#436: Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets

This wasn't Eno's first effort upon leaving Roxy Music. That credit belongs to his 1973 collaboration with Robert Fripp, No Pussyfooting, which notably showcased Eno's tape loop wizardry and early ambient experiments (I used to have NP on vinyl back in the day; man, I wish I'd hung onto that thing). But it was his solo debut, and more importantly, a landmark record. Eno worked with relatively straightforward melodies his first time out, building Warm Jets' foundation around fairly standard 50s/60s rock, bubblegum and doo-wop. To this he added elements of psychedelia, synthpop and a few postmodern touches that hint not toward his later ambient records so much as his subsequent production work with Bowie and U2, as well as his influence on the new wave and new romanticism that would come to domainate in the next decade. Phil Manzanera contributes axe work on a number of tracks, most notably "Needles in the Camel's Eye," while Fripp provides the blistering solo on perhaps the record's best track, "Baby's On Fire." Eno's production dovetails nicely with his lyrical prowess throughout the record as well. "On Some Faraway Beach," a beautifully poetic piano-driven mediation on insignificance, acceptance and, ultimately, liberation, is another stand-out.

Some other thoughts:

#435, PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love: Harvey's third record is something of a departure on several accounts. TBYML sees a less confrontational lyrical approach than previous works; earlier revenge fantasies and feminist rants give way to musings on loss and unrequited love. Instrumentally, the record is more densely layered than Dry and Rid of Me, incorporating multiple guitars, strings, keyboards and organ.

#434, The Police's Outlandos D'Amour: Geordie schoolteacher Gordon Matthew Sumner and his bandmates exploded onto Britain's late 70s music scene with a refreshing combination of reggae and pop, filtered though a decidedly punk sensibility. Drawing on suicide, prostitution and inflatable sex dolls for inspiration, The Police parlayed their brand of catchy irony to the very top of the pops.