How was Here Come The Warm Jets received upon it's release?

"[..]wildly experimental Here Come the Warm Jets, which reached the U.K. Top 30"

Remembering, of course, that What's Going On and Astral Weeks never made the UK album chart, whereas the Black and White Minstrels had three number one albums...

It's all this political correctness to blame, I tell you!!!!!

One of the more intriguing developments on today's English rock scene has been the emergence of a cult of marginal musicians bent on doing "weird" things to the traditional pop song format. Be it in the name of being "trendy" (Elton John) or just for the sake of seeming mysterious (Roxy Music), these folks have taken so many liberties with a hackneyed old genre that it frequently ends up sounding quite unlike the early Beatles records which were its foremost representation.

Brian Eno, formerly of Roxy Music, is another one who writes weird songs but their weirdness is more silly than puzzling. Lacking any mentionable instrumental proficiency, he claims he "treats" other musicians' instruments—though the end product of his efforts would have to be classed as indiscernible.

His record is annoying because it doesn't do anything. The songs aren't strong enough individually or collectively to merit more than a passing listen. Save for some incendiary guitar work by Robert Fripp during "Baby's On Fire," the instrumentation is pretty tepid. In fact the whole album may be described as tepid, and the listener must kick himself for blowing five bucks on baloney.

Historians might want to take note of the fact that "Needles in the Camel's Eye" has a heavy Del Shannon influence; that "Some of Them Are Old" is constructed around harmonies highly reminiscent of the Four Freshmen; that the first three songs on side B quote extensively from the Beatles' Abbey Road. Others will hopefully join with this writer in taking exception to this insane divergence of styles and wish that the next time Eno makes an album, he will attempt to structure his work rather than throw together the first ten things that come to mind. (RS 172)

I have a pb collection of old Rolling Stone reviews, and apart from the occasional good one by Bangs or Marcus, it's got to be the closest to worthless I've ever read. Jon Landau in particular. Anyway, Christgau gave that record a good grade, and "Jets" seems like such a simple record, it's amazing it wasn't better understood. I guess 1973 really was a long time ago..."insane divergence of styles"? That's what I wanna hear!

did the black and white minstrels *really* have 3 number 1 albums as marcello says upthread?

Ha ha! Does anyone actually call things baloney anymore? Heaven forbid in a music review at that?

-- Marcello Carlin (marcellocarli...), July 7th, 2006

what the fuck. can't believe that.
clearly going for the christmas market!

so what happened in 1963 then i wonder? something else cool we can thank the beatles for? i'd like to think so. the sixties didn't really kick in until PLEASE PLEASE ME came out.

That said, RS did run a more favorable feature on Eno around the time, either in that issue or the next — and I know that b/c I'm the kind of nerd who read the microfiches in high school.

"tepid" is just a mindbogglingly stupid appraisal. it's always sounded the exact opposite to me. I always equate 'needles in the camel's eye' with someone turning all the colour settings up on your TV, so you get that near-psychedelic 'bleeding' look to the picture leaping out at you. (in song form, obviously.)

The idea of this record--top of the pops from quasi-dadaist British synth wizard--may put you off, but the actuality is quite engaging in a vaguely Velvet Underground kind of way. Minimally differentiated variations on the same melody recur and recur, but it's a great melody, and not the only one, and chances are he meant it that way, as a statement, which I agree with. What's more, words take over when the music falters, and on "Cindy Tells Me" they combine for the best song ever written about middle-class feminism, a rock and roll subject if ever there was one. My major complaint is that at times the artist uses a filter that puts dust on my needle. Grade: A

Alicia OTM.

This is a key point. The neo-girl group backing vocals swathed in echo evoke the passive but oversexed splendour of the Shirelles and the Ronettes. It's as if the Eno character is nostalgic for a time he knows is (a) gone; and (b) a chimera anyway.

haha i had just noticed that the other day! the first stanza of that piano motif is TOTES the same as seger!

i totally agree with this

not to be a prick, but i really don't think eno was serious about ANYTHING on this album, lyrically. he even screwed up the obvious rhyme for "maracas" ("Caracas") by putting in the lame-o "tobaccos", a botch job which still angers me a lot more than any "anti-feminism" here.

And he's justifying his taunts by specifically addressing himself to the (supposedly) mushbrained suggestibility of young, upper-middle class women.

But it's way too easy to disparage difficult ideas (like feminism) by attaching them to target groups that no one will leap to defend (like overbred debutantes).

I love Eno, but this song bugs me. And the defense that he's being self-mockingly ironic in some kind of convoluted sense just doesn't wash. If anything, the "mustardy" vocals work as a snarky underbite to the song's superficial compassion more than its core message.

Eno's a guy of some accomplishment and significance in the world, and therefore his fruity (no, I don't mean gay) tut-tutting comes across as cheap and reactionary.

