Gang of Four — Hard

• Artist: Gang of Four
• Title: Hard
• Year: 1983
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1983, not sure where…

Server migration, DNS propagation lag, Charter Communications… All of you, can kiss my ass. Now where were we?

Right! Gang of Four’s late period album, Hard. My collection is missing the previous album Songs of the Free and that gap makes this record sound like a rather abrupt change to a more pop sound. Even though Hard is full of classic pop sounds, things like soulful backing vocals and staccato strings, the music is just as strange and interesting as their earlier work. Of course, the lyrics are fantastic too. I played the crap out this record way back, and you can tell from the grime on the cover. My favorite song is “A Man With a Good Car.”

Who is that?
Just what is your business?
Fate is in your hands
And your decisions

A man with a good car needs no justification
Fate is in my hands and in the transmission

Gang of Four — What We All Want 12 inch

• Artist: Gang of Four
• Title: What We All Want 12 inch
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary, maybe, probably
• Acquired: Hmmm…

And now we return to our regularly scheduled “G” programming. Today, G is for Gang of Four, and like I previously mentioned “What We All Want” is my favorite song from their excellent album, “Solid Gold.” The packaging on this 12 inch is… minimalist. The only thing that makes it at all special is the flipside, “History’s Bunk!”, which at the time was previously unreleased. That latter song eventually came out on the EP “Another Day/Another Dollar” and a re-issue of “Solid Gold” on CD. Even though it’s the same original album version, “What We All Want” is the winner here.

Could I be happy with something else
I need something to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else
I need someone to fill my time

Gang of Four — Solid Gold

• Artist: Gang of Four
• Title: Solid Gold
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: Been too long…

“Solid Gold” is the second full album by Gang of Four. Of course, I love it, but not as much as “Entertainment.” It seems like all of the same ingredients are there, but it just doesn’t excite me as much. A couple of the songs were previously released on the “Yellow EP.” My favorite track is “What We All Want.”

You can see the whole “Solid Gold” track list and more at Wikipedia.

Gang of Four — Entertainment!

• Artist: Gang of Four
• Title: Entertainment!
• Year: 1979
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: ? Just glad to have it.
• Keeper: Yes

The problem of leisure
What to do for pleasure
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Dream of the perfect life…

Those are the first five lines of “Natural’s Not In It” from “Entertainment!”, Gang of Four’s debut album. I read a quote by Bono where he describes Andy Gill’s lyrics as “…a smart bomb of text that had me ‘at home feeling like a typist.'” The latter part of that sentence is, of course, a pun referring to the song “At Home He Feels Like a Tourist” which is also on this album. That song is an all-time favorite of mine, although I like almost every song on this record just as much. It’s just that good.

I never got to see them live in their prime, but I did go stand outside a small club in Virginia Beach to hear the muffled songs rumble through the concrete walls at one Gang of Four show. It was tragic, but I was an under-age teenager and couldn’t get inside. They’re just that good.

If you’re not familiar with the band, know that they are definitely one of the most important “rock” bands ever and have influenced more artists than you would believe.

A very interesting article about “Entertainment!”, including its packaging, at Wikipedia.

Gang of Four — Yellow EP

• Artist: Gang of Four
• Title: Yellow EP
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy / Mary – We both had copies.
• Acquired: Not sure when or where. Early 1980s…
• Keeper: Yes

“Yellow EP” is the first Gang of Four record I’m logging, but it was their second release. I should’ve pulled “Entertainment” instead, but since we’ve packed all but a couple dozen records until we get to Asheville, “Yellow” it is.

Gang of Four is one of my all-time favorite bands. I was only 13 or 14 when this came out. Hanging out with my friend John Hurlock is probably how I first got into the band. His older brother Mike had a killer record collection and was into just about everything worth being into. This music is so edgy, political, minimalistic, and just plain arty it’s a wonder they were as popular and influential as they were. Sometimes music is just too good to be ignored, no matter how weird it is.

Tracks included here are: “Outside The Trains Don’t Run on Time”, “He’d Send in The Army”, “It’s Her Factory”, and my favorite “Armalite Rifle.”

Read all about them at Wikipedia.