Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo
Harmonia and Eno - Tracks and Traces
Brian Eno - Lux
Frank Zappa - Waka/Jawaka
Brian Eno - Drums Between the Bells
Terry Riley - A Rainbow In Curved Air
Guru Guru - Kanguru
Fripp and Eno - No Pussyfooting
Amon Duul II - Tanz Der Lemminge
Amon Duul II - Yeti
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Wire - 154
So, as you can see, a lot of Krautrock, Eno and Zappa. Out of the albums I had never heard before (listed in bold above) I was particularly impressed with Tanz Der Lemminge. I had heard the album was not as good as Yeti and so initially had low expectations. The opening track is probably my favourite on the album, and although not all the other songs quite match it, it still remains interesting right up until the end. On the other hand, I am finding it quite difficult to get into Eno's new release on Warp: Lux. Lux is very minimalist music, which usually doesn't put me off, but this in combination with the timbre of the instruments used (mainly piano and light synths) makes it less appealing to me. I suppose it's meant to be a winter album, so the warm synths that I really like in ambient music aren't going to be found here. Drums Between the Bells does however include this type of sound, at least to a greater extent than Lux, and in addition I was pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of the spoken word recitals overlaying the music (didn't think it would be my thing!). Of course, there are a couple of Zappa albums featured here too (Zappa being my all time favourite artist). Both these albums were originally released around the same time (in 1972) and both contain an orchestral centrepiece, around which the other songs are embedded. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Waka/Jawaka, if not for 'Big Swifty', then for 'It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal', which is wacky as hell at times and straight as a bullet at other times. Yeti and Ege Bamyasi were bought to obtain digital versions for albums I already owned on LP and both are staples in my iTunes library.
