rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (09/18/84)
In compiling the Eno quiz, and in making the Eno cassette(s) for a friend that inspired me to write the quiz, I made some rather interesting observations about Eno's work. For instance, the "Music for Films, Volume 2" album that comes only with the Eno boxed set has a good deal of redundancy on it, in that it contains what are best described as "alternate takes" of tracks used in the Apollo soundtrack and elsewhere. Who else but Brian Eno gets to release his alternate takes and demo recordings as new material? (I know, Pete Townshend's "Scoop", which is also fascinating, and rare Beatles studio bootlegs, e.g.) At least he labels it as such on "Music for Films, Volume 2", calling tracks "Always Returning I and II" for example. But that's not always the case. Take the song "No One Receiving" from "Before and After Science", with its distinctive bass line: A-B--B--B-------A-B--B--B------G-A--A--A------G-A--A--A------ ... Now listen to "M386" from the original "Music for Films" album. It's just "No One Receiving" slowed down, with a different warbulated string/sax/synth sound on top of it. A listen to "More Volts" from the Eno rarities EP reveals that song to be nothing but a raw demo of "No One Receiving", very dry (no processing to speak of) consisting of drums/percussion, bass, and funky guitar. Now, don't think I'm knocking Eno for being redundant. (One of his Oblique Strategies cards probably says: "Use the same song you recorded yesterday in a new way." :-) But who else has a composing and recording process so enticing that you'd want to hear the results of his rejects? I really like all three of the tracks I mentioned for very different reasons. And the alternate takes (like the three Sparrowfalls on "Music for Films") provide some insight into the nature of Eno's composing, and offer different atmospheric treatments (there's that word again) of the same musical themes. And they all do sound very different from each other. [By the way, how many of you out there have that Eno box, "Working Backwards 1983-1973"? Each one contains a different Oblique Strategies card. Mine says "Turn it upside down." and my friend's says "Put the recording back into the medium." Anyone else know of other Oblique Strategies cards?] -- "So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither "No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr