My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
by Brian Eno & David Byrne

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno & David Byrne
Year: 1981
Release date: 1981-02-00
Overall rank: 641st   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 438 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1981 (5th)
Award Top albums of of the 1980s (101st)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (641st)

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David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts [New CD] Enhanced, Rmst
Condition: Brand New


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BRIAN/ ENO DAVID BYRNE My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts LP 1981 ORIG 1ST PRESS VG+
Condition: Used


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BRIAN ENO DAVID BYRNE My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts SRK 6093 Vinyl LP LA Press
Condition: Used


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Brian Eno & David Byrne bestography

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts is ranked as the best album by Brian Eno & David Byrne.

Brian Eno & David Byrne album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (641st)
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Lower ranked (4,855th) »
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 641st | 1980s rank: 101st | 1981 rank: 5th

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts collection

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts ratings

Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 438 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 438 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 !
06/15/2026 07:20 ASOARE  Ratings distribution  2,31576/100
 
90/100
 !
06/06/2026 11:55 PurpleHazel  Ratings distribution  1,51579/100
 
95/100
 !
06/02/2026 15:18 imimesis  Ratings distribution  2,07181/100
 
80/100
 !
05/20/2026 23:44 thepardunk  Ratings distribution  2,58769/100
 
60/100
 !
01/17/2026 07:35 Norman Bates  Ratings distribution  10,13175/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.1/100, a mean average of 76.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.0.

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My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 32 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
75/100
From 09/03/2022 22:55 | #289241
As to be expected with Eno this album is wildly experimental and artistic, but there some legitimate bangers on here too - Regiment, Help Me Somebody and The Jezebel Spirit.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/19/2022 07:01 | #286497
I think there is no album I've bought & traded, bought & traded & bought and traded, etc. more than this one. I'm hot & cold on it. Still, a classic.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/20/2022 19:31 | #285577
You will listen and you will think it’s a bit weird in parts and you will not really “get it” but that’s OK because you will have bounced your knee in time to the dominant rhythms.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/24/2022 20:17 | #283321
A very enjoyable but different LP that I still listen to many years later.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 12/02/2021 14:04 | #276984
annoying repetitive recorded sounds maybe okay as ambient
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/29/2021 02:13 | #267902
Astonishingly good. Can't believe I had never heard this before. I think I am going to become an Eno-head in my later years.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/27/2021 19:21 | #266754
Estranho worldbeat, legal, mas preciso ouvir mais vezes para entender tudo.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/18/2020 16:21 | #250175 | TOP COMMENT
Exactly what I expected from a collaboration between Brian Eno and David Byrne, which is to say that this is nothing short of great. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts has Byrne's fondness for weird funk rhythms and Eno's clear artistic vision. I also don't think sampling was used like this, if at all, in 1981. I've not heard too much buzz about this album, which is sad because I think it's fantastic and fun to listen to.

Also, I'd like to point out that the 2006 artwork for this album sucks and the original cover is way better.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 12/31/2019 10:37 | #246190
Funky, scary, different, expansive, immersive.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 07/23/2019 18:23 | #240249
Favorite Tracks:Help Me Somebody, The Jezebel Spirit
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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