''Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics'' is an album by

Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various ...

and Brian Eno. It was recorded at Celestial Sounds in New York City and released in 1980 by Editions EG, an

imprint label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

of E.G. Records. "Fourth world music" is a musical aesthetic described by Hassell as "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques." Upon its release, the album received praise from a variety of critics.

Music

Hassell's trumpet is the dominant instrument on the whole album. Handclaps are used as percussion in "Griot", which was recorded live at the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Bev ...

. "Rising Thermal" repeats a 4-note, tape-looped trumpet with a heavily treated trumpet over the top that sounds like a human voice. "Charm (Over 'Burundi Cloud')", which took up the whole second side of the original LP release, is based on some of the longer pieces of Hassell's 1977 album "''Vernal Equinox''"
1
. The trumpets feature a reverse echo. The album's cover photo is a

Landsat The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to La ...

photo of the area south of

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

in Sudan. The map coordinates in "Rising Thermal" ("14°16'N, 32°28'E") translate to the area shown in the photo. The river is the White Nile, which is also the name of a Sudanese

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. Eno took what he learned from making this album and put it to use in his collaboration with David Byrne, '' My Life in the Bush of Ghosts''. Hassell apparently considered that album too "commercial", and castigated Eno in

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

's ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'' magazine for his methods and "lack of musical pedigree". Eventually, they were reconciled.

Critical reception

At the end of 1980, ''Fourth World, Vol. 1'' was named one of the year's ten best albums by many critics, including Robert Palmer from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' critic Robert Christgau ranked it sixth on his year-end list for the

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...

poll. In '' Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s'' (1990), he deemed the record " ambient esoteric kitsch" that was "the most seductive (and best) thing Eno's put his name on since ''

Another Green World ''Another Green World'' is the third studio album by English musician Brian Eno (credited simply as "Eno"), released by Island Records in November 1975. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it features contributions from a small core of musicians, ...

''". Clyde Macfarlane from ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' was even more impressed, writing that the album's five "brilliant" recordings channel "some deep psychological urges", "breathe excitement, and are underlined by a heart-pumping, stick-whacking, distinctly human pulse." According to

Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...

in the '' Spin Alternative Record Guide'' (1995), ''Fourth World, Vol. 1'' "pioneered the syncretic approach to world music with which so many artists experimented during the '80s".

Track listing

Side one

#"Chemistry" (

, Brian Eno) – 6:50 #"Delta Rain Dream" (Hassell, Eno) – 3:26 #"Griot (Over 'Contagious Magic')" (Hassell) – 4:00 #"Ba-Benzélé" (Hassell) – 6:15 #"Rising Thermal 14° 16' N; 32° 28' E" (Hassell, Eno) – 3:05

Side two

#"Charm (Over 'Burundi Cloud')" (Hassell) – 21:29

Personnel

Musicians

''Individual expressions specific to the album credits are set in italics.'' *

– trumpet,

Prophet 5 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with full ...

''touches'' on "Delta Rain Dream", ''"Aluar"''

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

on "Rising Thermal", ARP loops on "Charm" * Brian Eno – ''background cloud'' guitars on "Delta Rain Dream", Prophet 5 ''"Starlight" background'' on "Ba-Benzélé", ''high altitude'' Prophet on "Rising Thermal", ''rare'' MiniMoog & treatments on "Charm" * Percy Jones – bass on "Chemistry" *

Naná Vasconcelos Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...

–

ghatam The ghaṭam ( sa, घटं ''ghaṭaṁ'', kan, ಘಟ ''ghaṭah'', ta, கடம் ''ghatam'', te, ఘటం ''ghatam'', ml, ഘടം, ''ghatam'') is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across India. It's a variant ...

, congas, loop drum *

Aïyb Dieng Aïyb Dieng is a Senegalese drummer and percussionist specializing in hand drums. He has recorded two solo album, including '' Rhythmagick'' (1995), and has worked with a wide range of musicians, including as a regular collaborator of bassist/pr ...

– ghatam, congas *

Michael Brook Michael Brook (born 1951) is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, music producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores. His collaborations with musicians around the worl ...

– bass on "Griot" * Paul Fitzgerald, Gordon Philips, Andrew Timar and Tina Pearson – handclaps on "Griot" *

Jerome Harris Jerome Harris (born April 5, 1953) is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion. He came to prominence in 1978 playing bass guitar and gui ...

– bass on "Ba-Benzélé" * ''Night Creatures of Altamira'' (field recording) on "Rising Thermal"

Additional personnel

* Michael Jay – engineer * Peter Sobol – assistant engineer *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

– mastering * ''Cream'' – cover * William Coupon – Hassell photo * Roberta Bayley – Eno photo

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control Brian Eno albums 1980 albums Albums produced by Brian Eno E.G. Records albums Collaborative albums Jon Hassell albums