Customer Reviews

Brian Eno: His Music and the Vertical Color of Sound

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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Sorry, I haven't read it yet. But I thought potential buyers might want to know that this book and the same author's book on Robert Fripp are both available for free download from the author's web site. An act of generosity that certainly deserves five stars.

This book is best for the fan who is also a home recording artist. It tackles Eno primarily in the studio and gives very clear descriptions of his techniques. There is even a glossary in the back. The book deals with his pre-1988 work and was originially a thesis paper so at times reads like one, dry. I enjoy Eno, but this book did nothing to enhance the "myth." Rather it made him human. Not bad, right?

Though this book is written more from a technical perspective, it provides interesting insights into the furtile, creative mind of Brian Eno. I would not recommend this book to anyone who doesn't have interest in musicology or the technical nature of music creation. However, for those who are interested, feast away.

The oblique views of the most famous non-musician at work. In which we are introduced to the frog vision concept, Erik Satie's musique d'ameublement, John Cage's sound pictures and of course Eno's own conceptual continuity. Never a dull moment within the realms of minimalism ? Yes, you read right. Clever, smart, and appealing.

Eno has long since attained quasi-mythical status in hip circles. Considered a, if not The, "Father of Ambient," he is a paragon for the all-black-wearing conceptual art school crowd. What most interests me as a sociologist is how Eno's reputation came about, when, he admits himself, he is responsible for "no breakthroughs" (pp. 172-173), and is more important as an influence than someone whose records many people actually listen to. (For instance, I doubt if too many people in chill rooms at raves listen to Eno -- more likely it's the Orb, or FSOL, or the many others influenced by Terry Riley, Eno and others.)

The thing is, I have been around long enough to remember Eno as the androgynous keyboard player for Roxy Music, and so I've seen him move from '70s prog-rock to Father of Ambient. Nice move! It seems to me that his position is based on 2 very different things: 1) fame by association, based on his collaborations and production of Bowie, the Talking Heads and U2, and 2) his late '70s move toward "ambient" on recordings such as MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS and ON LAND. Two crucial influences on Eno are Satie, who started an anti-romantic movement in music, and Cage, who saw himself as an "inventor" in the field of music, with no particular musical aptitude. Eno, likewise, strikes a minimalist posture in opposition to the excess of '70s prog-rock (ie, ELP, Yes), and a cool posture in opposition to the hot, angry punk movement. Anti-heroic and detached.

So it seems to me that Eno has managed to succeed in an unusual way by working in the interstices between genres, and by refusing to be pigeonholed by any tendency. He has been in the right place at the right time, for instance, attaching himself to the Talking Heads and thus transitioning from the '70s to the '80s in style, and has known the right people. He keeps moving, keeps experimenting, and maintains tension between multiple positions. For instance, he minimizes emotion compared to much conventional pop, but tries to maintain a "seductive" prettiness (p. 174) compared to the dry formalism of the avant-garde. He's avant-garde, but also a populist! A fascinating element that Tamm reveals is Eno's technical proficiency, and deliberate use of mechanical "glitches" to produce unique sounds.

Tamm apparently wrote this originally as a Ph.D thesis -- I wonder how many dissertations there are by now on Eno? At least as edited for DaCapo, it is an excellent work of musical scholarship. In particular, Tamm does a superb job of using direct quotes from Eno to make his main points. If you're at all interested in Eno, Tamm's book is well worth reading.

Most of the writing on music that is non-Classical or non-Jazz is done by hacks who just happened to buy enough albums as kids and have enough of a vocabulary to get jobs with music magazines. They possess no real knowledge of music outside of their own highly subjective and fickle opinions. No matter how much they seem to know they are still just fashion designers for the industry. In this case we have a serious "rock" musician taken seriously and analyzed seriously by a serious musicologist. The author demostrates a knowledge of music outside of the pop/rock world and places Eno in this context. Short on biography, long on theory, this is a truly intelligent foray into the music of Brian Eno and is a shining example of what rock journalism could be. Alas, very few examples of "rock" musicians approach Eno in their worthiness of analysis.

Since very little is known of Eno's private life, this book takes a pretty good and professional look at his composing life, starting with Roxy Music and up to about 1990. The most interesting aspects are the clear explanations of Eno's techniques and concepts. I found many of the ideas and thoughts applicable to other art forms, and am using some of the ideas for work of my own now. Be warned that the book does assume the reader has a certain level of understanding of music theory and contemporary music, but there is still much to enjoy if you are a newcomer to these ideas.

This book is full of information.

Eno's views on music and art are interesting and brilliant. Quotations from Eno himself are in this book in great numbers.

If you love Eno's music, read this book. Highly recommended.

full of interesting history and quotations as well as some useless observations. on the whole very interesting for any dedicated Eno fan. writing quality betrays origins as thesis paper - you can probably still order a copy of the thesis from the University of California at Berkeley.

The information provided in this book is very thorough. The author outlines each album song by song. The writing, however is somewhat dry. It is delightful to read Eno's own words through out the book. Eno has a wonderful view on music as art which is rarely covered in most music publications. Overall, it is a must for any Brian Eno fan who is also a musician or artist.