Brian Eno – Another Green World

This cover reminds me of the parlour at my dad’s house, or the back room, whatever you call it, where I had my little fidelity stereo set up. I bought it from the catalogue with my paper round money. When Eno left Roxy Music and did Here Come The Warm Jets, I loved it. I loved all that stuff he did. Then this one came out, and I just thought, it was great, another atmospheric gem. To be honest I could be any of the Eno ones. I really like Before And After Science as well.

When I saw Roxy Music play, Eno was there. He had this Revox tape recorder at the back. One of those VCS3s with a joystick on it. And he obviously wasn’t a ‘proper musician’, he was just like a noise merchant, making interesting sounds. And I thought, ‘right, I can kinda do that!’ And that’s when I started getting into recording, buying tape recorders and equipment, because I saw myself more as a creator than a guitarist. Anything that I found I just used to further my own ends. Because I’m not a virtuoso guitarist or anything; I just had to find my own way around things. That’s how I learnt to do what I can do. I’m a bit fearful of people who can play too well. I don’t know how to play ‘Smoke on the Water’ or ‘Stairway to Heaven’ or whatever.

But those kinds of people end up playing those songs on cruise ships and shopping centres, Will.

Even with bands like Yes there are dead complicated guitar things, but they’re not really cheesy, they’re not really Rock. That old formula that I’ve been trying to avoid for years… It’s really difficult because people are trying to push it that rockist way all the time.