Reviews (page 7 of 8)
first listen immensely boring
Good
I was a Freshman in high school when this came out. It totally passed me by, as I am not familiar with it, at all. I'm liking it. Love the licks and the musicianship, itself. Quick songs...get to the point and get out. I will listen again.
Really cool, I like this
Maybe I just wasn’t in a punk mood yesterday.
Fine post punk, but I'm not interested in it
i don't regret my time listening to this, but would not listen again willingly
now this is the kind of post punk I like. pretty amazing album overall, though I think it barelyyyy misses the 5 star mark from me this time.
This is a primo post-punk album. All herky-jerky and driving. I love it. It's a 4.5 star album for sure, but I don't quite think it hits those 5 star heights.
I have always loved Gang Of Four, but also always felt there is something missing. Maybe humour? The seriousness is warranted (now more than ever) and the sentiment strong, but maybe we need some light to go with the shade? These are some of the greatest bass lines to ever walk the earth, and their lyrics are a welcome antidote to our commodified world, but I have to be in the mood for this - these songs never really make me smile.
I loved the bass playing on this. Add in the guitars that poke you in the face, plus some personal and political crossover in the lyrics, and you've got a great album.
not sure if this is my jam but i also don't mind it. like an upbeat thing.
Yes, yes, yes! Funky guitar work, highly interesting lyrics and subjects. Has that punky vibe, but without the unpleasant screaming. Really enjoyable.
This was fine, I did not get much out of it.
Nytt for meg, og veldig kult!
Allt í lagi post-pönk, pínu millivegur milli pönks og nýrómantíkur, myndi ég segja.
Early British punk album that is mildly amusing.
I've lost my patience of punk as well. I'm coming to realize that your ability to sing is hugely impactful on how much I like your music.
In principe hou ik hier wel van. Er zit alleen wel erg weinig variatie in de nummers.
I got quite a long way into this before I even realised that it had been playing. It was just kind of moving along in the background. Its alright, it's in no way exciting though. It all feels a bit one-note, with very little ambition.
Not bad, but not sure I could listen to it all day.
To borrow from Gang of Four's own lyrics, this album gives me migraine. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Damaged Goods Date listened: 09/03/23
I never really listened to the Gang of Four before - I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Very of its time, and I'm sure plenty of others influenced but not convinced there was much there beyond the sound/vibe.
super fun post-punk album! lots of charm! I love it 9/10
Fine, very same-y.
Well executed but not my sound. Post Punk 80s... His voice sounds like a lot of bands of the time... Did he sing with Duran Duran?
This is lightening in a bottle. All the stars aligned for this one. Rock and roll is and should always be a progressive movement, awop bob a loo mop a lop bam boom, break free of form and tell the world something's going to change. Now of course there will always be the reactionaries, the Stills/Queen revisionism etc. But yeah great rock and roll is always social democratic in nature, looking to have fun and making things better. Gang of Four perfectly marry their insightful prescient politics with kick arse rock and roll. Tick it off, Hugo swings in that Phil Rudd way, holds it together with a powerhouse backbeat, while Dave roams as all good bass players do, a brilliant rhythm section. Jon has the vocal shops to carry the heaviness of the lyrics, he's got something to say and by jingoes he says it. And Andy is the perfect hard edged, asymmetrical, jagged guitar player, he took on the whole rock guitar thing and stood it on its head, what a player. That said, a nod to Wilko who was worthy too. I don't like the punk/post punk blah blah around this band, they are just a great rock and roll band and this record is perfect.
I can see how it was influential, but it’s not for me.
I remember hearing Love Like Anthrax on the original Doublejay & deciding I had to have it, so went out & bought this album. The other standout track was At Home He’s A Tourist. In 2019, I bought tickets to see them in March at the Manning Bar, but Andy Gill took ill & the tour was postponed, but they eventually came in November, just before Covid. They really were terrific & trax off this record featured heavily. Gill sadley passed away the following year. This record was very influential & somehow still sounds fresh.
This is such a great record. My favourite track is Natural's Not In It, but Damaged, At Home He Feels Like a Tourist, and Love Like Anthrax are also bangers. This has been copied a million times since it came, but it still sounds fresh, energizing and surprising to me. Most of the copyists still can't touch this.
Generic brit rock
Awesome
It's just not for me. I know they are influential, so maybe it is just a failing in myself. I am a fan of the most of the artists that claim GO4 as an influence though. This rating is not saying I think they are a one, I was just happy there album as over.
