Ambient 1: Music for Airports (E.G. / Polydor, 1978)
“Ambient 1: Music for Airports” is the first release and the manifest of Ambient Music, a genre of music Brian Eno invented, that “induce calm and a space to think” while remaining “as ignorable as it is interesting” (Brian Eno).
This album is consist of four tracks, they basically made by tape loops (some of them are out of synchronisation intentionally bit) and some irregular improvisational dubbing.
“1/1” is a very simple minimal music is consist of tape loops of piano melodies, vibraphone (or compressor modulated piano) and synthesizer pad. The composition is repetitions of 16 bars and the song length is 16 minutes. It’s a warm and calm song make a sound environment is suitable for an Airport.
“1/2” is a very minimal sacred but apathetic and cold feel mood chorus and pad with reverb effects repetitions song by tape loops.
“2/1” is a full-fledged Ambient Music, and might be consist of mixture of “1/1” and “1/2” mostly. Piano plays are bit swigging and make good use of intervals and spaces.
“2/2” is a song consist of sacred and bright mood composition and a beautiful tone like chorus made by ARP 2600 repetitions of 16 or 32 bars tape loops. It’s suitable for the serious and square mood of airports.
A monumental album of the music history, created Ambient Music, has greatly influenced on many musicians. And this album is the music created environment and keep the air and atmosphere of a place or a zone. Especially “1/1” is the declaration of the genre, and 2/1 is one of the greatest Ambient tracks of all time.
Track list:
1 “1/1” 16:30
2 “1/2” 8:20
3 “2/1” 11:30
4 “2/2” 6:00
Total length: 42:20
Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror, by Harold Budd & Brian Eno (E.G., 1979)
“Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror” is the second release of the “Ambient” series of Brian Eno, and the collaboration album features an American pianist, Harold Budd, his characteristics is unique floating and mystic piano improvisation.
“First Light” is bright and clear composition. It begins with Budd’s piano arpeggios and improvisational passages. In the middle part arpeggios become lower tone and passages are longer and weightily. In the end, chord accompaniment of synthesizer pad follow and closed the song.
“Steal Away” is an apathetic and few notes piano improvisation short track.
“The Plateaux of Mirror” is vague and calme also mystic mood song, it begins with low and soft tone fine arpeggios, high tones improvisational passages like vibraphone (piano modulated by compressor and chorus effets). From the middle part vague reverb and chorus modulated piano chords backings associates environmental noises and subtle percussion follow.
“Above Chiangmai”, Budd plays improvisational floating and apathetic piano solo with percussion tones like an animal howls.
“An Arc of Doves”, it begins with a fine weaver of piano arpeggio backing, few tone piano improvisations and pad chord ride on it. From the middle part they are synced and crossed, and make an environment of sound.
“Not Yet Remember” it begins with two hands chord backings. And pad chord melodies like real chorus by ARP 2600, follow.
“The Chill Air” is a neutral mood song of repetitions of left hand chord and right hand arpeggio like phrases and their reflections.
“Among Fields of Crystal” is consist of a slight layer of synthesizer pad and Budd’s fragmental piano improvisation. A dull but relaxing, neutral and apathetic song.
“Wind in Lonely Fences”, it begins with fragmental low tone piano passages like electric piano sound, and high tone piano passages like vibraphone (they must be modulated by compressor and chorus effects), they associate and resemble animals’ roars. Then keen piano reflections and slight and hight tone synthesiser passages follow, they made an environment of sound.
“Failing Light” is an answer song or a pair song of “First Light”. It begins with Budd’s innocent but dim and apathetic improvisational piano solo. Compressor modulated piano like electric piano follows and plays few notes and overrides the top notes of solo.
Almost sound is consist of piano played by Harold Budd and modulated and treatment by Brian Eno who uses chorus and delay or some effet machines in experimental and extreme way of use. And songs are attached synthesizer pad, few tones of percussions and subtle noises. But this album constructs wonderful and relaxing, eternal also floating heavenly and graceful space, sphere or environment by sound.
I think this album is the greatest album of Ambient Music (but it’s made by modulated piano tones), it’s an excellent serious works of music, also excellent background music for a place or a space.
Tracklist:
1 “First Light” 6:59
2 “Steal Away” 1:29
3 “The Plateaux of Mirror” 4:10
4 “Above Chiangmai” 2:49
5 “An Arc of Doves” 6:22
6 “Not Yet Remembered” 3:50
7 “The Chill Air” 2:13
8 “Among Fields of Crystal” 3:24
9 “Wind in Lonely Fences” 3:57
10 “Failing Light” 4:17
Total length: 39:30
Ambient 4: On Land (E.G., 1982)
“Ambient 4: On Land”, in this album, Eno adopted a different approach to make Ambient Music. To take, sample or imitate environmental and natural sound, then reconstructed and a soundscape and an environment of sound. There are very few the Western musical methods and terms such as melody and harmony.
“Lizard Point”, it’s consist of ambiguous pads and nature sound samples (river, forest and stone).
“The Lost Day” it begins with low and bold tone pad chord and fragmental phrases and sequences of ethnic bell instruments. Samples of wind and babbling of brook follow. Then keen pad solos like an animal howls and samples of nature environmental sound ride on them.
“The Cast” begins with didgeridoo and filter modulated synthesizer sequences. Pad chord accompaniment, few notes of bass guitar, noisy synthesizer sound effect and samples of wind follow.
“Shadow” is consist of keen modulated pad, mysterious and odd synthesizer lead and animals howls.
“Lantern Marsh” is consist of middle tone based pad chord, samples of glasses or bells keen pad phrases. Later part noisy filtered pad tone follow. They made an environment or soundscape intimates a nature soundscape.
“Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills)” begins with pad sequences, and samples, percussions or synth tones imitate animus howl. High tone keen pad notes, noises by/like sands and sound like a bird sings follow.
“A Clearing” begins with sacred pad chord layers with sound like birds sing and syhthesizer short notes like money howls. Noisy pad chord follows. This track also build a nature soundscape.
“Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960” is consist of fragmental reverb and chorus modulated piano passages with long note pad chord accompaniment like myst, odd tone pad like bass clarinet or an elephant howls and samples of murmuring of trees.
This album vague, abstract and experimental Ambient Music and which connects to today’s Drone Ambient.
Thursday Afternoon (E.G., 1985)
“Thursday Afternoon” is a unique one track 61 minutes length album. Originally this music was composed for the same title 80 minutes video work, it’s called a “video painting” contains 7 scenes of almost still images were edited by some image production techniques. This album is cut in 61 minutes to contain a compact disc.
There’s Brian Eno’s iconic floating and ambiguous soundscape. It begins with few tone fragmental piano notes and an endless atmospheric pad chord.
From around 15:00, delay and chorus modulated another piano and beautiful electronic noises follow.
From around 25:00, keen reflection samples and another lower and chords pad layer follow.
From around 40:00, middle tone pad or string instrument phrases, short notes of bass glissando and electronic noises like animals howl follow.
From 45:00 sound of pianos and pads become dynamic and bold.
From 50:00, tracks expect pianos and pads reduced, then the song become an improvisation only pianos and pads.
In the end, all sound fade in, then fade out, and it remains pad only and which modulated by delay or chorus effects, then fade out.
The high tempo (105 – 115) and very refreshing ambient album. Enjoy!
Resources and Links
The official Brian Eno web store
X – Brian Eno News (unofficial)
Music Review
Works of Roger Eno
Music Review
Works of Harold Budd
