Brian Peter George St. John Le Baptiste De La Salle (aka Eno) embarked on a varied and
adventurous solo career after he fell out with Bryan Ferry and left Roxy Music for greener
pastures - and he found them, especially with this album. Eno has summoned the talents
of lots of famous (at least in the prog world) musicians from Phil Collins to Fred Frith, and
even some from the Krautrock scene. The result is just amazing - Side 1 of the record is
the more 'pop' oriented side which kicks off with 'No-one Receiving', a funky, avante-pop
number with Percy Jones' bubbling Bass playing and PhilCo on the drums, ex- Pink Fairies
and Hawkwind's Paul Rudolph also plays Bass and Rhythm Guitar, and Eno creates unusual
sounds throughout as only he can do and his voice is polite and enjoyable. 'Backwater' is a
sort of boogie type track with Can's Jaki Liebezeit on drums and Rudolph again on Bass - a
slightly weaker track. 'Kurt's Rejoinder' is a fast paced number with interesting Bass
playing. 'Energy Fools the Magician' is an ambient textured song with Percy Jones'
revolutionary Fretless Bass playing. Eno's choice of sounds are unique and original, always
are. 'King's Lead Hat' (which actually is an anagram of Talking Heads, whose David Byrne
worked with Eno on the percussive 'My Life in a Bush of Ghosts') is an up-tempo poppy
song with that experimental edge. The tracks on side 2 veer towards ambient
soundscapes and dreamy atmospheres, starting with the care-free, playful 'Here He
Comes' which is simple and effective, catchy and mellow, no-one could dislike this track.
Now for an all-time favourite Eno track 'Julie With...' a most beautiful, tranquil and serene
tune with liquid Bass sounds, floaty keyboards, almost mournful guitar playing and Eno's
mild-mannered vocals sung to perfection. Intoxicating. 'By This River' features Roedelius
and Moebius (German duo Cluster) and is another soft tune, with a simple progression,
beautiful lyrics..."you talk to me, as if from a distance, and I reply with impressions chosen
from another time..." totally magic. "Through Hollow Lands' is ambient and mysterious,
slow and blissful. Last track 'Spider and I' sounds almost symphonic with majestic poly-
synth sounds and accessible melody. 4.5 stars.
Worthy of note ; Shirley Williams, who is credited with Time and Brush Timbales is a
pseudonym for Robert Wyatt.
Tom Ozric |4/5 |
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