Solid little post punk album
Did not listen to the record very thoroughly but skimmed through the songs. Overall decent album bit all over the place.
Un album écouté et usé jusqu'à la corde par Franz Ferdinan, Bloc Party... Plutôt cool, souvent un peu trop rapeux. Mais quand tout se met en place et qu'ils vont dans le même sens, ça cartonne, genre "Damaged goods" qui est excellent.
3.5
I don't think I've heard of Gang Of Four before, and that's a shame, because I really loved this album. I'm a big fan of post-punk, and this is everything I could have wanted in a post-punk album. I loved the instrumentation and how Gang of Four managed to differentiate themselves from the rest of the post-punk field of the time. I really loved the anger they sang with when discussing social issues of the time (also, is it just me, or were the English way ahead of their time when talking about the plight of the working class?). "Not Great Men," "Damaged Goods," and "Guns Before Butter" were my favorite tracks on here, and I will definitely be listening to this album again in the future.
Hadn't heard of them. Now I have. That's a mostly good thing.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah it’s a very decent record and has some consistent but solid sound throughout Favourite song: Track 1 - Ether
Vet album, ga ik zeker nog een keer luisteren!
I liked a few songs...
Interesting mix of post-punk and new wave elements. Lots of driving bass lines, not much singing, a lot of speaking rhythmically similar to talking heads.
“Damaged Goods” is one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard from this list of albums so far.
First time hearing this! I dig it.
It's ok, just not my taste
pretty ok
Gang of Whoop!
it was
Good!
This record has a ton of great ideas. But they never seem to get taken advantage of. The songs don't seem to go anywhere. But the influence that this sound had on other bands is clear. I hear Arctic Monkeys and other jangly British bands here. Overall this just landed a little boring. But it was okay.
Liked the album, especially Naturals Not in It and Damaged Goods
Surprised by how much I liked this. I'm usually not that into post punk stuff. Really good.
Ce Gang Of Four m'a rappelé dans une certaine mesure les Stephen Stills bien qu'ils n'aient pas un centième de la filouterie de ces derniers. Je suis d'ailleurs tombé récemment sur la biographie de Bonnie Brammlet, qui était serveuse au moment de l'incident du bar ayant impliqué Elvis Costello et Ray Charles. Sa version de cette altercation est assez différente de celle que je vous partageais en critique de This Year's Model, je vous la colle ci-dessous : « Le bar est animé, Elvis Costello est légèrement ivre, les gens discutent et boivent autour des tables. Je prends des commandes ELVIS : (d’une voix forte) “Ray Charles est tellement timide qu'il y a un décalage horaire entre ses deux fesses !” ROBERT : (amusé) “Ha ha, elle est bonne celle-là, Elvis.” Je me dirige vers le bar pour prendre une commande. Tout à coup, je remarque que Céline Dion est assise à quelques tables plus loin, écoutant la conversation. CELINE : (en parlant fort) “Avez-vous entendu ce qu'il vient de dire ? Elvis vient de faire une blague sur les fesses de Ray Charles !” Le bar devient soudain très calme, tout le monde se retourne pour regarder Ray Charles, roulé en boule dans un coin de la pièce. MOI : (criant) “Oh non, Ray est ici !” Soudain, le groupe Stephen Stills apparaît dans le bar. Ils mettent la pagaille. STEPHEN (LEADER) : “Allez, écoutez-moi ! Maintenant, c'est notre bar !” Je panique et cours vers Ray. MOI : (criant) “Ray, tu dois nous aider ! Ils vont tout détruire !” Ray roule rapidement vers les membres de Stephen Stills, qui se tiennent ensemble, se préparant à attaquer. STEPHEN (ANESTHESISTE) : “Laissez-moi m'en occuper !” MOI : (criant) “Vous ne toucherez pas à Ray !” Les Stephen Stills se dispersent en essayant de d'attaquer Ray Charles. Cependant, celui-ci est trop rapide pour eux et les frappe comme une boule de bowling. STEPHEN (TROMPETTISTE) : (criant) “Aïe !” STEPHEN (PERCUSSIONISTE) : (criant) “Arrêtez-le !” Ray continue de rouler et de frapper les membres du groupe, qui tombent tous au sol. MOI : (criant) “Vas-y, Ray, donne-leur une bonne leçon !” Les Stephen Stills battent en retraite. STEPHEN (LEADER) : “On ne reviendra jamais ici ! C'est nul !” Les clients se rassemblent autour de Ray Charles, qui commence à faire des acrobaties en boule. MOI : (chantant) “Ray, Ray, Ray !” CLIENTS : (chantant en ronde autour de Ray) “Ray, Ray, Ray !” RAY : (riant) “Je n'avais pas autant fait d'exercice depuis un moment !” »
Gang Of Four a ici essayé de s'inspirer de l'excellent album des Killers, c'est malheureusement complétement raté.
