My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (album)

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Studio album by
Brian Eno–David Byrne
ReleasedFebruary 1981 (1981-02)
Recorded1979–1980
Studio
Genre
Length39:40
Language
Label
Producer
  • Brian Eno
  • David Byrne
Brian Eno and David Byrne chronology
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
(1981) 		Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
(2008)
David Byrne chronology
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
(1981) 		The Catherine Wheel
(1981)
Brian Eno chronology
Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
(1980) 		My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
(1981) 		Ambient 4: On Land
(1982)
2006 reissue cover
Singles from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
  1. "The Jezebel Spirit"
    Released: 29 May 1981

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is the first collaborative studio album by Brian Eno and David Byrne, released in February 1981.[7] It was Byrne's first album without his band Talking Heads. The album integrates sampled vocals and found sounds, African and Middle Eastern rhythms, and electronic music techniques.[8] It was recorded before Eno and Byrne's work on Talking Heads' 1980 album Remain in Light, but problems clearing samples delayed its release by several months.

The album title is derived from Amos Tutuola's 1954 novel My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. According to Byrne's 2006 liner notes, neither he nor Eno had read the novel, but they felt the title "seemed to encapsulate what this record was about".[9]

The extensive sampling on the album is considered innovative, though its influence on later sample-based music genres is debated.[10][11] Pitchfork named it the 21st best album of the 1980s,[12] while Slant Magazine named it the 83rd.[13]

  1. ^ Ciabattoni, Steve (28 April 2003). "Brian Eno and David Byrne: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". CMJ New Music Report. No. 811. New York. p. 7. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. ^ Jackson, Josh; et al. (21 June 2021). "The Best Albums of 1981". Paste. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ White, Bob W. (2012). "Introduction: Rethinking Globalization through Music". Music and Globalization: Critical Encounters. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35712-0. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. ^ Fricke, David (18 February 1982). "Tom Tom Club: Tom Tom Club". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on 21 July 2003. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  6. ^ Segal, Dave (18 May 2016). "Record Review: Brian Eno Couldn't Have Made a Better Farewell Album Than The Ship (Whether It's a Farewell or Not)". The Stranger. Seattle. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  7. ^ "This Is What Hatred Did – Cristina de Middel". Archive of Modern Conflict. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  8. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 368. ISBN 0-87930-653-X.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Making Of was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Sande, Kiran (5 August 2010). "The Essential… Brian Eno". Fact. London. p. 7. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  11. ^ O'Neil, Tim (1 May 2006). "David Byrne and Brian Eno: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  12. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. 21 November 2002. p. 8. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  13. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.