Customer Reviews

Another Green World

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have listened to this CD numerous times. It just doesn't age, and doesn't grow boring. Friends come over and ask "wow, what is that playing..." and can't believe when it was recorded. This one was inspired by the muse. Top 100 of all time, in my humble opinion.

Of all of his releases, save his collaborations with Robert Fripp and his duo CD with John Cale, this is the most listenable and the most engaging of the lot. What's true about all of these 70's recordings is that you have before you the blueprints for the aesthetics that Brian Eno would bring to the service of Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, and a host of others. Here are the building blocks that would infuse the sensibilities of Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel, both the new wave movement and the new age movement. What would become the revolution in recording evidenced by the Berlin-trio from Bowie is in its nascent stages here. Eno is nowhere near the songwriter of Bowie, Byrne and Bono, but his craft in the studio, and the edginess inspired by Fripp, took what would have been the end of any number of careers and found them new life.
This particular Cd has the best of his writing. Fripp plays as though he were co-writer, and Phil Collins still had something to prove as a drummer. Cale reappears as do a number of other colleagues, but essentially, this will come off as a Fripp & Eno project, with words and a dancebeat to it. Keep in mind, HEROES, FEAR OF MUSIC, LOW, LODGER were next up. GREEN WORLD lets you in on the revolution Eno was about to produce.

Virgin has issued an official statement regarding the problem on the Original Masters version of Another Green World:

"Subsequent to approval of a correct version of Another Green World on reference CD, there was a DDP image file corruption which has affected the track 'Everything Merges With The Night'. Please take your CD back to where you bought it, and the retailer will exchange it for you. Although working as fast as possible to remanufacture, the new discs won't be ready until the end of next week."

So if you plan to buy the reissue, it looks as though you should wait until 11th June at the earliest.

Great music is hard to define, but it is like literature and other art appeals to the heart and mind. Just repeating the same old or I can do what he or she did is sometimes thought of as great music and maybe the record companies and other promoters of music try to find a formula, and for some people maybe thats all they look for and are satisfied. I think it takes an individuality to be willing to do something different. Yes it does matter what others say and think so its not just be differnt for its own sake or to make noise, however there needs to be a huge variety in ways of presenting music. This is where Eno like many others stand out, as many have noted this recording moves in another direction, but for Eno not a surprizing direction when we consider his earlier works with Fripp. The first track Sky Saw will grap you right away.

This is a landmark, influential recording. No question. And, if you already have it on CD, don't waste your money to 'upgrade'. No bonus tracks, no liner notes, no better sound. Same for 'Before and After Science'. These were well recorded in the first place and the label has not provided any incentive to buy it again.

If you don't already have it, look for a used copy. Otherwise, this is a must have - THE bridge between Eno the singer and the ambient artist. As such, it stands as the definitive single disc expression of this eclectic genius. However, I would take Before and After Science as my own personal favourite. Either way, a win-win.

As the previous reviewer noted, "Everything Merges with the Night" is missing a "Rosalee." I like this innovative, peaceful, still ahead-of-its-time album. Too bad someome screwed up the remastering.

A previous reviewer noted that part of "Everything Merges with the Night" is missing its first line, which is true. This alone ruins the experience of listening to one of my top 10 albums in remastered form.

But even the remastering isn't that impressive. Unlike the other reviewer I sense *less* depth than with my old EG CD. Everything is clearer, but there is also an unappealing "trebley-ness" to the sound, especially when listening to the album in headphones. The overall impression was that perhaps the studio Eno used to record AGW was a little more lo-fi than I had at first imagined.

Anyway, the sound is nothing special and the missing line in "Merges" makes this definitely a version of AGW to avoid.

One my favorite Eno albums, "Another Green World" shows him already on the path to ambient music with about 1/3 of the album devoted to instrumental pieces. In many respects, it's an extension of the work he did on his first two solo albums but the emphasis here is on the more melodic side of things. With Roxy Music's "Stranded" and "Avalon", one of the more atmospheric albums put out by a former member of the band.

The sound is spectacular although you won't hear a huge improvement. Most of the improvements are subtle; it's akin to seeing someone after a facial vs. a facelift. You know that something's different but can't pin it down. The depth of the recording and actual atmosphere of the studio are more readily apparent as are more sonic details.

