Jon Hassell / Brian Eno - Fourth World Vol. 1 Possible Musics (1980)

Artist: Jon Hassell / Brian Eno
Title Of Album: Fourth World Vol. 1 Possible Musics
Year Of Release: 1980
Label: EG Records
Genre: Ambient, Electronic, Jazz
Format: FLAC (Tracks)+CUE, LOG
Quality: Lossless
Total Time: 00:45:17
Total Size: 196 mb

Review by Stewart Mason

Largely thought of merely as a mostly stillborn offshoot of Brian Eno's larger ambient music series, the Fourth World series of albums, in collaboration with trumpeter Jon Hassell, is actually an entirely separate beast. Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics starts off from the same basic idea as Hassell's previous solo albums, like Earthquake Island and Vernal Equinox: a blend of avant-garde composition, jazz soloing, and African and Middle Eastern rhythmic forms. This album adds only Eno's characteristic production touches, like the reversed echo that adds a ghostly, unreal edge to Hassell's trumpet solos on the side-long "Charm (Over Burundi Cloud)." The rest of the album, including the African hand drummers on the hypnotic "Delta Rain Dream" and the swirling, almost speech-like solos of "Griot," is pure Hassell. Although this album was never a chart hit and has become surprisingly underappreciated over the years, its influence on what has since become known as tribal techno is incalculable, as has its influence on those art rockers who have picked up a world music vibe. Peter Gabriel in particular owes a fair chunk of his royalty checks from Security onward to Jon Hassell.



Tracks:

01.Chemistry (6:54)
02.Delta Rain Dream (3:29)
03.Griot (Over Contagious Magic) (4:02)
04.Ba-benzele (6:17)
05.Rising Thermal 14 Deg 16 Min N 32 Deg 28 Min E (3:09)
06.Charm (Over Burundi Cloud) (21:30)

Personnel:

Aiyb Dieng Conga, Ghantam, Ghatam
Brian Eno Guitar, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Performer, Producer, Prophet Synthesizer, Synthesizer, Treatments, Vocals
Paul Fitzgerald Electronic Sounds, Electronics
Jerome Harris Bass
Jon Hassell Arp, Loops, Performer, Producer, Prophet 5, Prophet Synthesizer, Trumpet
Michael Jay Engineer
Percy Jones Bass
Tina Pearson Handclapping
Gordon Phillips Handclapping
Pete Sobol Assistant Engineer
Andrew Timar Handclapping
Naná Vasconcelos Conga, Drum Loop, Ghantam, Ghatam, Loops

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