Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror

Superb

I first learned about Eno's ambient music through U2's song "Cedars of Lebanon", which samples the track "Against the Sky" from the Eno/Harold Budd album The Pearl. I purchased The Pearl a few months ago and found it delightful. So naturally I moved on to Eno's other collaboration with Harold Budd, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror. This record is just as good as The Pearl, so if you like The Pearl, do not pass on Ambient 2. "First Light" is the highlight, in my opinion, but the rest of the songs are also outstanding. Thank you both, Eno and Budd.

This is the music we listen to when we are driving through the desert, each canyon has a soundtrack. Harold has landed...

Budd’s keyboard work here rivals Claud Debussy’s and is its 21st Century equivalent…on mind-manifesting sacraments. This album and its reflection—The Pearl—together represent the Quintessential Ambience recordings of our time. Many great ambient players and bands have surfaced since these tracks were recorded, but Eno’s and Budd’s collaborative works still stand out as self-contained universes of textural expressionism (on indole-chemistry). No aging ‘head' should be without both of these recordings. If you love Plateaux of Mirror, you’ll love The Pearl.

This album should really be listed under Harold Budd & Brian Eno since it's more of a Harold Budd album produced by Brian Eno. Regardless of how it's filed in iTunes, this is some heady, mysterious, and often poignant music. Highly recommended. If you like this you should check out their other collaboration The Pearl.

Some may know of Eno as producer of U2, Talking Heads, and others. Some may know of him from his early days with Roxy Music. But for me, his most brilliant contributions are in the area of ambient music, and this album is one of his early masterpieces. Eno makes “music” - its really better characterized as soundscapes - that are emotionally complex, contemplative, stimulating, and yet easy to ignore. They are meant to be the ultimate background music, and at that, they succeed brilliantly. Many artists have been influenced by Eno’s work, he almost single handily started the ambient sound movement. Highlights include the title track, and Wind in Lonely Fences, and An Arc of Doves. Not music to sit and listen to like you would a rock album. Music to play in the background while you’re doing something else - like sketching, coding, writing a play, reading a book, meditating, or even doing the bills.

this is a classic ambient album. Many artists who make ambient say Eno was a influence. Not all tracks are good, but some are very relaxining/ambient.

Just brilliant!