One complain is that we have an incomplete versio of one my favorite songs. "Everything Merges with the Night" is missing Eno singing the name "Rosalee" at the very beginning of the song. It's as if the vocal track for this particular portion of the song had been removed. It doesn't sound as if it was mixed further down in the sound, either which leads me to suspect that either the tape heads were misaligned or that we're dealing with a slightly different (and perhaps) incomplete mix of the same song. As a result, Eno's singing at the begining sounds awkward as if caught in midsentence.

Great album it's a shame it's not quite as complete as it should be.

The first pressing of the remastered Astralwerks release has an error. Track 13, "Everything Merges With the Night", is missing about five seconds (it's 3m54s as compared to the older version's 3m59s), starting about fifteen seconds in. The first two bass notes, some acoustic guitar strumming, and the first word on the vocal track ("Rosalie...") are all missing.

To their credit, Astralwerks has stepped up to the plate and addressed the problem. They've sent me a replacement CD with the corrected remaster, restoring the missing five seconds. I'm very pleased with their handling of this issue.

Other buyers who got the defective first pressing should contact Astralwerks (astralwerks@astralwerks.com) about getting the corrected replacement.

Leaving this issue aside, the remaster itself is pretty solid: there's more dynamism and a bit more detail on the new masters than on the older EG CDs. My only real complaint is that I wish Astralwerks weren't such hands-off purists: in my opinion, a little de-noising would have gone a long way on these hissy '70s recordings. But the album itself is sheer brilliance, and no-one should let a bit of hiss put them off hearing it.

Brian Eno's solo material is an incredibly mercurial mix of styles - some albums are made up entirely of songs, some are more experimental and ambient, some are unclassifiable. This recording, originally released in 1975, is a nice mixture, giving the listener a gentle drift into Eno's world.

His releases have always been about much more than just the audio element - and I'm not referring to cover art, although some great examples of visual arts have graced his album jackets, and have been included as inserts as well. There is a visual quality to his music that is such an integral part of the sound that its presence is that of a powerful, almost subliminal force that is felt indirectly rather than in a more overt manner. The mood conveyed by the various pieces on this recording is tangible and real. With some artists, this effect is an illusion - with Brian Eno, it's a reality. His arrangements, while at times giving the impression that they are thrown together piecemeal, anyone who listens carefully to this music will realize quickly that this is far from the case - a great deal of meticulous care has gone into the works represented here (as well as all of his other albums), and the effect of the music upon the listener is deep and premeditated. This is not to say that this music is void of emotion, meaning and even humor - these and many other rewards fill his work.

Eno performs most of the music on this disc - with some help from several very respected friends, such as Robert Fripp, Phil Collins, Percy Jones, and John Cale. The track 'St. Elmo's fire' contains one of (in my opinion) Robert Fripp's most beautiful guitar solos - it starts right after the line '...and we saw St. Elmo's fire spitting ions in the ether', wonderfully illustrating the lyric. Fripp is also credited with 'restrained lead guitar' on 'I'll come running', and turns in a really nice performance on 'Golden hours' as well - the latter played in a more staccato style, as opposed to his usual sustained playing. Eno tailors the sounds of the various instruments to work them into the canvas of each selection - another example of the 'visual' aspects of his art. He's a master at this - and on this, his third album, it's apparent that his career was going to be a brilliant one.

There are several instrumentals included here, and they're great examples of Eno's creativity and imagination. Each one is imbued with its own distinct personality, and the images called up are striking and memorable. The songs have clever lyrics - oft-times mildly humorous, poking a bit of fun at the perceived elitism of 'artsy' composers and musicians - but the lyrics are just another facet of the whole presentation, and very often the vocals could easily be experienced as another instrument, rather than the primary carrier of meaning in the song. For example, in the first track, 'Sky saw', he sings 'All the clouds turn to words, all the words float in sequence - no one knows what they mean, everyone just ignores them', followed by several lines of apparent nonsense to make his point even further.

Although the album has its 'rock' moments, the overall mood is one of gentle, calm observation and experience - returning to the visual art metaphor, imagine strolling leisurely through an art gallery, taking in each painting at your own pace, undisturbed by the world outside or any issues or commitments that might be weighing on your mind. That's the best way to enjoy Eno's music - give yourself the time and space to be absorbed in it. It's a rewarding experience - it was that way in 1975, when I first heard this album, and each time I return to it, I find that to still be the case.