Fear of Fours explained

Fear of Fours
Type:	studio
Artist:	Lamb
Cover:	Cover-fearoffours.jpg
Studio:	The Toyshop (Manchester) Townhouse (London)
Genre:	Trip hop
Length:	55:22
Label:	Fontana Mercury
Producer:	Lamb
Prev Title:	Lamb
Prev Year:	1996
Next Title:	What Sound
Next Year:	2001

Fear of Fours is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Lamb. It was released on 17 May 1999 by Fontana Records and Mercury Records.^[1]

Background

The title Fear of Fours alludes to the album's avoidance of the four-on-the-floor rhythm commonly used in dance music. Lamb's Andy Barlow later explained, "By the time we came to record Fear of Fours it felt like everything in had been done... I've always liked interesting time signatures. When you're in, or even, you get a loop that you've heard a hundred times before and it can immediately have a different feel to it."^[2]

Critical reception

John Bush of AllMusic said that while Lamb's 1996 eponymous debut album "was practically a revolution in the development of a satisfactory fusion of singer/songwriter vocals and drum'n'bass", Fear of Fours "sets the bar much higher", praising Barlow in particular as "one of the most capable and inventive producers in the electronic community."

Track listing

Sample credits

• "Bonfire" contains samples of C. P. E. Bach: Cello Concertos.
• "Ear Parcel" contains samples of "How High the Moon", performed by Charlie Parker.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[3]

Lamb

• Andy Barlow – performance, brass arrangements (track 5)
• Lou Rhodes – performance

Additional musicians

• Nell Catchpole – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14), viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• David Clack – horn (track 5)
• Graham Clarke – violin (track 11)
• Kevin Davy – trumpet
• Tanera Dawkins – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14), string arrangements (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Alison Dods – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Alan Gibson – double bass (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Jimi Goodwin – guitar (track 3)
• Helen Kamminga – viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Alice Kinloch – trombone (track 5), sousaphone (track 5)
• Kathryn Locke – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14), string arrangements (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Ben Park – baritone saxophone (track 5), brass arrangements (track 5)
• John Rayson – viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Cathy Rimer – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Crispin "Spry" Robinson – percussion (track 10)
• Niroshini Thambar – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Jon Thorne – double bass
• Matthew Ward – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Mikey Wilson – drums
• Anne Wood – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)

Production

• Jim Abbiss – mixing (track 11)
• Andy Barlow – mixing (tracks 6, 13)
• Ian Carmichael – engineering, mixing (tracks 6, 10, 13)
• Alan Douglas – recording (tracks 5, 7, 14)
• Jared Hawkins – mixing (assistance)
• Lamb – production
• Al Stone – mixing

Design

• Rich Mulhearn – photography
• Jeremy Murch – photography
• Rick Myers – art direction, design

Notes and References

1. Lamb Jumps over Genre Barriers with Island Def Jam's 'Fear' . Paoletta . Michael . . 111 . 26 . 26 June 1999 . 10 June 2021 . 32, 34.
2. Lamb: Fear of Fours . Spencer . Roy . . 299 . December 2015 . 27 July 2024 . 18–20.
3. Fear of Fours . . . 1999 . baacd2 / 558 821-2 . liner notes.
4. Dance Albums . . 29 May 1999 . 20 July 2021 . 18.