After over 20 years on hiatus, Leeds University's post-punk group Gang of Four is back with their first release as a complete band since 1983.
This year's reissue of the band's classic "Entertainment!" met with such surprising success that the Gang felt it necessary to compose a rigorous tour schedule throughout the U.S. and Europe and release a two-disc set of old tunes revisited and remixed by up-and-coming bands entitled "Return the Gift."
Gang of Four was formed in 1977 when Leeds University art students Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar), Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums) penned poignant and exhilarating political lyrics and combined them with a driving guitar and funky rhythm section.
This musical powerhouse pumped out three records - explosive "Entertainment!" (1979), the more subdued but equally creative "Solid Gold" (1981), and the flat-out lame "Hard" (1983) - before calling it quits. Gill and King released three more albums as a duo under Gang of Four's name, but without the tight rhythm section of Allen and Burnham their attempts were mediocre at best. Twenty years later, the band decided it was time to revisit their classic material.
The first disc is comprised of re-recordings of music from the Gang of Four repertoire. The band chose the most upbeat singles off "Solid Gold" and "Entertainment!" and lavished them with the latest in studio technology. Sadly, the attempt at modernizing the songs has an adverse effect, negating the ingenuity of their music.
The most grievous transgression against the band's admired originality is Gill's newfound affinity for distortion. Sure, on the old records there was a hint of distortion in Gill's guitar. It elevated the sheer rawness of the instrument, suggesting underlying anger or even malice. On this album, however, songs like "Anthrax" and "Natural's Not in It" are upsettingly cacophonous and resemble arena rock.
The drumming, too, has taken a turn for the worse. Burnham always complained that his drums sounded dirty on the original records so "Return of the Gift" was a good opportunity to clean them up. Yet now, they are over polished, and now sound like an electronic drum set straight out of A-Ha's "Take on Me."
Part of the appeal of the old albums is Gill's earthy and precise percussion. Now the originality is gone. Gang of Four sounds more '80s now than they did in the decade itself.
Still, the vocals and bass endure. Allen keeps the rhythm tight, laying down funky and punky chops that combined with Burnham's dance beats, are still entertaining. King's voice has not changed over the years; he can still shriek and yelp in "To Hell with Poverty" and eerily chant in "Why Theory?" to the same effect as in his former days.
The second disc (the remix album) is nothing special. There are laudable efforts from high-profile bands, but most are forgettable. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs trades lyrics with King in "I Love a Man in Uniform" to bring a nice conversational aspect to the song. No Doubt's Tony Kanal scraps Burnham's drums in his remix of "Ether," replacing them with a less electrified beat that does the song justice.
Besides these two songs and The Rakes's energetic version of "Natural's Not in It," the disc is worthless. Hot Hot Heat's remix of "Damaged Goods" is just plain awful.
Undeniably, Gang of Four is one of the most influential bands of the past two decades, having heavily (and obviously) influenced latter day sensations such as Bloc Party, The Rapture and Franz Ferdinand. It would have made much more sense to have these artists contribute remixes.
In the end, old age hasn't affected the band as much as over-production. The appeal and originality of Gang of Four's unique sound has been traded for dissonant guitar and fake-sounding drums. Instead of rerecording their old songs, it would have been more appropriate to release a live album from Gang of Four's ludicrously complete marathon tour.
Overall, this album is frivolous and forgettable. Hopefully listeners will hear songs on "Return the Gift," remember the older, better versions, and listen to the original LPs instead.
