Gang of Four Tickets

“Gang Of Four” is a rock group from Leeds, England, performing the super political punk rock with the elements of funk, dub, and reggae. After disintegration in 1984, “Gang Of Four” reunited three times; last time – in 2005 when “Return the Gift” was let out (with newly rewritten classical things of early repertoire). In 1978, the quartet recorded the debut single “Damaged Goods”. It left on the Edinburgh label Fast Product Records and attracted the attention of John Peele, who invited the group in a studio and recorded two of its sessions.

About Gang of Four

The Reasons for Disgrace

After successful concerts in Europe and North America, “Gang of Four” signed the contract with EMI, having let out the single “At Home He's a Tourist” (1979). As the single entered the charts (having risen to #58), the group invited to the Top of the Pops program; musicians refused when they were suggested to replace in the text the word “rubbers” with “packets”, having considered a slangy word indecent. The single was forbidden after that on BBC Radio/TV, and the group lost support of EMI.

Time For Entertainment

In 1979, there was a debut album “Entertainment!” It was a radical for those times synthesis of punk and funk rock (with the use of elements of dub and reggae). It became a sample for many famous rock musicians subsequently. In 2003, the album was included into the list of 500 best albums of all the times in the Rolling Stone magazine.

Creative Work

In 1981, the group let out the second album “Solid Gold”. As well as in the first one, analytical researches on the current policy issues in texts (“Cheeseburger”, “He’d Send in the Army”, “In the Ditch”), fragmentary rhythms and the simplified arrangements are noticed. In 1986, there was a collection “The Peel Sessions” where the songs, recorded in BBC studios for John Peele, entered. Melody Maker called an album "classical nostalgic travel to the world of youthful cynicism". In 1991, Gill and King met again and started recording a new material; the album “Shrinkwrapped” (1995) was the result of this activity. After this, three more albums were issued.