Gang of Four Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Why let others reheat your back catalog when you can do it yourself? Maybe that's one of the questions Gang of Four asked themselves before recording Return the Gift, a self-tribute album involving re-recordings of their earliest and best work. While the reunion of the original members synched up with the popularity of several bands that were appropriating some of their ideas, one of the greater music-related motivators behind this release was...wait for it...correcting the drum sound. Drummer Hugo Burnham likened the drum sound on those releases to that of cardboard boxes, and some of the other members seemed to harp on it as well, in addition to regretting that the records never reflected their live sound, despite the nagging specters of greater imperfections in their past. To pick one imperfection out of thin air, the sound of 1991's Mall -- the entire thing, not just the drums or the awkward Bob Marley cover -- can be likened to a deflating whoopie cushion. More crucially, there has rarely been any dispute about the magnificence of the 1979-1982 releases, so it's not as if thousands, or hundreds, or even dozens of Gang of Four freaks spent the past 20 years pining for something like Return the Gift. But here it is anyway, and it's very loud, and it comes across like a mostly live album played in an empty meat locker. Like Wire (who re-recorded old material as well, but released it in a very limited form and then went on to make an album of new songs), the early-2000s version of Gang of Four is more caustic than ever. There are moments when the band seems as temperamental and charged as a downed power line. Burnham's drums do have greater presence, but that correction is evened out by some stiffness on everyone's part. While Gang of Four once thrived on a form of willful stiffness, they remained supremely limber, which is something that doesn't translate as much here -- it's not hard to imagine the band recording these versions in a cold room while wearing restrictive winter clothing. (Alright, being 25 years older might have something to do with the decreased agility.) One thing that remains unchanged, to no surprise whatsoever, is the enduring vitality of the material. The songs, concerning the politics of both self and societal interest, make as much sense today as they did when they were originally recorded and released. They also contain some of the most startling sounds you will ever hear. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The completely unforeseen, sensational live show was one thing, but surely the reconstituted Gang of Four couldn't deliver a new LP as shockingly good. Surely Mall was the sort of dull, disillusioning disappointment we could expect from the '90s version. Wrong again. Singer Jon King and guitarist Andy Gill not only make up for that tepid album, but exorcise the lifeless ghost they left off with over a decade ago, Hard, and reclaim their spot as one of the most original, subtly bracing, innovative, and unique bands around. No past tense about it, and no nostalgia either. Rather than ridiculously attempt to revisit their classic Entertainment!, the pair, augmented by bassists Dean Garcia and Phil Butcher and drummers Monti and Dave Axford, retain only the use of harsh dance beats as the building block for Gill's terse blasts of clipped, jagged, circular-saw guitar. King's vocals are sweeter, kinder, and more soothing than the side-of-the-mouth style he once favored, and the melodies are more conventionally prominent, but he still conveys as much intent as any vintage moment on Solid Gold, and he's often all but buried in the mix, struggling to get out (signaling their uncompromising artistic intent, as if Albini was behind the board instead of Gill). The single "Tattoo" is the obvious starting place, but it's more obtuse, patient, and unnerving stuff such as "I Parade Myself" (oh yes, the lyrics are as good as the title suggests; they do that well again too) and to a lesser extent "Showtime, Valentine" that forge their own new signature style. When bands come back from a decade of breakup, a passable LP is practically a victory. That Shrinkwrapped is a firecracker, and would be a firecracker no matter who made it, is cause for a goddamn party. That Andy Gill is a dangerous guitar player again is a particularly "stop the presses, prodigal returns" payoff. Pop a cork and put this one on for all your pals, and watch them come up and say, "Who is this?" They are officially back. ~ Jack Rabid, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Seven years after Gang of Four's breakup, founding members Jon King and Andy Gill reteamed for Mall, a minor return to form that improves on 1983's abysmal Hard but fails to recapture the ferocity of the band's most stunning work. Slickly produced, with a heavy emphasis on synthesizers and ersatz funk rhythms, the lyrical focus returns the group to the political arena: as suggested by the title, Mall is laced with the usual examinations of consumerism and the economy, while the sample-heavy "F.M.U.S.A." is an essay on the Vietnam War. An odd cover of Bob Marley's "Soul Rebel" rounds out the set. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Recorded in Hollywood, At the Palace documents a live performance recorded during Gang of Four's 1984 farewell tour, with only Jon King and Andy Gill remaining from the group's original lineup. Among the tracks: "At Home He's a Tourist," "History Is Not Made by Great Men," "Paralysed" and "We Live as We Dream, Alone." