Influenced by minimalist composition and his own explorations of less-is-more on 1975’s Discreet Music, Eno produced the hypnotic and hugely influential Ambient 1: Music For Airports in 1978. It was the beginning of a series of four ‘ambient’ albums linked visually by their cover art, and musically by the reflective, spacious atmospheres evoked by their different moods.
The second LP (with Harold Budd) is the most melodic, meaning there are pretty tunes and a sense of delicate structure. Not dissimilar to Roedelius, if you are familiar with the German musician/composer who was half of Cluster. The final album in the series has perhaps the most dystopian feel, offering an uneasy, often almost empty soundscape. In between we have Laraaji’s Day of Radiance, a result of a chance encounter between a New York comedian turned busker and Mr Eno. The two sides of this album are very different, the first being a propulsive and trance-inducing journey in the company of a hammered dulcimer, the second less rhythmic and more exploratory. This work is often considered an early New Age classic, a description that could equally be applied to the lovely Budd/Eno collaboration.
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From top
1978
AMBIENT 1: MUSIC FOR AIPORTS
BRIAN ENO
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1980
AMBIENT 2: THE PLATEAUX OF MIRROR
HAROLD BUDD BRIAN ENO
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1980
DAY OF RADIANCE
LARAAJI
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1982
AMBIENT 4: ON LAND
BRIAN ENO
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Any of these on your ‘music for dreaming’ list?
vinylconnection.com.au 
It’s time to explore a bit more Eno.
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Unsure if Mr Eno has ever performed in Melbourne. His collaborations with other artists has occurred frequently throughout his prolific recording career. From Robert Fripp to most recently Holger Czukay amongst many others including his brother Roger Eno, Laurie Anderson et al. His time with Roxy Music was less successful as Brian Ferry would no doubt attest. Discreet Music from 1975 has a reputation as being a seminal recording in the ambient electronics field, he became well known for. Music for Airports from 1978 was certainly prophetic given the volume of people and the amount of time now spent in airports. Bang on a Can’s homage from 1998 is worth seeking out.
Recently Brian has returned to this theme releasing Music for 1000 Airports and Airports in C. Another personal favourite is After the Heat 1978, an Eno collaboration with Dieter Moebius and HJ Roedelius. Both pioneers of ambient music. Which I recall listening to first from the Northern Rivers region of NSW on 2 Double JJ, late at night on an intermittent AM signal from Sydney. Of live musical performances of ambient electronics in Melbourne. Tangerine Dream at Dallas Brooks Hall 1975. Did not disappoint with synthesizers, THC influenced siren songs. Gavin Bryars who released Sinking of the Titanic in 1975 on the same Obscure record label that Eno’s Discreet Music was recorded. Performed at the 1997 Melbourne Festival Melbourne Town Hall. Three consecutive evenings not likely to be forgotten by those fortunate enough to attend.
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Thanks for sharing those experiences, WoodyD.
With you on ‘After The Heat’; it’s a corker.
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I always loved these covers. They evoked a sense of maps of some strange musical landscape, and totally captured the spirit of the music inside the sleeve.
Aside: I have very fond memories of setting up my amp & speakers to decode the stereo recording of Music for Airports into 4 channels, using the inherent phase-related qualities of the recording. I was certain I read how to do this on the liner notes for MfA, but the internet seems to have nothing about this (and my vinyl is long vanished, pilfered in a theft)
Second Aside: While trying to find information about the above, I found a piece that talked about the actual use of MfA in real airports, which apparently was not that popular with commuters. Having composed actual music for airports myself – namely my commissioned six hour cyclical work ‘Strangeness + Charm’ for the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney and Melbourne – I can tell you that this kind of project is certainly not a shoe-in.
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That is exactly how I’ve always felt about those EG Records covers too, Peter.
A1: Below is the back cover of Ambient 4. Break out the speaker wire!
A2: That’s brilliant about your own MfA work. Is it available to hear anywhere? And what of the companion piece “Quark”?
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S+C is available on the ubiquitous Spotify under my Scribbletronics banner, but I also made a lovely 6CD set. Message me yr mailing address and I’ll send you one.
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I have all of those! I always thought the Eno covers were way better than the Roger Dean ones for Yes. But I suppose I’m in the minority on that one. – Marty
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They are fabulous covers, especially seen as a ‘set’. I’m running a few sets of four (or, for a couple, more than four) in addition to the Jade Warrior from a few weeks ago and these. But I’d be the first to admit that Eno and JW are amongst my favourites.
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Nice one Bruce. I bought all four cheaply on eBay, when that was still a possible thing. I love them all as a set, play #1 most often but #4 is the one that really gets me.
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And you did a great review of Laraaji’s ‘Day of Radiance’ too!
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Love all of these albums, particularly Airports.
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It’s a great ‘set’, isn’t it? And lovely to look at too. 😊
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