Web + Web (Lascaux Mix) For me, like pretty much everyone here, these tracks weren't the end of the album. But, we are where we are - the end of the vinyl + a bonus from the CD. 'Web' is pretty repetitive, but like other tracks here I am satifisfied with the development in the track which keeps my interest. Roger's piano bits work very well for me (though, I think I could easily swallow a more minimalist version of the track without them. It also suggests to me that Brian is more involved in some of the NN tracks than the personnnel may suggest. These are samples, and I would guess that Roger played those piano parts in some other context, and they were re-used by Brian. There are three guitarists here, and I'm not sure I can work out who played what for much of the track. Just that the guitar tracks combine for a very satisfying whole, and again there is development with new parts and/or small subtle variations appearing throughout the track. I wonder if some sampling has gone on with the guitar parts too. With 'Web (Lascaux Mix)', perhaps the percussion bit/loop(?) at the beginning isn't the best beginning for the track, and it takes a bit of time to get going. The treated guitar lines (I presume, there will be synth) come in and finally it all gets going. It's again repetitie and the development of the track is subtle. But, this is Brian Eno we're talking about. We've covered Thursday Afternoon and Neroli is coming soon. The simple (looped? sampled?) guitar parts are more exposed here, and they aren't much melodically but that is what suits the track. Overall, this is quite a different mix of the track, and it sits on the album. Though, I must admit that I prefer the original with the piano flourishes. Which in my mind give the original (?) a bit more of a distinctive nature. Oh, and after listening to all this, I played 'Decentre' again. To sort of 'finish' listening to the album the way that I am used to.
Thanks for the discussion everybody. Today we cover Nerve Net, the album as a whole. I'll start with a lazy repost over the overview of the album itself. With albums there is always this duplication. But, I prefer to have this initial posting about the album, covering the tracks individually, and then back to the album. Discogs link: Brian Eno - Nerve Net Wikipedia link: Nerve Net - Wikipedia Spotify link (album): Nerve Net Youtube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nYHfJE6RnhAgXNeudWJlY-JSGxh-VYNdc Track listing and personnel (from Discogs). All tracks composed/written by Brian Eno. A1 Fractal Zoom Bass [Kuti-bass], Voice, Organ [Tube] – BE* Drums – Sugarfoot Moffet* Guitar [Pin-trumpet] – Robert Fripp A2 Wire Shock Alto Saxophone – Wayne Duchamp Baritone Saxophone – King Hastings Kwesi Banana Claves – Ernest Darling Congas [First] – Isaac Osapanin Congas [Second] – Winston Ngukwe Drum Programming – Markus Draws* Frame Drum – Cecil Stamper III Piano – Rod Melvin Synthesizer – BE* Tenor Saxophone – Alice Ngukwe Trumpet – Curtis Pelican Voice – Christine West-Oram 5:27 A3 What Actually Happened? Bass – Laurence Cottle Drums – Richard Bailey Guitar – Gregg Arreguin Performer [Kit Squelch], Drums [Squirt] – Markus Draws* Performer [Morse Keys], Synthesizer [Signal], Voice – BE* A4 Pierre In Mist Performer [Mist] – CSJ Bofop Performer [The Rest] – BE* A5 My Squelchy Life Bass [Spring] – Romeo Williams Drums [Kick] – Sugarfoot Moffet* Guitar, Synthesizer, Voice [Squelchy] – BE* Percussion [Key] – Benmont Tench Voice [Fellini] – Nell Catchpole Voice [Speaking] – Anita Patel, Guy Barber, Helen May, John May, John Moorby, Joyce Robinson, Maria Eno, Penny Moorby, Rupel Patel, Sophie Rawlings, Sunita Patel, Yogish Patel A6 Decentre Piano [Moon] – BE* B1 Juju Space Jazz Guitar [Early 50's Club] – Robert Fripp Guitar [Rhythm, Reverse] – Robert Quine Organ [African], Tenor Saxophone, Bass [Ekpo], Mixed By – Brian Eno Voice – Nell Catchpole B2 The Roil, The Choke Drum Programming – Markus Draws* Performer [The Rest] – BE* B3 Ali Click Bass [Ali-bass], Performer [Arabesque], Recorded By [Frogs], Voice, Mixed By – BE* Loops [Drum] – EMF, Ian Dench Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar – Jamie West-Oram B4 Distributed Being Bass, Voice, Organ [Thick], Synthesizer, Mixed By – BE* Congas – Isaac Osapanin Drums – Richard Bailey Guitar [Solo] – Robert