Gang of Four were from Leeds.Their dissonant funk edged sound has been widely influential.
Jon King-vocals, melodica
Andy Gill-guitar, vocals
Dave Allen-bass vocals
Hugo Burnham-drums vocals
Jon King-vocals, melodica
Andy Gill-guitar, vocals
Dave Allen-bass vocals
Hugo Burnham-drums vocals
One of the best ... no, THE best politico band to come out of the UK, but condemned to produce ever less interesting music after their second album, Solid Gold. However, the good news is that the band reformed with the original line-up in 2005 to produce "Return the Gift" - an excellent re-recording of their classic songs. The re-recording was triggered by the fact that the Go4 came out of their EMI deal in massive debt, their classic albums not having earned enough to pay off EMI's advances. The re-recording meant that unlike revenue from Entertainment, the proceeds would go straight to the band. For that reason, I will not post the "Return The Gift" CD itself - go get it, help the band and enjoy - it's really worth it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can't leave you with nothing and, thanks to a generous uploader whose name and link I've unfortunately forgotten, we can enjoy a live-in-the-studio Gang of Four session from their American tour to promote the Return the Gift CD. The reformation wouldn't last, but at least some live sessions like this one and the CD remain. Enjoy, Dave Sez.
Gang Of Four 2005
KCRW Radio FM Broadcast
Los Angeles, California.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HUQ014TR
109.44 MB ZIP (mp3 320 kbps LAME)
LIVE IN-STUDIO: GANG OF FOUR (PRE-TAPED 4/29/05 @ REHEARSALS IN LA, CA) Aired 10-19-2005.
01.=Intro=
02.At Home He's a Tourist
03.Damaged Goods
04.I Found That Essence Rare
05.Not Great Men
06.I Parade Myself
07.=Interview=
08.Paralyzed
09.Return The Gift
10.To Hell With Poverty
11.We Live As We Dream, Alone
12.What We All Want
Jon King (vocals)
Andy Gill (guitar)
Dave Allen (bass)
Hugo Burnham (drums)
An essential item for every Go4 fan is the Return the Gift re-recording of Entertainment mentioned above. But very few fans were able to obtain the rarest of the reformed Go4's recordings - the 24th September 2005 gig at the Barbican. The NME announced the gig thus:
ReplyDelete"THE LEMONHEADS and GANG OF FOUR are to join the likes of THE STOOGES and BELLE AND SEBASTIAN by taking part in a unique season of gigs this autumn. Presented in association with NME’s sister magazine Uncut, ‘Don’t Look Back’ will see a selection of veteran artists revisit a classic work, played on the night in its entirety... Gang Of Four run through ’Entertainment’ at the Barbican on September 24". They did indeed play every track of the album except Contract and the gig was released as a strictly limited and now out-of-print official CD.
Wait no longer, Altronic has been kind enough to provide it here:
http://allaccessarea-musiqueslive.blogspot.com/2010/03/gang-of-four-2005-live-at-barbican-24.html.
The poster for the gig is here:
http://www.songkick.com/venues/68152-barbican-centre/posters/133451
Cheers et un grand merci de tout coeur to Altronic, Dave Sez.
Oh and whilst we're at it:
ReplyDeleteGang Of Four - Indian Summer
Victoria Park, Glasgow 3rd September 2006
(BBC Radio Broadcast)
1.Not Great Men.
2.Damaged Goods.
3.Ether.
4.(At Home He's A) Tourist.
5.Natural's Not In It.
6.Paralysed.
Total Playing Time 22:40
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZSFGH3NN
File Size 51.8 MB (mp3@320)
Thanks to original poster, cheers Dave Sez.
Hmmmm .. does anyone like Gang of Four or am I wasting my time?
ReplyDeleteA visit from the tooth fairy is worth noticing, no? Walker too, no?
