Track Listing

1. No One Receiving
2. Backwater
3. Kurt's Rejoinder
4. Energy Fools The Magician
5. King's Lead Hat
6. Here He Comes
7. Julie With...
8. By This River
9. Through Hollow Lands
10. Spider And I

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65169 in Music
• Released on: 2004-05-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 40 minutes

CD Description
Eno's last glam-pop album before devoting himself entirely to ambient experimentation, BEFORE AND AFTER SCIENCE showcases two sides of Eno's musical personality. The first half ofthe disc is characterised by floppy, pop-tinged romps reminiscent of his earlier albums (and heralding later Eno-piloted projects such as the Talking Heads' SPEAKING IN TONGUES). Tunes like "Backwater" and "King's Lead Hat" (a song whose lyrics are reputedly about the Talking Heads, the title an anagram of the band's name) feature bouncy beats and keyboards, silly, riddle-like lyrics and Eno's Muppet-ish vocals. Thesecond half is considerably more subdued: the tender, airy feeling of tracks like "Julie With" and "Spider and I" indicate Eno's softer, abstract, synthesizer-dominated direction.Taken together, the fine tracks of this disc frame two sides of Eno: the pop songster and the ambient composer.

Customer Reviews

Last of the "Early Years" re-issues
The last of the current batch of Original Master re-issues and his last song based album for some time. After this it was ambient and systems based music. Eno was now a different person to that which left Roxy Music. Gone were the feathers, make-up and flamboyance. Eno was now Brian Eno.

Though "Before and After Science" is hugely overshadowed by the originality and cultural importance of "Another Green World", it is an album I personally prefer. From the metallic funk of "No One Receiving" to the simple childlike joy of "Spider and I". Personal favourites are the hazy, languid "Julie With...." where Eno transports us to a floating raft, silently drifting across a calm ocean with the hot sun beating down. In fact water is a recurring theme throughout. The single "King's Lead Hat" was originally to be performed by Talking Heads, which the title is an anagram of, but that didn't materialise. Still the song is sharp, incisive and punky and culminates in one of the best instrumental solos ever.

Though this was to be his last song based album for some time, Eno was now entering his most influential phase as ambient guru, sought after producer, Bowie collaborator, systems theorist and installation artist. His mark on the development of modern pop music is widespread and these early albums clearly demonstrate what an original Brian Eno is.

A couple of comments about these re-issues. They are minimally packaged in digipaks which are housed in transparent plastic slip cases. No notes, essays or lyrics, just the original recording credits. Although I do miss the beautiful Peter Schmidt prints which were included with the original album and were integral to it. It would have been nice to see them reproduced somehow.

These are not remasters as such, but new transfers taken from the original master tapes using the new Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format. This is state of the art as regards mastering onto compact disc. They have been transferred by Simon Heyworth who is one of the best in the business. He has made statements about the remastering of these recordings. Why change something that was done right originally! Eno was happy with the original mastering so what is needed is just the best transfer onto compact disc that is currently feasible. Whereas the original CD's sounded flat and thin, these transfers are much livelier and offer a fuller, more detailed sound.

This album was made by a wizard and left in the sun to ripen
When it was ripe he wrapped it up nice and fine and slipped it unnoticed into the record shops. Sinewy basslines throb. Keyboards cut and thrust. Lyrics bounce around delightfully. When you find yourself singing "Oh, the King's lead hat is a martyr to desire, it will come, it will come, it will surely come!" just for the pure fun of it, then you'll know a new freedom! Believe me! Superlative weird pop and atmospheric seas wash over you. Roxy Music are just weaklings on a distant beach. This is Eno's kingdom and you don't have to do anything here, just listen, smile, drift... This is not ambient minimalism, its pop music at its very finest.

Approach with awe ,genius at work
The word genius is bandied about with wild abandon with regards to all the arts, but is especially prevalent in music. Very few people and especially musicians are geniuses. When it comes to Brian Eno however, there can be no argument. Brian Eno is a genius.
I was lucky enough to discover Brian Eno early in my music collecting days although I actually was drawn to his ambient work first. Gob smacked by his numerous EG Editions albums I investigated his "normal albums "and bought them all in a mad rush. And although all are superb, Before and After Science is the best, Enos penchant for exotic instrumentation and unique textures and rhythms allied to a forensic ear for melody was never better demonstrated than on this album.
"Kurts Rejoinder" and "No One Receiving" are fractured and funky with belching bass lines rubbing up against skewed keyboards. "Backwater" is a cerebral pop monolith. It's bizarre tongue twisting lyrical witticisms ("There was a Senator from Ecuador who came upon a meteor that crashed on a hill in the south of Peru. / and was found by a Conquistador who took to the Emperor and he passed on to a Turkish Guru") set to an infectious stomping piano and Metropolis soundtrack keyboards. Instrumental "Energy Fools the Magician" delights in bass that bubbles like a tar pit, splintered shards of keyboard noise over more luxuriant swathes of keyboard sound. "Kings Lead Hat" is all brilliantine guitars, pop from a tangent with a punk sneer. Enos hurried vocals, almost tripping over themselves in a rush to be free.
The second half of the album is more sedate, awash (This is apt given the predominance water has in these songs) with gentle lapping waves of sound and moderate smooth vocals. The perfect marriage of Enos song writing brilliance tempered to his love of sound and atmosphere. "Here he comes", "Julie With", "By this River" are all wonderful examples of this "Spider and I" in contrast sounds like it was recorded in a Cathedral, its sound huge and expansive. It ends the album on a slightly portentous note.
I'd recommend owning every album Eno has a hand in really but if you were to choose just one this is the one I would go for. And maybe "Discreet Music" from his ambient series but that's another story as they say.