Gang Of Four
http://www.gangoffour.co.uk

styles: post-punk, dance punk
others: The Rapture, The Clash, Radio 4, Television, Franz Ferdinand

Return The Gift
V2, 2005
rating: 3/5
reviewer: filmore mescalito holmes


If you'd like a quick example of what to expect by Return The Gift, download Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" and "Weird" Al Yankovic's awkwardly titled (by lawyers, sez Al on the commentary for UHF) "Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies." Mark Knopfler (the creative force behind it all) only gave Al the right to parody his song on the condition that he got to play lead guitar for it. As he'd been playing that song on the road for four years by that point, the version he played had more of a looser, improvisational feel. While I'm sure most people would prefer to listen to the original than the satire, Al's version is not without its charm (I always wondered why that track sounded so good as a kid).

Return The Gift sees the original Gang Of Four line-up reunited to rerecord fourteen tracks from their first two deeply influential post-punk records, Entertainment! and Solid Gold. Having played these songs for years, they have picked up experience eccentricities as their songs evolved. Recording technology has also advanced dramatically in the past couple decades, and these tracks, which are just as lyrically relevant now as ever, have never sounded this rich and vibrant. As a way to add certainty to Gang Of Four's deserved legacy, this updated album will probably help spread the word to a new generation of fans, but I'm sure purists would prefer to snag the recently remastered originals as opposed to this Gift, even though those older fans would be able to appreciate this album most. Regardless, I'm sure this album will find its way into the collections of many fans of Radio 4 and The Rapture.

1. To Hell With Poverty
2. Damaged Goods
3. Natural's Not In It
4. Not Great Men
5. Why Theory?
6. Anthrax
7. Paralysed
8. What We All Want
9. Ether
10. He'd Send In The Army
11. Capital
12. I Love A Man In Uniform
13. At Home He's A Tourist
14. We Live As We Dream, Alone