ENO/TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN (BY STRATEGY) ILPS 9309 (-74) UK

His second solo album, not counting the Robert Fripp collaboration "No Pussyfooting". The first - "Here Come The Warm Jets" - was made by using seventeen different musicians, giving each track exclusive setting and mood. On here most songs were recorded by a joint setting - including Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera and Robert Wyatt from Soft Machine. Among the "special guests" mentioned on cover are Andy Mackay and Phil Collins. At the time Eno had started "Oblique Strategies" together with long time friend and artist Peter Schmidt (1931-80) - a system of cards containing aphorisms drawn randomly from a box to help loosen creative blocks. During sessions for following albums that procerdure would become increasingly more important and the pieces formed by chance as much as deliberate composing. Most tracks on this still have ordinary melodic structures albeit the boundaries are stretched. Title is taken from a Chinese revolutionary opera, but apart from some of the lyrics having the word "China" in them and a few references to politics there's no further connection. Even if the songs are quite regular, the arrangements and musical approach makes it outstanding. I've seen it described as pre-punk, art rock, psych and prog, yet non of these brands gives full cover. To me it's beyond genres and fickle social modes - it's good Eno and that's that. Favorite tracks - "Third Uncle" and "The Fat Lady Of Limbourg". First US on Island with same cover and number. Premiere UK had label as shown here and matt fold/out cover. (ÄNÖ*) (FÖF*)