Anyway, in the absence of any reaction, well, I bloody well like'em so here's the latest treasure (but is this pearls before swine?):
A live soundboard A+@320 40 min 1979 gig in the UK with two never again recorded compositions (or covers?), (Waiting For My) Elevator" and "“This is I’m Not Stewing Steak”/Hold up my Weekend"; Hold up my Weekend would figure on a list of 1978 demos, probably for Fast Records:
http://www.guitars101.com/forums/f90/gang-of-four-in-concert-1979-a-98591.html
Say thanks to the man and cheers, Dave Sez.
Dave- that's what its like) After a year of doing this I'm quite used to spending time ripping and uploading music (which can be quite time consuming)and seeing it clock up more than a two or even three hundred downloads without receiving one word of thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that your links are appreciated even if people are for whatever reason, relutant to express that appreciation.
Sigh .. well, I guess I'll have to dance then on my own.
ReplyDeleteHere's more rare Gang of Four, the only known footage - half-an-hour of it - of the first line-up of Go4, filmed on New Year's Eve 1980 at Hurrah's NYC (Go4 mates the Mekons opened and joined Go4 for the encore).
1 avi file, 155 MB, 30.19 mins
Poor video quality, sound fine, perfoprmance frenetic.
Set-list:
01.Damaged Goods
02.In the Ditch
03.It's Her Factory
04.Armalite Rifle
05.Wait For My Elevator
06.He'd Send In The Army
07. Not Great Men
08. Anthrax
09. Damaged Goods encore.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9VDBC91H
Cheers, Dave Sez.
And another gem from altronic:
ReplyDeleteGang of Four@andy kershaw sessions, bbc radio 3 2005-02-00
Here it is, et chapeau! :
http://allaccessarea-musiqueslive.blogspot.com/2010/05/gang-of-fourandy-kershaw-sessions-bbc.html
Cheers, Dave Sez.
And, apart from the two never-again recorded tracks Elevator and Hold up my Weekend, the text of It's Her Factory at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guitars101.com/forums/f90/gang-of-four-in-concert-1979-a-98591.html
is radically different from the later studio or live versions:
"(Audience shout: Wankers)
Somebody
Well, one or two people
Seem to have only two fingers
I expect they lost the other three wanking
Keep calling us wankers
They might know a lot about it
What have we done?
Is it not hip to like us?
Ah, that's very modern
Let's spit at the group
Show how modern we are, yeah ..
Ooo, look, I got him in the face
What a shot .. what a shit.
There are always clever people
One such clever person we met
In a big Chinese restaurant
Nearly as clever as him
This bloke was a comedian
Nearly as funny as him
He told nasty jokes about
Ladies with no clothes on
About black people
About homosexual people
He thought he was funny
They think they're funny
That's all."
"Their dissonant funk edged sound has been widely influential."
ReplyDeleteYup. Delta 5, Au Pairs, Bush Tetras...
Thanks for this.....I came across your 'thought provoking' blog yesterday....I d/loaded from your Crass postings....oops...don't think I left a thank you....
ReplyDeleteGO4 were/are pretty special....I saw them play live in Edinburgh....on the same bill with Delta 5 and Pere Ubu.....one thought one would see such gigs every day for ever....alas....the record industry don't dwell on 'limited sales' potential...
Delta 5 were pretty 'perky' and in one's face....David Thomas came on stage clanging away with a claw hammer on an anvil....GO4 were 'awesome', John Gill and Andy Gill sent shivers down one's spine....John with his spitting venom and Andy with his steely eyes and staggering guitar style....
I let all my angry singles and albums slip away, leaving luggage as I moved forward through this mortal coil.....Today I have a set of GO4 as a ha ha 'Hits' collection....I've d/loaded this cos nostalgia can reconnect one to distant energies.....
I've b/marked your site and may pop in again?
Keep on keeping on....
hello mate-I started this little GangOfFour download-athon with the comments on KnowYourConjourer and finished it here (unless there's even more to come!)and I just want to say thanks SO MUCH for your effort and enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteYou've made my day,which happens to be my (& John Lennon's)birthday..well,yesterday now! I'm gonna be up all night listening to this stuff- thanks again yr a diamond :)
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all this