http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4640&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rssLike everyone from the Velvet Underground to Nick Drake, Gang of Four are one of those musical acts whose initial record sales didn't come close to equaling either their initial excellence or their continued influence. Founding members of the post-punk movement, Gang of Four formed in Leeds, England and came up with an inflammatory fusion of focused punk rock energy, stiff funk rhythms, blistering guitar feedback and intellectual lyrics that brimmed over with complex political and social theory (for example, one key track, "Damaged Goods" shows how the vocabulary of commerce has even transformed how we think about romantic entanglements). <I>Entertainment</I>, their brilliant 1979 debut hasn't lost any of its power over the decades, and while it remains Gang of Four's masterwork, they continued to create vital music. Their 1981 follow-up <I>Solid Gold</I>, is only slightly less powerful and contained the "birth of FM alt radio" staples "What We All Want" and "Cheeseburger." The album was quickly followed by <I>Songs of the Free</I>, a brave – and successful -- change in direction. More complex song structures and less of a punk-funk influence informed the album's sound while the lyrics (except for the bitingly sarcastic new wave disco staple "I Love A Man In A Uniform") were more sorrowful on the subject of modern man's isolation than they were scathing. When bassist Dave Allen left the band, the gang of three softened up for <I>Hard</I>, an agit-pop reconfiguring of Roxy Music and Chic's swank musical universe. While the 1983 album is hardly essential listening, it does feature the excellent single "Is It Love," and the under appreciated track "Woman Town." The album was harshly criticized as a post-punk sellout (you'd think no one had ever heard New Order's single "Thieves Like Us," for Pete's sake) and Gang of Four folded soon after its release. Key members Jon King and Andy Gill reformed the band for 1991's <I>Mall</I>, which retained the same high quality musical and lyrical ideas as before but was missing the all-important element of pop craftsmanship that the band previously employed (there's a reason <I>Entertainment</I>, and not PIL's <I>Metal Box</I>, is the sound of today's crossover indie rock). By the late 1990s, kids not even born when <I>Entertainment</I> was released began getting signed to major labels with music that sounded an awful lot like the Gang of Four. This prompted the original band members to reform and headline a heralded, sold-out 2005 tour across Europe and the U.S. Gang of Four is currently working on a new album. - Nick DedinaPost-Punken720Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:07:39 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4640&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Like everyone from the Velvet Underground to Nick Drake, Gang of Four are one of those musical acts whose initial record sales didn't come close to equaling either their initial excellence or their continued influence. Founding members of the post-punk movement, Gang of Four formed in Leeds, England and came up with an inflammatory fusion of focused punk rock energy, stiff funk rhythms, blistering guitar feedback and intellectual lyrics that brimmed over with complex political and social theory (for example, one key track, "Damaged Goods" shows how the vocabulary of commerce has even transformed how we think about romantic entanglements). <I>Entertainment</I>, their brilliant 1979 debut hasn't lost any of its power over the decades, and while it remains Gang of Four's masterwork, they continued to create vital music. Their 1981 follow-up <I>Solid Gold</I>, is only slightly less powerful and contained the "birth of FM alt radio" staples "What We All Want" and "Cheeseburger." The album was quickly followed by <I>Songs of the Free</I>, a brave – and successful -- change in direction. More complex song structures and less of a punk-funk influence informed the album's sound while the lyrics (except for the bitingly sarcastic new wave disco staple "I Love A Man In A Uniform") were more sorrowful on the subject of modern man's isolation than they were scathing. When bassist Dave Allen left the band, the gang of three softened up for <I>Hard</I>, an agit-pop reconfiguring of Roxy Music and Chic's swank musical universe. While the 1983 album is hardly essential listening, it does feature the excellent single "Is It Love," and the under appreciated track "Woman Town." The album was harshly criticized as a post-punk sellout (you'd think no one had ever heard New Order's single "Thieves Like Us," for Pete's sake) and Gang of Four folded soon after its release. Key members Jon King and Andy Gill reformed the band for 1991's <I>Mall</I>, which retained the same high quality musical and lyrical ideas as before but was missing the all-important element of pop craftsmanship that the band previously employed (there's a reason <I>Entertainment</I>, and not PIL's <I>Metal Box</I>, is the sound of today's crossover indie rock). By the late 1990s, kids not even born when <I>Entertainment</I> was released began getting signed to major labels with music that sounded an awful lot like the Gang of Four. This prompted the original band members to reform and headline a heralded, sold-out 2005 tour across Europe and the U.S. Gang of Four is currently working on a new album. - Nick Dedina http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.31051626&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:08:26 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 31051626 ply.31051626 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.31051626&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.30081784&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:17:35 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 30081784 ply.30081784 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.30081784&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29920513&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:21:25 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 29920513 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http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15785824&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14894619&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:55:45 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 14894619 ply.14894619 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14894619&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14453418&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:41:45 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 14453418 ply.14453418 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14453418&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14083913&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:13:33 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 14083913 ply.14083913 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14083913&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13451653&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 9 Oct 2007 09:21:15 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 13451653 ply.13451653 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13451653&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13451717&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 4 Nov 2008 15:27:15 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 13451717 ply.13451717 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13451717&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13288283&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 31 May 2008 10:03:30 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 13288283 ply.13288283 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13288283&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12785241&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:20:06 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 12785241 ply.12785241 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12785241&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12374504&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:41:39 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 12374504 ply.12374504 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12374504&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12306542&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Rap/Hip-Hop Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:55:46 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 12306542 ply.12306542 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12306542&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12137785&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:13:43 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 12137785 ply.12137785 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12137785&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12116692&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:48:38 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 12116692 ply.12116692 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12116692&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10952255&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 3 Mar 2009 12:38:41 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 10952255 ply.10952255 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10952255&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10866280&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:12:17 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 10866280 ply.10866280 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10866280&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10364242&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Mon, 7 Sep 2009 09:52:47 -0700 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 10364242 ply.10364242 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10364242&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10344420&variant=play&rws=%2Fgang-of-four%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Wed, 5 Nov 2008 11:34:54 -0800 Playlists Featuring Gang of Four on Rhapsody Online 10344420 ply.10344420 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