Here Come The Warm Jets

Personnel: Brian Eno (vocals, keyboards, guitar, synthesizer); Paul Rudolph (guitar, bass); Phil Manzanera, Robert Fripp, Chris "Ace" Spedding (guitar); Lloyd Watson (slide guitar); Nick Judd, Nick Kool and The Koolaids (keyboards); Andy Mackay (keyboards, saxophone); Busta Cherry Jones, Bill MacCormick, John Wetton, Chris Thomas (bass); Simon King, Marty Simon, Paul Thompson (drums); Sweetfeed (background vocals).
Recorded at Majestic Studios, London, England in September 1973.
By the time Brian Eno came to record this masterpiece of a debut in 1973, he already held in his grasp the raw tools to revolutionize popular music. Eno seemed ready to jump off the edge of the pop universe and drag it with him. WARM JETS is bathed in his singular pop-with-a-wink aesthetic and free-associative imagination.
From the four-on-the-floor pre-punk stomp like "Needles In The Camel's Eye" or the Spector/VU trad-rock-ism of "Cindy Tells Me", these songs are unabashedly catchy. On two other, quite different pieces, Eno's futuristic soul was laid bare, showing his ability to provide emotional sparks. The closing title-track and "On Some Faraway Beach" are mid-tempo, mostly wordless sound-paintings, constructing melancholy scenes out of grandiose, manipulated sounds. Each touches an unspoken emotional center without pretension, simulataneously grabbing the listener's attention and bringing a tear to the eye.
Having left Roxy Music, Eno began his solo career with this idiosyncratic album. Robert Fripp, Paul Thompson and Phil Manzanera are among those appearing on a set of songs exhibiting a mischievous love of pure pop music. Macabre lyrics constantly subvert the quirky melodies, a feature fully expressed on "Baby's On Fire", while the singer's cheeky vocals exaggerate the ambiguity. Savage guitar lines, erratic synthesizer and pounding drums provide exciting textures on a collection as beguiling as it is invigorating.