John White / Gavin Bryars - "Machine Music" Vinyl, LP, Album, UK, 1978/1976 (Obscure Records)

Although no one will mistake Brian Eno as precisely as a pop star, yet, he is in a sense, but of course with that something extra, which is his interest in Experimental or new music.  In the mid-70s Eno started a record label, Obscure Records, to focus on modern music composers, most of them are British, and very much in Eno's social and music world.   One interesting album (of many fascinating titles) is  the John White and Gavin Bryars album "Machine Music."  

White is by design a minimalist composer, but I find labels too limiting and not very accurate in the sounds one hears.   On side one he has four pieces.  The opening cut is "Autumn Countdown Machine" which is a playful series of notes between a Bassoon, Double Bass, and Tuba that has a sound of various percussion instruments and a metronome underlining the main instrumentation.  To me, I can tell it's British because of its character.  It's a funny piece, but beautiful as well.  Perhaps it's that dynamics that gives this work such character.  "Son of Gothic Cord" is a piano piece played by White and Christopher Hobbs.  It reminds me of a bit of a Steve Reich piano work, but usually, his music is based on another culture, this I think is more numeral orientated or with a strict system in place.  It has an echo that fills the room. One thought but with four hands.  "Jew's Harp Machine" is sort of a super session with White, Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, and Christopher Hobbs (the Obscure house band!) all playing Jew's Harp, in a rhythmic fashion that has echo and delay (at least to my ears).  "Drinking and Hooting Machine" is a bottle blowing composition and it's eerie, and I can imagine this being heard over a rural countryside, with nothing but owls looking down on the musicians.  

On side two we have one composition by Gavin Bryars which is all guitars.  Played by Bryars, the great Derek Bailey, the amazing Fred Frith, and professional beginner Brian Eno, called "The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge."  A riff that reminds me a bit of White's first composition on the other side "Autumn Countdown Machine."   Four types of guitars that have separate and distinctive sounds that has a beautiful layered aural presence.  Not The Ventures or The Shadows mind you, but still a fresh piece of music.   

Obscure Records had only eight or nine releases but all of them are real gems, and it's excellent to re-hear them in 2019.   Eno should be applauded for presenting new music in such a fashion that's enticing and thrilling at the same time. 

Gavin Bryars ‎– "The Sinking Of The Titanic" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1978 (Obscure)

Probably the most 'reflective' album in my collection.  'The Sinking of the Titanic" is an aural documentary composed by the British composer Gavin Bryars.  The Titanic is such an iconic incident, that it has no meaning for me until I heard this album.   Extremely sad, and very moving, and basically one is living through the experience of a ship sinking, where one can hear traces of the ship's band playing as it disappears into the sea.   Also, there is a faint voice in the mix, that is a person who survived the Titanic's sinking. Which gives the whole record a sense of hope and beauty, even though it's heading toward the entrance of death. 

Side two is another composition by Bryars "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet" that starts off with a recording a loop of a man singing a hymn with additional instrumentation added on as the piece progresses to a large orchestration.   For me, the work has an educational value that it seems to be a textbook study on arranging and how important that craft is to a music piece.  It's a pretty melody, but "The Sinking of the Titanic" is such a 'wow' piece of work, that makes it hard for me to turn the record over right away to hear "Jesus Blood.."   As a package, it's two albums in one disc.  

Speaking which, I can't overemphasize how important the label Obscure was when one purchased them in the 1970s.   Started by Brian Eno, it was a label devoted to experimental British composers, but of all sorts.   One can think of it as a school, but it covered a lot of musical ground within its limited releases at the time.  For me, in the late 1970s, it was a great introduction to new music being made in England, and it's one of the great projects that Eno brought to this world. 

Portsmouth Sinfonia - "Plays the Popular Classics" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1974 (Columbia)

I pity the poor vinyl seeker who picks up this album in the hopes that it's a typical collection of classical music pieces by some obscure Symphony.  On the other hand, it is a wonderful re-discovery of the classical pop hits, done by an orchestra that is not entirely sufficient in their instrumentation. Nevertheless part of the enjoyment of the journey I think is the motif of the Portsmouth Sinfonia.  It's not entirely off-kilter because one can recognize the works here.  

British composer Gavin Bryars started the orchestra, and not sure if it was done so for the purpose of going back to his roots, but I suspect to explore the music in a different light.  There is a Fluxus flavor to the concept of having an orchestra who can't play their instruments (properly) and performing classics by composers like Beethoven, Bach, Bizet, Holst, and others.   At first hearing, I took it as a joke, but I don't think that's the purpose here.  The selection of pieces they do on the album is very popular.  The average listener who may not know classical music, I would have imagined heard the compositions in their home or on the TV or some other medium.  The arrangements are close to the music sheet (as far as I know), but it's the skills of each musician that makes this album unique. 

In ways, an orchestra is a study of civilization at work where everyone has a role to play for the betterment of the composed work as well as the overall orchestrational sound.  The Portsmouth Sinfonia is chaos working as a group. It's a society that is struggling to make sounds that are actual music.  This is not an eccentric's work, but more of a statement on politics and culture and how one sees their role in the "orchestra."   Brian Eno produced this album and is one of the musicians in the orchestra.  He plays Clarinet, and Byars play the cello.  His original instrument I think is stand-up bass.