Brian Eno: Another Green World

Brian Eno: Another Green World

1975

Island Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Sky Saw  2. Over Fire Island  3. St. Elmo's Fire  4. In Dark Trees  5. The Big Ship  6. I'll Come Running  7. Another Green World  8. Sombre Reptiles  9. Little Fishes  10. Golden Hours  11. Becalmed  12. Zawinul/Lava  13. Everything Merges with the Night  14. Spirits Drifting


This one took me a little more time to get into.  It's more subdued and a large amount of instrumentals begin to enter the equation, but once I adjusted to this I realized how fantastic most of this is. If you have ambientophobia like I do, have no fear. Some of the instrumentals are indeed quiet and serene, but have enough ideas and movement to avoid ambient-related drowsiness. Still, consult your doctor if you plan on using heavy machinery. Especially if you're rocking side two.

The record kicks off with "Sky Saw," which sure enough, sounds like someone taking an electric saw and slicing huge blue slabs out of the sky as sparks lick the cosmos. I have to give him credit for the vividness of his music and the accompanying imagery.

"Saint Elmo's Fire," sounds like a perfect little experimental 80's synth pop song that just so happened to come out in the mid 70's.  It really has an otherworldly quality that makes it one of my favorite Eno pop songs. Beats the John Parr song, hands down...

And speaking of pop Eno, this is the album that features the immortal "I'll Come Running" which is one of the sweetest pieces of shoelace-tying ever committed to tape.  That daffy yodel that comes in on the final chorus is notable.

I think what helps me get into the quieter instrumentals is the brevity. Listening to "Little Fishes" and "The Big Ship" kinda reminds me of getting the opportunity to look in little, tiny windows into alternate, synthetic Earths, where the trees and water initially look normal until you notice the leaves are made of plastic and the little Japanese fishies are made of metal. If any of these went on for more than a few minutes I'd be bored to death, but in miniature form, they're fascinating. The one exception is "The Big Ship." "The Big Ship" can last all day.

Definitely not a party starter, and I'd be lying if I said I spin this one as much as the first two records, but it's definitely interesting. There's been a time or two when I've spun this in solitude or after a long night of heavy dranking when it suddenly becomes my favorite Eno album...Check it out if you're into alien quietude... 

Here's "Saint Elmo's Fire" by Brian Eno...Enjoy...