BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE

When this album first appeared, Eno himself sounded rather dismissive about it. He seemed to think he had made a "Spielerei", a commercial album which turned out to be far too lightweight. Perhaps he thought his arty collaborations with Cluster or Robert Fripp were the real thing. But whatever he may have thought, BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE has endured, and it has clearly been enjoyed by several generations of listeners who also appreciate John Cale, David Sylvian or Berlin-era Bowie. Perfect dreamy melodies like "By this River" and "Spider and I" have appeared (to great effect) in movie soundtracks. On "Energy Fools the Magician" Eno borrowed half of Brand X and made superb use of those gifted solists. As for singalong ditties such as "Backwater" and "Here He Comes", well, they just make you feel good - the former because it's so jolly, the latter because it's beautifully melancholic.