Brian Eno Before And After Science CD

 Eno's "Other" Masterpiece.......
OK, so I made a tiny mistake that fateful day I decided to plunge into Mr. Eno's universe. I picked-up copies of both "Another Green World" & this one, which by most educated accounts, are his two greatest achievements as a solo artist. Neither one of them disappointed me in the slightest, however, after experiencing "Another Green World", "Before & After" comes off as a slightly "decaffeinated", certainly toned-down version of the former. Here, the sides are more clearly drawn; tracks 1-5 are the streamlined, light-weight pop numbers of which, "Another Green World" featured a much smaller dossage of; tracks 6-10 are the heavy-hitters, the more thought provoking and resonant songs that, for me at least, take this record from the realm of very good/ excellent, to undeniably great. For a comparison point outside of Eno, let's take David Bowie's highly regarded (& some might say, on par) releases from this period, "Low" & "Heroes" (which Eno co-produced). I'm going to say the ambiance of "Before & After" (meaning the 2nd half) isn't quite as ambient as the pertaining moments found on "Low", only executed better & definitely possessing more human quality, vocally. Surprisingly, it's the rather desolate (but totally heart-felt) lyrics of "Julie With" & "Spider & I" that take this one beyond anything that "Low" delivers. The peak moments of this record are greater than the peaks of "Low". From start to finish, I can find very little faults or weaknesses with the "Heroes" record, as it's arguably the best to come from the second half of that decade. However, you won't find anything on "Heroes" that ventures quite as "deep" into introspection as the songs that make up the second half of "Before & After", they really pack quite the stimulating punch in that regard. As for the pop songs found on each, I can't say that the first half of "Before & After" can even begin to touch material such as "Heroes", "Blackout" or "Sons Of The Silent Age". Bowie had Eno licked there. So, in summary, "Before & After Science" is totally worthy of the "masterpiece" stamp, totally worthy of inclusion on all those "top 100 of the '70s" lists & absolutely worth checking out. It just might be a good idea however, to save "Another Green World" for a later purchase than this one because what Eno delivered on that record is ultimately, an impossible act to follow.
Submitted by Chris (Winnipeg, Canada)
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 One of Eno's Best
Before and After Science is probably Eno's most accessible album. The first half is a mix of quasi rock tunes and lyrics that are intriguing and catchy. Backwater is an upbeat melody with odd quirky lyrics. The last tune of the first half, King's Lead Hat is a bass driven mover featuring the frenetic guitar work of Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music). The second part of this album is much quieter, fearuring slow introspective pieces. The album ends with Spider and I, a dreamy refection on sound and our place with or without it. If you are not familiar with Eno's work, this is the place to start. You won't regret it.
Submitted by catdan5 (Austin, TX USA) 
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