By request the best Gang of Four post ever

Someone (I ALWAYS forget who requests these things) asked for some Gang of Four, I don't have a hell of a lot, but I'll certainly share what I DO have.....for whatever reason, they are simply one of those bands for which not a hell of a lot of rarities/boots/whatever exist, but of course I'll share the stuff I DO have, be it easy to find elsewhere or not.

The original "Gang" were vocalist Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bassist Dave Allen, and drummer Hugo Burnham (they changed lineups a few times, and I'd like to mention bassist Sara Lee also because she was really a DAMN fine bassist)...

The Gang produced some incredible post-punk, politically motivated, and INCREDIBLY stripped down rock, the very DEFINITION of "not for everyone", but, before we go much further, let me say that I LOVE their shit to death......it didn't sound like ANYTHING else, and they were MAD about shit, which, if you follow my theories, makes for the best rock n roll......

Thier debut, "Entertainment!" is a classic of the post-punk era features some of their better works""Return the Gift", "Anthrax", "Great Men", and especially "At Home He's a Tourist".....this particular version, thankfully, contains the "Yellow" EP, so we get some added Gang stuff such as "He'd Send in the Army" and my absolute fave "Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time"......classic album that should be in EVERYONE's collection!

These latter two track also appear on "Solid Gold" (1981) (different versions), "Solid Gold" is also one you'd want, it includes the classic "Cheeseburger", and "Paralysed".....another good disc, though not quite as essential as the expanded "Entertainment!". (Note: My "Solid Gold" is a vinyl rip, as is my "Another Day Another Dollar " EP.....not in the greatest shape so I found a digital version, similar to the expanded "Entertainment!/Yellow" coupling, which couples "Solid Gold" and "Another Day Another Dollar" quite nicely.

They struck it rich again in 1982, releasing "Songs of the Free", which includes what I assume is their best known track "I Love a man in Uniform", and also the very fine "We Live as We Dream, Alone"....this is yet another of those acts that maybe got shortchanged just a bit in the States for being to "British", but so it goes, I really like ALL thier shit,and,  even if I didn't always know EXACTLY what they were bitching about, they sure as hell always sounded pissed whatever the issue.

Should you be in the mood for simply a sampler comp, "A Brief History of the 20th Century" is a decent one, touching on most of the highlights of the first three classic albums, but I don't recommend it as I really those three albums are essential, and the comp (shockingly, to me at least) doens't include such obvious material as "Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time". We've also got  a fine Peel Session, and a few  live discs, the quite common "At the Palace 1984" and the maybe a tad more rare "Southhampton University 1979", and "Bournmouth Town Hall 11/22/79"

Personally I find everything here essential, wish I had a few more live ones (DaveSez?), sounds like they were the real deal live......I look at them as basically a European ancestor of Rage Against the Machine, hell, they (Rage) were from the US and half the time I never knew what THEY were bitching about either, but like the Gang, they sure as hell sounded committed. Comment away, and if you have any other goods by this fab band, please share, they were a great one, for a while there. I know they did release a few albums post -"Songs of the Free", but as I recall they were fairly disappointing so they are not here (I don't have em anyway).

ENTERTAINMENT! (W/"YELLOW" EP)-01 Ether/02 Natural's Not In It/03 Not Great Men/04 Damaged Goods/05 Return the Gift/06 Guns Before Butter/07 I Found That Essence Rare/08 Glass/09 Contract/10 At Home He's a Tourist/11 5.45/12 Anthrax/13 Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time/14 He'd Send In the Army/15 It's Her Factory/16 Armalite Rifle

SOLID GOLD (W/"ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER DOLLAR EP")-01 Paralysed/02 What We All Want/03 If I Could Keep It For Myself/04 Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time/05 Why Theory/06 Cheeseburger/07 The Republic/08 In the Ditch/09 A Hole in the Wallet/10 He'd Send In the Army/11 To Hell With Poverty/12 Capital (It Fails Us Now)/13 History's Bunk!/14 Cheeseburger (Live)/15 What We All Want (Live)

SONGS OF THE FREE-01 Call Me Up/02 I Love a Man in Uniform/03 Muscle For Brains/04 It Is Not Enough/05 Life! It's a Shame/06 I Will Be a Good Boy/07 The History of the World/08 We Live As We Dream, Alone/09 Of the Instant

PEEL SESSIONS-01 I Found That Essence Rare/02 Return the Gift/03 5.45/04 At Home He's a Tourist/05 Natural's Not In It/06 Not Great Men/07 Ether/08 Guns Before Butter/09 Paralysed/10 History's Bunk!/11 To Hell With Poverty

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY-01 At Home He's a Tourist/02 Damaged Goods/03 Natural's Not In It/04 Not Great Men/05 Anthrax/06 Return the Gift/07 It's her Factory/08 What We All Want (Live)/09 Paralysed/10 A Hole in the Wallet/11 Cheeseburger/12 To Hell With Poverty!/13 Capital (It Fails Us Now)/14 Call Me Up/15 I Will Be A Good Boy/16  The History of the World/17 I Love a Man In Uniform/18 Is It Love/19 Woman Town/20 We Live as We Dream, Alone

SOUTHHAMPTON UNIVERSITY 11/14/79-01 Essence Rare/02 5:45/03 Anthrax/04 It's Her Factory/05 Blood Free/06 Contract/07 Damaged Goods/08 Not Great Men/09 Natural's Not In It/10 At Home He's a Tourist/11 Return the Gift/12 Ether/13 Armalire Rifle/14 Rose Anne/15 Glass/16 Can't Stand My Baby


BOURNMOUTH TOWN HALL 11/22/79-01 I Found That Essence Rare/02 5:45/03 Anthrax/04 It's Her Factory/05 Blood Free/06 Damaged Goods/07 Not Great Men/08 Natural's Not In It/09 Information/10 At Home He's a Tourist/11 Return the Gift/12 Ether/13Armalite Rifle/14 Glass/15 Damaged Goods/16 Roseanne/17 Can't Stand My Baby

AT THE PALACE 1984-01 We Live As We Dream, Alone/02 History's Not Made By Great Men/03 Silver Lining/04 The History of the World/05 I Love a man in Unform/06 Paralysed/07 Is It Love/08 Damaged Goods/09 At Home He's a Tourist/10 To Hell With  Poverty!

Please continue with the requests, it is OK by me, trying to think of what to do ON MY OWN every day is a pain in the ass, especially after the brain trauma I suffered, so request away, and see what happens! Super Bowl weekend, take it to the fuckin bank, Seattle 27 Denver 21 how bout THAT fuckers?