I DON'T THINK I GET IT? // Brian Eno - The True Wheel // Composer Reaction & Analysis
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
- Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on The True Wheel (2004 Digital Remaster)
ORIGINAL VIDEO // • The True Wheel (2004 D...
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0:00 Intro
00:52 Reaction
06:07 Analysis - Kinda Punky....But Not?
11:26 Analysis - The Anti-Solo
16:31 Analysis - A Thin Production
20:57 Analysis - Lyrical Dive
22:54 Outro
#reaction #brianeno #artrock
Eno’s first few solo albums are quirky, strange, and brimming with ideas. This sounds kind of like the Talking Heads because Eno was deeply involved in several TH albums. This predates post-punk by a few years.
Brian Eno is one of the biggest names in electronic music as he nearly single-handedly invented the ambient genre. I mostly know him from his early "glam/art rock" period with Roxy Music and his collaborations with Robert Fripp from King Crimson, but I haven't heard much of his electronic music. This is probably too early for post-punk, but Roxy Music and Eno would've certainly been one of the big influences on what would become post-punk. I guess you could think of this is as proto post-punk, but most would probably just call it art/experimental rock. It sounds fairly similar to his work with Roxy Music, which was also a weird middle-ground between pop/rock and arty/experimental stuff.
Brian Eno went on to make experimental electronic ambient music soon after this and is still considered one of the most important figures in the genre. Although it has some similarities in sound with post-punk, it's way too early for that. I think it's better to view this not in the context of post-punk, but in the context if Brian's ambient work he madee afterwards. Before he was the keyboard player in Roxy music, which he left to pursue his own work. This song is from a sort of in-between period between the more traditional setting of being a band member and being an experimental music pioneer and icon. He's still rooted in a more conventional rock sound (although Roxy Music was quite experimental as well), but he's attempting to let go of that and create something completely new.
I think Krautrock needs to be mentioned here. It's the real starting point of what would later become post-punk.
More than one Eno record at the time had that Krautrock (Neu') sound to it. I think Brian Eno just thought it would be better left in the hands of others to experiment with, while he started to focus more on electronic music and ambient.
Hey, one of my favourite songs! I love a lot of Eno's pop era in a way I just feel more than think, but a trick that Eno (and Talking Heads) often uses that it seems you're not keen on but produces an instant earworm for me is having a number of static grooves of different lengths and just having the interplay between them shift as each of them repeats. It's difficult to describe subjective emotional responses to music, but I'd almost describe it as meditative, focusing on one groove and then as it becomes boring shifting to another and another and just letting attention wander.
I'm almost tempted to submit a track by one of Eno's krautrock influences that are even more repetitive like Cluster or NEU!
Much post-punk was influenced by the first 4 Brian Eno albums, of which this is the 2nd. 'The True Wheel' is one of my favorite songs of all times - the rhythm, the melodies, the words, the whole deal is perfect for me - My apartment number is even 801!
I would argue that "Third Uncle" from Taking Tiger Mountain was the first post-punk song, along with the stuff Pere Ubu and Wire were doing around the same time. I absolutely adore "The True Wheel", and the difference between a chaotic song like this and the title track, "Taking Tiger Mountain" is ridiculous. And then "Burning Airlines" is a pop gem. Eno's a genius, and he gets the most out of everyone he works with. That bassline.
Eno's earlier pop work is extremely quirky and rhythmically so. He also took pleasure in approaching things in a true rudimentary fashion. His lyrics are splashes of seemingly nonsensical, odd color. In the case of The True Wheel, it is part of what is a 'loose concept album' and it is seemingly a transitioning 'road' track in the middle of the 'story' line. Mentioned is '801' which was a project, live band Eno/Manzanera/ Simon Phillips on drums, etc. had put together (check out '801 Live'). The lyric really leans toward the band touring, looking for exposure on the radio, or otherwise. In the lyric, Eno even mentions 801 seeing the Modern Lovers in concert. Wracked with 801's personal disappointment of cracking the market, he says, "They looked as if they (The Modern Lovers) could". Possibly you might garner more from listening to the entirety of 'Tiger Mountain' to flesh it out. This album is far more cohesive than 'Here Comes the Warm Jets'. As your other listeners have mentioned, Brian Eno is a behind the scenes 'giant' in rock. Did anyone mention his hand in the Bowie Berlin Trilogy? Thanks for your platform!
