark Waters makes me want to hunt down More Music for Films, because it has a nice melancholy feel to it. Only after leaving the music for films albums do we actually get Brians most famous music for a film, Deep Blue Day off of Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks. This was of course used in Trainspotting more than a decade later during the toilet bowl scene. The light feeling of novelty with which this song is now associated contrasts harshly with the genius of the alien moods frequently conjured up on the Apollo album. In fact, Id rate Apollo as high as any of Brian Enos releases, and Id willingly suggest it to anyone with functioning eardrums. The final selection is a twelve-minute edit of Thursday Afternoon, convenient if only because it whittles down the 62-minute original into something a bit easier to sample. The track seems to move at a far slower pace, and I doubt that the full version is capable of the brilliant mood shifts I hear on Apollo. All and all, I cant overstate how glad I am to own the ambient Brian Eno albums that I have. His music opens your mind and relaxes you, leaving plenty of space in your brain for sleep, reading, conversation, or introspective thought. Maybe this is a good place to start discovering some of Enos work.
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