The Drop

The Drop is the fourteenth solo studio album by Brian Eno, released on 7 July 1997 through All Saints Records. The album continues in the same style as much of his work of the period exploring impressionistic, ambient instrumental soundscapes rather than more conventional songwriting. The 2014 reissue includes the 77 Million Paintings album as a bonus disc and edits the track "Iced World" from its original 32 minutes down to 18 minutes – the same duration on both vinyl and CD.

Reviewing for The Village Voice in December 1997, Robert Christgau appraised the album negatively: "Ever the bullshitter, the St. Petersburg (Russia) muso cites as influences Me'Shell NdegéOcello, [Fela Kuti], and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and as an admirer of all three I only wish I could hear the way musos hear. To me it sounds like he got stuck between Music for Airports and Wrong Way Up and spun his hard drive for 74 minutes. He hears melodies whose vagueness he extols, I hear vaguenesses whose attenuation I rue. He hears bass lines, I hear tinkle. He hears 'sourness,' I hear more tinkle." Reviewing it for the NME, Mark Beaumont gave it 0/10.