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“He fills his head with culture… he gives himself an ulcer.” ~ At Home He’s a Tourist
Gang of Four are everywhere. You wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know what to look for, but their influence can be heard clearly in bands who have formed over the years since their groundbreaking debut ‘Entertainment!’, including Fugazi, Quicksand, Rage Against the Machine, Q and Not U, Sonic Youth, REM, U2, and um…The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Naming themselves after the Maoist 'Gang of Four' group of political/cultural revolutionaries, the band’s initial lineup consisted of Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar and backing vocals), Hugo Burnham (drums) and Dave Allen (bass). This was the line-up who produced the album in question. Sonically, Entertainment! is both instantly accessible and uncomfortable to listen to, although not taken to the extreme of their second LP, 'Solid Gold'. Meticulously planned bass and drum patterns will have the listener involuntarily caught up in the rhythm of each track, but will find themselves startled out of nod-along complacency by jarring guitar riffs, feedback and repetitive off-key melodica chords (Simian this ain’t). “The problem of leisure. What to do for pleasure. Ideal love a new purchase. A market of the senses.” ~ Natural’s Not In It Lyrically and thematically, Entertainment! is also in a league of its own. The front sleeve is adorned with the scene of a cowboy befriending an Indian in order to exploit him, while inside are television images captioned by phrases such as “however unsavoury, events are shown in a palatable way”. Because of their name and, to be fair, the themes of the majority of their early material, Gang of Four are considered a ‘political band’, but they didn’t see it like that. Instead, as Andy Gill said in an interview with Jason Gross (see links), Gang of Four were simply “singing about elements of everyday life in certain ways. It's quite observational.” Entertainment! is a collection of observations about the modern consumer life – observations that, if anything, ring just as true today as in 1979. Their approach to the commodification of sexuality is as refreshing and exciting as the angular but rhythmic - even quirky - tone of the music, while many of the lyrics are as uncompromising as the guitar work. "It's not made by great men... The past lives on in the books at home. No weak men in the books at home. History lives on in the books at home." ~ Not Great Men The album remains invigorating after many repeated listens, and continues to astound when the year that it was recorded is taken into consideration. It makes a lot of what passed for punk at the time – and today - sound unimaginative and lethargic, leaving the listener to question once again why Gang of Four are not as well known today as The Sex Pistols, Joy Division or REM - the latter regularly supporting them for a time. Perhaps it was because of their refusal to be commodified – or because their later work was absolute drivel. Luckily, interest in the Gang of Four appears to be picking up, and it is now possible to find Entertainment! in some of the larger high street music retailers. But in keeping with the spirit of the album, check in some of the smaller indie shops first, yeah? WEB LINKS Gang of Four: Not Great Men http://www.emdac.demon.co.uk/phil/gof/gof_indx.htm... Andy Gill Interview http://www.furious.com/perfect/gangoffour.html... BACK TO COLLECTIVE ESSENTIALS: A1046648
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