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Driving their guitar spangles and jangled lyrics into the new wave morass of the early '80s, Gang of Four hoped to spin magic one more time with their 1983 swan song. The last studio album the band recorded before it disintegrated in 1984, Hard came under fire from critics and fans alike, both camps skewering this foray into lighter, more dance-oriented territory, screaming bloody sellouts and death-of-our-heroes up and down the streets, without once stopping to see the album for what it really was. Yes, it's true that, by 1983, the band had abandoned the bite and saliva that drove its once politically fraught lyrics. Yes, it's also true that this album snaked out into smoother-edged waters than previous efforts; that Jon King and Andy Gill had grown up a little. But really, after the sexed-up disco of the preceding Songs of the Free's "I Love a Man in Uniform," which proved to be one of 1982's biggest club hits, where exactly did one go next? Hard, of course. Packed with relatively fluffy dance songs -- "Woman Town," "A Man With a Good Car," and the hyper ballad "Is It Love" -- Gang of Four were not so much selling out as catering to a new breed of fans who had little time to worry about the desiccation of society but would sure as hell shake their money-makers to songs whose lyrics danced about the periphery. Sellout? Sure. But that really depends on what side of the split you're looking. Hard lost the band most of its pure-bred fans, but still managed to let plenty more get their ya-yas out to something a little cooler than the pap-driven pop that littered the clubs like brittle bones. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
'Songs of the Free'
Release Date 1/1/1982
Tracks 11
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Only within the context of Entertainment! and Solid Gold does Songs of the Free seem truly weak; otherwise, it has its merits and lasting value but doesn't hold up in invention and influence like its predecessors. Clunky rhythms, lumpen tempos, and morbid existentialism dampen some the songs, making the record seem less assertive and defiant. Funk plays more of a definitive role here, defenestrating the frenetics that characterized the earlier records. With bassist Dave Allen out of the fold for Shriekback, the rhythmic chemistry isn't what it used to be. Replacement Sara Lee is excellently skilled, but she doesn't have the rapport with drummer Hugo Burnham that Allen had. There's a certain dour moodiness apparent in the production, most obvious in Andy Gill's guitar on "Call Me Up"; he's less incisive, used more as an atmospheric and rhythmic device than for the dagger shots he provided before. "I Love a Man in a Uniform" wound up being the band's most well-known song, which is something of a shame. Not weak in any manner, it's just unfortunate that more exciting singles like "At Home He's a Tourist" and "Damaged Goods" didn't catch fire. Nonetheless, "Uniform" found its spot down on the disco floor; ironically, odds are pretty good that most didn't realize the lyrical content of the song. With its chorus led by female singers, "Uniform" could be mistaken for something similar in subject to "It's Raining Men." Not the case, as the song is laden with just as much irony as Go4's early album titles. Soldiers sexy! Rifles erotic! Amputations -- well, the picture is clear. [Songs of the Free was reissued in 1995 on Warner subsidiary Infinite Zero/American, with a dub mix of "I Love a Man in Uniform."] ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gang of Four's existence had as much to do with Slave and Chic as it did the Sex Pistols and the Stooges, which is something Solid Gold demonstrates more than Entertainment! Any smartypants can point out the irony of a band on Warner Bros. railing against systematic tools of control disguised as entertainment media, but Gang of Four were more observational than condescending. True, Jon King and Andy Gill might have been hooting and hollering in a semiviolent and discordant fashion, but they were saying "think about it" more than "you lot are a bunch of mindless puppets." Abrasiveness was a means to grab the listener, and it worked. Reciting Solid Gold's lyrics on a local neighborhood corner might get a couple interested souls to pay attention. It isn't poetry, and it's no fun; most within earshot would just continue power-walking or tune out while buffing the SUV. Solid Gold has that unholy racket going on beneath the lyrics, an unlikely mutation of catchiness and atonality that made ears perk and (oddly) posteriors shake. With its slightly ironic title, Solid Gold is more rhythmically grounded than the fractured nature of Entertainment!, a politically charged, more Teutonic take on funk. It's a form of release for paranoid accountants. Financial concerns form the basis of the subject matter; the hilarious but realistic "Cheeseburger" is a highlight with its thinly veiled snipe at America: "No classes in the U.S.A./Improve yourself, the choice is yours/Work at your job and make good pay/Make friends, great/Buy them a beer!" This is a nickel less spectacular than the debut, but owning one and not the other would be criminal. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Entertainment! is one of those records where germs of influence can be traced through many genres and countless bands, both favorably and unfavorably. From groups whose awareness of genealogy spreads wide enough to openly acknowledge Gang of Four's influence (Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine), to those not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it (rap-metal, some indie rock) -- all have appropriated elements of their forefathers' trailblazing contribution. Its vaguely funky rhythmic twitch, its pungent, pointillistic guitar stoccados, and its spoken/shouted vocals have all been picked up by many. Lyrically, the album was apart from many of the day, and it still is. The band rants at revisionist history in "Not Great Men" ("No weak men in the books at home"), self-serving media and politicians in "I Found That Essence Rare" ("The last thing they'll ever do?/Act in your interest"), and sexual politics in "Damaged Goods" ("You said you're cheap but you're too much"). Though the brilliance of the record thrives on the faster material -- especially the febrile first side -- a true highlight amongst highlights is the closing "Anthrax," full of barely controlled feedback squalls and moans. It's nearly psychedelic, something post-punk and new wave were never known for. With a slight death rattle and plodding bass rumble, Jon King equates love with disease and admits to feeling "like a beetle on its back." In the background, Andy Gill speaks in monotone of why Gang of Four doesn't do love songs. Subversive records of any ilk don't get any stronger, influential, or exciting than this. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
