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Brian Eno's Obscure label

GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
edited May 2005 in Strut Central
I recent;ly found an LP on this label by a dude named Gavin Bryars. I don't want this to come off lightly but this may very well be one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard! The LP is made up of two 20+ minute compositions (each one taking up an entire side of the rackord). The track "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet" is so moving that attempting to describe it would be pointless cause no matter what I couln't praise its beauty enough.

I found a discography online and I'm wondering if anyone has any other releases on this label and if so if they could break down what they sound like.


Obscure No.1
Gavin Bryars, "The Sinking of the Titanic", 1975.

Obscure No.2
Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, and Gavin Bryars, "Ensemble
Pieces", 1975. (some vocals by Eno)

Obscure No.3
Brian Eno, "Discreet Music", 1975.

Obscure No.4
David Toop and Max Eastley, "New and Rediscovered Musical
Instruments", 1975.

Obscure No.5
Jan Steele and John Cage, "Voices and Instruments', 1976.

Obscure No.6
Michael Nyman, "Decay Music", 1976.

Obscure No.7
Penguin Cafe Orchestra, "Music from the Penguin Cafe", 1976.

Obscure No.8
John White and Gavin Bryars, "Machine Music", 1978. (bottle
and electric guitars by Eno)

Obscure No.9
Tom Phillips, Gavin Bryars and Fred Orton, "Irma - An Opera",
1978.

Obscure No.10
Harold Budd, "The Pavillion of Dreams", 1978.

  Comments

  • catchdubscatchdubs 492 Posts
    i heard the jesus blood track on a CD comp from the early-mid 90s. it kind of did my head in.

  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    i heard the jesus blood track on a CD comp from the early-mid 90s. it kind of did my head in.






    I just double checked and Gavin Bryars released 2 versions of this.



    the original from '75 uses a homeless man to sing the words you hear looped.



    about 15 years later he rerecorded the track with Tom Waits singing the part.



    but yes this track will melt your skull
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    A.K.:

    Are you going to start championing "modern experimentation" now?
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    A.K.:



    Are you going to start championing "modern experimentation" now?

    yup
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    A.K.:

    Are you going to start championing "modern experimentation" now?

  • dsandersdsanders 495 Posts
    Guzzo, you will also need to get all the Eno Ambient series on Obscure. Out of the releases you mentioned, here are some that I remember:

    Obscure No.3
    Brian Eno, "Discreet Music", 1975.

    Classic ambient stuff...

    Obscure No.4
    David Toop and Max Eastley, "New and Rediscovered Musical
    Instruments", 1975.

    Quite good and interesting...they made their own instruments and twiddle around on em..

    Obscure No.5
    Jan Steele and John Cage, "Voices and Instruments', 1976.

    hmm, not too blown away by this - maybe need to relisten.

    Obscure No.6
    Michael Nyman, "Decay Music", 1976.

    Very good minimalist stuff with decaying tones.

    Obscure No.7
    Penguin Cafe Orchestra, "Music from the Penguin Cafe", 1976.

    Good but maybe an acquired taste - they do very polite sounding 'palm court music'. It might give you the 'eh?' reaction at first...

    Obscure No.8
    John White and Gavin Bryars, "Machine Music", 1978. (bottle
    and electric guitars by Eno)

    Very good - I like the track with Derek Bailey and Brian Eno playing guitar together!



    Obscure No.10
    Harold Budd, "The Pavillion of Dreams", 1978.

    Yes - awesome. Marion Brown plays on it...
  • BeardedDBeardedD 770 Posts
    Pavilion of Dreams by Harold Budd would be my favorite of the lot, although there are no bad, noisy / dissonant experimental records here, they are all the real "easy listening." The only one I am less than enthusiastic about is Penguin Cafe, which sounds to me like the score for a feel-good documentary about retarded people. I came to this sort of music from listening to Joe Frank on the radio when I was in high school. He used a lot of these things as backgrounds for his shows. I am very jealous that you get to hear this for the first time. Eno is one of the main dudes of all time, no doubt about it.
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    haha, yeah for some reason I've always skirted around Eno which is weird cause if all his stuff sonds like this Bryars release I've missed out on a whole lot.
    I've spoken to you before about my love of Godspeed You black emperor and like groups and I seriously see this as the blueprint from which all that music was created. D*****s, if you know of more stuff like this you need to let me hear it.

