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Track Listings
| 1. No One Receiving |
| 2. Backwater |
| 3. Kurt's Rejoinder |
| 4. Energy Fools The Magician |
| 5. King's Lead Hat |
| 6. Here He Comes |
| 7. Julie With |
| 8. By This River |
| 9. Through Hollow Lands |
| 10. Spider And I |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. D. B. Sillars
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
The last of the current batch of Original Master re-issues and his last song based album for some time. After this it was ambient and systems based music. Eno was now a different person to that which left Roxy Music. Gone were the feathers, make-up and flamboyance. Eno was now Brian Eno.
Though "Before and After Science" is hugely overshadowed by the originality and cultural importance of "Another Green World", it is an album I personally prefer. From the metallic funk of "No One Receiving" to the simple childlike joy of "Spider and I". Personal favourites are the hazy, languid "Julie With...." where Eno transports us to a floating raft, silently drifting across a calm ocean with the hot sun beating down. In fact water is a recurring theme throughout. The single "King's Lead Hat" was originally to be performed by Talking Heads, which the title is an anagram of, but that didn't materialise. Still the song is sharp, incisive and punky and culminates in one of the best instrumental solos ever.
Though this was to be his last song based album for some time, Eno was now entering his most influential phase as ambient guru, sought after producer, Bowie collaborator, systems theorist and installation artist. His mark on the development of modern pop music is widespread and these early albums clearly demonstrate what an original Brian Eno is.
A couple of comments about these re-issues. They are minimally packaged in digipaks which are housed in transparent plastic slip cases. No notes, essays or lyrics, just the original recording credits. Although I do miss the beautiful Peter Schmidt prints which were included with the original album and were integral to it. It would have been nice to see them reproduced somehow.
... Read more ›7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Christopher Hunter
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
I always think 'Before and After Science' is overlooked in the canon of Eno's pre-ambient works. You can see the cogs working on this record as the first half moves between great catchy pop/roack songs with a touch of thrash thrown in with the anagramatic salute to Talking Heads in 'Kings Lead Hat' and the odd off-funk of 'Kurts Rejoinder'. The worlds of 'Another Green World' and 'Taking Tiger Mountain' meet on this record.
The second side (as was) is where the first signs of the early 80's conversion to ambience can be heard. Still within recognisable song frames but pushing at the boundary of atmosphere versus structure. 'Here He Comes' and 'Julie With..' are gorgeous tracks.
This is an interesting record. I think it shows more of Eno's coming conversion than 'Another Green World'. Well worth purchasing.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I first bought the LP of this album back in 1978, my friends and I went on holiday on the Norfolk Broads and I played this album every day for two weeks, the calm of the broads was a perfect setting for 'By this River', 'Julie with..' & 'Hollow Lands' and the rest of the album complimented those tracks. I think that 'By this River' is possibly one of the most relaxing 'modern' songs ever and I rate it along side Erik Satie's 'Gymnopedies No.1' for its calming influence. Enjoy this album, it is a great introduction to his, soon to follow, ambient albums and don't forget his work with Harold BuddThe PearlThe Pavilion of Dreams.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I picked up this up on vinyl in Barnardo's when I was 13, thinking I'd bought something ambient. Music for Airports was in the process of fundamentally changing my life and this had me scratching my head. I used it to piss off my younger brother who found the rhythm section and backward-effect vocals of the opening track plain disturbing. Backwater sounded like a Butlins singalong at the time. It didn't stop the kids in school handing me C-90s for a copy.
20 odd years on and as it shuffles it's way onto the ipod now and again, the inventiveness, diversity and boundarylessness is still overwhelming. Paul Morley described this as one of the best rock albums ever made and he was bang on. I never ever tire of it. Perhaps I should burn a copy for my brother, see what he makes of it now.
20 odd years on and as it shuffles it's way onto the ipod now and again, the inventiveness, diversity and boundarylessness is still overwhelming. Paul Morley described this as one of the best rock albums ever made and he was bang on. I never ever tire of it. Perhaps I should burn a copy for my brother, see what he makes of it now.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The word genius is bandied about with wild abandon with regards to all the arts, but is especially prevalent in music. Very few people and especially musicians are geniuses. When it comes to Brian Eno however, there can be no argument. Brian Eno is a genius.
