Gang of Four - Gang of Four 77-81 (2021)

AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
Punk rock was supposed to break down musical boundaries and open up popular music to new ideas, and few (if any) British bands of punk's first era took that message to heart like Gang of Four. The group passed over the four-square stomp of punk in favor of funk rhythms that generated a powerful groove, while making inspired use of punk's aggressive, abrasive attack. U.K. punk was often steeped in politics, but usually in the form of sloganeering that reduced issues to singalong choruses. Gang of Four's Marxist-informed critiques were decidedly different, offering pointed commentary on the political, social, and economic frameworks of our culture; if the Clash sang about "The Clampdown," Gang of Four concerned themselves with just what the Clampdown was, and how it manifested itself in our daily lives. For all their seriousness of intent, Go4 were among the most explosively entertaining bands of their day. Their music may have been brutalist funk for poli-sci majors, but you could easily dance to it, and in the balance of mind vs. body, they were powerfully rewarding on both sides of the equation.

Gang of Four's creative peak came in their first incarnation, with Andy Gill on guitar, Jon King on vocals, Dave Allen on bass, and Hugo Burnham on drums, and 77-81 is a box set that collects their recordings from this period. While some acts might have opted to put out a compilation that skimmed the cream from their catalog, 77-81 instead includes in full Go4's first two albums (1979's Entertainment! and 1981's Solid Gold) and a disc of non-LP single sides (including "To Hell with Poverty," arguably their greatest moment in the studio), and there isn't a speck of waste to be found here. The jagged, chaotic shards of six-string noise from Gill subvert and support the melodies carried by Allen's percolating bass lines, Burnham's drumming strips back the rhythm patterns of classic James Brown and adds a bruising degree of muscle, and King's sociological smarts are matched by his rage and occasional flashes of wit (his cry of "Oh no! I left it in my other suit!" in "Capital [It Fails Us Now]" is hilarious even as it reinforces the song's screed against capitalism). 77-81 also offers evidence of the band's remarkable strength on-stage with a blistering live set recorded in San Francisco in May 1980 that's packed with sweat and inspiration. The box set also comes with a beautiful 100-page book full of rare pictures, a lively history of the band, memories from the members, and testimonials from their better-known fans and fellow travelers. Gang of Four still had one great album in them after this period -- 1982's Songs of the Free, with Sara Lee on bass -- but few fans would argue with the consensus that the material collected here is the most powerful and important in their catalog, and 77-81 is a brilliant testament to their visionary impact and lasting importance.