Never listened to this whole album before. The hits are great and the rest is solid. Maybe a little repetitive - they really leaned on that opening strummy rift - but a quality album.
Only recently come across Gang of Four, love this album, such an accessible and danceable post punk album, close to giving this a 5, but maybe just slightly repetitive come the end of the album.
Still a masterpiece.
very cool to me
masterpiece
This band wrote one song, came up with 12 names for it, and spent 40 minutes playing it over and over. Not my style lmao.
This is neat proto-punk, hard to believe it's from '79. I enjoyed it the whole way through even if it's probably not going in permanent rotation for me.
I was really surprised by this album. Great guitar and bass. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Seminal, influential, thrilling through and through... A post-punk stone-cold classic, which hasn't aged a day when you take a quick look at the indie musical landscape these days. On that note, I found the review that said that this record reminded its author of Parquet Courts a little cute, to be honest. Without Gang Of Four, there wouldn't be any Parquet Courts to speak of. That said, I wanna thank this reviewer for dropping that name, just as I want to double down on those reviews mentioning acts such as Shame and Squid. Starting from the mid-naughts, Dimery's list is totally out of touch when it comes to rock, post-punk or indie sounds. Glad to see that a few reviewers in here at least know where the good stuff is these days... Apart form that, I don't have anything original to add to all the other reviews praising *Entertainment*. Jon King's politically charged lyrics, with wry situationist overtones? Check. Andy Gill's "angular" guitar playing? Check (funny how one reviewer let on that some clichés like this one are sometimes unavoidable to describe iconic bands such as GOF). Dave Allen and Hugo bouncing and surgically precise rhythm section? Check. What I found a little strange in some of those reviews is the number of people giving high praise to this record and yet only giving it a 4/5 grade. C'mon, guys, you gotta try a little harder than that. This here is an incredibly important album, and it's also one where the devil lies in all the little details, in spite of the instant catchiness of many songs in it. It's that sort of idiosyncratic peculiarity which gives *Entertainment* a potentially infinite replay value. 5 stars for me, then. Number of albums left to review: 661 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 166 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 79 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 93
Such a fun and challenging album. The dancing swinging quality of this post-punk record is so infectious. I've always loved this record.
a few good ones, but honestly feels like some kids asking their mother if they could make rock music and then they just scream and stuff. the "your kiss so sweet, sweat so sour" - part is either genius or just dumb cannot decide yet.
Really enjoyed this album
First time listen, enjoyed. Can hear the influence this album probably had on 80s bands
Sick punk album. Best feeling ever when you find the origin of popular samples. Fave track - damaged goods
I hadn't ever listened to this entire album before. I really liked it. Gang of Four really don't get enough recognition as an early punk band.
At home he feels like a tourist At home he feels like a tourist He fills his head with culture He gives himself an ulcer He fills his head with culture He gives himself an ulcer Down on the disco floor They make their profit From the things they sell To help you cover All the rubbers you hide In your top left pocket At home she's looking for interest At home she's looking for interest She said she was ambitious So she accepts the process She said she was ambitious So she accepts the process Down on the disco floor They make their profit From the things they sell To help you cob off And the rubbers you hide In your top left pocket Two steps forward (Six steps back) (Six steps back) (Six steps back) (Six steps back) Small step for him (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) Two steps forward (Six steps back) (Six steps back) (Six steps back) (Six steps back) Small step for him (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) (Big jump for me) At home she feels like a tourist At home she feels like a tourist She fills her head with culture She gives herself an ulcer Why make yourself so anxious You give yourself an ulcer
Post post punk album?
4+/5
lovelyyyyyy
Uma jóia.
Not sure how to classify, it's definitely punky and with a punch. Enjoyed this one! Saved tracks: Natural's Not In It, Damaged Goods, Return the Gift, 5.45
I like this! I can’t believe it’s 44 years old. Sounds like a sort of proto-punk (not sure if that’s a term or not).
This sounds like an influential album, both on 80s post-punk groups and 00s indie bands. The playing is tight, the lyrics are sharp, and there's a sense of purpose about the whole thing. Despite all this I find it a bit hard to love. Might just be a bit samey, musically?
