I wanted to start 2026 with a new way of listening. I’ve been dabbling with individual tracks here and there for many years. Primarily because of the podcasting. But I remember years ago spending time listening to whole albums. Listening to the whole thing, filler tracks and all. I used to enjoy reading the lyrics and admiring the notes of gatefold sleeve vinyl albums. OK, so those days have gone but I’m trying to listen more deeply. So I have embarked on a listening and learning process to discover whole albums, both old and new.

The first album I’ve chosen is My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Byrne. It’s an album I’ve known about for years but not one I’ve ever really listened to.  It’s an iconic album recorded in 1979-80 using loads of samples over African and Middle Eastern rhythms. It may seem simple to achieve these days but this was before digital technology transformed the recording process and must have involved enormous amounts of tape being manually spliced together. It was recorded before Remain In Light, my favourite album by Talking Heads and one I have listened to intently for the last 45 years. Listening for the first time I can hear how My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts clearly influenced Remain In Light. 

The version available online today differs from the original 1981 vinyl because the track Qu’ran was later removed after the Islamic Council of Great Britain objected to the use of samples.