I was lucky enough to discover Brian Eno early in my music collecting days although I actually was drawn to his ambient work first. Gob smacked by his numerous EG Editions albums I investigated his "normal albums "and bought them all in a mad rush. And although all are superb, Before and After Science is the best, Enos penchant for exotic instrumentation and unique textures and rhythms allied to a forensic ear for melody was never better demonstrated than on this album.
"Kurts Rejoinder" and "No One Receiving" are fractured and funky with belching bass lines rubbing up against skewed keyboards. "Backwater" is a cerebral pop monolith. It's bizarre tongue twisting lyrical witticisms ("There was a Senator from Ecuador who came upon a meteor that crashed on a hill in the south of Peru. / and was found by a Conquistador who took to the Emperor and he passed on to a Turkish Guru") set to an infectious stomping piano and Metropolis soundtrack keyboards. Instrumental "Energy Fools the Magician" delights in bass that bubbles like a tar pit, splintered shards of keyboard noise over more luxuriant swathes of keyboard sound. "Kings Lead Hat" is all brilliantine guitars, pop from a tangent with a punk sneer. Enos hurried vocals, almost tripping over themselves in a rush to be free.
The second half of the album is more sedate, awash (This is apt given the predominance water has in these songs) with gentle lapping waves of sound and moderate smooth vocals.... Read more ›
I was lucky enough to discover Brian Eno early in my music collecting days although I actually was drawn to his ambient work first. Gob smacked by his numerous EG Editions albums I investigated his "normal albums "and bought them all in a mad rush. And although all are superb, Before and After Science is the best, Enos penchant for exotic instrumentation and unique textures and rhythms allied to a forensic ear for melody was never better demonstrated than on this album.
"Kurts Rejoinder" and "No One Receiving" are fractured and funky with belching bass lines rubbing up against skewed keyboards. "Backwater" is a cerebral pop monolith. It's bizarre tongue twisting lyrical witticisms ("There was a Senator from Ecuador who came upon a meteor that crashed on a hill in the south of Peru. / and was found by a Conquistador who took to the Emperor and he passed on to a Turkish Guru") set to an infectious stomping piano and Metropolis soundtrack keyboards. Instrumental "Energy Fools the Magician" delights in bass that bubbles like a tar pit, splintered shards of keyboard noise over more luxuriant swathes of keyboard sound. "Kings Lead Hat" is all brilliantine guitars, pop from a tangent with a punk sneer. Enos hurried vocals, almost tripping over themselves in a rush to be free.
The second half of the album is more sedate, awash (This is apt given the predominance water has in these songs) with gentle lapping waves of sound and moderate smooth vocals.... Read more ›
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A classic Eno album
I already own this album on vinyl,but as I never play my old records I wanted it on CD. Eno still sounds fresh after all these years.
Published 5 months ago by J Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big Bald Bri
We all must love big, bald Bri. I spent a year living in Suffolk and spent most weekends wandering around Woodbridge hoping to bump into him. Read more
Published 8 months ago by W. L. Mccartney-bulmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of Brian Eno
For those of you that actually remember far enough back - I originally bought this on vinyl - it came with four watercolour repros. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. P. A. Busby
5.0 out of 5 stars
25 years on ...
... I rediscover this album (after buying it on vinyl in the late 80s). It is enchanting - tuneful, mysterious, funny, downright strange. Absolutely beguiling.
Published 12 months ago by fraxinus
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great album
I must confess to coming to Eno's vast solo catalogue a little late. I've always loved his stuff with Bowie and others and wanted to investigate more but there's only so many hours... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Number 6
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great remaster
nice sound enhances the original somehow softer in tone
perhaps needed some liner notes otherwise no qualms about quality and value for money
perhaps needed some liner notes otherwise no qualms about quality and value for money
Published 21 months ago by Mr. R. Liddle
5.0 out of 5 stars
A prescient vision of a bleak future
Brian Eno, ex-keyboardist of Roxy Music, is one of the most influential figures in rock music having single-handedly changed the course of its trajectory on at least three... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2010 by Daniel Margrain
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brian at his best
After reading all the other reviewers intellectual drivel I thought I would just say that if you have never heard a brian eno record then this is a great place to start. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2005
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