David Sylvian & Holger Czukay - "Plight & Premonition Flux & Mutability" Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Reissue, 2018 (Grönland Records)

David Sylvian and Holger Czukay became good friends when Czukay helped Sylvian on his first solo album "Forbidden Trees," which by the way is an excellent album.   Around that time, Czukay invited Sylvian to come to his studio in Germany, where he recorded and played with his previous band Can.  They made two albums together "Plight & Premonition" and "Flux & Mutability."  Both albums are now reissued on vinyl in one beautiful package, courtesy of Grönland Records, who have been reissuing a lot of Czukay's recorded work. 

On the surface, first, listen one thinks of the David Bowie instrumental sides from "Low" and "Heroes."  They border on the ambient side, but there is something textural that is not precisely like wallpaper music.   The same goes for the Sylvian and Czukay pieces.  Also, these four pieces on the album are improvised works, and I'm not sure how to improvise the Bowie tracks were.  Nevertheless, these primarily instrumental works (with some borrowed voices deep in the mix) are very much in the aesthetic and sound of the Sylvian and Czukay world.  Their relationship is perfect for making music.  To my ears, Sylvian is attracted to third world or Asian melodies, and Czukay has his ears tuned into the European 20th-century classic mode.  There are traces of western orchestration that comes and goes in the mix, and it is indeed a world where the band Japan meets Can.

My favorite cut is "Mutability" which has a lot of guitars, with various pedals/effects.  It's a majestic piece of music.  The music is mellow, but one is never sure how things will play out in the music.  For instance, at the beginning of "Plight," there's a sound of either a voice or a bird screeching that is startling to the listener.  It reminds me of the famous film cut in Orson Welles'  "Citizen Kane" where a parrot shows up suddenly with a loud screech.   A superb collection of two albums, with a beautiful essay by David Toop.  

Fripp & Eno - "(No Pussyfooting)" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1973 (Editions EG)

The Roxy Music empire just kept on giving in 1973.  Two brilliant Roxy albums, a fascinating Bryan Ferry solo, and then a Phil Manzanera solo, and then the Eno explosion.  Being a consumer that year was very expensive and incredibly fun.  I remember the feeling that everything was possible, and music will go to explore new avenues and landscapes.  But of course, with make-up!

Robert Fripp, the guitarist, and the brains behind King Crimson, and Eno (before Brian) made the ultimate bedroom music album.  A tape recorder (or two) and guitar with effects.  The music drew the listener into an abstract world of aural pleasure.  No vocals, but a sound that had no beginning or no end.  "The Heavenly Music Corporation" was not a shocking piece of music, because I suspected that Eno will eventually come to this point with his music.  What is fascinating is that the music is not made by spiritualists (well, not Eno) but with the physical world of pleasure and desire.  Eno's later recordings deal with the ambient landscape, but this is more of music that transform your world and to be engaged with it as well. 

At the same time, it's the ultimate guitar album.  Just as important as Jimi Hendrix or surf music.  Also of great interest to me is the album cover and packaging.  The mirrored room is not one of meditation but to follow your glaze to one's inner world.  Which I suspect by the playing cards on the table is a lot of fun. 

Brian Eno - "The Ship" vinyl, LP, Album (Warp Records)

It seems I have spent my adult life with Brian Eno.  I have been buying albums from this artist over the years - some are masterpieces, some are OK, some are not-so-OK, and some that leave me just scratching my head.   In a nutshell, one of my favorite noisemakers.   Eno is not a genius, but he's smart, and his approach to throwing in the musical avant-garde ideas into the rock n' roll mix is brilliant.  Like any artist that has decades of work behind them, they falter here and there.  In my opinion, his recent works have regained his edge, which I thought he lost.  But alas, Eno is back!

"The Ship" is an exquisite almost ambient piece of music with vocals altered by electronics.  It's murky with the sound of a ship going down in the ocean.  It reminds me of Gavin Bryars' great piece of music "The Sinking of the Titanic" which in theory is relative to this work.  Eno was the first to record the Bryars piece for his Obscure record label.  What's interesting is that Eno mostly has made music for institutions, airports - but places that don't have a strong identity, and are neutral landscapes.  This album makes me think of location or place that is very specific in mind.  It's a ship that is sinking or lost.  You can't find this on a map, but one has a picture of it in their mind.   It's a lonely and sad album.   It ends up with some sort of light by his version of Lou Reed's (through his band The Velvet Underground) "I'm Set Free."  

The other key ingredient on the album is the use of strings.  I don't recall Eno ever using a string section, except for the b-side of his album "Discreet Music."   I would like to hear more recordings from him using orchestration. I think it's an area that he can explore more depth and sound textures.   On vinyl, it's a double album, and the essence of the work needs to be listened to from the beginning to the end.  There is a narrative that is in place, but not a story.  Just a mood that you need to experience in a format that doesn't jump around.  The emotional punch of the Lou Reed song is not strong if you don't play the other part of the recording first.  It is very much a composition.    Great.  

Brian Eno - "Reflection" (Warp Records)

I thnk most of us who have been familiar with Eno's work, can tell what this album is just by its title "Reflection."  Clearly, this is an ambient 50-minute piece of music that doesn't stand out from the other ambient works by Eno.   Still, I have been playing this album (by streaming) every day since it has been released on January 1, 2017.  Considering that we are heading towards unknown and scary territory this year, it seems a nice gentle way of easing into the new mood of the world.  

