The 4th Movement

Description

The self-titled debut album by the American rock band The 4th Movement was released on Tryangle Records in 1980. The album was produced by band member Bobby Hackney. Arranged by the band. All songs co-written by David and Bobby Hackney except tracks A1 and A2 written by Bobby only.

As Darth Vader might say: “The fuzz is strong on this one”. Monster home-made LP from three black brothers with eyes set back ten years toward heavy bluesy fuzzed-out Hendrix sounds. With Bobby Hackney on bass and lead vocals, Dennis Hackney on drums, and David Hackney tearin’ away on lead guitar, this is heavy classic rock that kicks big time, but not at the expense of melody and texture as the soulful tracks that fill out side two attest. Lots of distortion and whammy bar on the leads and frequently layered with a hazy rhythm guitar wall of sound. «Revelation’s Eve», «Always At Your Door», «He Even Reigns Today», «The Christ In You», «Key To Paradise» and «Jesus (Please Come)» are some of the titles. Phasing is used on «Life Without End» – a hushed dreamy psych gem that effortlessly carries you into the ethereals. Play at maximum volume. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]

CD-reissue, Drag City

If you’ve been reading the Cross Rhythms article then you’ll know that The 4th Movement was born from the Detroit punk band with the listener-friendly name, Death. Following a release from that incarnation, their name change brought a new location (New England) and a self-titled release which this time presented a strong evangelical Christian lyrical message. It was revolutionary stuff, way too Christian to be accepted by the mainstream rock crowd of New England, and way too rock to find any credence with US churchgoers. The opener «Revelations Eve» demonstrates the outstanding vocals here alongside a driving electric guitar and drum backing. Not all the tracks fit neatly into punk rock, however. «The Christ You» has almost a Sweet Comfort Band feel to it, while the gentle «Life Without End» starts with a flute! The collection, however, does show its age (nearly 40 years) both in style and production, but what it might lack in presentation (and budget), it delivers in insight of an interesting time in both mainstream rock and CCM history. Original copies of the independent vinyl release now sell for an arm and a leg, so Drag City are to be congratulated for re-issuing this intriguing collector’s item in CD, vinyl (and even cassette!) release. [Stephen Luff, Cross Rhythms, September 2018]

> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-4th-movement/1378741947)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Revelation’s Eve” – 2:25
A2. “Always At Your Door” – 3:47
A3. “The Christ In You” – 3:51
A4. “Seeking The Life That’s To Be” – 3:12
A5. “The Build Up” – 2:41
A6. “You’ll Never Go Wrong” – 3:25

Side Two
B1. “He Even Reigns Today” – 4:00
B2. “Don’t You Think Life Is Worth It” – 3:02
B3. “Life Without End” – 6:44
B4. “Key To Paradise” – 2:11
B5. “Love And Music” – 3:12
B6. “Jesus (Please Come)” – 2:58

Note: Re-issued on CD, vinyl and cassette formats by Drag City in 2018.

---

---

---

---

[youtube_sc url=”” playlist=”0y_F3XRtF1Y,t2fOJXmvw3s,mjf6sN_Qgh0,TCe951lxQPA,bcb25Sg4GKk,CnAuVcJ8Qik,jtgG8611rMg,doumHs9dRRM,kzDxtFZAvas,AVR5LJWiaaw,oqw6XL6NjuE” title=”The 4th Movement, Self-titled album – Revelation’s Eve + Always At Your Door + The Christ In You + Seeking The Life That’s To Be + The Build Up + You’ll Never Go Wrong + He Even Reigns Today + Don’t You Think Life Is Worth It + Life Without End + Key To Paradise + Love And Music + Jesus (Please Come)” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]