Released in 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a collaboration between ambient pioneer Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. On Ghosts, the two strong-willed musicians manage to come to a meeting of the min... more »ds, blending Byrne's herky-jerky funk with Eno's atmospheric sound sculpting. More than anything, this is a large album, intent on pushing itself to the front of the listener's consciousness. Abundant percussion (everything from booming tribal drums to eerie electronics) reverberates in the background while Byrne and Eno toss all manner of found sounds, field recordings, and radio broadcasts into the mix. What results is a groundbreaking album that introduced a generation to the dazzling possibilities offered by electronic recording techniques. Highlights include "The Jezebel Spirit," an electro-funk workout that uses a recording of an exorcism as its focal point, and "Very, Very Hungry," a mysteriously ethereal display of electronic percussion and large-scale sonic architecture. --S. Duda« less
Released in 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a collaboration between ambient pioneer Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. On Ghosts, the two strong-willed musicians manage to come to a meeting of the minds, blending Byrne's herky-jerky funk with Eno's atmospheric sound sculpting. More than anything, this is a large album, intent on pushing itself to the front of the listener's consciousness. Abundant percussion (everything from booming tribal drums to eerie electronics) reverberates in the background while Byrne and Eno toss all manner of found sounds, field recordings, and radio broadcasts into the mix. What results is a groundbreaking album that introduced a generation to the dazzling possibilities offered by electronic recording techniques. Highlights include "The Jezebel Spirit," an electro-funk workout that uses a recording of an exorcism as its focal point, and "Very, Very Hungry," a mysteriously ethereal display of electronic percussion and large-scale sonic architecture. --S. Duda
Paulo Sergio Caires | São Paulo, SP - Brazil | 07/16/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"From S?o Paulo, Brazil !
This album is excellent, but a song called Qu'aran, (one of my favourite)is not on this CD ! political reasons ? I don't know.
Fortunately I have a vinyl version. If you don't know this song, try to find in vinyl, the bass line is great !"
Brilliant
John Ozed | Hoboken, NJ United States | 11/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have had a few copies of the vinyl, and back in the day created a cassette with the deleted track Qu'Ran. Then a friend gave me a program that enabled me to rip Qu'Ran from tape to the PC and enabled me to burn a cd with the proper track listing adding Very Very Hungry as the bonus track it should have always been.We are also in the process of finding the Katherine Kuhlman tracks which were deleted due to pressure from her estate.Whee!"
Qu'ran is back, baby.
J. | Idaho | 04/18/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Perhaps I have a strange version of the cd, but I think the new versions of the cd now have "Qu'ran" as track 6 and "Very, Very Hungry" at track 12.
I'm glad they put Qu'ran back in the mix because it's one of my favorite songs. I also particularly like "Mea Culpa" "Regiment" "Help Me Somebody" "Come With Us" and "Very, Very Hungry"
It's very funky and odd. Not quite like anything else. I do get strange looks from people, though, when they hear preaching coming out of my cd player."
Groundbreaking brilliance...
nicjaytee | London | 03/31/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Few records can justifiably claim to be "groundbreaking", but here's one - a mesmerising example of two highly creative musicians at the peak of their powers pushing their ideas out to the edge. Using the infectious poly-rhythms and jerky, high tension riffs & vocals that permeated their brilliantly successful collaboration on Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" as their starting point, they mix-in ingenious looped samples and insidious guitar, synthesizer & percussion back-beats to produce something completely unique. Not only like nothing else around at the time but, like all truly great albums, one that hasn't aged with time. Often sounding more like an inventive slice of modern "electronica/dance" it's almost impossible to believe that it was produced over twenty years ago... and, of course, a great deal of what's followed since can be traced back to this amazing record.
Darker and far more "left-field" than "Remain in Light", "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" is no easy listen, but with repeat playing it becomes equally addictive... a worthy successor and a wholly successful exploration of just how far Brian Eno's & David Byrne's complex fusions of electronica & rock could be taken. File under "essential, timeless and under-rated slice of musical genius".