HERE COME THE WARM JETS

Brian Eno's tenure with Roxy Music lasted only two albums until Bryan Ferry realized Eno was more hardcore than he was and was ousted soon thereafter. Here Come The Warm Jets was Eno's first solo album and is quite unlike the ambient music he would pursue for the majority of his career. Warm Jets is really a unique and eccentric album as Eno takes what could be nice (and almost average) pop songs and turns everything into a bizarrely manipulated treatise on his production abilities.

What makes this album so enjoyable is just the sheer lighthearted lunacy that is so present on just about all of the songs. Whether it be Eno's nasally voice, the haphazard sound effects or those strange lyrics, the whole album is just a lot of fun to listen to. Even in the midst of this zaniness, well-crafted beauty still exists, like in "On Some Faraway Beach" and "Some Of Them Are Old". But above all of this playfulness is some seriously innovative work. The songs could overall be described as avant-garde rock with a bit of glam thrown in. That's not too unlike some of the stuff Eno did with Roxy Music, but here, he has full control and doesn't fail to show how strong of a songwriter he is. Some notable songs on here are "Baby's On Fire" and "Here Come The Warm Jets". The former features a blistering and amazing guitar solo from Robert Fripp that lasts throughout most of the song. The title track features some interesting sound treatments that undoubtedly influenced many artists.

Warm Jets is an excellent album, especially considering it was his debut album. It forced everyone to accept that Eno would be an important figure in rock music with his unique touch his work. Sadly, in my opinion, this would be Eno's best work at creating his eccentro-pop before going to ambient land. In any case, don't miss out on this great album, even if it's a little hard to get in to.

Standout songs: "Baby's One Fire", "Here Come The Warm Jets"