Before and After Science

Before and After Science is the fifth solo studio album by the English musician Brian Eno, originally released by Polydor Records in December 1977 in the United Kingdom and by Island in the United States soon after. It was produced by Eno and Rhett Davies. Several musicians from the United Kingdom and Germany notably collaborated on the album, including Robert Wyatt, Fred Frith, Phil Collins, Phil Manzanera, Paul Rudolph, Andy Fraser, Dave Mattacks, Jaki Liebezeit, Dieter Moebius, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Over one hundred tracks were written, but only ten made the album's final cut. The musical styles range from energetic and jagged to languid and pastoral. The album marks Eno's last foray into rock music as a solo artist in the 1970s; nearly all of his following work instead showcases avant-garde and ambient music, which was hinted at predominantly on the second side of Before and After Science. It was Eno's second to chart in the United States. The song "King's Lead Hat" (the title of which is an anagram for Talking Heads, for whom Eno would later produce three albums) was remixed and released as a single, although it did not chart in the United Kingdom. Critical response to the album has remained positive, with several critics calling it one of Eno's best works.