Fripp Piano – John Paul Jones B5 Web Drums – Richard Bailey Effects [Treatments] – Markus Draws* Guitar [Conga] – Robert Ahwai Guitar [Solo] – Robert Fripp Guitar [Sour Chord] – Gregg Arreguin Piano [Samples] – Roger Eno Synthesizer, Effects [Treatments] – BE* There is a considerably 'expanded edition' of NN on Bandcamp, but that appears to just include My Squelchy Life which will will cover next, starting on Saturday. Nerve Net (Expanded Edition), by Brian Eno I'm not repeating the interview from the first post. I had a moderate search for interviews that were interesting or distinctive, or further interviews from this time. I didn't find anything particularly newsworthy - if anyone knows of any please post. Oh, and there is a 'Nerve Net (Sampler)' up on Discogs. Unlike some 'rarities' (is this?), this one seems to be on sale for a reasonable price for any completists out there. Brian Eno - Nerve Net Sampler Not sure I've got more to post here. I went through reviews and looked for further interviews, but I'm not finding much.
Nerve Net: I hadn't heard this album before and for me this one is the big revelation of the thread (so far). Back in the day I read quite a few so-so reviews so I never bothered giving it a try. Big mistake. I think this is brilliant Eno work, showing that he was completely in tune with the times and (I surmise), listening with interest to all those new electronic bands that were highly influenced by his earlier work and incorporating elements of their work into his own sound. Perfect example of positive cross-fertilization with a (for me) very happy outcome. Needless to say I got myself the album immediately.
As stated previously, this is one I had heard in the background a handful of times, mostly while within some sort of social interaction when paying attention wasn't the point or even possible. I had heard Fractal Zoom more directly and not enjoyed it, plus read less than stellar reviews, plus the dreaded "90s" label. So all of that has made me shy clear of Nerve Net. As we began listening to this one, I wasn't expecting much, especially when it felt like, as others also mentioned, that he might be more emulating other electronica acts than putting out the next "Eno vision." That was probably most the case with Fractal Zoom, which I was still and am still not overly impressed with. But he seemed to get "all of that out of his system" with that song and the rest is, for the most part, an upgrade, if you will, of Eno's sound, both picking up on what others were dropping, but also throwing out his own ideas that others picked up on and either mimicked or developed further. That said, in its own right, I think Nerve Net, once I actually sat down with it and gave it a proper chance, is a worthy album. In fact, a quite good one. Like I said, this is Eno upgraded with the new technology of the times and incorporating it into his sound. There are definitely echoes from AGW, Bush of Ghosts, etc, that provide familiarity, but with a fresh electro-sheen that, surprisingly, doesn't sound as overly dated as a lot of 90s music. And with that said, I will now go a-hunting for my own copy and add it to the already much expanded collection. Well, not right now, but it is on the to do list.
Nerve Net is wonderful - loved it back then and still do. It's maybe not absolute top tier Eno but it's close and a very satisfying album. It's great to listen to in almost any context.
I think it's a great album, but at the time (and to some degree still) it was haunted by the non-appearance of My Squelchy Life, which was the one I had really been looking forward to (a full song album after all that time), and it was pretty clear that Nerve Net wasn't it. As other squelchy songs trickled out officially at the time, and were all great - 'Not to Fall in the Harness' (as 'Tutti Forgetti'), 'I Fall Up' and 'Under' - I still kind of resented Nerve Net. For me it's still a bit too long (even taking into account the 'bonus tracks') and unfocussed, but it's nevertheless an excellent grab bag of stuff that was going through Eno's mind in the period.
Nerve Net has some good points, but overall it leaves me disappointed. Eno had led the way in the use of electronics in pop, but on this album he was falling behind the pack. He should have exchanged his DX7 for an 808.
