Glitterbeat

With his work on Talking Heads’ Remain in Light as well as the release of the second and third installations of his Ambient music series with the seminal My Life in the Bush of Ghosts on the horizon, 1980 was definitely one of the best years ever for Brian Eno. However, the Glitterbeat label reminds us of a little known gem also released that year with the reissue of Fourth World Music Vol. 1: Possible Musics in collaboration with world jazz great Jon Hassell. In fact, speaking of Eno’s landmark 1981 tag team classic with David Byrne, a well-tuned ear will clearly recognize just how much this fusion of the former Roxy Music keyboardist’s mastery of atmosphere and Hassell’s propensity to interpolate Brazilian and Senegalese rhythms into it is a total precursor to Bush of Ghosts. Clearly you can understand why Hassell remains sore about the subject. Nevertheless, the rediscovery of this lost treasure from the Eno-verse proves to be a compelling lost chapter in the careers of both men.