34 - Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy) - 1974

Side One
Burning Airlines Give You So Much More
Back In Judy's Jungle
The Fat Lady Of Limbourg
Mother Whale Eyeless
The Great Pretender

Side Two
Third Uncle
Put A Straw Under Baby
The True Wheel
China My China
Taking Tiger Mountain


DISCOVERY; This one was an utter complete and total surprise. No idea had my little brain that my new favourite artist would put out another album so quickly. I was just looking through the E section and there it was! Can you imagine a time when a record store might only stock ONE copy of the new Brian Eno album? I know! Really hard to imagine. I was so ahead of the crowd... which begs the existential question, maybe we're all ahead of the crowd and don't even know it! So, it jumps into my greedy mitts and straight to the check-out 5 dollars cash! Didn't even look in The Beatles section and that's exactly the way it happened, 9:30 AM Zayre Shoppers City some time 1974.

WHERE & WHEN; I don't remember the first Eno album having much of an impact amongst my friends. Were they amazed by it? I don't recall. They might have been amazed that I was amazed. I do remember this one making more of an impression particularly with Mark. We listened, we analysed and he even figured out the weird chords in Third Uncle. There are only two but beyond me. This album filled me with a joie de vivre that is hard to explain. Songs like The Fat Lady Of Limbourg and The True Wheel, just in the right place at the right time. And then there's The Great Pretender. What a superb piece of art that was.

The idea is simple. Use the recording studio to create something unique which cannot be duplicated live. Create a piece of art which only lives when you play the album. The magic happens between the speakers of your stereo. A completely different magic to that of the stage. This is the album that made me want to make unique recordings.

HIGHLIGHTS; Burning Airlines Give You So Much More - Back in Judy's Jungle - The Fat Lady Of Limbourg - Mother Whale Eyeless - The Great Pretender - Third Uncle - The True Wheel - China My China

STATUS; Temporary mp3 copy, Must Have