Heh. Which is why I don't think much about the broader implications of "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch."

And yet on Baby's On Fire the last lyric before the multi minute Fripp ejaculation is "they said you were hot stuff, and that's what baby's been reduced to." which strikes me a particularly about SOMETHING.

Christgau:
The idea of this record--top of the pops from quasi-dadaist British synth wizard--may put you off, but the actuality is quite engaging in a vaguely Velvet Underground kind of way. Minimally differentiated variations on the same melody recur and recur, but it's a great melody, and not the only one, and chances are he meant it that way, as a statement, which I agree with. What's more, words take over when the music falters, and on "Cindy Tells Me" they combine for the best song ever written about middle-class feminism, a rock and roll subject if ever there was one. My major complaint is that at times the artist uses a filter that puts dust on my needle. Grade: A

-- Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, July 7, 2006 3:57 PM (1 year ago)

Here, for comparison (because I'm just that geeky), is the original version of that review:

ENO: Here Come the Warm Jets (Island) The idea of this record--top of the pops from quasi-dadaist British synth wizard who makes out with the Soft Machine--is a lot worse than the actuality, which engages the ear and the mind in a vaguely Velvet Underground sort of way. Minimally differentiated variations on the same melody recur and recur, but it's a nice melody, and chances are he meant it that way. Some good words, too. B PLUS

"Minimally differentiated variations on the same melody recur and recur, but it's a nice melody, and chances are he meant it that way."

Sentence kinda interesting in light of Eno's later ambient music.

Always love this interview:

http://www.moredarkthanshark.org/eno_int_nme-feb74.html

can someone who owns the lyric book tell me what the actual words to the title track are?

nothing to saaaay, nothing to saaaaay

that's all I know

Driving Me Backwards is a fav for me

I signed out Enobox 2 from the library when I was 12 and for whatever reason (track title curiosity?) started with Taking Tiger Mountain instead of with Warm Jets, "Burning Airlines" cemented itself as the best song I'd ever heard and would ever hear. Returning to Warm Jets afterwards, I was somewhat disappointed with the comparative un-adventurousness of the instrumentation, more of a standard rock record than the endless funhouse of Tiger Mountain. Didn't warm to it until adulthood. Realize now that Tiger Mountain while awesome is jokey and ridiculous and obv sounded better to the ears of an adolescent, "Judy's Jungle" is basically a kid's tune

here come the warm jets is basically my dream of a ziggy stardust album - an alien using all of pop/rock's little musical and recording tricks and hooks to try and seduce listeners but from a slightly askew perspective. by comparison same-era bowie feels earthbound and stagebound, decent but more pretentious than actually surreal. I love it more with every passing year, but if it doesn't amuse a listener in the slightest after two spins i have no interest in trying to convince them of its charms. they obv don't like this kind of voice or this kind of sound and that's fine but ffs it's a canonical, 40 year old classic album, if you need convincing of its worth fucking consult your local library. google a review, jesus.

xpost tiger mountain has individual tracks that blow me away, but Warm Jets is more consistently rockin to my ears

Do not get dislike for 'Driving Me Backwards'. Its wooziness is integral.

It's the best track on the album imo

i mean if it's a "everyone is so reverent to this thing, but i don't get what the big deal is, i wasn't sent to mars, it was just goofy '70 UK Phil-Collins-in-the-liner-notes shit, and I don't even like Roxy Music anyway" well yeah it's a Roxy Music spin-off and you're an adult, music's not gonna make you shit your pants like you're 14 once you've got a general sense of what's out there. But just as Dylan made more sense to me once I stopped resenting that every sentence wasn't the promised-by-boomers pearl and sometimes this guy's just telling jokes and making it rhyme, it shouldn't be too hard to step back and realize "john cale with the muppets" could actually be an AWESOME thing.

yeah but all the grand claims people make for eno in the 70s are actually true

especially that muppets thing

availing myself of the opportunity to say da croupier otm

i was always disappointed that ziggy bowie wasn't more of a blast-you-into-space kind of thing, just a dude with an acoustic guitar poncing around

once a grown-up colleague of mine heard me playing 'warm jets' and he seriously had to inquire how someone could like 'serious music' and also this sophomoric junk (not his words), like there was a complete disconnect

"john cale with the muppets" could actually be an AWESOME thing.

could? yeah i guess VU were pretty good
geez who would disagree with john cale and the muppets?!

da croup otm
although I need a little convincing that Another Green World is as classic as the other 70s vocal records, to me it's just a collection of almost-but-not-quite-as-good-as-Cluster instrumentals and the annoying "Tie Your Shoe" song

y'all I don't dislike Driving, but it is my least favorite here

da croupier otm, ha xp

the annoying "Tie Your Shoe" song

*glare*

key to AGW is St Elmo's Fire/Big Ship imo

That shoe song is the should-be-erased musical-linguistic link between Eno's songwriting style and Rice/Webber imo, never was a fan

Love I'll come running, also whatever the version on the peel sessions is called

da croupier OTM

Another green Eno-nostalgia post: the second-longest relationship I've ever been in was with a girl I met at an Eno tribute night. She wore a black dress and had a goth band and smoked and sang through perfect versions of "Needles" and "Cindy". I was smitten and asked her out and we were together two years.

awesome

yeah that's tender

so who/what is 'Sweetfeed'—backing vocals:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/288423-Sweetfeed ?

