Ambient 4: On Land

Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land

Ambient 4: On Land
List Price: $9.96
Our Price: $9.92
You Save: $1.98 (17%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.77 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Listen soundtracks from this album



(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

Music CD Cover

Artist: Brian Eno
Brand: Virgin
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2004-10-05
Music Label: Astralwerks
Soundtracks:
  1. Lizard Point
  2. The Lost Day
  3. Tal Coat
  4. Shadow
  5. Lantern Marsh
  6. Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills)
  7. A Clearing
  8. Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960

Free Music Notes for Ambient 4: On Land

Free Music Review: Less than music - and more.
Hit: 5 Stars

Imagine sitting on a beachside deck some warm evening with a microphone capturing all the noise of the environment: waves washing up, crickets chirping, gulls singing, the neighbors' barbecue maybe becoming audible when their talking gets loud enough. Maybe some kid is driving down the next block with his stereo rattling the pavement. Maybe somebody's dog is barking far enough away that if you weren't listening closely you wouldn't even notice it. On Land is an exploration of this kind of idea in sound, but intended to re-create places far away or only imagined. Sound strange? In the world of Brian Eno I'd expect nothing less.

Basically it's an album exploring the idea of music or sound that gives a feeling of a certain place. It also perfectly accomplishes his objective with ambient music, which is that it should be "as ignorable as it is interesting." Turn it up and it can bring all kinds of alien landscapes to life in your mind; turn it down and it colors the room subliminally, barely noticeably. Where the previous three in the Ambient series were subdued and trancelike through repetition, this one is evolving all the time and never repeats itself.

And with that, On Land is probably the hardest of all Eno discs to describe. It would be one thing if it was simply made with treated notes or tape loops, as with Discreet Music or the previous Ambient albums. It would be one thing if he was using minimal melodies meant to be ignored. On Land is all and none of those. It uses musical elements but isn't music; it's minimalist but not simple or repetitive. It's pure atmosphere. Forms don't exist. If you're wondering what moods you may find here, just look at the titles. "Tal Coat" is somehow electronic-sounding but purely organic. "Shadow" is a vague lurking moment of doubt. "A Clearing" is a four-minute synth haze radiating pure tranquility. It's not all soothing, but if it's left at a low audible level the dark moments won't really be disturbing.

Comparing this disc to any other ambient music is always an apples/oranges prospect, but I think the difference makes this the most pure and timeless Eno album out there. At the very least it sounds like nothing else I've ever heard, except maybe the sounds of nature itself.

Ambient 4: On Land Poster

The transfer from the Original Masters has been undertaken with great care by Simon Heyworth. All four albums have been Mastered using 'Class A' Analogue Electronics combined with the best Analogue to Digital conversion. No attempt has been made to re-equalize, remix or in any way tamper with or alter the original EQ'ed analogue production masters. These are the Original Masters as Brian Eno intended them to be heard.
Released in 1982, On Land is Eno's most mature, perfect ambient work. Combining low, rumbling synths with eerie banging and clanking and the occasional wild-animal chirp or grumble, this recording places the listener alone, in the midst of a massive piece of sonic landscaping. And Eno has left no detail to chance. In fact, the work is so complete that when Eno suggests a windswept plain, the listener gets a chill. When trumpeter Jon Hassell bays with a softly disturbing imitation of a wounded beast, the first instinct is to scan the horizon for its glinting eyes. So subtle, intuitive, and well paced is this recording that as it slips quietly from the speakers and into every corner of the listening room, it transforms the space into a gently pulsing sound environment that seems strangely out of time and away from everything. It's a place you'll be drawn to time and time again. An ageless masterwork. --S. Duda

Alternative Rock Music CDs

Music Genres
Top music charts in Alternative Rock Music CDs
Maniacal Laughter ImageBouncing Souls - Maniacal Laughter
Release date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Parallel Lines ImageBlondie - Parallel Lines
Release date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $397.77
L.A. Woman ImageDoors - L.A. Woman
Release date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $199.99
Phallus Dei ImageAmon Duul - Phallus Dei
Release date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops: $18.98
Melrose ImageTangerine Dream - Melrose
Release date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Private Music of Tangerine Dream ImageTangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine Dream
Release date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $11.98
Ska Explosion [VHS] ImageSka Explosion [VHS]
Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops: $16.98
Little Earthquakes [VHS] ImageLittle Earthquakes [VHS]
Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $16.98
Exile ImageExile
by Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
Louder Than Live [VHS] ImageSoundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]
A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $14.98
Top Rated Albums
Another Green World ImageBrian Eno - Another Green World
Virgin; Release date: 2004-06-01; Music CD
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $11.94
Small Craft on a Milk Sea ImageBrian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Release date: 2010-11-02; Music CD
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Pearl ImageThe Pearl
ENO,BRIAN; Release date: 2005-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $8.86
Price in other shops: $11.94
Thursday Afternoon (Mlps) ImageBrian Eno - Thursday Afternoon (Mlps)
Release date: 2008-07-08; Music CD
Best price: $10.40
Price in other shops: $14.98
Music for Films ImageBrian Eno - Music for Films
Release date: 2005-03-22; Music CD
Best price: $8.85
Price in other shops: $11.94
Ambient 3: Day of Radiance ImageBrian Eno, Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
LARAAJI; Release date: 1992-09-23; Music CD
Best price: $6.21
Price in other shops: $11.98
Discreet Music ImageBrian Eno - Discreet Music
Virgin; Release date: 2004-10-05; Published: 2004; Music CD
Best price: $8.48
Price in other shops: $11.94
Ambient 2: Plateaux of Mirror ImageBrian Eno, Harold Budd - Ambient 2: Plateaux of Mirror
Virgin; Release date: 2004-10-05; Music CD
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops: $11.94
Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks ImageBrian Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Release date: 2005-03-22; Music CD
Best price: $10.60
Price in other shops: $11.94
Ambient 1: Music for Airports ImageBrian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Virgin; Release date: 2004-10-05; Music CD
Best price: $8.80
Price in other shops: $11.94
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles