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

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

. 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 ...

E.G. Records E.G. Records was a British artist management company and independent record label, mostly active during the 1970s and 1980s. The initials stood for its founders, David Enthoven and John Gaydon. The pair signed on as managers of King Crimson in ...

. "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. "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 photo of the area south of Khartoum 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 The White Nile ( ar, النيل الأبيض ') is a river in Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. The name comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. ...

, which is also the name of a Sudanese state. Eno took what he learned from making this album and put it to use in his collaboration with

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

, '' My Life in the Bush of Ghosts''. Hassell apparently considered that album too "commercial", and castigated Eno in Andy Warhol's '' 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''. '' Village Voice'' critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

ranked it sixth on his year-end list for the Pazz & Jop poll. In '' Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s'' (1990), he deemed the record "

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

esoteric kitsch" that was "the most seductive (and best) thing Eno's put his name on since '' Another Green World''". Clyde Macfarlane from '' The Quietus'' 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 in the ''

Spin Alternative Record Guide The ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'' is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine '' Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-i ...

'' (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" ( Jon Hassell,

) – 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.'' * Jon Hassell – 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" *

– ''background cloud'' guitars on "Delta Rain Dream", Prophet 5 ''"Starlight" background'' on "Ba-Benzélé", ''high altitude'' Prophet on "Rising Thermal", ''rare''

MiniMoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

& treatments on "Charm" * Percy Jones – bass on "Chemistry" * Naná Vasconcelos – ghatam,

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s, 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/pro ...

– ghatam, congas * Michael Brook – 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 – mastering * ''Cream'' – cover *

William Coupon William Coupon (born December 3, 1952, in New York City) is an American photographer, known principally for his formal painterly backdrop portraits of tribal people, politicians and celebrities. William Coupon was born in New York City, but moved ...

– 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