Nerve Net This is one of the albums that I bought when it came out. And, I've always liked it. It seemed very different from Brian's previous work, but now that I see it in hindsight, I can see how it fits in. Particularly with MLitBoG. At the time it came out I was obtaining my smattering of knowledge of modern (for the time) electronic dance music, but this sounded very different to me. And distinctively Eno. I can't remember how much I knew about the development of the album and My Squelchy Life. Somewhere I have a copy of an Eno CD which I obtained from a record fair with MSL on it, but I didn't play it that much and didn't get to know it - so the next section of this thread will be my chance to get to know it. Back to Nerve Net, as with many albums, while Eno is clearly in charge it's the quality of his collaborators that really help make this album. There aren't many big names apart from Fripp, but Brian certainly chose well and the instrumentalistics really add interesting and original parts to the music. And some of the standouts like 'Ali Click' are the tracks that have least (but still plenty) of Brian Eno on them. Again, there was a big gap after this for the next vocal album. It seems that Brian likes to make us wait for his vocals.
Thanks for the discussion everyone. Today is a rest/catch-up day. In some of the previous rest/catch-up (and some other) days we looked at Brian's production, for artists such as John Cale and Talking Heads. Perhaps the best known, by the general public, production work by Brian (and Daniel Lanois) is for U2. I suppose we can dip into some of the production work that Brian had done for U2 up to thread time (about 1992). That includes the albums The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree. Here's 'Pride (In the Name of Love)' from TUF, the first U2 album produced by Brian and Daniel. And from The Joshua Tree here's 'With or Without You'. Brian is the only keyboardist credited in the album's personnel (but sometimes personnel lists can be incorrect). https://youtu.be/ujNeHIo7oTE Tomorrow we start on My Squelchy Life, so we don't need to discuss that album today. There will be plenty of time.
Hmmmm. Not the biggest U2 fan to be honest, but while Eno's influence on the sound of for example Talking Heads is obvious, it is much less so with U2 I find. Would be great to find out from others what they think.
Another Eno production from the last bit of thread time is his production of Geoffrey Oryema's album Exile. Exile (Geoffrey Oryema album) - Wikipedia The song 'Land of Anaka' is perhaps one of the least traditional songs on the album, featuring keyboards and a recognisable Peter Gabriel backing vocal. The keyboards might be by Brian, and they might not. I don't have precise credits to hand. Eno's influence on U2 built up over time. And was in full force by the time of Zoostation. According to Sheppard, 'Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car' is a Low pastiche, but I can't hear it myself. However, I think it could fit well onto Nerve Net. https://youtu.be/ESTSaRJwhFY
I liked U2 early on; I owned and enjoyed War and when I heard that Eno was producing Unforgettable Fire I bought it wondering it would be like. I liked it well enough but there seems to be little to no Eno on it - which is probably the way it should be when someone produces an album for someone else. By the time of Joshua Tree I had no interest in the band and the enormous success of that album meant that I was always running away from hearing it (an impossible task as the hits from it were played everywhere for years and years). The much better stuff is Achtung Baby and especially Zooropa, with the later having a real Eno/Bowie imprint.
U2: I'm a hefty U2 fan up through Unforgettable Fire, which I think is a flawless album and their last great moment. As a kid watching videos on MTV in the mid 80s, live clips of them helped inspire me to want to pursue music (or, you know, be a "rock star") because they played with such passion and conviction, and Bono was particularly full of... Pride is one of those songs that is all encompassing, being a driving rock song, catchy pop song, anthemic sing along, etc. I think it's the culmination of all their powers summed up in four minutes. After that album, they began to slide a bit. I was about 13 when Joshua Tree came out, loved some of the singles, but the album itself is sorta plodding and "follow the directions" in some ways. Things got better with Achtung Baby, and Zooropa to an extent, when they were making their own rules so to speak, but those albums, for me, are not U2. They're not the stripped down, exuberant, we have a purpose band that, when I think on it, can still give me chills like they did 35 years ago. Beginning with Pop, they are dead to me. Eno & U2: As mentioned above, when Eno is working with Talking Heads, his contributions are obvious. With U2...well, it's not all that evident. Is that him or Lanois doing that shimmering bit? There are a couple of guitar treatments on UF and JT that I would suspect have the Eno stamp, perhaps some lush keyboard moments, but overall, I'm not sure what all he contributed. But he sure did make a lot of money from it.
