AMBIENT 1 - MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS

Here's a question to ponder: which is more pretentious...prog rock that is so bombastic and complicated that it practically becomes a classical symphony or maybe an avant-garde jazz exercize, or prog rock that is so minimal that it has not only ceased to be "rock" but has perhaps ceased to be music at all?

This album obviously falls into the latter category. If one looks at it as a musical composition, it will likely be filed away as an overly pretentious exercise in minimalist dribble. However, if you look at it as a true experiment in sound (which it is), then you are likely to find great value in it. This is not a collection of songs to be broken down, analyzed, or sung along to...for that matter, it is not even supposed to be LISTENED TO. When Brian Eno made this 32 years ago, he was trying to create music that was merely a textural backdrop; a non-intrusive entity that would function in much the same way that lighting or paint on the wall function in a room.

In my opinion, he succeeded. This is not an album that you put on and listen to intently in a dimly lit room; this is an album that you put on in a dimly lit room and let your mind wander. Only when it is finished do you notice that it was ever there. It is, to me, a fascinating and influential work, truly progressive in nature. The music itself is hard to describe. It is simple, yet it has a certain type of complexity to it. It is ever-changing and contemplative, but the music slowly morphs into something that is remarkably close to silence. In many ways, this work is more about "color" or "light" than actual "music". Ambient 1: Music For Airports is only for the open-minded, but is an extremely interesting album to own.