Here Come the Warm Jets

Here Come the Warm Jets is the debut solo album by British musician Brian Eno, released on Island Records in January 1974. It was recorded and produced by Eno following his departure from the band Roxy Music, and blends glam and pop stylings with avant-garde approaches. The album features numerous guests, including three of Eno's former Roxy bandmates (guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist/keyboardist Andy Mackay and drummer Paul Thompson), drummer Simon King (of Hawkwind), bassist Bill MacCormick (of Matching Mole), guitarist/bassist Paul Rudolph (of Pink Fairies) and guitarist Robert Fripp and bassist John Wetton (both of King Crimson). Notable contributions were also made by guitarist Chris Spedding, bassist Busta Jones, percussionist Marty Simon, and gospel vocal group Sweetfeed. In developing the material with the various musicians, Eno devised unusual methods and instructions to obtain unexpected results

Here Come the Warm Jets peaked at number 26 on the United Kingdom album charts and number 151 on the US Billboard charts, receiving mostly positive reviews. It was re-issued on compact disc in 1990 on Island Records and remastered in 2004 on Virgin Records, and continued to elicit praise.

Initial critical reception for the album was mostly positive, with praise focused on its experimental tendencies. Critic Lester Bangs of Creem declared it "incredible," and noted that "the predominant feel is a strange mating of edgy dread with wild first-time-out exuberance." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave it an "A" rating, stating that "The idea of this record—top of the pops from quasi-dadaist British synth wizard—may put you off, but the actuality is quite engaging in a vaguely Velvet Underground kind of way." Billboard wrote a positive review, stating that "… while it all may be a bit unpredictable, and may be a longshot to do much in the U.S. market, it is an excellent LP." The album was also placed in Circus magazine's section for "Picks of the Month". Cynthia Dagnal of Rolling Stone wrote an article on Eno, calling the album "a very compelling experiment in controlled chaos and by his own self-dictated standards a near success." Steve Huey of AllMusic stated that the album "still sounds exciting, forward-looking, and densely detailed, revealing more intricacies with every play". In 1991, Select writer David Cavanagh described it as a "classic" album of "mind-blowing diversity". In 2003, the album placed at number 436 in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", climbing to number 432 in the 2012 update and to number 308 in the 2020 edition. In a retrospective review, Rolling Stone's J. D. Considine commented that "It may be easy to hear both an anticipation of punk and an echo of Roxy Music in the arch clangor of Here Come the Warm Jets, but what shines brightest is the offhand accessibility of the songs", adding that "the melodies linger on… the album seems almost a blueprint for the pop experiments Bowie (with Eno collaborating) would conduct with Low". In 2004, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 24 on its "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s" list. In 2003, Blender placed the album on its list "500 CDs You Must Own: Alternative Rock", stating that Here Come the Warm Jets "remains his best pop effort. His experimental touch turns basic glam-rock into something sick and sinister. The free-associating, posh-voiced vocals are an acquired taste, but there's method in this madness". The Canadian music magazine Exclaim! referred to Here Come the Warm Jets as "Arguably one of the greatest solo debuts of the 1970s… Songs such as "Baby's on Fire", "Driving Me Backwards" and "Needles in the Camel's Eye" capture the lush and sleazy underpinning narratives of the British Invasion in arrangements that sound quintessentially timeless". In 2012, Treble named the album in the list "10 Essential Glam Rock Albums."