I’m surprised to find that this compilation is the only Gang Of Four CD on the shelves, because I had the first two albums on vinyl, and really enjoyed them, especially the second, Solid Gold. But looking at the track list, it’s a cracking selection of songs, from the first four albums and some EPs.
I’m not going through it track by track, partly because there are twenty of them but also if the reader isn’t acquainted with their spaced, jagged delivery and caustic lyrics, my words won’t do them justice. They’re a group whose influence is far greater than their fame (Nirvana, Frank Ferdinand, Idles?) There are six songs from the first album, Entertainment, including At Home He’s A Tourist, Damaged Goods and Not Great Men; and there’s a storming live version of What We All Want, before a couple of tracks from Solid Gold. Call Me Up is the stand out selection from the third album, Songs Of The Free. Sadly the couple of tracks from the next album, Hard, aren’t as storming as the rest, but the compilers have chosen to break with chronology and end the album with the excellent We Live As We Dream Alone. It’s a very good intro to the Gang of Four, and a surprise that it’s the only one on the shelves.
4* - a great summary of an influential band
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