Music For Films
	Produced by Brian Eno
	Released on September 1978
	UK CHART POSITION #55
	Find it at GEMM
EGS 105 cover

A cabinet full of instrumental curios, recorded between 1975 and 1978. Music for Films features some pieces that did appear in films, but it’s mostly a continuation of the short ambient sections found in varying amounts on Another Green World and Before And After Science rather than an attempt to score music for movies. The knock on the record is this: just as one bit begins to weave its magic, the idea is abandoned and another is queued up. It’s not unlike looking at the sketchbook of a great painter: edifying in helping you understand how the artist’s mind works, but ultimately no more than the germ of a great idea. A handful of songs are long enough to create self-sustaining environments, notably “Events In Dense Fog” and “Final Sunset.” But more often, a good idea is gone just as it becomes interesting; “Slow Water,” “Quartz” or “Strange Light” are examples of pieces that could have been captivating over the course of an album side. Also, Music for Films doesn’t break any new ground, instead opting for snapshots of familiar landscapes. Parts of Another Green World (“Sky Saw,” “Sombre Reptiles”), Cluster & Eno and Evening Star resurface at various moments, perhaps leftovers from those sessions. Making a meal out of Music for Films is darn near impossible, while frequent changes of musical scenery seem antithetical to the idea of ambient music. Judged solely on presentation, this is one of Eno’s least satisfying instrumental works. Sensing that the record would be listened to as a single series of sounds, Eno himself changed the track order on subsequent reissues, hoping to strike a better balance. It doesn’t change the fact that most listeners will have difficulty immersing themselves in this work; contentedness must come from dipping their toes into a series of small puddles.

EGS 105 back cover

TRACK LISTING

original 1978 track sequence...

1. M386
2. ARAGON
3. FROM THE SAME HILL
4. INLAND SEA
5. TWO RAPID FORMATIONS
6. SLOW WATER
7. SPARROWFALL (1)
8. SPARROWFALL (2)
9. SPARROWFALL (3)
10. QUARTZ
11. EVENTS IN DENSE FOG
12. 'THERE IS NOBODY'
13. A MEASURED ROOM
14. PATROLLING WIRE BORDERS
15. TASK FORCE
16. ALTERNATIVE 3
17. STRANGE LIGHT
18. FINAL SUNSET
    
    Editions EG reissue track sequence...
    
1. ARAGON    (Brian Eno)    1:39
2. FROM THE SAME HILL    (Brian Eno)    2:58
3. INLAND SEA    (Brian Eno)    1:25
4. TWO RAPID FORMATIONS    (Brian Eno)    3:24
5. SLOW WATER    (Brian Eno)    3:15
6. SPARROWFALL (1)    (Brian Eno)    1:13
7. SPARROWFALL (2)    (Brian Eno)    1:52
8. SPARROWFALL (3)    (Brian Eno)    1:24
9. ALTERNATIVE 3    (Brian Eno)    3:12
10. QUARTZ    (Brian Eno)    2:01
11. EVENTS IN DENSE FOG    (Brian Eno)    3:46
12. 'THERE IS NOBODY'    (Brian Eno)    1:43
13. PATROLLING WIRE BORDERS    (Brian Eno)    1:42
14. A MEASURED ROOM    (Brian Eno, arr. Percy Jones/Brian Eno)    1:02
15. TASK FORCE    (Brian Eno)    1:21
16. M386    (Brian Eno)    2:50
17. STRANGE LIGHT    (Brian Eno, arr. Fred Frith/Brian Eno)    2:10
18. FINAL SUNSET    (Brian Eno)    4:10

CREDITS

BRIAN ENO --
John Cale -- viola
Phil Collins -- percussion
Rhett Davies -- trumpet, assistant producer
Robert Fripp -- electric guitar
Fred Frith -- electric guitar
Percy Jones -- bass guitar
Bill MacCorick -- bass guitar
Dave Mattacks -- percussion
Rod Melvin -- electric piano
Paul Rudolph -- guitar
Ritva Saarikko -- cover photograph

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