Gang of Four
Entertainment!
Matador
May 10, 2021 Web Exclusive
Following founding guitarist and only constant member Andy Gill’s untimely passing in February 2020 just before the pandemic hit, Matador acquired the rights to reissue Gang of Four’s early catalog from Warner Bros. (which originally released them). The first of these is the legendary debut LP Entertainment!—rightfully lauded and feted by a variety of musicians ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers (whom Gill produced early on) and R.E.M. (who covered third LP stunner “We Live as We Dream Alone” on the Green tour) to ’90s punks like The Jesus Lizard and Bikini Kill (who took their name from a line in this album’s incredible “I Found that Essence Rare” that referenced nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean’s Bikini atoll) up to ’00s post-punk revivalists like Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, etc. As such, it’s been reissued several times over the years, most notably in 1995 on Henry Rollins’ 2.13.61 label (in a split release with Rick Rubin’s Infinite Zero sub-label) and again in 2005 in an expanded form by Warner-owned Rhino.
This reissue subtracts the bonus tracks and so we just get the original LP, still stunning more than 40 years after its initial release in 1979. Many of the philosophical, personal, and political questions that singer Jon King’s lyrics (and Gill’s rebuttal in the way ahead of its time album closer “Anthrax”) ask remain relevant today. Everything they released up through their aforementioned third album, Songs of the Free, is essential listening, but they clearly peaked here and on 1981’s Solid Gold (also part of this reissue series) with original bassist Dave Allen (later of Shriekback) and monster drummer Hugo Burnham. After they left—Allen after Solid Gold and Burnham after Songs of the Free—they weren’t quite the same. The original lineup reunited in 2004 for an album of actually halfway decent re-recordings (always an iffy idea, especially with such beloved material) and a triumphant tour, but if you want to hear what made their legend, stick to the original versions. (www.gangoffour.uk)
Author rating: 9.5/10
Average reader rating: 8/10
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