BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE

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.