Another Green Whirly

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10

The Brian Eno hit machine strikes again! ... OK no hits, but he was too good for hits. This is where he finally starts experimenting with the ambient music. He tested those waters a bit in Taking Tiger Mountain, but he's now he's swimming over to the deep end. He delivers wholly experimental but enjoyable instrumental tracks. Notably, there's "In the Dark Trees," which brings us directly to a dark forest! The closing track "Spirits Drifting" also has a perfect song title!!

The album opener "Sky Saw" could possess the craziest instrumentation of them all --- you can tell (if it wasn't already obvious) that Eno was concocting some wild brews in the studio. Careful that you don't drink too quickly! "St. Elmo's Fire" is a similarly wild and weird track and nothing like you've probably heard before. That one's glorious, but not quite as glorious sounding as "The Big Ship," which'll just hit you over the head with a wooden plank.

"Becalmed" is a highlight among all these highlights. It's like getting transported to a different planet, and the laws of music operate differently. That one sounds like a more unique version of a Vangelis song... and Eno only needs four minutes to tell us the tale as opposed to Vangelis who normally takes much, much longer.

Eno's not quite read to go completely ambient, and he takes the opportunity to deliver a few poppier songs. "I'll Come Running" is quite hooky and fun!!! Though still interesting, there are a few tracks here that don't quite make it for me. The title track, notably, is just a fade-in and a fade-out of a relatively simple groove. This track didn't last long enough to really mean anything, and you wonder what the point of it was. There's a similar problem with "Sombre Reptiles." While the atmosphere is decidedly unique, there's not much to his instrumentation --- nothing particularly unique or exciting about it.

Nonetheless, these supposed low-lights are actually less significant highlights. This is the nature of Brian Eno in the '70s. Yes, I'm engaging in fan worship, but there's no reason to deny him of anything....... so I won't!!!!

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10 (Every Brian Eno album is a hit. This is not just art -- it's entertainment!)

Average Song Score: 9.0 (Much better and more entertaining than you'd think a song full of ambient tracks would be. Plus, most of them are about three minutes.)

Album Tilt: 9.0 (This album is nuts!!! But that's why we all listen to Brian Eno.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (Brian Eno writes the most vivid ambient music I've ever heard.)

Track Reviews

Sky Saw 10/10

And the ceremonies begin. It's characterized by a synthesizer that sounds like this 'sky saw.' Such a weird instrument, and it's more evidence of Eno's mad scientist studio innovations! Naturally, he doesn't forget to include a chord progression, a snappy drum beat and catchy bass guitar for good measure. Eno's style is to write weird music, but make it enjoyable to the listener. Cool idea. This is almost an instrumental, but there's a brief section containing vocals!

Over Fire Island 8/10

It begins with a funky, noodly bass guitar, and a snappy drum beat. But then Eno brings in those funny sound effects. These sound effects are strange --- maybe not so glorious like they were in "Sky Saw" or 'pointed' if you will. But this is also fun.

St. Elmo's Fire 10/10

"St. Elmo's Fire" is a big ole barrel of fun. It begins with an enormously strange, dissonant loop from a crazy piano. And then Eno starts singing --- so this is more of a song in the general vein of his previous tracks. The artistry is arguably even more distant than the previous two tracks only because there are no backing drums and bass guitar. But this is more glorious --- just the keyboard sounds and a few subtle clicks and bongo drums. The instrumentation is so good, though! The crazy solos fit the moment perfectly (someone e-mailed me with the information that it's Robert Fripp!) ---- these things are both freakishly weird and awesome. Eno had genius. Perfect genius.

In Dark Trees 9.5/10

Awesome! "In Dark Trees" does exactly what it sets out to do --- it puts me in the middle of a freaking forest. We hear woody taps in different spots (great to hear with headphones). His synthscape is absolutely unique --- so wonderfully ambient and enjoyable at it. Most ambient musician these days are absolutely boring. And I'll have you know that Eno even inserts a slight bit of an instrumental melody in here. It's not a complex one, but it's enough for me.

The Big Ship 9.5/10

"The Big Ship" is probably more ambient in the way that you're thinking. It's calming instead of threatening like "In the Dark Trees." Still, there's something unsettling about it. Eno's excellent chord progression here reminds me of good old Philip Glass who I love listening to so much. But Eno's instrumentation is phenomenal. It's pretty simple this time --- I nice tribal beat keeps the rhythm, and glorious synthesizers slowly build-up through it. It sounds like something that would be on an '80s film soundtrack except good. Just guess how influential Brian Eno was. This album came out in 1975.

I'll Come Running 9/10

It's back to Eno's enjoyable pop music in a similar vein of his two debut albums. The melody is simple, but catchy in the way all his songs are! The instrumentation isn't quite as interesting and wild as those previous ambient tracks, but I love his disjointed pop music every time I hear it.

