The Pearls (album)

The Pearl is an album by ambient musicians Harold Budd and Brian Eno, which was released in 1984. This album is similar to Budd and Eno’s previous collaboration Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror, consisting mostly of subtly treated piano textures, but this time with more pronounced electronic treatments and nature recordings. This album was produced with Daniel Lanois, who is also credited on the front cover.

The track "Against The Sky" was sampled in "Cedars Of Lebanon" from U2's album "No Line On The Horizon".

Critical reaction
The album was well received by critics. Ned Raggett, writing for Allmusic, stated: Acting in some respects as the understandable counterpart to Ambient 2, with the same sense of hushed, ethereal beauty the partnership brought forth on that album, The Pearl is so ridiculously good it instantly shows up much of the mainstream new age as the gloopy schlock that it often is... Another key point is how Budd truly captures what ambience in general can and does mean. "Against the Sky" is a strong example — it can be totally concentrated upon or left to play as atmospherics and is also at once both truly beautiful and not a little haunting in a disturbing sense. Other highlight tracks include the deceptively simple title track, as serene a piece of music as was ever recorded, and the closing "Still Return," bringing The Pearl to a last peak of beauty.

Track listing

 * 1) "Late October" – 4:38
 * 2) "A Stream with Bright Fish" – 3:54
 * 3) "The Silver Ball" – 3:26
 * 4) "Against the Sky" – 4:46
 * 5) "Lost in the Humming Air" – 4:49
 * 6) "Dark-Eyed Sister" – 4:36
 * 7) "Their Memories" – 2:54
 * 8) "The Pearl" – 3:07
 * 9) "Foreshadowed" – 3:54
 * 10) "An Echo of Night" – 2:22
 * 11) "Still Return" – 4:11