Eno said that the the line "We are The 801, We are the Central Shaft" came to him in a dream after taking mescaline. Which, yeah, checks out.
I think analyzing this music in context of the era maybe key to appreciating it's unique style, of originality in terms of creatively & technically. This was a new breed of pre-Punk, pre-techno primitive mechanized modern music at the time. Eno takes you on a dada-ists New Wave, lampooning and integrating every type of rhythmic yet meditative music sensibilities. Understanding its unique appeal is definitely a reflection of one's acquired taste towards this fusing of raw Alien-ish droning undercurrent sound topped with dark edgy & playfully quirky retro-Pop that was beginning to surface. But Eno was the forerunner stemming from his electronic synth influences on Roxy Music & members, to influencing & collaborating with artist interested in this direction such as Fripp, Bowie & Talking Heads, Others like Pere Ubu & Devo were inspired by such ideas as well. It's no surprise that he gradually went fully head on into creating some of best & deepest New Age/Ambient music just within a few years. Overall, conceptually, the full album is very cohesive, similar in tone yet varied in mood often referencing Communist China, espionage, and dream associations. It definitely stood out as different during that period of Classical embellished Prog, R&B, Disco & generic Pop!
That's the picture I'm getting with this -- it's best understood and appreciated with an understanding of it's release time.
Talking Heads sounds like Eno, not the other way around. And it's pronounced EE-no. You might want to check him out - he produced Talking Heads, Bowie, U2 and many others.(see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Albums_produced_by_Brian_Eno). It's not punk, it's not post-punk: it's pre-punk, and continues to inspire (this could have been a great LCD Soundsystem single).
You need to read about Krautrock and listen to some Neu!. That's the key movement/genre in between this and post-punk.
"The important thing about lyrics is not exactly what they say, but that they lead you to believe they are saying something. All the best lyrics I can think of, if you question me about them, I don’t know what they’re saying, but somehow they’re very evocative. It leaves a space into which the listener can project his or her own meaning."
- Brian Eno
"lack of craft" can be interpreted as "lack of musicianship", rather than "not having a vehicle".
Note the trick with the chords. It's three repeating one bar chords. But the phrase is four bars. So they sync up every twelve bars. I think that for me is what keeps the first part from sounding repetitive.
I said that it's not quite an anti-solo. There is the element of being obtuse just to be funny in a way (in the regard, I'd liken it more to No Wave than post-punk.) But there's more to it, something like the minimalism where the small changes take on significance. I believe it's two guitar parts and I find something disorienting about how they are put together. And I love where the bass comes back in.
So, no, I don't find it boring. I'd say Taking Tiger Mountain is my favorite rock album. It's funny and weird and intense. Third Uncle and China My China are also highlights. Maybe it needs the full album for context. Or maybe not everything is for everyone.
A review of this by JustJP popped up on my feed. He hears the guitar part as I do, a sort of disorienting auditory illusion. "Psychedelic in a way... more in a 'I think I'm starting to freak out, man' kind of way". I was glad for the sanity check.
I love early Brian Eno, and I appreciate you always giving your honest opinion and "critical reaction." As you are aware of, the context of when compositions are produced means a whole lot to how art is perceived and ultimately judged. When I was growing up, this kind of music was very very subversive - especially to myself in the US, as one had to seek to find (or find others who had already) this music far outside the mainstream. Quite often, hearing music from that underground was confusing and uncomfortable at first, but ultimately profoundly mind-expanding in it's non-conformity and craft. But I do like that you take on compositions from where you're at in 2024, while also taking the effort to consider the historical context in which it was created. Love your channel. Stay honest.
Pre-punk rather.... Punk took off in the late 70's.
