Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Chinese opera of the same name see Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) cover
Studio album by Brian Eno
Released November 1974
Recorded September 1974 at Island Studios, London
Genre Art rock
Glam rock
Length 48:14
Label E.G. Records
Producer Brian Eno
Professional reviews
Brian Eno chronology
June 1, 1974
(1974)		 Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
(1974)		 Another Green World
(1975)
Alternate cover
2004 Original Masters edition
2004 Original Masters edition

Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) is a 1974 rock album by Brian Eno. The album continued the experimental, lyrically cryptic music Eno had incorporated on his previous album, Here Come the Warm Jets.

Many of the songs contain references to China or Chinese culture. The title of the album originated from the name of a Maoist opera (one of the eight model plays), which Eno said he encountered in San Francisco in the form of postcards advertising a performance.[1] He had no interest in seeing the opera, but its title (which he felt sounded at once medieval and modern, romantic and practical) fascinated him.

The original vinyl release has a locked groove on side one, at the end of "The Great Pretender". The original album was issued in a gatefold sleeve, and the cover art is comprised of 4 prints of 1500 unique lithographs by the artist Peter Schmidt.

One of the lines from "The True Wheel" ("We are the 801, we are the central shaft") provided the name for the 1976 prog rock ensemble, 801, which included Eno and Phil Manzanera. The same song provided the name for Manchester funk band A Certain Ratio.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Brian Eno except where noted.

[edit] Side one

  1. "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More" – 3:18
  2. "Back in Judy's Jungle" – 5:16
  3. "The Fat Lady of Limbourg" – 5:03
  4. "Mother Whale Eyeless" – 5:45
  5. "The Great Pretender" – 5:11

[edit] Side two

  1. "Third Uncle" (Eno, arr. Brian Turrington) – 4:48
  2. "Put a Straw Under Baby" – 3.25
  3. "The True Wheel" (Eno, Phil Manzanera) – 5:11
  4. "China My China" – 4:44
  5. "Taking Tiger Mountain" – 5:32

[edit] Covers

The British gothic rock band Bauhaus covered "Third Uncle" on their third album The Sky's Gone Out.

In 2004 the entire album was covered by Caroleen Beatty and Doug Hilsinger as Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy, using the first of the postcards for which the album was named as cover art. This version runs ten minutes longer than the original version.

[edit] Personnel

  • Brian Eno – vocals, electronics, snake guitar, keyboards
  • Phil Manzanera – guitars
  • Brian Turrington – bass guitar
  • Freddie Smith – drums
  • Robert Wyatt – percussion, backing vocals

with "Special Guests":

  • Portsmouth Sinfonia – strings on "Put a Straw Under Baby"
  • Randi and the Pyramids – chorus on "The True Wheel"
  • The Simplistics – chorus on "Back in Judy's Jungle" and "Taking Tiger Mountain"
  • Andy MacKay – brass on "The Fat Lady of Limbourg"
  • Phil Collins - extra drums on "Mother Whale Eyeless"
  • Polly Eltes – vocals on "Mother Whale Eyeless"
v • d • e
Brian Eno
Solo albums
With Roxy Music
With Robert Fripp
With Cluster
Other collaborations
Compilations
Publications
Related