Before And After Science
	Produced by Brian Eno and Rhett Davies
	Released on December 1977
	US CHART POSITION #171
	Find it at GEMM
ENO 4 cover

S ome reference has been made to Eno deconstructing these songs in the studio, which I can’t deny or confirm, so best to move beyond that. What does occur on Before And After Science is a kind of “turning inside-out” of the music, at least on the first half of the record, which results in what could be viewed as an exoskeletal version of Another Green World or a Taking Tiger Mountain without the baroque arrangements. However, filing this under Another Green World II misses the point that Science is a culmination of styles, not a refinement of one album. Tiger’s “Third Uncle,” Warm Jets’ zaniness, the haunting siren’s call of Discreet Music, and Eno’s collaborations with Cluster, David Bowie and Talking Heads (alluded to on the anagrammatic “King’s Lead Hat”) all factor into the final equation. Also, Green was a split enterprise between instrumentals and songs, while Science features only two instrumentals: “Energy Fools The Magician” and “Through Hollow Lands,” not coincidentally the two pieces that most recall Green’s dreamlike soundscapes. In the beginning, Eno’s voice is simply a delivery mechanism for his tongue-in-cheek tomfoolery (“Backwater,” “King’s Lead Hat”). Later, he slips into the soft and soporific tones of “By This River” and “Spider and I,” understated enough to be oddly compelling. It’s this mixture of agitation and sedation that so closely invites comparison to Taking Tiger Mountain, even if the musical aesthetics are minimalist in nature. Before this album, Eno could be counted on for some demented (and some lovely) tunesmithing; after this album, the deluge of silence in deference to his art. In retrospect, while ackowledging that Eno’s ambient muse has served him well, it’s sad to think that another “Julie With…” or “Golden Hours” would not be forthcoming.

ENO 4 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. NO ONE RECEIVING    (Brian Eno)    3:41
2. BACKWATER    (Brian Eno)    3:42
3. KURT'S REJOINDER    (Brian Eno)    2:53
4. ENERGY FOOLS THE MAGICIAN    (Brian Eno, arr. by Percy Jones/Brian Eno)    2:03
5. KING'S LEAD HAT    (Brian Eno)    3:57
6. HERE HE COMES    (Brian Eno)    5:39
7. JULIE WITH...    (Brian Eno)    6:24
8. BY THIS RIVER    (Brian Eno/Achim Roedelius/Mobi Moebius)    3:01
9. THROUGH HOLLOW LANDS    (Brian Eno, arr. by Fred Frith/Brian Eno)    4:15
10. SPIDER AND I    (Brian Eno)    4:25

CREDITS

BRIAN ENO -- voices, synthesizer, guitar, synthesized percussion, piano, rhythm guitar, brass, chorus, 'jazz' piano, keyboards, vibes, metallics, Yamaha CS80, moog, bell, mini-moog, AKS
PAUL RUDOLPH -- bass, rhythm guitar, harmonic bass, melody guitar
Phil Collins -- drums
Rhett Davies -- agong-gong, stick, engineer
Andy Fraser -- drums
Robert Fripp -- guitar solo
Fred Frith -- modified guitar, cascade guitars
Percy Jones -- fretless bass, analogue delay bass
Jaki Liebezeit -- drums
Bill MacCormick -- bass
Phil Manzanera -- rhythm guitar, guitars
Dave Mattacks -- drums
Mobi Moebius -- bass Fender piano
Achim Roedelius -- grand and electric pianos
Kurt Schwitters -- voice (from the Ur Sonata)
Brian Turrington -- bass
Shirley Williams -- brush timbales, time
Peter Schmidt -- artwork
Dave Hutchins -- engineer
Conny Plank -- engineer

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