Description
Book SynopsisIt was the strange and mystical "Another Green World" (1975) that was the cosmic bridge between Old Eno and New Eno, between Rock and Ambient, between the guitar and the synthesizer, between the old world and electronic music as we know it. This book excavates the album's past, and untangles how it was a link to the future of electronic music.
Trade ReviewThe book itself is a masterpiece; it’s not just a book about the making of a record, it’s a book about how to make art and how to think about how to make art. -- Amanda Palmer
Eno’s use of collaboration, chance, and cybernetics to force creativity makes for a fascinating story....Eno himself apparently loved the book, buying copies for friends. This isn’t surprising– an interest in process has been a constant of his work for four decades. * Pitchfork *
The prose is elegant, the sheer scope of the work impressive, and the meditation on the source of creativity is both well done and light-handed. * Flavorpill *
As a study of Another Green World it’s impressively holistic, hungry to catalogue every possible point of departure for thinking about the record … the best short introduction to Eno’s work and ethos going. * The Wire *
It’s as much a philosophy book as a “Behind the Music” breakdown, and an invitation to think creatively about creativity. * The Millions *
Dayal’s unique and fresh take, which also delves into Discreet Music, is a must read for Eno fans and makes a great primer for the uninitiated. * Flagpole *
Dayal's lucid, elegant deconstruction of Brian Eno's most beguiling album is also an inspiring, delightful inquiry into the nature of creativity and constraint. Anyone interested in art making needs to read this. * Ed Park, author of Personal Days *
...the best short introduction to Eno's work and ethos going. * The Wire, February 2010 *
Selected by Flavorwire as one of "10 Great Books about Music by Female Writers" * http://flavorwire.com/features/staff-lists/7967-words-and-music-our-60-favorite-music-books/3/ *
Geeta Dayal opens her book on
Another Green World by admitting that she had trouble writing it … Finally, she decided to let Brian Eno’s set of Oblique Strategies cards direct and inspire her work. It’s an apt move, as Eno often foregrounds the creative process himself, and it results in a probing and thoughtful book that never falls into formula. Instead, Dayal portrays her subject as a deft artist embracing studio technology and balancing his past accomplishments with all the endless possibilities of the future. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Preface "Always first steps" "Trust in the you of now" "Turn it upside down" "Courage!" "Abandon normal instruments" "Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them" "Ask people to work against their better judgment" "Define an area as 'safe' and use it as an anchor" / "Don't be frightened of clichés" "Honor thy error as a hidden intention" "Remember those quiet evenings" / "The tape is now the music" / "Gardening, not architecture" "Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities" "Is it finished?" Acknowledgements Bibliography