The only Low influence on that U2 track is in the title I think, not the sound of the song. Title wise it clearly owes something to Always Crashing In The Same Car.
Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car sounds like it could go on Bowie's Outside, done a couple of years later.
Thanks for the discussion everybody. Today we start on My Squelchy Life. Recorded before Nerve Net, this album wasn't officially released until 2015 it seems. Discogs is confusing with some unofficial releases in 1991 and 2009. Youtube playlist: Discogs link (unofficial 1991 release): Brian Eno - My Squelchy Life This album, surprisingly to me, does not seem to have a Wikipedia page. Despite it having its own playlist on Brian's YouTube channel. Track listing (from YouTube): I Fall Up Not To Fail In The Harness My Squelchy Life Some Words Tutti Forgetti Stiff Juju Space Jazz Under Rapid Eye Everybody's Mother - Step Up My Boys Little Apricot Over MSL was released as a bonus disk for Nerve Net when expanded versions of Eno's 90s albums were released. Brian Eno's mid-1990s albums reissued with My Squelchy Life - The Wire LP track listing with credits from Discogs: A1 I Fall Up Bass – Laurence Cottle Consultant [Mix Consultant] – Markus Dravs Drum [Drum Kit] – Richard Bailey Drums [Resonant Kick] – Sugarfoot Moffett* Effects [White & Pink Noise], Vocals, Synthesizer [Bulgarian Pain Synthesizer] – Brian Eno Guitar [Conga Guitar] – Robert Ahwai Guitar [Evil Wah Guitar] – Gregg Arreguin Guitar [Pin Trumpet Guitar] – Robert Fripp Percussion – Isaac Osapanin A2 Not To Fail In The Harness Instruments [All Instruments] – Brian Eno A3 My Squelchy Life Bass [Spring Bass] – Romeo Williams Drums [Kick] – Sugarfoot Moffett* Guitar, Synthesizer – Brian Eno Keyboards [Key Percussion] – Benmont Tench Mixed By [Mix] – Markus Dravs B1 Some Words Bass – Romeo Williams Idiophone [Euphonia] – Roger Eno Keyboards [Key Percussion] – Benmont Tench Violin [7 Violins] – Nell Catchpole Voice, Organ [Farfalla Organs], Double Bass [String Bass], Horn [Foghorn], Piano [Hysterical Cascade Piano] – Brian Eno B2 Tutti Forgetti Effects [Drum Treatments], Mixed By [Mix], Voice [Additional Voice] – Markus Dravs Guitar [Guitars], Drum Programming [Drum Program], Keyboards – Brian Eno B3 Stiff Bass – Austin Tony Hall* Drums – Willie Green (2) Marimba – 'D' Cuckoo* Organ [Thrill Organ], Guitar, Harmonica, Bass [Second Bass], Vocals – Brian Eno Percussion – Markus Dravs Performer [Stab] – Dino (8) C1 Juju Space Jazz Guitar [Early 50's Dub Guitar] – Robert Fripp Mixed By – Brian Eno, Markus Dravs Organ [African Organ], Performer [Tenor Fax], Bass [Ekpo Bass] – Brian Eno Rhythm Guitar, Guitar [Reverse Guitars] – Robert Quine Voice – Neil Catchpole* C2 Under Bass [Basses], Electronics [Electronic Flora & Fauna], Organ [Organs], Vocals – Brian Eno Drums – Willie Green (2) Performer [Occasional Signals] – Dino (8) Performer [Splutters] – Barry Andrews C3 Rapid Eye Bass – Laurence Cottle Drums – Richard Bailey Voice, Instruments [Other Instruments] – Brian Eno D1 Everybody's Mother Instruments [All Instruments] – Brian Eno D2 Little Apricot Piano – Brian Eno D3 Over Bass – Romeo Williams Drums [Kick] – Sugarfoot Moffett* Guitar [Sublime Chord Guitar] – Greg Arreguin* Keyboards [Key Percussion] – Benmont Tench Organ [Rippling Organ], Voice [Seaman Voices], Lead Vocals – Brian Eno Here is a brief review from Allmusic. My Squelchy Life - Brian Eno | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic My Squelchy Life is Brian Eno's Smile -- an album that was completed, sent out to reviewers (with some reviews hitting the stands), then withdrawn suddenly by Eno, regarded as a minor effort. A year later, Nerve Net was