50 - Brian Eno - Another Green World - 1975

Side One
Sky Saw
Over Fire Island
St Elmo's Fire
In Dark Trees
The Big Ship
I'll Come Running
Another Green World

Side Two
Sombre Reptiles
Little Fishes
Golden Hours
Becalmed
Zawinul/Lava
Everything Merges With the Night
Spirits Drifting


DISCOVERY; I went from a small circle (John, Paul, George & Ringo) to another small circle of David Bowie and Brian Eno and associated guitar players. Other artists were finding their way into the collection but the top of the pile were anything these two were involved with. The upper echelon to be perfectly pretentious, preposterously pretentious, prodigiously pretentious! And that sums up what I thought of this album fairly precisely. He ditched the glam thing and retreated up his own backside, leaving the loyal fan of the two previous albums bewildered but also slightly intrigued. No, I didn't like it. I thought it was a dreadful bore. Side two was like music for fuzzy kittens and knitting groups. First impressions can be very cruel. This being the music of the gods I was compelled to listen again. I soon discovered the album had hidden depths. Well I'm exaggerating a little. I am prone to exaggeration. Exasperating exaggeration... 

WHERE & WHEN; Seriously, I was extremely disappointed, only halfway liked a couple of tracks, didn't understand what he was trying to do. What was the point of it? 1975 was turning into a lack-lustre year as far as I was concerned. The writing on the wall. All of the bands/artists I liked had peaked and there would be nothing to look forward to from this point on. I was prodigiously pessimistic (sorry). Even the art prints included with the album weren't very rock n roll. They were nice. Too nice for my walls! I stored them away safely in the eventuality I would come to my senses. I never did though. I think I still have them so there is still a chance...

FURTHER NOTE; So Another Green World is a work of genius and I've played the album about half a million times. That doesn't mean I like it! I can say this though. When all the world is chaos, here's an album that quietly provides a wealth of musical ideas with uncanny emotional resonance. A picture in sound and a very human one surprisingly.

HIGHLIGHTS; Sky Saw - Over Fire Island - St Elmo's Fire -  I'll Come Running - Sombre Reptiles

STATUS; Must Have