Return the Gift [Limited]

Performer: Gang of Four
Engineer: Helen Ward; Andy Gill
Producer: Andy Gill
Distributor: MSI Music Distribution

Notes: U.K. import. CD contains 12 bonus tracks. If 2005's RETURN THE GIFT were an album of completely brand new songs, it would likely be hailed as one of the best rock records in decades. However, since U.K. post-punk heroes Gang of Four first committed this material to vinyl in the late 1970s and early '80s, these re-recorded tracks, while excellent in their own right, come across more like a surprise visit from an admirably trim uncle. Make no mistake, these are some of the group's finest tracks, and the reunited original line-up sounds great. However, while Gang of Four was charmingly restless and angular on its initial outings, the quartet, for better or worse, is confident and loose on this set, which essentially serves as an updated version of the best-of collection A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY. In fact, RETURN shares much of that anthology's track list, including the blistering disco-punk classic "To Hell with Poverty" and the supremely funky "I Love a Man in Uniform," which ditches the prominent female backing vocals here. Although this album may seem, well, re-gifted to Gang of Four diehards, it serves as a useful bridge to the past for fans of Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads, and other early-2000s acts clearly influenced by this pioneering band.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 847, p.84) - "...[B]rittle funk plus slashing guitars...This best-of shows the Gang still do it best..." - Grade: A- Mojo (Publisher) (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "With no attempt to meddle with song structures, technology's advance means the original quartet's rebarbative funk squall simply sounds louder....Rejoice in the best Gang Of Four tribute album...ever."

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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