Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Brian Eno (Ambient 1: Music for Airports)

CD Review:
For so minimal an album, there is much to say about Music For Airports. It is the first album of the genre to be called "ambient" music as Brian is the one who thought up the term. It has been listened to by all composers afterward as a benchmark for the genre. Although others may have eclipsed it (Aphex Twin comes to mind) no one has such a direct effect as Brian Eno and this album has for ambient, minimalist composition.

The title Music For Airports can be thought of literally or figuratively. Literally, in that this album would be a great album to play over the public address system of an airport to calm patrons who are stressed out from travel, moving from one plane to another or are just waiting for a departure time to arrive. They wouldn't really even hear the music directly but it would infiltrate their psyche and give them some peace and tranquility in that hectic atmosphere (at least that is what Brian would hope).

Figuratively, and this is probably what Brian was going for mostly, in that an airport is a place of departure and this album is also. To understand my meaning you will have to play it while lying down with your eyes closed. When I did this, I tried to concentrate on the music, but it wouldn't let me. My mind would drift away and I would almost enter a trance and my body would feel like it was floating away to some distant and serene place. It was quite an experience, to say the least.

Brian, himself, stated that this music was not to be listened to at all. The whole point of it was to put it on and continue what you were doing. Without any conscience effort to listen, which is difficult to do anyway, Brian hoped that the album would take your stress away during your activities. With this album playing, he hoped that your state of mind, indirectly, would be improved no matter what you were trying to accomplish. I think he succeeded brilliantly.

The 4 tracks are not given names. With the use of numbers he minimalises the titles as much as he does the music itself. 1/1, 1/2, 2/1, and 2/2 just identify where the tracks appear on the LP. The first number represents the side of the album and the second indicates the track number for that side.

You would assume that since this music is "minimal" that there would be very little instrumentation to it. You would be correct in that assumption as a piano and a synthesizer are the only instruments used. Add in the vocals (but not singing) of three women (Christa Fast, Inge Zeininger and Christine Gomez) and you will have all the sound used on the album. The women are heard chanting, or something more like aaaaw-ing beginning on the second track.

Brian's friend Robert Wyatt makes a guest appearance on the album playing the piano on track one.

Although Brian would wish that I would play this album during the day while buzzing around the house in activity, I usually reserve its use for when I get home from a hard day's work at 11pm and use it as an aid in sleeping. No matter how stressed I feel when hitting the bed, I can't stay that way after a few minutes into this album, and I thank him for that.

Scott D. Brown