Listening to “No One Receiving”, the opening track on Before and After Science, its easy to hear the bridge to Talking Heads. In fact, it’s not surprising that Eno would work with them. This album provides the roadmap between that band and XTC and Genesis and proves that New Wave was really just art rock. Quickly leaping into pop with “Back Water”, Eno is keeping you guessing, especially if you might have forgotten the first two records for the ambience that followed. Then a left jab of “Kurt’s Rejoinder”, a bass heavy, almost proto-jazz fusion piece.
The album is all over the place. The electro-tech of “King’s Lead Hat” suggests Devo or, a little later, XEX’s Group: Xex (one of my favorite records of all time) and, most definitely The Cars’ “Shake It Up”. While “Here He Comes” might be the loveliest, poppiest and closely resembling Roxy Music track Eno has ever offered.
B&AS is a hodgepodge. A “best of” of unheard music, if you will. Where every track sounds like it could have been something written for a previous Eno album and yet, forward thinking, with one piece of perfection after another. While it does get a little ambient toward the end, it’s only because the album is coming to an end of a long journey and you should be tired after such a trip. And ready for bed.
Before and After Science is another great Eno work. And if you wanted to start listening to him I would say start here.
Grade: A+
ASide: No One Receiving, Kurt’s Rejoinder, King’s Lead Hat
BlindSide: Back Water (The XTC song Partiridge’s been trying to write for 40 years.), Here He Comes, Spider & I
