Gang Of Four Entertainment! CD

Propelled by a political mission and some wicked bass playing, the Gang of Four released ENTERTAINMENT in 1979. "Natural's Not In It" displays Hugo Burnham's edgy drumming style, not quiet in sync at any given moment but perfect for the mood of the songs. The short, abrupt bursts of guitar on "Damaged Goods" echo Jon King's harsh sentiments about the political nature of everything human-lust, in this case. "I Found That Essence Rare" boasts a catchy rhythm section that, along with its sawing guitars and manifesto-like lyrics, helped to influence a number of other bands, most notably the Mission of Burma.

Though King sings, "Two steps forward, six steps back" (in "At Home He's a Tourist"), the only reason Gang of Four could have for stepping back is that they are so far ahead of the curve. Closing the album is "Anthrax," a jolting roller coaster wherein love is equated with the dreaded disease as the music drips feedback from between its poison-soaked teeth. This record is--without question--one of the most important records from the punk era. And, while the album's title was almost certainly intended as sarcasm, this is also a really good listen.

Entertainment!, the album that made the word "angular" immortal, has gone in and out of print a number of times since 1979, but it has never had any trouble finding new ears. Copies of the original issue on vinyl, the Infinite Zero/American reissue on CD, and thousands of worn-out dubs on cassette have been passed around throughout the years. It's one of those gateway albums that cracks open a new perspective for people who hear it for the first time, often dropping new converts down the post-punk rabbit hole -- on to Joy Division, Wire, PiL, Magazine, the Slits, the Pop Group, Swell Maps, and maybe all the way down to bIG fLAME. Whether first heard in 1979, 1985 (after Big Black, the Minutemen, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), 1995 (after Fugazi, Jawbox, and Rage Against the Machine), or 2004 (after the Rapture, the Futureheads, and Franz Ferdinand), Entertainment! has always startled. When Michael Azerrad pulls a Natalie Portman, mentioning in his liner notes of this reissue that the album is life-changing, he might not be exaggerating. This, Rhino's 2005 spin on the album, is a minor improvement on Infinite Zero/American's 1995 edition. Like its predecessor, it includes the four-song Yellow EP (featuring the essential "Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time"). Raw alternate versions of "Guns Before Butter" and "Contract" are added, as well as a pair of live cuts: "Blood Free," an insignificant song that never made it past the stage, and a roll through the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane." If you have the 1995 reissue, you can hold off without missing much. Better yet, pick this up and give your old copy to someone you love, as long as he or she promises to not start a band that sounds anything remotely like Gang of Four. ~ Andy Kellman

Originally released as 2 separate EPs.

Includes liner notes by Flea.

Includes 8 bonus tracks.

Additional Tracks

Gang of Four: Jon King (vocals); Andy Gill (guitar); Dave Allen (bass guitar); Hugo Burnham (drums).

Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.

Liner Note Author: Michael Azerrad.

Recording information: American Indian Center (06/1978-03/1980); Electric Ballroom (06/1978-03/1980); Workhouse Old Kent Road (06/1978-03/1980).

Photographer: Ebet Roberts.

Arranger: Gang of Four.Rolling Stone (p.82) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "[They] smashed punk into pieces by embracing funk, dub and disco, making music as radical as their politics."
Spin (5/01, p.108) - Ranked #7 in Spin's "50 Most Essential Punk Records" - "...These angualr and abrasive post-punkers from Leeds, England, used the scalpel of Marxist theory to slice through the mystifications of labor, love, and rock'n'roll..."
Spin (p.107) - "Punk-funk agitprop begins here."
Spin (p.140) - "Barked funk marches that snap your dendrites to attention..."
Entertainment Weekly (2/5/95, pp.53-54) - "...strangely enduring....a band whose informed dogma transcended fashion statement and socialist chic..."
- Rating: A+
Q (5/02 SE, p.138) - 5 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums" - "...This debut showed that both modernism and futurism in rock could be a brash, thrilling thing..."
Alternative Press (p.111) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Fischerspooner have deftly combined nuanced, layered electronic soundscapes with urgent vocals in a way that doesn't sound manufactured or overly produced..."
Magnet (p.112) - "Andy Gill's spindly, sharp-edged guitar and Dave Allen's careening bass make 'At Home He's A Tourist' an infectious romp..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #15 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...[Their] deconstructed guitars and neo-Marxist textbook lyrics added a thrilling experimental funk dimension to the genre..."