    I'm talking some serious Crenshaw Ave bloodshit get down
  • soulmarcosasoulmarcosa 4,296 Posts
    I don't want this to come off lightly but this may very well be one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard!... (it) is so moving that attempting to describe it would be pointless cause no matter what I couln't praise its beauty enough.

    it kind of did my head in.

    Are you going to start championing "modern experimentation" now?

    sounds to me like the score for a feel-good documentary about retarded people

    Guzzo's hypberbole overload to end all hyperbole overloads, Catchdubs talking like an Englishman, Young Phoniks' zing meter working at full capacity, and a very left of center musical description by BeardedD...

    Add a post giving out the address of a breaks/electro houseparty in Austin and we may have the thread of the millennium on our hands.
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    theres no reception at fatburger
  • soulmarcosasoulmarcosa 4,296 Posts
    watch those money orders
  • parsecparsec 5,087 Posts
    guzzo, you heard that modern ambient Eno album? can't remember the title but Eno's on the front with a lavender silk shirt and gheri curls, came out in like 83. also don't sleep on Robert Fripps slapz.
  • anthonypearsonanthonypearson 2,442 Posts
    if you like Brian Eno and the Obscure Music label you will love private issue new age.
  • awallawall 673 Posts
    Obscure No.7
    Penguin Cafe Orchestra, "Music from the Penguin Cafe", 1976.

    this album is dope.
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    I came to this sort of music from listening to Joe Frank on the radio when I was in high school.

    YES!
  • awallawall 673 Posts
    found this about "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me" off of Gavin Bryars's website:

    In 1971, when I lived in London, I was working with a friend, Alan Power, on a film about people living rough in the area around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song - sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads - and one, who in fact did not drink, sang a religious song "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet". This was not ultimately used in the film and I was given all the unused sections of tape, including this one.


    When I played it at home, I found that his singing was in tune with my piano, and I improvised a simple accompaniment. I noticed, too, that the first section of the song - 13 bars in length - formed an effective loop which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way. I took the tape loop to Leicester, where I was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment to this. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the large painting studios and I left the tape copying, with the door open, while I went to have a cup of coffee. When I came back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping.


    I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the tramp's nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony to his spirit and optimism.

    Gavin Bryars


    by the way, if you enjoy this I'd say it might be time to delve into *gasp* classical music[/b] !
  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    I could hear someone on here making some moby style mash up of this shit and cashing in big with the pottery barn set.


  • kilogramkilogram 152 Posts


    Obscure No.1

    Gavin Bryars, "The Sinking of the Titanic", 1975.



    Obscure No.2

    Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, and Gavin Bryars, "Ensemble

    Pieces", 1975. (some vocals by Eno)



    Obscure No.3

    Brian Eno, "Discreet Music", 1975.



    Obscure No.4

    David Toop and Max Eastley, "New and Rediscovered Musical

    Instruments", 1975.



    Obscure No.5

    Jan Steele and John Cage, "Voices and Instruments', 1976.



    Obscure No.6

    Michael Nyman, "Decay Music", 1976.



    Obscure No.7

    Penguin Cafe Orchestra, "Music from the Penguin Cafe", 1976.



    Obscure No.8

    John White and Gavin Bryars, "Machine Music", 1978. (bottle

    and electric guitars by Eno)



    Obscure No.9

    Tom Phillips, Gavin Bryars and Fred Orton, "Irma - An Opera",

    1978.



    Obscure No.10

    Harold Budd, "The Pavillion of Dreams", 1978.



    the harold budd album is good. not the most mindblowing ambient album ever but still nice. lots of piano. some female vocals. bit of harp. first track is keys and borderline cheese sax.



    the sinking of titanic is fucking incredible but you seem to know that.



    i've heard a couple of others but they seem to blend in. i think the michael nyman was dead good.

  • GinsburgerGinsburger 36 Posts
    This one seems pretty obvious and it's not exactly the same as what you posted, but it's still on the experimental tip and always leaves me with a


    In terms of newer stuff, this album is slightly similar to what you posted and I personally think it's one of the best albums of last year:


    There are a few other groups in the GS!YBE vein I can think of if you're interested too.
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    Don't forget to peep the Spacehog sample on the Peguin Cafe Orchestra LP.
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