Album Essentials: ENO "Here Come The Warm Jets"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
New York. London. Paris, and of course, Munich. Everybody, go on now, talk about Pop Music! What is Pop Music? Certainly, one would think pop, being short for popular…however, so much amazing pop music had nothing to do with popularity contests. It was meant to define music in a popular idiom for mass consumption, however, the craft so often involved in what makes truly great pop music, could never be tolerated by the masses. What then, makes a great pop song? Hooks, melodic invention, dynamics, and so on, all add up. Could be something as sweet and innocent as 'Sugar Sugar,' by the Archies, or something as dynamic and gravity defying as '21st Century Schizoid Man,' by King Crimson. Coincidentally, both those records were released in 1969, worlds apart, and yet closer than one might think in the large scheme of things.
Roxy Music were, by definition, a 'Pop' group, however, the definition of pop had been remade and remodeled in the post-Sgt. Pepper world. It was the golden age of anything goes Pop music. By 1973, Roxy Music had released their stunning debut, and equally stunning follow-up, 'For Your Pleasure.' It's at this point in the game that sound craftsman, special effects coordinator, and visual flashpoint, Brian Eno decides to leave the band, to begin his most interesting odyssey as a solo artist.
Released in early 1974, 'Here Come The Warm Jets' was Pop Music, ENO style. Direct links to pop's golden past collided head on with futuristic bravado to create not only one of the most interesting debut albums ever, but one of the most art driven, fully realized Pop albums of all time. Kicking into high gear with track one, 'Needles In The Camel's Eye,' things are off to a grand start. With a two chord Velvets style groove at its root, it is awash in the Glam-era colors, with a simple Kinks-ian melody. In other words, it's a perfect pop song, co-written by Eno and Roxy guitarist Phil Manzanera, who lends his guitar prowess to the mix as well. 'The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch' follows, with some prime Eno nob twiddling for the solo, welcoming the future a few years early.
By track three we are settled in but hardly prepared for the attack that is 'Baby's On Fire.' A deceptively simple song that is, even 50 years on, still a house rattling good time. Guitar overload courtesy of one Mr. Robert Fripp who provides, dare I say it, one of the top recorded guitar solos in history. If this doesn't rattle your windows, and your soul, at full volume, check your pulse.
'Cindy Tells Me' is about as pure pop as ENO gets, again using a Velvet style template, but in sweeter tone, which helps prepare for the side one closer, 'Driving Me Backwards,' which somehow combines a Kurt Weill-esque backdrop, with some Lennon ‘White Album’ tones, all the while predicting and predating post punk. Side two runs the gamut from the lush and sophisticated 'On Some Faraway Beach,' to the pre-punk ramblings of 'Blank Frank,' to the Kinks-meets-avant-garde of 'Dead Finks Don't Talk,' and the exotica futurism on 'Some Of Them Are Old,' before washing away with the glorious title track, which rides us off into the sunset.
ENO would make another stunning LP, 'Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy,' by the end of year. 1975 would find him off on new sonic adventures like the varied ‘Another Green World,' and 'Discreet Music,' his first real dive into ambient music, a genre he in many ways is the father of, not forgetting the pair of albums made with Robert Fripp, 'No Pussyfooting,' and 'Evening Star,' both sonic landscapes of guitar tones and tape loops, unlike anything else attempted by rock or pop stars. 1977 would see the last of his pop albums for a while, the also wonderful 'Before And After Science.' For many years, he would follow the ambient muse as an artist, while his role as producer grew and grew. In fact, he is likely better known for his producer tag, in the large scheme of things, but we must not forget his insanely great contributions as a pop artist.
'Here Come The Warm Jets' is Pop Music as Pop Art. It fills that role as much as the Beatles 'Revolver,' the Kinks' 'Face To Face,' and the Who 'Sell Out,' to name a few. And ok, yeah, I admit, it is one of my all-time favorite albums! I vividly remember first hearing it back in 1975, and feeling like I had connected to some other frequency out in the cosmos. It was so modern sounding. It was the sound of the future, yet of that specific moment in time as well. It has worn incredibly well over the years, and still sounds like it's being beamed in via some distant signal from some faraway place. The whole album still gives a chill and a thrill. Thank you ENO! On behalf of The Summit FM, I am more than happy to call ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ essential!