I saw Jon Brion back in 2007 or so, and as part of the set he did a spontaneous three-song "Jets" tribute the consisted of "Dead Finks Don’t Talk," "Some of them Are Old" and the title track. I'll try to find some audio. And then he segued to "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet," which of course is also connected to Eno.

How was Here Come The Warm Jets received upon it's release?

They would say "Here comes 'Here comes the warm jets' "

bass solo in Needles rules

Bass solo?!?! Where? Have I lost my mind here or what?

For years I assumed that was Manzanera doing that solo. Someone here set me straight.

Fripp

OK maybe it is a gtr solo mostly played very low? the part right after he sings the title of the song, there is a cool solo, I am not a musician.

Ah, it's a gtr

I was somewhat disappointed with the comparative un-adventurousness of the instrumentation, more of a standard rock record than the endless funhouse of Tiger Mountain.

I don't think the two albums are all that different really, my one tiny tiny minsicule insignificant complaint about "Tiger Mountain" would be that some of the songs are a bit longer than they need be

nahhh

TTM is for me an entire step up, whether in terms of songwriting or sonic ingenuity

P. surprised Hurting 2 doesn't like the "Baby's on Fire" solo!

I listened to Baby's On Fire like 6x because of this thread and that guitar solo remains one of the most sizzling ever. How else to describe? Honestly I have no idea.

some of the songs are a bit longer than they need be
agree!! i love true wheel and mother whale eyeless but they could both stand to be at least a minute shorter imo

"sizzling" is right. fripp really knew how to make the most of a guest spot back then. tho manzanera does the solo justince in the 801 live version...

Fave Fripp guest spot can't not be the last minute of A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers tbh

there's probably already been a fripp guest spot poll?

Ha, I never knew that was Fripp on "Lighthouse Keepers"!

Tbh I wouldn't put it past Banton to extract that fearsome solo from one of his organs, but yeah, Fripp.

here come the warm jets is basically my dream of a ziggy stardust album - an alien using all of pop/rock's little musical and recording tricks and hooks to try and seduce listeners but from a slightly askew perspective. by comparison same-era bowie feels earthbound and stagebound, decent but more pretentious than actually surreal.

this is really otm - I like Ziggy a lot but it only felt like 10% as "out there" as advertised. Warm Jets does a lot of really crazy things in some fairly normal contexts which IMO is what makes it so fascinating. It's not easy to do that!

True wheel could be longer, agree re mother whale eyeless tho. Latter has some of my fave lyrics ever

This is for the fingers
This is for the nails
Hidden in the kitchen
Right behind the scales

^if Scott walker sang this it would be horrifying and obviously about torture; when eno sings it it's not obviously not about torture, and unnerving.

Then there's the "in my town" sequence which is just funny.

Slightly off-topic, but the new one, with Karl Hyde, "Someday World" is streaming here:
http://www.npr.org/2014/04/27/306161810/first-listen-brian-eno-karl-hyde-someday-world

I didn't really OTM him because he'd been OTMed a lot but yeah, croup hitting it out of the park on this one.

Um, the internet thinks it might have been Banton after all xps

there's probably already been a fripp guest spot poll?

― tylerw, Monday, April 28, 2014 11:41 AM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Even if we did a poll already, would make a sweet Spotify playlist especially since there's 0 crim on there.

and if we ain't polled it we should

This thread deserves to have ITS title fixed.

so who/what is 'Sweetfeed'—backing vocals:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/288423-Sweetfeed ?

― nerve_pylon, Saturday, April 26, 2014 6:33 PM (2 days ago)

http://www.spectropop.com/FrontPorch/

I was the only one to continue with music. I moved to London in 1971 and stayed for ten years. I had some success as a guitarist-singer-songwriter. I had a group that went by the name of Sweetfeed and also Roberts, Rice, Bandell and Scott. We recorded with Roger Daltrey on his solo album "Ride A Rock Horse", and also with Brian Eno on his album "Here Come The Warm Jets". We never had any of our own recordings released or achieved commercial success, but our fans included David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Gary Glitter, Bryan Ferry, the Supremes and all of London high society, including members of the royal family.

but no actual punters.

(soz)

xpost Pretty sure that is Fripp on the VdG album. I know he pops up a couple of places on "Pawn Hearts."