Gang Of Four.

Entertainment.

Just saw them on David Letterman, performing a new tune. And wow, were they weak! The new song showed all of the Gang Of Four's strengths - agitpop with great hooks, hints of dub and funk and open spaces, catchy-but-minimal lyrical and melodic themes - to have, well, mostly into ether. It's weird that they've chosen to present their revival as highly reminiscent of Entertainment, when they clearly have lost most of the characteristics that made that record great, and when they just plain look silly trying it now. (Why not 'revise' the general sound of Solid Gold, which would probably be more successful, in a sense.

Total embarrassment, I thought. I remember when singing Jon King 'shake it up' on stage was effective, back when it seemed like, hell, this is what he's chosen to do, instead of being a young rising star advertising exec or something. Now he seems like a poorly aging advertising exec just slumming it and looking like a buffoon. I actually spat out my drink when I saw his wedding band, 'cause it made me think, here's another deeply conventional prat, cynically going for the almighty dollar. What a way to smear a great body of work.

I now respect Dave Allen even more, and Hugo's a fine bloke too.

this year's tour should be called Another Day, Another Dollar 2011

Gonna skip their W. DC show tonight but I will always fondly look back on those 2 gigs I saw back when (in 79 to 81)

There's a weird effect on the guitar that isn't on the album. Letterman clip doesn't look particularly bad to me...the video for Farm is much more embarrassing (in terms of stage moves). Look, they're not going to redo Entertainment, any more than YMG is going to redo Colossal Youth, etc. Content is very good, not great. I'm happy with it.

Dave Allen = I got cut out of the finances therefore this sucks. Sorry, but it's pretty damn obvious from his own take on things.

Here's the Farm video...pretty sonically different from Letter Man:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVQ2Y688dUQ

Stage moves, not good.

Dave Allen = I got cut out of the finances therefore this sucks. Sorry, but it's pretty damn obvious from his own take on things.

nah, pretty obvious he's got his head in the right place! took the last shred of Go4 credibility out the door with him.

I totally don't get that. He quit, not when he decided the music sucked, but when:

"The band’s man­ager helped me reach a deci­sion when he called me one after­noon in early 2008 to dis­cuss the “small issue of the song­writ­ing” as he called it. He pre­ceded to lay out the grand idea that as Gill and King were “writ­ing” the new songs then I would have no claim to any music pub­lish­ing splits. I had already left the band in my mind before I even responded to his ludi­crous claim.

On and off dur­ing 2006, 2007 and 2008 we were cre­at­ing new musi­cal ideas fol­low­ing the same pat­tern of 1977/1978, as described above. To be told by some­one I have absolutely no respect for, that I would have the non-option of take it or leave it with regard to music writ­ing and pub­lish­ing splits, I very eas­ily chose to leave on the spot."

The distinction between "I had already left the band in my mind" and "I..chose to leave on the spot" is just great. I mean, seriously. We're grown ups here. Is it not obvious what the problem was...

"I'm old, nobody appreciates my fluid bassline that *totally* makes Anthrax, and I'm making good money on the side anyway..."

i always thought this band's "glory years" were overrated by critics who liked their dumb sloganeering, but the music was OK. if that letterman performance was an accurate representation of their new music, hoo boy.

"embarrassment" is a good word for it. maybe not strong enough.

Oh hell no, their glory years were NOT overrated. "Entertainment" is still truly astounding and worthy of it's legendary status, with "Solid Gold" just a step below. After that, still great stuff but not on the same level. Dave Allen is a man of integrity, I get from his comments that the writing credit thing was just the last straw.

And they were so great live during those glory years

Holy goddamn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K19jPwpP5XY

well that made my morning!

okay, wait

what

If what I've been able to deduce is correct, from this page:

http://www.gamelan.org/directories/directoryjapan.html

Here's some backstory:

Name of Ensemble: Sekar Melati
Instruments: Javanese
Repertoire: Traditional, originally composed
Contact: Ms. Hitomi Ozeki
5-12-2 Kaminakaya-cho, Kakamigahara City
Gifu Prefecture 504-0926
email: ✧.✧.hit✧✧✧.o-1✧✧✧@a✧✧.o✧✧.n✧.j✧
Web site:
Narrative:
The group representative Hitomi Ozeki studied Gamelan in Jakarta and then founded Sekar Melati in Gifu prefecture in June 2000. Currently this community-based group has 8 members. It has been introducing Javanese traditional music as well as its original compositions to this region at museums, schools, art galleries and various other locations. Mr. Hiroshi Ietaka (Marga Sari, Osaka) also gives instruction regularly.