Another Green World 8/10

It's always a good sign if I accuse an artist of not making a track long enough! Usually, (as in the case with these Madonna albums I've also been reviewing lately) it's the exact opposite. "Another Green World" falls under this. It's too dang short! Plus, the instrumentals aren't that great. Sure they're weird, but not in the glorious sense as in "Sky Saw" and "St. Elmo's Fire." He's going for some genuinely calming stuff here (with a very simple two-chord progression) and achieving it. The instrumentation consists of synthesizers that don't build up on each other like "The Big Ship" but rather it's a simple fade-in and fade-out. Hm... Somehow I feel cheated!

Sombre Reptiles 8/10

Another ambient track that's a little more trancey. Again, this seems to be more of a fade-in, fade-out thing, and Eno doesn't vary the instrumentation up within the track. Naturally, I like what he has here. The percussion instrumentation rings of World music a few years before inserting such things in electronica was popular. I hate to say: Nothing major to report here.

Little Fishes 8.5/10

Oh, here's something that's pretty awesome. "Little Fishes" sounds like Eno was writing music for a wind-up music box except someone accidentally dropped it, and it broke horribly. A few notes have been replaced with some hits. A few synthesizer keyboard have been replaced with some wobbly, watery notes. (That's appropriate for this rather watery subject matter!!!)

Golden Hours 9/10

This is longer than the previous two tracks combined, so it's excellent that he's using this as an opportunity to turn in another one of his weird pop songs. The hypnotic synthesizers sound like a more brilliant version of what all those synth-pop acts were doing in the '80s. The repetitive and simple chord progression is all that he needed!!! A few crazy instrumental solos give this one even more color --- as if that proto-synth-pop didn't do that enough!

Becalmed 10/10

A spooky old ambient song. A creepy piano plays while we hear some strange wind sound effects. Eno's very much for transporting us to different worlds in his music, and I feel like I'm on a different planet right now. This sounds like a Vangelis song (chord progression and everything) except it's only four minutes long!! Brilliantly calming...... My mind is soaking everything up.....

Zawinal/Lava 8.5/10

Slower than the previous track but perhaps more instrumentally involved. The instrumentation is wholly unique --- though not so "interesting" I guess. Though you'd certainly change your mind about that once you hear it progress. It starts with a creepy piano loop, and some really peculiar instruments slowly build up on that. Eno even inserts some old ghoulish screams in here --- For one very brief moment, you hear this thing explode. Like it just ripped through the dimensions!! This song is quite rare though not as readily enjoyable or internally consistent as most of these other tracks.

Everything Merges With the Night 8.5/10

I love this old ballad in which Eno sings!! At first, "Everything Merges With the Night" sounds less boring and uninvolved, but those echoing pianos are absolutely mesmerizing and hypnotizing. The vocal melody is quite nice and fairly rich for an Eno track here. This is another strange song --- strange and wonderful!!!!

Sprits Drifting 9/10

Ah, he saves one of the best ambient tracks for last. "Spirits Drifting" sounds exactly like the title says it does. Oh, so spooky. This isn't just a track full of ghoulish sounding synthesizers, but it also has a real chord progression consisting of dissonant chords! You'd almost wonder what this would sound like if the progression actually went somewhere, but then again I'm arguing something that generally doesn't matter here.... I'm wondering where all the ghoulish shrieks are, but I guess he wasn't going for something so obvious....

Everyone! Send me YOUR THOUGHTS about this freakingly awesome album heeeeeere!

slb23@shaw.ca (Simon B.) received Dec. 22, 2004

This is another Brian Eno record that my Uncle lent me that I taped - I finally got the CD about a year+1/2 ago. Many critics say this is his best album, but I'd say that his first four albums are all around the same rating score - either pretty damn good or excellent. (the songs I give slightly lower ratings I think are kind of repetitive - case in point, "Sombre Reptiles"). Note: the song you have titled as "Zawinful/Lava" is actually "Zawinul/Lava". Joe Zawinul was a member of Weather Report and also played with Miles Davis.
SONG RATINGS:
1. Sky Saw (8)
2. Over Fire Island (8)
3. St. Elmo's Fire (10)
4. In Dark Trees (8.5)
5. The Big Ship (8.5)
6. I'll Come Running (8.5)
7. Another Green World (7.5)
8. Sombre Reptiles (7.5)
9. Little Fishes (7)
10. Golden Hours (9.5)
11. Becalmed (10)
12. Zawinal/Lava (7.5)
13. Everything Merges With the Night (10)
14. Spririts Drifting (8)
Album Cover (8.5)
Total Album Rating: 127/150 (85%)

Don Ignacio responds: I guess that only goes to show that Zawinal is Wonderful. (Thanks for pointing that out. I corrected the mistake.)