A dive into the magical musical universe of Brian Eno, on the occasion of his birthday May 15, 2023 – Posted in: Books – Tags: book, acid

His music takes you on a journey to unique soundscapes. He made his own cut in music and created a new genre that is hard not to be drawn to. Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St. Jean le Baptiste de la Salle) is an English musician, producer and theorist of electronic music. He was born on May 15, 1948. He was a founding member of the band Roxy Music, while he is considered the inventor of ambient music. He worked with artists such as David Bowie, Talking Heads and U2.

Of course, in his rich assets and in a multi-prismatic biography beyond the more than 40 records he has to show in his musical career, he also honors the qualities of a composer, writer, painter, music producer, songwriter, singer, photographer, possessing other artistic skills.

On the occasion of his birthday, we remember some of his characteristic phrases:

"Honor your mistake as a hidden intention."

"I believe that singing is the key to a long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super confidence, increased sex appeal and a better sense of humor."

"It's not the destination that matters. It's a change of scenery."

"Gospel music is never pessimistic, it's never 'oh my god, it's all falling apart' like it often is in the blues."

"People tend to play in their comfort zone, so in reality the best things are achieved in a state of surprise."

“Control and delivery must be kept in balance. That's what surfers do – they take control of the situation, then let go, then take control again. Over the past thousands of years, we have become incredibly technically proficient. We have treasured the element of self-control and neglected the part of surrender."

“The musicians are right there in front of you and the audience feels their intensity, which isn't the case when you're listening to a record. Your attention is more relaxed. The emotional aspect is more important in live music."

"Create a situation that presents you with something that is just beyond what you think is possible."

"Singing out loud leaves you with a sense of exhilaration and satisfaction."

"Human development thus far has been fueled and driven by a sense that things could be, and probably will be, better."

"I don't live in the past at all. I always want to do something new. I'm constantly trying to forget and get things out of my head."

"Perhaps when the music has been blaring for so long, a quieter voice seems appealing."

"I trust my taste. I trust it completely and I always have, and I've always thought it's not that different from everyone else.''

“I want to make something breathtaking. Of course, you can't make something that takes your breath away, or you'd never be able to breathe. You would collapse."

"I think the public feels very comfortable seeing something being done."

"If you're in a forest, the echo quality is very strange because the echo bounces off so many surfaces of all these trees that you get this weird effect."

"Emotions are more dangerous than ideas, because they are not susceptible to rational evaluation. They grow quietly, spread underground and explode suddenly, everywhere."

"My lyrics are created by various peculiar processes. Completely random, something akin to automatic writing."

"A big ego means you have some confidence in your abilities, really, and that you're willing to take the risk to test them."

“I belong to a gospel choir. They know I'm an atheist, but they're very tolerant."

“When I started making ambient music, I was building systems using synthesizers that produced pulses more or less randomly. The end result is a genre of music that is constantly changing. Of course, until computers came along, all I could really present from this work was a piece of its production."

“As soon as music ceases to be ephemeral - it always disappears - and becomes material instead... it leaves the condition of traditional music and enters the condition of painting. It becomes a painting, which exists as material in space, not immaterial in time."

Another Green World

One of the most iconic works of Brian Eno's history-making and still-writing music career is the album Another Green World. A book has been dedicated to the work in the elite series 33 1/3 and recently it was also included in the Greek series published by Oxy publications.

In the preface of the Greek edition we read from the preface by Makis Milatos:

"In July and August 1975 Brian Eno found himself at Island Studios with good company to record the album transitioning from the pop/rock songwriting of his first two personal records (Here Come the Warm Jets and Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy ) in the flirtation with ambient sounds that in the next few years will turn into creative greatness.

He is joined in this "new beginning" by great musicians such as Robert Fripp on guitar, Phil Collins on drums, John Cale on viola, Percy Jones and Paul Rudolph on bass, while he himself is behind most of the keyboards (synthesizer, keyboard, organ, piano). In the liner notes he does not fail to thank creators who inspire and support him, such as Peter Schmidt with whom he designed the famous "Oblique Strategies", Phil Manzanera with whom he has kept creative contact since the Rox Music era, Pete Townsend of the Who and Robert Wyatt whom he always admired and admired.

In total Another Green World includes 14 compositions, but unlike the previous records here the songs are few (St. Elmo's Fire, I'll Come Running, Golden Hours...) and the emphasis is on the instrumental compositions with the electronic sounds now occupying more space. …

In Another Green World Eno follows and develops the path of Brian Wilson and Phil Spector, turning the recording studio into another musical instrument, a nursery of sounds but also of images as his compositions are not far from paintings reminiscent of something from "After Raphael" by Tom Phillips adorning the cover.

...(and the book's foreword concludes) Another Green World is the starting point for this great and unique musical journey of Brian Eno but mostly it is an enjoyable record that time cannot weaken and - as far as I'm concerned - will be a of the best albums of the 20th century and one of the most tasteful, creative and intelligent records by the beloved Brian Eno".

Listen to a sample of this masterpiece

Read more by finding the book here