Brian Eno: Before & After Science [ASTRALWERKS]

Why you'll love it

This remastered pressing restores Eno's fifth solo album, which critics regularly name among his best. Robert Wyatt, Fred Frith, Phil Collins and Phil Manzanera are among the guests.

This edition

• Remastered

About the album

Before and After Science took two years to make, which by Eno's standards was an eternity. In between sessions he was busy with Music for Films, Discreet Music and a couple of famous Berlin albums with David Bowie, and he was wary of repeating the success of Another Green World. Over a hundred tracks were written; ten made the cut.

Side one is the wiry, energetic half: "No One Receiving" bounces on a busy bassline, "Backwater" rides Jaki Liebezeit's drums, and "King's Lead Hat" is a jittery anagram of Talking Heads, a band Eno would go on to produce three times. Side two drifts into calm water with "By This River," made with Cluster's Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and the hushed "Spider And I." "Julie With..." is a becalmed boat trip of a song, and "Through Hollow Lands" is dedicated to Harold Budd.

It was his last rock-leaning solo album of the 1970s before ambient took over. The two halves of the record line up with its title so neatly that we're inclined to think it was planned.

Also at Kops: more Brian Eno on vinyl · browse Electronic

Tracklist

Listen

On Astralwerks (cat# 2557951660), a reissue of the 1977 album.