Listen To All Ten Albums From Brian Eno's Obscure Records Label

From BoingBoing:

  Quote

Brian Eno launched Obscure Records in 1975, and released 10 albums on the label, including his own, Discreet Music. The label closed in 1978. Ubuweb has links to all ten albums.

 

Obscure Records (1975-78)

 

• Obscure No. 1: The Sinking of the Titanic – Gavin Bryars (1975)
• Obscure No. 2: Ensemble Pieces – Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, Gavin Bryars (1975)
• Obscure No. 3: Discreet Music – Brian Eno (1975)
• Obscure No. 4: New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments – Max Eastley, David Toop (1975)
• Obscure No. 5: Voices and Instruments – Jan Steele, John Cage (1976)
• Obscure No. 6: Decay Music – Michael Nyman (1976)
• Obscure No. 7: Music from the Penguin Café – Members of the Penguin Café Orchestra (1976)
• Obscure No. 8: Machine Music – John White, Gavin Bryars (1978)
• Obscure No. 9: Irma – an opera by Tom Phillips, music by Gavin Bryars, libretto by Fred Orton (1978)
• Obscure No. 10: The Pavilion of Dreams – Harold Budd (1978)

Ten albums were issued in the series. Most have detailed liner notes on their back covers, analyzing the compositions and providing a biography of the composer, in a format typical of classical music albums, and much of the material can be regarded as 20th century classical music. The label provided a venue for experimental music, and its association with Eno gave increased public exposure to its composers and musicians.

http://www.ubuweb.com/sound/obscure.html

I'm kind of new to Eno and don't know where to start. So I guess I'll dive into these obscure releases!

My first exposure was Music For Airports - most people seem to start there.

Thanks, he has such a huge back catalogue. I listened to some of Before and After Science and I loved it (major psychedelic vibes off that album lol)

gotta love ubuweb

I've made it through quite a few of his albums since yesterday. (including some of those obscure records ones. They're pretty good but not really my regular cup-o-tea)

So far my favorite is his kind of folk/artsy/disco/rock stuff. My favourite album so far is Before and After Science.

Can anyone recommend similar albums/releases in his discography? It's huge, I can't buy it all at once lol.

Fantastic. Make sure to listen to the John Cage and Jan Steele record, it's wonderful.

Does anyone happen know what the idea behind the artwork variations are?

I thought when I first heard it, and maintain that Ambient 1 Music for Airports is boring forgettable rubbish. Every other disc in that series has something real to offer.

I can vouch that Harold Budd's (produced by Eno) The Pavilion of Dreams is pretty awesome. Their first collab and Budd's first album if I remember right.

I love his windows 95 sounds, will check.

  On 2/14/2015 at 7:45 PM, StephenG said:

I've made it through quite a few of his albums since yesterday. (including some of those obscure records ones. They're pretty good but not really my regular cup-o-tea)

 

So far my favorite is his kind of folk/artsy/disco/rock stuff. My favourite album so far is Before and After Science.

 

Can anyone recommend similar albums/releases in his discography? It's huge, I can't buy it all at once lol.

here come the warm jets

taking tiger mountain

another green world (my favourite)

  On 2/15/2015 at 2:20 PM, kaini said:

 

  On 2/14/2015 at 7:45 PM, StephenG said:

I've made it through quite a few of his albums since yesterday. (including some of those obscure records ones. They're pretty good but not really my regular cup-o-tea)

 

So far my favorite is his kind of folk/artsy/disco/rock stuff. My favourite album so far is Before and After Science.

 

Can anyone recommend similar albums/releases in his discography? It's huge, I can't buy it all at once lol.

 

here come the warm jets

taking tiger mountain

another green world (my favourite)

 

Good recommendations by kaini (though i give the nod to taking tiger mountain).

His collab with David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts should be right up your alley.

And even though it's ambient - "The Pearl" is very much worth your time.

'another day on earth' is pretty good too if you're after vocal eno

Thanks guys, much appreciated! (sorry for the short thread de-rail).

I also love the catchy pop stylings of his collaboration with John Cale, Wrong Way Up. Some really fantastic songs on there.

Will check out the John Cage one in a bit.

My Squelchy Life is a '90s take on vocal Eno, brilliant, and finally widely available as the bonus disc on the Nerve Net re-release.

Going to check these Obscure albums, the few that I know of those are lovely so some guaranteed gems here.

cheers. Just purchased "Michael Nyman - Decay Music" on vinyl - streaming the rest of the Obscure stuff now. Thx mate.

what is this glorious website?? what a great collection of music for free. thanks for posting joyrex.

am familiar with a couple of these but by no means all of it.

was listening to this last night and holy shit it's incredible..

the b-side of eno's discrete music is also beautiful.

10 albums at the same time? no thanks, that would sound horrendous