Here Come the Warm Jets

by

Brian Eno

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"Here Comes the Warm Jets" announced Eno's intention from the first track; make groundbreaking, melodic music in the Roxy Music vein. The irony is that, for all intents and purposes, this was Eno's version of Roxy Music. If he were the lead vocalist, main songwriter in the band this is the material he'd be putting out there. It makes a great companion piece to Roxy's third album "Stranded". Ferry and Eno, in retrospect, compliment each other very, very well. As Ferry himself stated, he now wishes they had kept Eno and added Eddie Jobson. I couldn't agree more.

The improved sonics are the chief reason to pick this up. The detail is better, clarity is better (even on a cheap stereo) and the warmth and atmosphere of the original recording becomes evident from the first guitar chord. The packaging is another matter entirely. I like the digipak design but do wish that there were some comments from Eno and his band mates about the making of this classic album. The reproduction of the original artwork seems pretty darn close to the original vinyl version for the most part.

From the stuttering Robert Fripp guitar solo for "Baby's On Fire" to the odd chord progression of "Driving Me Backwards", every track manages to capture your attention. This is Eno's candy store and he's displaying all his sweet wares for the first time. Later albums would focus on other elements but here his talent burst forth in full flower.

Another minor complaint--where is "Seven Deadly Finns" and the material from Eno's only charting EP? It would have made a perfect addition to this album (even if it was released as a two disc set keeping the original albums intact and separate). It's a pity. Still, the DSD technique for transferring these priceless recordings captures the vibrant sound and impact of the original recordings without the sterile atmosphere of CD. Well worth picking up.

As someone who imported Polydor vinyl from Japan 30 years ago my first reaction was WTF. The genuine article has been out-of-print for decades! You can tell that these are fakes due to several branding issues. EG is credited, they have not been a copyright holder in over a decade. Polydor is the big name on label and obi (a Universal owned brand), yet Virgin is current owner (an EMI brand). These fakes are trading on old former copyright/publishing! Even the obi is all wrong - colors and Japanese text (laughable), and a MoFi inner sleeve? By the way, the genuine vinyl NEVER came factory sealed from Japan, but rather in loose open top bags. But, they are cut from recent remasters, sound clean, and have razor sharp artwork (although colors appear noticeably darker and somewhat off in places). Sonically, you're likely getting a vinyl version of the DSD-mastered CD with some surface noise, minus the warmth of the all-analog path (AAA) found on original/genuine pressings. Search forums if not convinced. So far I've seen Another Green World and Tiger Mountain receive the same treatment, but not Before and After Science? Maybe they're still working on the 4 Peter Schmidt prints?... I sure hope not.