Gang Of Four.

What they do have in common is they mixed new wave and disco. Although Ian Dury's music hall/pubrock was of course a different kind of new wave from GoF's postpunk.

I think I have not heard their music for years, but I have a feeling it is rubbish, also.

Radio 4 looked like the fucking Mighty Mighty Bosstones after weight loss and a class in Disco-Wave-Punk 101. (Sorry to the Radio 4 lovers.) They're not terrible live, but I'd punch their mugs if I had to deal with them in a bar or, oh say, a dressing room.

Not quite praise there, is it?

i missed radio 4, thank god

Gang of Four I thought were pretty fantasic...a few flubs, but what energy and just the sense of "wow this is what the REAL THING looks/sounds like"

radio 4 can eat a bag of bongo dicks.

1/ Took everyone's advise and walked in just to see the last song by Radio 4. Not terrible live may be true, but seemed way too calculated and faux-earnest. Plus, it didn't help to have Ben Stiller fronting the band
2/ Reminded about how many great drum riffs Hugeo had (has)
3/ Shocked at the intensity of the Gang of Four. I've seen them now 6 times, and this may have been the best. Part of that is the minusing of Sara Lee and the addition of Dave Allen, but part was the abandonement of playing near the end of a tour that may be their last, FOREVER. They seemed older, and that sure hampered Jon's gyrating rhythm into the show, but he sure made up with it with sheer relentlessness.
4/ Little hints that there's still difficulty between them, esp. Andy and Jon.
5/ A bit surprised that Dave played with a pick. When I saw him with Shriekback, he was tremendous, and played without a pick. This time around, the bass sound was way too tinny and had little bottom.
6/ I expected there to be more youngsters there.
7/ I became more solid with the idea of reunions. After last night, and seeing Wire a couple of years ago, I imagined how great it'd be if the young wannabeez could sit at desks, watching these two aged bands play, and LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT.
8/ Was surprised to heard something offa Shrinkwrapped.
9/ wtf, He'd Sent In The Army,? That was amazing!

Because of this thread, I'd expected greatness, and got it.

If you didn't believe me, Ben Rayner said the same thing in this morning's Toronto Star.

"To Hell with Poverty" was the greatest live music moment I've ever been involved with.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Pardon my French.

Worth the 25 fucking dollars.

Goddamn.......my neck hurts.

Anyway, yes, he saw show..

"All that fell away with the set's final song, 1981's "To Hell With Poverty"; as they performed it, everyone in the room held their breath. It belongs to the handful of greatest single-song live performances I've ever seen."

Unreal.

From upthread:

I thought that their sociopolitical stance was what made their aesthetic work. Isn't the tension inherent in their being a pop band critical of pop commodity-selling as an enterprise what makes them still worth listening to today, not just that Dave Allen could really play bass [...] isn't that just the thing that keeps them from being totally rigid and unfun, that they express the confusion and conflict of "false consciousness" and don't just present a line of dogma, like other bands of their ilk? [...] it seems like this is the stuff is what really makes them artists worth listening to and thinking about [...] Are they still coming from somewhere near the same stance that they did back in the day, or is this just a payday for them? And does that matter?

Discuss, please. I mean, they're still totally compelling live singing vowel sounds, but what do people make of the (rest of the) lyrical content in This Year Of Our Lord 2005?

Over on the Rip It Up Thread he seemed to have some. Glad to read that he liked that GO4 show in Seattle.

Regarding the lyrics, criticize 'em if you want, but I think one can be more generous in judging pop music lyrics than in analyzing poetry and literature. Creative music can often make up for less artistic prose.

Damn, it's hard to do post-punk as good as Gang of Four. It really is.

Though many have tried.

And many have failed.

Can anybody transcribe the line from "Why Theory?" that follows "Distant thunder from the East"?

It sounds like "Won't disturb, our mornings go on"

but that seems a bit clumsy.

Now how did you know that is my fave song of theirs and I played it last night? I always thought it was something like "won't disturb our morning car wash" hahaha I'm probably wrong.

I can't find any of the lyrics to Solid Gold anywhere. I also thought it could be "Won't disturb our morning couplings".

Perhaps he just sings "Wun dudurb ah wah wah wah"

Makes sense -- he knows little about sex.

I can see I'm not going to get an answer to this.

Gosh, I feel for you, Phil, but really there's only so many times I can play that bit on my CD player before I figure "fuck it, this groove is the shit, let's just play the song". Maybe some Britishers can help us? Are you British Phil? Is that our problem?

Okay but I've listened to it again now and I'm convinced it's not "couplings". The ending syllable necessary for that just isn't there. There's not even a "P" sound. Goddamnit Britishers help us?!

Yes Bimble. I'm as British as Noel Coward flying a Spitfire over the white cliffs of Dover (to the sound of Elgar).

I think the word "mornings" is correct. It's the last two syllables really. It's quite frustrating, as it sounds like it there should be a great lyric in there.

But yes, I just love the way this song starts with a few syncopated metallic chops, and then just hits this awesome driving gear, like some monster truck, and then the energy dissipates into unsyncopated metallic chops, which then get themselves together rhythm-wise, for the next awesome slam on the pedal.

It's one of the most satisfying experiences in this thing we call "rock".

Hahah. Crikey! You must be a music writer with talk like that! ;)

V. happy you're British, though, at least we've got that angle on this lyric covered.

But Phil, I hate to say it but I'm not going to lose sleep over it if we can't figure out this lyric. The song is so fucking good, dude. In the end, it doesn't matter one jot.

My job is way more interesting than music writing. As for the '4, I shall no doubt continue my quest alone.....

I adore the first 3 Go4 albums as well as a couple of later tracks but I've gotta stand up for _Shrinkwrapped_. It's a stormer of an album (aside from a couple of Andy's spoken word tracks that kinda disrupt the flow) highlighted by "I Parade Myself" which stands with the first 3 albums.

No discussion about _Return The Gift_? I must admit I couldn't understand the purpose of rerecording material that was already perfect but some folks think it surpassed the originals.

Well I'm surprised you're not a music writer, Phil, for I think what you've written here about this song is really cool and talented. I know *I* couldn't have written that.

Mr. Odd! You're going to stand up for Shrinkwrapped! That's wonderful! We are on the same team, mate! No one ever seems to stick up for that one. I agree "I Parade Myself" is the best thing on that.

I still haven't heard Return The Gift.

I have bits of RTG from emusic, its pretty good.

anyone else think the versions of the songs on the damaged goods ep are preferable to the ones on the album? they sound more vital and less practised. the production is a lot less neat too.

Oh loads, no doubt. I also prefer the single version of "At home he feels like a tourist" (less overdubs)