Brian Eno has been a true phenomenon in popular music and has been involved with numerous bands/artists, adding his innovative ideas into production, composition and instrumentation. He was a member of Roxy Music and did colabs/contributions with e.g. Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame), David Bowie, David Byrne (from Talking Heads 🙂) and even Genesis (yes, on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...) He's very known for his electronic experimentation, when solo - often on the ambient side.
I do enjoy this for it's cool, innovative and obstinate (punky if you will) attitude towards how things "should" be. Truly progressive, when "prog rock" was still a big (but mostly very different) thing.
Also, there's a catchiness and neat groove to it 💃
Thanks for that context. It's wild that he worked with so many prolific names over the years! I like your use of progressive here too. It's so often used to mean "more than", to push forward. But this type of progression was about walking things back and finding the base element.
@@CriticalReactions Nah, I do really mean that he pushed things forward in his time!
As another example, Eno also played a big role in making U2's The Joshua Tree album the enormous success that it was (although the first U2 album he worked on, The Unforgettable Fire, will always be my personal favorite).
PS - Just searched and I can't believe that no U2 has ever made it on the channel.
@@dampersand I did suggest at least one U2 song for a Patreon poll. For post punk and possibly alt rock.
Yes! And the production choices are really interesting in this era. I’ll choose the fat lady of Lynchburg (from this record) or St Elmo’s Fire (blazing Fripp solo). The use of space is magic!
This song came out in Nov 1974, so pre-punk?
Post punk? This would be Pre Punk. And long beforevaTalking Heads. And Eno involvement with the Talking Heads. Also, the phasing on the guitar (solo) on this remaster varies dramatically from the original mix.
It’s pop music trying to incorporating serial music from the avant-guard. It is not very interesting but with more serial music experiments with Fripp and led to the Talking Heads and other which then added African rhythms and post modern text art lyrics and sound samples. It reach its peak with “My Life in The Bush of Ghosts” by David Byrne and Brain Eno.
I would say this is from a vein of art rock that fed into punk and post-punk. (In the broader picture, some people consider post-punk itself a form of art rock in the most general sense of the term.)
Fun fact: there was a post-punk band called A Certain Ratio, which took it's name from a line in this Eno song. While I am writing this, someone else has probably already added this in a comment.
By the way, you will be listening to one of the most representative post-punk bands tomorrow, Joy Division (more quintessentially post-punk than Talking Heads, in my view).
This songs starts immediately, with its jumble of different sounds.
I feel like it's very postmodern, to use maybe an unfortunate word. It's about surfaces, it's about hollowed out mannerisms mixed together in a colorful way. It's about hipness pointing self-consciously at itself and laughing. The opening to me sounds almost comically "cool" in a late 60's/early 70's, drugged up way. It could be the sound of a bohemian party where everyone is sticking flowers in their hair and dressed in wrapping paper.
Or I could just be massively projecting all sorts of things that aren't actually there.
Even the lyrics say things like "Let's get it understood," but there's really nothing to get understood or be understood. It's just a pose, a linguistic mannerism maybe.
There might be a dash of 1970's Fifties revivalism in the ultra-familiar sounding piano chords at the beginning.
I don't want all my music to be ironic pastiche. I might not even want most of it to be. But I have room for some music of that sort, especially when it sounds as fun as this, and as familiar and comforting as it has become on repeated listens.
You criticize it for a weak or limited sonic pallet, or something like that, but it's mostly as a collection of great sounds that I enjoy it. Interesting. I don't really have your generation's need for bass. I was just blasting some ultra bass heavy UK garage (Flava D) on the way home from work, but I can take bass or leave it. I don't think a heavy bass foundation is required in music, even dance music.
This is probably one of the 100 albums I have listened to the most in my life, although I wouldn't put it on a list of my 100 favorite albums. I have owned it on vinyl, cassette, and illegally download mp3, in addition to now having access to it on streaming services. It just often works for me at this point when I don't know what else I want to hear.
Fantastic points and context, especially since I'm completely missing the context of it's release. As you stated, there's an over the top cool factor in the beginning that I never picked up on. I feel like that's one of those "you had to be there" moments in order to understand that properly.
