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by wittierusername 875 days ago
And while I'm travelling there, Music for Airports is being played through the airport PA
2 comments

When MfA was released, a few airports tried that, and got an extremely negative response from passengers.

I wonder if, decades later, not to mention a generation or two with exposure to "chillout", "ambient" and maybe just a dab of psychedelics, the response would be any different today.

Boooooring. I think Eno is better at self-promotion with intellectual pretense than music itself.

The less pretentious material (eg U2) is - for me - way better. Bowie? The ‘experimental’ tracks are a weak rehash of the krautrock of the time. Tangerine Dream run rings around them.

I own all the TD albums up to White Eagle, along with several bootlegs. I saw them at York Minster in the 1970s. I also am the BDFL of the ardour.org project, where releases are named after chronologically ordered Eno albums.

I see no reason to make comparisons between their work, which are quite different in affect, goal, and production methodology.

And once you've landed, Ambient 4, 'On Land'?

I wouldn't usually comment in such a flippant way but if anyone discovers this album because of it and loves it as much as I do, then it's worth it!

Love love love that album! Eno is just cool because he was constantly thinking about the context for his art as well as making beautiful music.

Him and David Byrne did an album called "My life in the bush of ghosts" - I was reading Byrne's book about it and he was saying it was constantly asking 'how would someone who has never seen or heard a guitar or piano be played... approach it? Is strumming arbitrary, could it be percussive?'

Eno just ebs with cool

I read the book for a book club, and decided to listen to the album as well, even though Eno said he took the title of the album from the book without ever having read the book.

The album was a lot more accessible than the book.