Fourth from the Last

Fourth From the Last
Studio album by The W's
Released	July 28, 1998
Genre	Christian ska, swing
Label	5 Minute Walk/Sarabellum
Producer	Frank Tate
The W's chronology
Split EP Limited Edition (1998) Fourth From the Last (1998) Trouble With X (1999)

Fourth From the Last is the first album by the band The W's, released in 1998 by 5 Minute Walk. The name of the album is derived from the fact that the letter W is the fourth from the last letter in the Latin alphabet.^[1]

The album was well received, achieving #4 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and "Top Contemporary Christian" charts, and #147 on "The Billboard 200".^[2] Although the album was pulled from the shelves of LifeWay Christian Resources stores for containing "indecent" words^[3] the album eventually sold over 200,000 units.^[4] The album received two Dove Awards in 1999, first for "Modern Rock Album of the Year," and "Modern Rock Record Song of the Year" for the song "The Devil Is Bad".^[5]

The hidden track is a tribute to the band Five Iron Frenzy, performed in the style of Wesley Willis.^[6]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Phantom Tollbooth	link
Cross Rhythms	link[7]
christianmusic.org	link
HM Magazine	link[8]
CCM Magazine	[9]
YouthWorker	[10]

Track listing

1. "Open Minded"
2. "The Devil Is Bad" ( Sample )
3. "Frank"
4. "J.P."
5. "Moses"
6. "Pup"
7. "King of Polyester"
8. "Jason E"
9. "Alarm Clock"
10. "Flower Tattoo"
11. "Dexter"
12. "Hui"
    • Hidden Track (about Five Iron Frenzy)

Music credits

• Andrew Schar — Lead Vocals, Guitar
• Brian Morris — Drums, Cover Art Talent
• Valentine Hellman — Tenor Sax, Clarinet
• Bret Barker — Trumpet
• Todd Gruener — Bass, vocals
• James Carter — Alto Sax, background vocals
• All songs were written by The W's except:
  • "Frank" and "Dexter" written by Todd Gruener
  • "Flower Tattoo" written by Hunter Oswald

Production credits

• Produced by Masaki Liu
• Executive Produced by Frank Tate
• Mastered by Ken Lee at Kenneth Lee Mastering, Oakland, CA
• Album design and Layout by Aaron James
• Photography by David Dobson

References

1. Hendrickson, Lucas W. (January 1999). "W's Good, Devil Bad" (reprint). CCM Magazine. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
2. "The W's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
3. "W's Album Banned". Cross Rhythms. October 1, 1998. Retrieved July 11, 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)
4. "The W's Biography". Christianity Today (courtesy of Five Minute Walk Records). Archived from the original on 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
5. "Dove Award Recipients for 1999". Gospel Music Association. Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
6. "The W's: Todd Gruener Interview". Jesus Freak Hideout. 1999-04-20. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
7. Rimmer, Mike (October 1998). "The W's Fourth From the Last". Cross Rhythms (47).
8. McGovern, Brian Vincent (November–December 1998). "Album Reviews: THE W's Fourth From the Last". HM Magazine (74).
9. Urbanski, David (September 1998). "Reviews". CCM Magazine 21 (3): 54.
10. Will, Scott (November–December 1998). "Tools / Music / Fourth From the Last". YouthWorker Journal XV (2): 70.

External links

• Fourth From the Last Lyrics from christianmusic.com