“CAPTAIN BILLY’S MAGIC 8 BALL” -BRIAN ENO FEATURING THE ALBUM “BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE” IN HIGH DEFINITION WITH THE CAPTAIN’S NARRATIVE – EPISODE # 68 -
THE CAPTAIN EXPLORES HIS COVE OF 8 TRACKS TREASURES FOR INSIGHT AND DELIGHT “COME FEEL THE NOISE”
BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE by Brian Eno (Island, 1978)
God bless Brian Eno. In a world where everything sounds like everything else, there are paltry few exceptions – however, there do exist some rare patches of illumination that remind us of other possibilities. Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno is just such a beacon. Several ground breaking musical rock n roll minds of the seventies -(Bowie, Iggy, David Byrne, among others) -enlisted his sage guidance, and having studied both painting and experimental music in college prepared Eno for not only thinking outside of the box, but for inventing a new box altogether.
After laboring for two years as the synth player in Roxy Music, Eno went on to blaze a path in sound design, collaborating at first with another outlier-genius, Robert Fripp in developing a ground breaking Tape Delay system, which, in turn, led to a number of original solo efforts – (this album, Before and After Science is one of those) – and then, even more significantly – creating a series of “Ambient Music” recordings, starting with Discreet Music in 1975. These startling works were a personal revelation, delivering me onto a wavelength from which I was able to glimpse the eternal. He coined the term “Ambient music” to describe this method of “modifying the listener’s perception of the surrounding environment”. But, please don’t call him a “techie.” This polymath eschews that label: “techies don’t listen to what they’re doing,” he demurs.
From there, there were a series of sound installations, for example at the Sydney Opera House, and many other projects too numerous to mention. I particularly like the zen-like OBLIQUE STRATEGIES, a deck of cards he created for blocked devisers with aphorisms inscribed to spur creative thinking.
Before and After Science represents a turning point in Eno’s evolution from conventional songsmith to creator of pure sound, and it is a compelling document, showcasing a crucial moment of development from one of our greatest artists.
Side One: 1. “No one receiving” 3:52 2. “Backwater” 3:43 3. “Kurt’s Rejoinder” 2:55 4. “Energy fools the Magician” (arranged by Percy Jones, Eno) 2:04 5. “King’s Lead Hat” 3:56
Side Two: 1. “Here he Comes” 5:38 2. “Julie with…” 6:19 3. “By this River” (Eno, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dieter Moebius) 3:03 4. “Through Hollow Lands” (for Harold Budd) (arranged by Fred Frith, Eno) 3:56 5. “Spider and I”
