Gang of Four - Entertainment

I was 23 when I first heard it, and when I play it it's inevitably because I want to, not because it comes up on my iPod. Solid Gold is definitely less than a great thing, and, yes, crabby and cramped – musically, lyrically, and vocally.

Not that they couldn't score post-Entertainment: the Another Day, Another Dollar EP is maybe their most thrilling work, "We Live As We Dream, Alone" is my favorite song of theirs, and I even like "Is This Love."

this thread is about Entertainment, which is an awesome record, no matter how old you are. Solid Gold is a different, lesser ball of wax

voted for Return The Gift

entertainment for solid, bourgy families.

the Another Day, Another Dollar EP is maybe their most thrilling work
otm

"We Live As We Dream, Alone" is my favorite song of theirs
otm

and I even like "Is This Love."
what

Had to vote "Anthrax." Hearing it on acid at 18, I felt the feedback melting my face off. Man.

am i really the only one who thinks Guns And Butter is the best song on this record?!

yes

i'm surprised.

Dammit it seems I already voted and I don't even remember what for. Maybe Damaged Goods... my instinct would probably choose that one.

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"Damaged Goods"!

There really isn't a duff song on the whole album and it was tight for me to give the vote to "I Found that Essence Rare". That song is really catchy and I always loved the lines about the bikini. My favorite GOF tune is "What We All Want", that one is a heck of a groove.

"Damaged Goods" is my pick but i wish i had time to listen before actually casting my vote.

Natural's Not In It vs. Damaged Goods!!!!!!!!!!

hard!!!!!!

Damaged Goods, always nice when I agree with Alex/NYC, once a year or so. :)

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Damaged Goods 18

ILX OTM

She posts her thoughts on Facebook

She tweets her mind on Twitter

Why put your brain on Facebook

You give your self a MIND FUCK

Sometimes this is all about Jon and Andy, and then there's the times when all I can focus on is Dave and Hugo.

....which is why I'm still in two minds whether to go next week as there's no Hugo or Dave.

Not Great Men

It's said that this album was recorded without reverb, overdubs etc - is this true? I found this quote:

We wanted the songs to be authentic and capture a moment in time with no decoration or overdubs or tracking or FX. We argued a lot about not using any outboard effect that might colour the performance in a misleading way so that what we did was real. - Jon King

He doesn't actually say that this album WAS, in the end recorded without overdubs, tracking or FX, just that they wanted it to be and argued about it. Yet there are signs of overdubs and reverb. eg. on Damaged Goods the first iteration of "your sweat so sour" sounds drier that the same line later on - yet supposedly recorded under identical circumstances. Then the same song has multiple vocal lines towards the end which must've been tracked.

Using compression during recording, a vocal phrase closer to the mic will sound drier than one at greater distance, with more room acoustics.

crabbiness ftw

xps that's a very silly notion of authenticity, especially coming from Marxists. However silly notions of authenticity firmly held often produce great records.

i wonder, the deadpan affect is not unlike wire's but without thinking about it any i would classify wire's as an arty affectation and gof's as just the way they are

You mean the speak-sing vocals?

yeah

i know they sound more enthusiastic/shouty at times, but when they're at their more speaky

I'd probably figure it was just staying in what they knew they could do with their voice over those grooves. Devo, PIL Second Edition and Kraftwerk had similar vocals going on too. I think the grooves are so tight wound, you couldn't bust out and do a big vocal melody on it anyway, the beat is stiff.