Sunday 9 August 2009

-E-n-o-

Brian Eno
Here Come the Warm Jets - 1973



01. Needles in the Camel's Eye
02. The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch
03. Baby's on Fire
04. Cindy Tells Me
05. Driving Me Backwards
06. On Some Faraway Beach
07. Blank Frank
08. Dead Finks Don't Talk
09. Some of Them Are Old
10. Here Come the Warm Jets


An excellent record, probably my favourite of Eno's art rock, roxy music style solo works. This review from allmusic sums it up:
"Eno's solo debut, Here Come the Warm Jets, is a spirited, experimental collection of unabashed pop songs on which Eno mostly reprises his Roxy Music role as "sound manipulator," taking the lead vocals but leaving much of the instrumental work to various studio cohorts (including ex-Roxy mates Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay, plus Robert Fripp and others). Eno's compositions are quirky, whimsical, and catchy, his lyrics bizarre and often free-associative, with a decidedly dark bent in their humor ("Baby's on Fire," "Dead Finks Don't Talk"). Yet the album wouldn't sound nearly as manic as it does without Eno's wildly unpredictable sound processing; he coaxes otherworldly noises and textures from the treated guitars and keyboards, layering them in complex arrangements or bouncing them off one another in a weird cacophony. Avant-garde yet very accessible, Here Come the Warm Jets still sounds exciting, forward-looking, and densely detailed, revealing more intricacies with every play".

I will get round to writing my own reviews (eventually) but this one says it better than I probably could anyhow. This is a great example of Eno's early solo work as are his next two records, "Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)"(1974) and "Another Green World" (1975) and "Before and After Science" (1977) which are all essential Eno material. He moved away from this style of music to instrumental, ambient records which over the years Eno has cemented his place as one of the most creative and talented musicians and producers of the last 50 years.

You can download it from here

But please buy this album and others.

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