BRIAN ENO- New reissues double lps 45rpm August 4th

For me Jets, Green, Side Two of Evening Star, and Cluster & Eno are his 1970s mountain peaks. On Land is his best 80s work for me, that I think is a real masterpiece.

 

Could it be on the lacquer?

 

Maybe. I’ve gone on about it because it’s a slightly nerdy track by track close listen I did for that one, because I think it’s a lot of people’s favourite of the four. But I wouldn’t expect anyone to hear too much of the swooshing on speakers. It’s a bit annoying on revealing headphones, but even then I wasn’t quite so annoyed on 2nd listen because I knew it was coming! So in my opinion the only really significant gripe, even for close headphone listening, is the 2nd dropout on The Big Ship which is really a sod for such trance inducing music. It threw me out of the zone like the 5 seconds of dropout flickering in Tiger Mountain’s soporific title track did yesterday.

But the good outweighs the bad. I suspect though they could have been better. Especially at the prices some are charging in the UK. I didn’t get my copies that route, but I did notice in HMV they are £21, and Tiger Mountain is £24! Some of the Pink Floyd (Meddle) and Neil Young (On the Beach, Time Fades Away) recent LPs are “only” £19 full RRP in the same store, so the record company’s price for these Eno 33s is rather taking the piss. You can get the 2LP 45rpm Tiger Mountain new down the road from HMV, in Soho for only £3 more at £27.
Some independent online retailers are doing the 33s for less, circa £19.

 

I wonder, could the issues BlueSpeedway mentioned above be or have anything to do with why AGW has been held back for release here in the US? Everyone seems to have BAS and TTM readily available, while HCTWJ is scarcer (even on backorder), and AGW is listed as "pre -order" with no date now....

 

I like Pussyfooting – I preferred it to Star. I must check out the Cluster Eno collab. one day but Zuckerzeit is my fave Cluster, so not sure it will appeal to me.

I know people rate the Heyworth master of Warm Jets which I bought when it came out. But when I heard the EG, I was struck by what I heard as the improvement. Dare I say a detailed but more 'musical' presentation? I know people slag them off, too - but is that opinion based on the vinyl more than the CD?

 

There was one thing missing, one crucial thing: How did you manage to make a green drink? Did it involve Blue Curacao? That's so 80's, haha!

The 33s Enos are out in Berlin as well and I have to admit that they are looking better than those 45s with those ridiculous OBIs. That's so Japanese, haha!

 

I’d guess it’s more likely AGW and HCTWJ are probably the most popular and highly regarded of the four, at this point in time, so probably sold out faster? They wouldn’t pull anything for those reasons anyway. I don’t think record companies in 2017 care a shred about those sort of issues. Look at how “Parlophone” denied any problem with “Heroes” and how the tape problems on Lodger were completely ignored.

When you have major, hugely influential artists like Bowie and Eno, with many dedicated and nerdy long term listeners like me still alive, getting so-called classic era albums reissued within weeks of each other with tape issues, it’s obvious they don’t care. Doesn’t mean people shouldn’t still use and enjoy such releases if they can. But the fact these often little but multiple issues get released at all speaks volumes... nobody cares, or nobody listens...the box is ticked, the presses roll, the money comes in..

 

I think it looks ridiculous because it's fake Japanese. Only the Japanese really know how to do Japanese.

I might agree with you but why not 'Science' – wasn't that hugely popular, too? I kind of assumed that AGW and BAAS were his most commercially successful and popular.

 

It had spinach and ginger in it.

 

I - kinda - hate to bring up that story again but "Science" was the one 2 x 45 they had a whole box for sale at wholesale price last week. Which doesn't exactly make it look like a top seller, does it? I asked the dealer for "Another Green World" but he told me that "Science" was the only Eno release he had.

 

OK – but I think at the time it appeared to be popular. Has it fallen out of favour? It's certainly more easy listening that Jets.

 

Spinach always makes me think of Olive. OYL.....

