Published on Oct 14, 2009
With Roxy Music, Brian Eno was able to create a sound that glam, punk, and New Wave bands could embrace. On his early solo albums, Eno explored similar avenues of sound. He became a major collaborator on some of David Bowie’s most influential albums. Despite taking some avant garde turns, Eno’s music had some form of song structure, complete with lyrics, chords, and verses.
That was before Another Green World. Brazenly, he went into the recording studio with a blank slate. Four days into recording, there was still nothing. But armed with a hellishly great group of collaborators, Eno eventually created a masterpiece that would determine his music direction for the next thirty years.
Those that only know Phil Collins for his syrupy ballads may be in for a shock listening to this album. His percussion work provided a calm, ethereal feel to songs like “Sky Saw” and “Zawinul/Lava.” Velvet Underground V.I.P. John Cale provided a powerful string backup to “Golden Hours,” probably the most radio-friendly song here.
Light on lyrics but heavy on concept, Another Green World proved true to the title. The music may at first sound cold and distant, but it has an unmistakably organic feel as most songs flow effortlessly into one another. The first few listens may be a bit off-putting, though. With little presence of melody, most songs may fail to register at first listen given their relatively brief length (most songs are three minutes long), but there’s enough beauty in the album to bring you back for a second listen. After that, you’re hooked.
It’s hard to gauge the profound influence of Another Green World. Eno’s work would later become more ambient. His solo work is mainly known in musician circles and with music geeks, but any person who owns a U2 album would do themselves a favor in picking up Eno’s solo work, specifically this disc. It’s not ambient, it’s not rock. It’s art.
“