released. Undoubtedly, Nerve Net is a more polished, adventurous, and mature album, but My Squelchy Life, is a splendid pop album, and a fine follow-up to his collaboration with John Cale, Wrong Way Up. Bootlegs abound of this album, but most of the songs found their way onto the Eno Vocal Box Set, including the dreamy "Under" and "Over," and the upbeat "Stiff." "I Fall Up," one of Eno's darker songs, wound up on the B-side of "Ali Click" a year later. So what's left? Deserving of an official release is "The Harness," a slow, pulsing number similar to "The Roil, The Choke" from Nerve Net, all grandiose and golden. "Tutti Forgetti" is a rhythmic workout similar to his work with David Byrne; "Everybody's Mother" features a distorted vocal over an instrumental that would turn up on Shutov Assembly; "Little Apricot" is a solo piano composition, similar to "Web" on Nerve Net. If you can get hold of a copy, it's enjoyable. For "The Harness" it's indispensable. For everything else, it's replaceable.
And straight into I Fall Up. Written by Brian Eno. These posts might be slightly short. I don't (yet) have songwriting credits for the album etc. Credits from Discogs: A1 I Fall Up Bass – Laurence Cottle Consultant [Mix Consultant] – Markus Dravs Drum [Drum Kit] – Richard Bailey Drums [Resonant Kick] – Sugarfoot Moffett* Effects [White & Pink Noise], Vocals, Synthesizer [Bulgarian Pain Synthesizer] – Brian Eno Guitar [Conga Guitar] – Robert Ahwai Guitar [Evil Wah Guitar] – Gregg Arreguin Guitar [Pin Trumpet Guitar] – Robert Fripp Percussion – Isaac Osapanin
"I Fall Up" Very David Byrne / Talking Heads-ish. If Byrne had sung this, I would not have doubted he had written it (together with Eno). Love Fripp's guitar coming in just after the 3 minute mark with a Discipline-era sound that reminds me of "The Sheltering Sky" or some guitar work he did on David Sylvian's Gone To Earth. Beautiful.
My Squelchy Life - This an album I've only heard of, never heard, so all of this will be new to these ears. Excited. I Fall Up - "I'm sucking the juice from the generator." What a line!! I definitely agree with the Talking Heads/Byrne feel, he seems to be channeling that full on. This is a great, vibrant, rhythmic workout that is at once dance worthy and, with those vocals, a bit frightening. And that's totally ok.
I Fall Up: Three different edits of this have been released: the Vocal box one is the shortest (3.42, and the original single version the longest (4.55), with the album version sitting just over 4 minutes. The two shorted versions have a slight fade in before the first note that the longest version lacks. There's also a stripped down instrumental version that was used on the Glitterbug soundtrack, which is funky and fantastic. If you have a purloined download it might be identified as track 7. In the film it appears about twenty minutes in, as I recall. I love them all. 5/5!
I Fall Up. Pretty good, a little long and needing some contrast. The bass is wonderful and it's nice to hear what I guess is Fripp's guitar synth solo (similar tone as on Sheltering Sky).
I have completely dropped the ball today. I don't know how I zoned out, but somehow amonst a number of things I've done this morning and today 'Steve Hoffman Stuff' and this thread got missed. Having had a quick think, I think that the best solution is to not post late today, but to just profusely apologise and pick up again tomorrow. Sorry about that, everyone.
In the meantime, here's the long version of 'I Fall Up' from the Ali Click single: And I forgot to remark on the trivia that the key lyrical refrain of "More Volts" in this song is also the title of a track from the 1983 Rarities EP, so I guess the roots of this song go back some time.
