There comes a certain point in life where you reach the stage not only of expanding your music collection but taking stock of what you already own. Sifting through shelves of dusty vinyl you dismiss some of your more squalid purchases before dropping on something that brings back nothing less than the fondest memories. That happened to me the other week and prompted me not only to dig out an original but also to pick up a new CD edition.

The album I am talking about is My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts a collaboration between David Byrne and Brian Eno, originally released in 1981 the album celebrates its 25th anniversary in a repackaged and remastered form with additional tracks that were omitted from the original release.

While I used to enthuse about this album when I was a kid (and being something of a massive Talking Heads fan helped), I know full well that time, age and the cynicism of adulthood can do wonders to knock yesterday’s heroes out of the ball park. So I was fully prepared to be disappointed with my reintroduction to what I considered at one stage in my life to be musically “as good as it got”. At the time of its original release My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts was something of a ground breaking record. If not the father of aspects of modern electronica then it was at the very least present for the birth. A complex unselfconscious melting pot of world music rhythms, soundscapes, experiments and samples.

The beauty of the album is that it has managed to maintain its futuristic airs and graces twenty five years down the line. Despite the limitations of the technology available at the time Byrne and Eno’s work hasn’t dated and the original tracks still delight and perplex in equal measure. The agitated narrative of America Is Waiting seems more relevant in today’s world than it did back then. Whereas the preacher driven Help Me Somebody still has an urgency about it that could rival the latest drum and bass release. The Jezebel Spirit doesn’t chill me quite like it used to but the frenetic funk workout that Byrne and Eno further explored with Talking Head’s Remain In Light album is still one of those moments where stillness is impossible while it is playing.

The seven new tracks are for the most part oddities that don’t necessarily gel very well with the original tracklisting. Possibly because there is something of an unfinished quality to them although Defiant proves interesting as an alternative take to the aforementioned Jezebel Spirit, and Number 8 Mix could be the soundtrack to a futuristic spy thriller with its ghostly overtones.

Another interesting aspect to this album is the official website which has generously supplied breakdowns of two of the tracks for individuals to play with, remix and submit back to the site. Not only is this of interest to the budding mixers and producers out there but its interesting to hear what tracks sound like as they go through their process of growth (and it also shows what the limitations of technology were back then, you can hear the tapes being stopped, wound and started on some of the vocal loops…look ma, no samplers).

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts stands up today not only as an influencing force on electronica but a collection of tracks that have stood the test of time impeccably and would still in most cases fit a set list for any number of DJ’s covering any number of styles. Consider this a must have for your collection.