First of all, this album is available on various streaming platforms as well as CD and vinyl.  The vinyl is a double album, which means one has to change the record every 20 something minutes, which is perfectly fine, but I wonder if it works for this album.  I think it is the type of recording that one just pushes a button and forgets about time. I subscribe to Apple Music, which I use as a radio, or when I'm curious to hear new music. "Reflection" works best when it is not interrupted by the changing of the sides.  The flow here is necessary, and this recording is made for the CD and streaming format.  The one thing I don't know if the music sounds better on the vinyl format.  Nevertheless, I use this music to block out the outside world, especially when I'm writing.

One can also take a very satisfying nap to this album.  I tried it on the second of January - and the length and the soothing sounds is a perfect gateway to the dream world.  Yesterday, I went to the Echo Park library to do work, and the music does it magic in that context as well.   The big question is this better than the other Eno ambient works?   I think the album does its work, and comparing it to other works by Eno is almost a trivial task.   "Reflection" is what it is.  A bridge between the waking life and into the dream world of one's thoughts and feelings.   It's only essential if you need a sound, and "Reflection" works well in that sense.  Eno's "Discreet Music" is a masterpiece, and "Reflection" is just pretty good and does it job well.  

Brian Eno - "Music For Films" CD

Brian Eno - Music For Films

CD Album, Remastered, UK, Europe & U.S., 2005

Virgin

An interesting concept that this album was made in thought to be soundtracks to films that are imaginary or doesn’t exist.  Eventually over time Producers have used this music, but the original concept is music that is for film, but alas it is only music.   

This is a good but not great album, but I suspect that a lot of the tracks were recorded during Eno’s masterpiece Another Green World but somehow didn’t make it to the final record.  I am not sure about this, and I’m totally guessing - but when I hear this album that is the first thought that comes to my mind. 

Brian Eno - "1: Instrumental" 3 x CD Box Set, UK

Brian Eno - 1: Instrumental

3 x CD, Compilation Box Set, UK, 1993

Virgin

The completest that is in my DNA core needs this box set of instrumental cuts from Eno.  Even though I have some strong doubts about his instrumental work in the long run.  Discreet Music and the instrumental parts of Another Green World are masterpieces, but everyone has their peaks and valleys, and although Eno’s work in general is very successful with the music world, I find it a tad conservative. 

It is hard to criticize his work, because it is alway well-made and brilliantly played, but I find the concept or thinking behind the pieces not that strong or consistent.  Although not spoken, and perhaps this is totally from my perspective, I just don’t think he is challenging himself in the long run.  Which is a weird thought when you look at his career on a piece of paper or computer screen, but the first two Roxy albums, and of course the first four solo albums were such a great force, almost a kick in the stomach feeling - where things can never be the same anymore.   But alas, Eno has been dishing out the same material at least in style for a long time now.  There is no doubt that he is border-line genius and often hysterical in his work as well in interviews, but as an avant-garde artist he’s not out there like Christian Marclay or Rutherford Chang and I think someone in his field of interest should be really cutting-edge.  

Of course as an artist he should listen to his inner-voice, but as a listener I am often disappointed with the later results.   Especially the signs of his brilliance from the first Roxy Music to the Obscure record label releases, and now he produces Coldplay…

But still, this instrumental box set which came out in 1993 is an impressive package.   If you are a hardcore Eno fan you would need to own this. 

Brian Eno - "Discreet Music" Vinyl LP

Brian Eno - Discreet Music

Vinyl LP, Album, Reissue, U.S. 1983 (Originally released 1975)

Editions EG (Obscure)

Discreet Music I imagine was a life changer for Brian Eno.  One gets the impression that he was saying goodbye to the ‘pop’ world with Another Green World.  As legend has it the ‘ah ha’ moment happened when Eno was ill and recovering in bed, and friend Judy Nylon brought him an LP of ancient music of some sort.  One of the stereo speakers went out and Eno was too ill to get out of bed to fix it, so he was forced to hear it in this particular situation.  This, inspired him to do Discreet Music, which is one of the great beauties out of the ambient music world.  

I use the music to write by, especially if I need to concentrate on the page, and having difficultly doing so.  It just creeps inside my head, but it doesn’t stop me from the thinking process while writing. I’m the type of writer that needs music while writing, and this album is without a doubt the top three titles to allow me space to do what I have to do on the page. 

There is a melody that floats over the electronics, and one can even hum it if they wished.  But it is best when it is sort of there, but you can’t define it.  Erik Satie invented ‘furniture music’ and Discreet Music (the title says it all) follows the great French eccentric’s point-of-view with respect how music can serve a location or place in mind.   Side two is another favorite of mine, where Eno goes after Pachelbel’s Canon and does his magic over it.  

One time i had the  entire Obscure record label collection, that was curated and owned by Eno.  Looking back this was a very important label, because it not only introduced new composers to the world as well as the standards (John  Cage) but also connected to the pop music world at the time.  Alas, something for me to look for again.  First love is sometimes the best love.