Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

Continuing the twisted pop explorations of Here Come the Warm Jets, Eno's sophomore album, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), is more subdued and cerebral, and a bit darker when he does cut loose, but it's no less thrilling once the music reveals itself. It's a loose concept album -- often inscrutable, but still playful -- about espionage, the Chinese Communist revolution, and dream associations, with the more stream-of-consciousness lyrics beginning to resemble the sorts of random connections made in dream states. Eno's richly layered arrangements juxtapose very different treated sounds, yet they blend and flow together perfectly, hinting at the directions his work would soon take with the seamless sound paintings of Another Green World. Although not quite as enthusiastic as Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain is made accessible through Eno's mastery of pop song structure, a form he would soon transcend and largely discard. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andrew Day Redesign Andy Mackay Brass, Keyboards, Saxophone Bill Kelsey Special Electronics Brian Eno Performer, Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Synthesizer, Guitar, Electronics, Electronic Sounds, Keyboards Brian Turrington Arranger, Guitar (Bass), Bass Fred Smith Drums Lorenz Zatecky Photography Peter Schmidt Artwork, Lithography Phil Collins Percussion, Drums, Guest Appearance Phil Manzanera Assistant Producer, Guitar, Arranger Polly Eltes Vocals, Guest Appearance Portsmouth Sinfonia ?, Strings Randi and the Pyramids Choir, Chorus, Vocals, Strings Rhett Davies Engineer Robert Ash Assistant Engineer Robert Wyatt Vocals (Background), Percussion Simon Heyworth Mastering Simplistics Vocals, Choir, Chorus