 

I have zero idea. To be honest if you would have asked me what the least popular of these four Eno titles was I would have expected "Warm Jets" to be in that wholesale box.

Maybe it's because "AGW" is considered a proto ambient classic while the other two have "classic" (aka "better known") Eno tracks on them ("Baby's On Fire", "3rd Uncle)? Is there anything like that on "Science"?

 

Maybe at the time but I really don’t think in 2017 it has anywhere near the kudos and “gravitas” that Jets and Green do. Plus, the music writer type of people I believe tend to recommend those, they appear on those tiresome “best album” lists etc, Green even has a whole book written about it in that 33 and a third series. How times have changed...

“annoying.... doesn't do anything ... the listener must kick himself for blowing five bucks on baloney”.
Rolling Stone / Gordon Fletcher, Here Come the Warm Jets review, 1974. Idiots.

 

Really? It’s Mountain I would bet money is the least popular, or at least that’s the perception I have. I’ve never seen it on any of those critic’s lists or books of best albums etc. Not that I go out of my way to read them. But when delayed at a railway station or airport..

 

Well... I know that in these German hifi magazines my dad used to read in the 80's "Tiger Mountain" was the recommended Eno album. It's what inspired me to get the cassette from the local library

 

I love C&E and Zuckerzeit, but yes they’re nothing like each other. I listened to Zuckerzeit the other day for the first time in ages, yum.

 

It was probably the best known in my UK mid eighties too, certainly in my generation, kids and teenagers, because of Bauhaus making Third Uncle a bit famous in 1982. Non UK friends might not realise the Bauhaus Third Uncle was on the flip of their Ziggy Stardust 45, which was a sizeable and popular UK hit in ‘82.

 

Well... we may not be very familiar with British b-sides but the 1985 "Bauhaus 1979-83" double album was very popular with some of my friends too. Now have an educated guess which song opens "Side D"

Always loved that records artwork. As far as compilations go it's right up there with "Snap!" and "All Wrapped Up"

 

Yes, a beautiful best of, one of the best ever. Marred only by the subsitution of Bela Lugosi’s Dead for a live version due to rights issues

 

Despite the SQ, that Bela Lugosi’s version is very good. Still have this double LP.

Have you tried Press the eject and give me the tape... I regret not having seeing them at that time...

 

My favourite Belas are from the 1998 Resurrection reformation tour. The Manchester one was awesome. They had to get the stage attended to before starting it as the final encore. Flowers, clothing, etc strewn over it from after the beautiful main set crowd mayhem. And a roadie or band member had dropped a wine glass near the drums. If you locate a recording of it you hear Kevin Haskins ask for it to be removed while he waits to start Bela. All this created a long buildup of expectation. Thus Bela finally cracks in with no announcement, an utterly divine 11 minute version with the best, most scuplted, intense Bela guitar I think Ash probably ever did, and an extended percussion outro after the rest of the band had left the stage one by one. People were in tears, many people.

Peter Murphy said later it was probably the best show of the whole Resurrection world tour.

No Third Uncle though, grrr

 

Bauhaus roadies are drinking wine? Splendid!

 

Anybody else pick up the single disc reissues yet? I got Tiger Mountain yesterday. Pleased to announce there aren't any dropouts.

I returned all of the double 45 reissued because of said dropouts, so I can't do a side by side, but I don't remember them being significantly better than this. And these are a LOT cheaper, not to mention you don't have to flip the record over twice as many times.

I compared it to my Japanese OG, and it's a toss up. The OG is a little warmer, but the new one is a little more 3D.

If you don't have Tiger Mountain yet, I'd recommend the single disc reissue. It would certainly be cheaper than a decent OG.

 

Only two arrived so far. Tiger Mountain and Science. I played them both pretty loud last night. I’ve never owned these on vinyl before and I didn’t notice any aberrations but wasn't listening for them.

Tiger mountain sounded ok but a bit thin. Science sounded fantastic. Really open but full all around. No pressing issues at all. Highly recommended. The other two are delayed.

These are the 33 versions.

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