@@CriticalReactions Thanks. I actually was too young to be aware of this sort of music when it came out, since my older siblings had mainstream tastes (and my parents certainly weren't listening to art rock). I don't think I heard any solo Eno (not even "Baby's On Fire," which seemed to be the "hit" some people actually knew) until around 1978/79, at which point it sat comfortably alongside the post-punk that was current and new, as well as Krautrock and other fringes of progressive or art rock.
Incidentally, I have thought for a while that "True Wheel" must be a pun on the Aleister Crowley term "true will," but I can't remember if I have seen confirmation of that.
@@rudymeixell3426 I'm the requester and I was two years old when this was released. I didn't discover it until my mid 30s. There's something about this era Eno that I'm fascinated by. Sure, Baby's on Fire and St. Elmo's Fire are the safer choices (or Third Uncle or China My China from this album), because, damn, Robert Fripp. But something about True Wheel encapsulates that era, which was I what I was wanting to explore.
sweeps me away
It's ok. Eno has left many people nonplussed.
try out Nouns - “Coma Wall Zone of Avoidance”
I think I've already asked but, Movie soundtrack week anytime?
It's in the works, for sure. I'm stoked for that theme.
How can it be "post punk" in 1974 when punk wasn't even born?... Maybe "proto punk"
Yuuup, that's some misspeak from me. It feels much like what post-punk would eventually explore with bands like Talking Heads. I wasn't aware that this came out prior to punk. So I guess just take my hearing this as post-punk as confirmation that Brian was wayyyy ahead of his time :)
General Comment
No, nothing to do with lobbers. Who looked as if they could ? The lobbers ? Wrong !
"We saw the Lovers, the Modern Lovers, and they looked very good, they looked as if they could."
It's a joke about a very cool band The Modern Lovers inspired by the Velvet Underground (just as Eno had been) and "taking off" in an underground way in the early '70s. Their first album is a magnificent album, but they played live without any record to sell during the early '70s, the album only got released after they'd become a different band, so the only way to enjoy the band was to "see" the band live, back then in 1974, when the album this song comes from was made.
Calling yourself "The Modern Lovers", what a great band name. Eno's remarking that they "looked as if they could [do it Modern, that they looked like they could be real Modern Lovers]" is a cute in-joke and a tribute of sorts.
Ex-VU member John Cale produced their early efforts but Jerry Harrison ended up moving from the Modern Lovers to Talking Heads. Eno is giving his thumbs up to the band, just as he later would with "King's Lead Hat" (an anagram of "Talking Heads").
The first album got held up for years, which meant The Modern Lovers didn't get the recognition they deserved while they were playing that material, and the band splintered. So back in 1974, this is Eno giving the Lovers some much-needed promotion.
musocdon July 04, 2014 "
Smile by the Fall. Most prolific post punk band and its lead by a small speed addicted englishman
This is Roxy Music +
i exaggerate for comedic effect:
eric satie on people listening to ambient music - "if you actively listen to my music i will punch you!"
Probably tangential: Eno uses typewriters for percussion on China My China. Satie did that as well.
Painful to hear you call this post-punk so many times when it is older than punk. Someone else gave context for Eno (a very prolific producer mostly), but not this particular album. Taking Tiger Mountain was the name of Chinese opera and Eno saw some postcards showing scenes from the opera. He decided to make an album loosely based on concepts from the opera, many of them dealing with spying, China, imperialism, but all in a vague dream-like manner. He has said that just wrote whatever lyrics sounded good and that there wasn't any special meaning to them. This particular song always seemed to me to be even more meaningless than usual, I think it's basically gibberish. This album and it's predecessor (Here Come the Warm Jets) can be seen as a musician developing from the keyboardist for Roxy Music into one of the biggest names in the development of electronica and ambient sounds. I enjoy these albums very much, but they are definitely dated.
This album came out before punk was invented. So, no. It’s not post-punk.
This is not Brain Eno's best work. This feels more like he was trying to be kind of adhere to what was going on sonically at the time? It's a little to long of a song for what it has to offer.
No one knows WHY its brilliant.. It just is! lol
For some reason, you're missing half the synth in the break!.. Sounds very odd.