That is the coolest thing ever.

Have already sent this video to a bunch of people. Gamelan Gof4 is pretty terrific. I wonder what the rest of the set was?

Un-freakin-believable. The woman on the far left is really grooving to it!

I mean, really... I want to hear what King/Gill/Allen/Burnham think!

Damn, they should open for them on their next tour!

Allen retweeted it so he knows about it, at least!

This is sick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUSw_2jkDjM&feature=youtu.be

So skinny, such baggy clothes

Holy cow. One my larger life regrets, never seeing them live in either original or reunion modes.

Was about to say, I'm so glad I saw the original line-up reunion.

OK, apparently the line-up is now Andy Gill and a rhythm section? Gang Of One!

haha wait misread - there's a new lead singer

Is this a band whose rediscovery in the oughts has already been forgotten? I can't put my finger on it, maybe it's our sped-up recycling.

Okay, the Andy Gill plus some other dudes GO4 will be here in March. I've never seen them. Do I go?

Nah.

I don't know if I can dismiss it that easily. Now I'm listening to some 2013 youtubes as I type, and they sound really good even though they're 75% a tribute band. His guitar playing is so huge to me, I don't know how I've never seen them after all these years.

I don't know how much the rerecordings on Return the Gift reflect Andy Gill's live sound these days, but I'll say it: most of the songs benefit from modern sonics.

I mean, I'm digging this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CFWGE-dT24

There's just no way I could do that. The above screen grab alone says it all.

When in doubt, finagle a spot on the guest list! I'm in, totally realizing this is NOT Gang of Four but approaching in the same way I would a chance to finally see, say, Wilko Johnson and some Gen Y kids touring as "Dr. Feelgood."

Well, considering I last saw the band in its full reunited glory, I'm not sure what would be gained from this exercise. I mean, I know I can go, for free, but what's the point? The songs are great, and they're great when I'm sitting on the couch at home.

When in doubt, finagle a spot on the guest list! I'm in, totally realizing this is NOT Gang of Four but approaching in the same way I would a chance to finally see, say, Wilko Johnson and some Gen Y kids touring as "Dr. Feelgood."

― Deliciously hard yet very accessible (Dan Peterson), Thursday, November 20, 2014 10:07 AM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha, the current lineup of "Dr. Feelgood" has NO original members, despite the fact that three of the original four are still alive.

No idea there *is* a current Feelgoods lineup, that's amazing!

So, apparently they have a new single?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ4dW6KKrao

Has there been any discussion about this elsewhere?

This is Andy Gill and some scrubs. Not Gang of Four.

Still seems weird that its "Gang of Four" with only one original member Andy Gill

http://www.gigwise.com/news/97485/new-gang-of-four-track-features-alison-mosshartThe What Happens Next full tracklisting is below:

1. Where The Nightingale Sings
2. Broken Talk (feat. Alison Mosshart)
3. Isle of Dogs
4. England’s In My Bones (feat. Alison Mosshart)
5. Dying Rays (feat. Herbert Grönemeyer) English version
6. Obey The Ghost Of The Colony
7. First World Citizen
8. Stranded
9. Graven Image (feat. Robbie Furze)
10. Dead Souls (feat. Hotei)
11. Dying Rays (feat. Herbert Grönemeyer) German version

I didn't know that. Andy is arguably the most important member of GoF but yes, it feels wrong to cash in on his former band name instead of creating a new project of his own, which this is.

It made sense that apart from the guitar this didn't sound anything like GoF.

The Viet Cong album released this month sounds more like Gang of Four than Gang of Four:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUHCyhE-s9M

Andy is arguably the most important member of GoF

Go4 was Andy Gill, Jon King and some scrubs from 1983-2004, 2004-2012.

Though I think Gang of One is a perfectly cool band name.

"Bass/No Tremble" sounds like a Jon King line.

Sara Lee = No Scrub

I don't know how much the rerecordings on Return the Gift reflect Andy Gill's live sound these days, but I'll say it: most of the songs benefit from modern sonics.

― TTAGGGTTAGGG (Sanpaku), Wednesday, November 19, 2014 10:46 AM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I kinda love most of those rerecordings.

The return the gift versions of songs of the free cuts crush the originals IMO

Admittedly I may have heard the gift versions first but OMG that "we live as we dream alone" is so good