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Brian Eno

Here Come the Warm Jets

When I purchased this phenomenal disc about a few years ago, I was absolutely (and still), blown away by the absolute innovative genius, tonal texture and general ambient feel and style of substance that Brian Eno's debut album has bestowed upon my listening ears. This record is truly something that, for some reason, has taken me 30 years to discover, but as the old adage goes, "its never too late to learn something new". Before I acquired "Warm Jets", I picked up Roxy Music's first two releases which included Eno, and again, I was admittedly late in the game of being exposed to them, but all the more thankful for allowing myself the opportunity to hear this wonderfully progressive music. Although, leader Bryan Ferry forced Eno from the group, he gave Brian the "green light" to launch his own solo career and within the credits of this disc, most of the members of Roxy Music are featured as well as Robert Fripp(King Crimson), which I believe, was the start of their longstanding collaborative, musical relationship.

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From the opening number, "Needles in the Camel's Eye", with its driving rhythm and atonal instrument qualities that somehow make perfect harmony with Eno's lead vocals mixed in awash of reverb and other treatments, Here Come the Warm Jets gets off to a rousing start and settles in nicely with the following track, "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch". This cut sounds a bit relative as to what he had done in his former band Roxy Music, and is a quirky, melodic number that incorporates fresh ideas for the further evolution of pop music and its culture; even though its caught within the vanguard of its musical construction. "Baby's on Fire" has a quiet menace to its ilk and features Robert Fripp reeling off incredibly distorted, chaotic guitar solos that are breathtakingly extraordinary. "Cindy Tells Me" has a piano melody that recalls some of the sounds of early 60's pop, along with backing vocals that glide off in the background, complimenting Eno's somewhat, icy lead vocal giving this track its innate charm.

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"Driving Me Backwards" features double tracked piano and vocals, offering a mid-paced, ambient feel utilizing experimental, studio console mixing techniques with various sounds of guitar used to accentuate an earthy, organic feel; courtesy again of Mr. Fripp, it leaves the listener in a somewhat trance-like state of mind. "On Some Faraway Beach" is driven by a sparse, but distinctive melody, guided by multi-tracked vocals in a chorale fashion and further into the number, an organ provides more depth, reinforcing the beginning, main piano melody; cascading with the addition of synthesizer and the steady drumming of Simon King. The way Eno constructs his material is truly an original approach, especially for 1973, its quite unbelievable that he was able to accomplish these feats of sound within the seemingly primitive recording equipment facilities as a result of analog  being the then current available medium. "Blank Frank" crashes in and features another atonal-like melody with a decidedly "lo-fi" arrangement and mix given to its composition and the rhythm back-beat is repetitively constant, likened to a simple, "foot-stomp" rhythm, amidst  an Eno vocal that is biting, angular and sharp. "Dead Finks Don't Talk" again features a sparse piano melody set against an arrangement that is rather low key, but with a brimming power discovered. "Some of Them Are Old" begins with a funeral-like, pastoral arrangement accompanied by, again, a chorale vocalizing treatment with shivering organ lines adding a certain mood of lament. Incredibly powerful is the segue into the albums' closing title track, sounding as though a mellotron is paired with a Moog synthesizer that establishes its repetitive, but strong melody, serving as this record's crowning achievement.

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I am highly impressed by this debut record from Mr. Eno and while I'm sure most music lovers out there are well aware of this record, in case one hasn't experienced the innovative genius of Brian Eno, this debut album is an excellent introduction to his talents. 

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Rating Grade- A+

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