7.6.09

Gang of Four - Entertainment (1979)


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


12 comments:

  1. 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.

    However, 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)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 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:

    "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.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh and whilst we're at it:

    Gang 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.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hmmmm .. does anyone like Gang of Four or am I wasting my time?

    A 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.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 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.
    I'm sure that your links are appreciated even if people are for whatever reason, relutant to express that appreciation.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sigh .. well, I guess I'll have to dance then on my own.

    Here'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.

    ReplyDelete
  7. And another gem from altronic:

    Gang 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.

    ReplyDelete
  8. And, apart from the two never-again recorded tracks Elevator and Hold up my Weekend, the text of It's Her Factory at

    http://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."

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  9. "Their dissonant funk edged sound has been widely influential."

    Yup. Delta 5, Au Pairs, Bush Tetras...

    ReplyDelete
  10. 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....
    GO4 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....

    ReplyDelete
  11. 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.
    You'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 :)

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  12. Brilliant!
    Thanks for all this

    ReplyDelete

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