Songs Of The Free

Performer: Gang of Four
Engineer: Simon Smart; Walter G Samuels
Producer: Jon Astrop; Mike Howlett
Distributor: n/a

Notes: Gang Of Four: Andrew Gill (vocals, guitar); Jon King (vocals, melodica); Sara Lee (bass, background vocals); Hugo Burnham (drums, percussion); Stevie Lange, Joy Yates (background vocals). Recorded at Ridge Farm, Capel, England in March 1982. Includes liner notes by Bono. Personnel: Andrew Gill (vocals, guitar); Jon King (vocals, melodica); Hugo Burnham (drums, percussion); Stevie Lange, Joy Yates, Sara Lee (background vocals). 1982's SONGS OF THE FREE is the third Gang of Four album. As with many of their albums, it was not immediately embraced by fans or critics. The record's smoother sound quickly drew accusations of sellout. In retrospect, it is clear that, though the music is slightly more upbeat, nothing about the band has been softened. Opening with "Call Me Up" and the scathingly ironic anti-military commentary of "I Love A Man In Uniform," SONGS is the Gang stretching its wings. The songs are built on a prominent rhythm section, featuring the funk-inspired bass-guitar lines of Sara Lee and Hugo Burnham's powerful, occasionally off-kilter drumming. Andy Gill's skewed shards of guitar lurk in the mix, constantly threatening to lurch forward. Among the album's standouts is "Life! It's A Shame." Here, Lee's bass holds the center, Gill's squalling guitar approaches and recedes like the tide, and Burnham's disjointedly clattering drums offset vocals espousing such ironic comments as "Making money's making sense."

CMJ (1/5/04, p.10) - Ranked #17 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982". Clash (magazine) (p.114) - "The band have matured by this point, and are capable of delivering 'We Live As We Dream, Alone' -- possibly the most touching moment in their career."

Formed in 1978, the Gang of Four came from Leeds, England, with sharp, political lyrics and a cutting, angular sound that mixed post-punk guitar with funk rhythms. The relative artiness of their early work put them in a class with aesthetes like Wire, but they later upped the danceability quotient to appeal to a larger audience, scoring their biggest success with the surprisingly catchy single "I Love a Man in a Uniform." During the post-punk revival of the early 2000's, the band, long since disbanded, came back into favor as a key influence, and briefly reformed for a U.S. tour and an album.

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