Neroli

Yes, it's another Brian Eno ambient masterpiece, yadda yadda. What makes this different from all his other ambient masterpieces? I would say that the main distinction of Neroli is that it's just about as minimal as music can be and still be classifiable as music. It's just a single phrygian scale in one octave, played over and over, usually no more than one note at a time. And yet, if you have it on in the background, it creates an extremely serene and restful environment which I find very pleasant. The phrygian scale necessarily makes the piece a little dark (for instance, when compared with the more serene "Thursday Afternoon"), but that doesn't detract from its effect. It's entirely possible that this piece was the result of a computer program generating a semi-random sequence of notes -- Eno is a pioneer in the field of "generative music" which explicitly does exactly that. But even if that's the case, so what? What Neroli shows is that music doesn't have to have structure in the traditional sense to be enjoyable. In fact, you're best off not thinking of it as music at all but as a sound painting. It's a lot like listening to the sound of wind chimes as you fall asleep; they don't make any particular melody, but they're soothing nonetheless.I have to admit to being somewhat puzzled and amused by the negative reviews of this piece. It must be frustrating to try to find musical structure while listening to Neroli. The trick is that you don't have to and you shouldn't try. You just have to let go of the desire to find structure in everything and just let the music exist as it is. Furthermore, you don't have to play it softly to enjoy it. I play it at a low but quite audible volume, and then I go about whatever it is I'm doing (reading, surfing the net, writing, eating, whatever).I once tried to turn my piano teacher (who is a great artist) on to Eno's ambient work. He couldn't get past the notion that this was music to be ignored; he claimed that he was physically incapable of ignoring music. If so, it's his loss. Music like Neroli is meant to be experienced at an unconscious level, and if you can accept that, you will find it very rewarding.

On a recent Eno facebook post he announced the reissue of this and three other Cd's with additional material. With some time to kill, I thought I would check Amazon on my phone to see if they had the reissues available for purchase. Neroli was the first one that I looked at. it didn't say much, so I closed the app and went on my way. About a half hour or so later, I received an email confirming my purchase of Neroli. I don't remember one-clicking it but, OK. I liked it when it was first released, in 1993, for all the reasons stated in the previous reviews. But I was curious about the CD 2 New Space Music. New Space Music is pure ambience. It is subtle and less complicated (if ambience can be) than "Thursday Afternoon," but more "melodic" than Neroli. At about 30 minutes in it has shifted and changed under the prolonged ambient dissonance. It could have been called "Wind on Desert" and been on "Evening Star." It could have been called "Space" and been on "Apollo." New Space Music may be one for the Eno purists, but it is a perfect companion to Neroli.My windows were open as it played, there were sounds of rain, distant thunder, an occasional bird, dogs barking and sirens in the distance, none of which were on the cd. I remember looking out the window and thinking, it arrived on a rainy day, perfect.P.S. I dug out a cd that I burned many years ago, an hour of song 2/1 from Music for Airports. The ambient voices. I put New Space Music on the player in the living room, and the 2/1 cd on the player in the kitchen, balanced the low volume between the two. Something new.

Now an expanded 2CD set with the previously unreleased "New Space Music" , Eno's "Neroli" has been re-released.THE perfect album to drift too. Slight note variations in a repeated pattern over the entire disc , the listener is challenged , yet relaxed , throughout the piece.The best in a long line of ambient releases by Brian Eno.I play it every night as I go to bed. Often times , I barely awake and hear a sequence , then drift back off. As I re-awake , again I will hear a gentle passage. This sequence is repeated throughout the night , as I have trouble staying asleep (not due to the music).

As stated on the liner notes, apparently Neroli is played in births, and birth clinics to soothe the baby as well as the mother. Perhaps it was intended that way, but it does fill the room with a certain peace.We had a baby about 2 years ago and I bought it with that purpose in mind, and it DID work. So I must give Mr. Eno praise for that.But I wouldn't want to listen to it when driving, or doing any other activity, since it may put me to sleep as well.

This is true ambient music - it does not reward close listening. It's in fact rather dull to listen to - a long session of monochrome keyboard plunkings and near-subliminal synth washes.I had this CD on my iTunes rotation for some time, and after a while decided that it did nothing for me. However, some people I've talked to just love it for their work or home ambience. Of Eno's work, I far prefer Shutov Assembly, Music for Films, Music for Airports, or On Land. If you like something more eneregetic and percussive, check out his Nerve Net.

great for meditation or as background. works better at lower volume where the ambient works its magic deeper. In the same vein as Thursday Afternoon, however, Neroli's loop keeps to a few notes that slowly revolves.

This was not one of my favorite Brian Eno ambient alblums. It is recorded extremely quiet and hard to hear without turning volume on high. Also it is very repetitive to the point of boring.

I am a therapist and use this with my hypnosis clients. I love it and so do my clients! I find it induces trance easily and is very calming.

This edition comes with a second CD called "new space music" which is also a lovely piece, providing you like Eno's minimalist approach to music.I enjoyed the booklet a lot. It describes Eno's work and thoughts on smell and perfumes which this sound piece is built around. He writes in very thought-provoking ways, as usual. It's Eno, the man's a God!

Not my favourite Eno ambient record but there will be times when I would want to play this above everything else. I am more likely to play the bonus cd at other times, as it is more familiar ' droning ambience' while Neroli is more ' single percussive fade out notes' Damn! I can't describe it- you'll just have to buy it and listen (if you like Eno Ambient)

CD received in good order, CD in excellent condition

A brilliant ambient piece of music and now with an even longer piece which is even quieter, from the man who made ambient popular

Does just what is says on the label... does not distract you. Excelente for those tree inspections on the couch