''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 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 Be ...

. "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

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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 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 colo ...

, which is also the name of a Sudanese

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. Eno took what he learned from making this album and put it to use in his collaboration with

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, '' My Life in the Bush of Ghosts''. Hassell apparently considered that album too "commercial", and castigated Eno in

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's ''

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'' 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 Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice and wikt:sartorial, sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining Soul music, so ...

from ''

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''. ''

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

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'' 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 edito ...

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

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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 – 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 wor ...

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

– 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