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. "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
Landsat photo of the area south of
Khartoum 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, which is also the name of a Sudanese
state. Eno took what he learned from making this album and put it to use in his collaboration with
David Byrne,
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Hassell apparently considered that album too "commercial", and castigated Eno in
Andy Warhol's
Interview magazine for his methods and "lack of musical pedigree". Eventually, they were reconciled. == Critical reception ==