My Squelchy Life is
Brian Eno's Smile -- an album that was completed, sent out to reviewers (with some reviews hitting the stands), then withdrawn suddenly by
Eno, regarded as a minor effort. A year later,
Nerve Net was released. Undoubtedly,
Nerve Net is a more polished, adventurous, and mature album, but
My Squelchy Life, is a splendid pop album, and a fine follow-up to his collaboration with
John Cale, Wrong Way Up. Bootlegs abound of this album, but most of the songs found their way onto the
Eno Vocal Box Set, including the dreamy "Under" and "Over," and the upbeat "Stiff." "I Fall Up," one of
Eno's darker songs, wound up on the B-side of "Ali Click" a year later. So what's left? Deserving of an official release is "The Harness," a slow, pulsing number similar to "The Roil, The Choke" from
Nerve Net, all grandiose and golden. "Tutti Forgetti" is a rhythmic workout similar to his work with
David Byrne; "Everybody's Mother" features a distorted vocal over an instrumental that would turn up on
Shutov Assembly; "Little Apricot" is a solo piano composition, similar to "Web" on
Nerve Net. If you can get hold of a copy, it's enjoyable. For "The Harness" it's indispensable. For everything else, it's replaceable.