I don't LOVE the vocals but this goes REALLY hard
Not too long ago a song came on while riding in a friend's car. I loved the sound, really fresh to me. Who is this? Gang of Four. I don't know what song I heard, but I made a mental note to check out this band. And just as that mental note was getting lost in the shuffle, the generator finally comes through! I've had a long week of unfavorable picks that have been making me think of quitting this process. I was very pleased by this album. It's really rough around the edges, but the sound is tight. I liked several songs and the others were good too. I'm looking forward to checking out Solid Gold (which I believe is the album with the first Gang of Four song I heard). It amazes me that I haven't come across this music before, but I'm grateful I have now. I'm certain Gang of Four will ease it's way into my daily listening.
I owned this record at one point let it go because my ears were weren’t attuned to late 70s early 80s post punk new wave from the UK but now this list has inundated me with late 70s early 80s post punk new wave from the UK so I can confidently say I’d let this record go again. Nothing bad, some catchy things but im having a bit of fatigue
A fine album that is very fine. A rare instance of the second half being miles ahead of the first. I like these boys! I think I'm feeling more of a 3.5 on this, but considering the last handful of ratings I've given, I have to go 4. It's better than a lot of my 3's lately.
Crazy that this punk political message is still relevant in 2023. Great album. 4/5
Amazing album. Tight intricate rhythms, with a political punch.
I really dig the beats, but a lot of it feels pretty generic Brit-punk/post-punk to me.
Owe these guys heaps for rhcp and songs like damaged goods still get me going
How is this consider to be music? I got five songs deep and gave up.
Nic specjalnego, nawet jednej dobrej nuty nie ma
Yeah really good. Some great tunes and full of attitude. Could hear the ancestral DNA of so many bands in this too: RHCP, Vines, Hives, The Strokes, The Libertines. Great but not quite 5/5 as some songs too samey.
All the charm of a 70s British cover band and only half the talent. Yikes. Could I have that half hour back?
some cool punk-ish British music. I liked it alright.
It was fine
Tough call giving this a 4, but I'm trying to be harsh! It's a classic that everyone ought to listen to. Some 5/5 songs here too, also some that don't hit quite as hard. But overall I really enjoy it, I just don't find myself in the mood to listen to it much, I suppose. I'm more of a The Fall guy lol
Who would have thought that forty-five years on from punk it was albums like Entertainment that would remain vital and contemporary. Or: 1980. Everyone wants to sound like the Sex Pistols (see US hardcore: Pistols sped up). Eighties and nineties: everyone wants to sound like the Jam or the Clash (white reggae excursions aside looking at you lots of Britpop and the Manics). Last thirty years: the most important bands from the punk/new wave era in terms of influence and bands actually wanting to sound like them: Wire and Gang of Four. In sixties terms then we can see GOF as The Velvet Underground in this scenario with the Jam, Clash and Pistols as Kinks, Stones and….well who were the Pistols? Whereas Wire’s songs were diverse GOF’s on Entertainment cleave to a restrictive template entirely in keeping with their politics. Slashing guitars, tight drumming and bass with a dried-out and sped-up funk tempo, and sloganeering vocals over the top. Elastica, Franz Ferdinand, Rakes and a billion other bands the sound you took from is here. What they didn’t take which makes GOF sound bang up to date is hardcore Marxism. There’s no personal insights, no obtuse metaphors or poetic phrases but political analysis: At Home He’s A Tourist (He fills his head with culture/he gives himself an ulcer) The problem of leisure/What to do for pleasure, Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen/The corpse is a new personality. These are lyrics that would make as much sense on a posterr. I wish I’d bought this on vinyl as the artwork carries all this into the visual arena: I spend most of my money on myself so I can stay fat/We’re grateful for his leftovers, the cowboy and indian sequence and so on. Streaming on Spotify is just not the same. Conceptual joke/situtationist artwork: this was released on EMI. And finally, in the scratchy textures and awkward corners there are nagging tunes and melodies. Not the kind to trouble Elton John or Billy Joel, but enough to have them in your head for a few days.
HL: "Not Great Men", "Damaged Goods", "5.45" 3.5 The caustic lyrics and catchy rhythms set this apart from otherwise similar post-punk bands I've listened to. January 4, 2023
I like quite a bit of it but it’s just not a 5/5 and I don’t know why it screams to me as something Id love but it’s still good.
Had what that clash album was missing
Really not my style, thought the whole thing sounded the same
fajne
Brilliant
Too dissonant for me.
Nothing special but nothing terrible.
Fantastic album. I got into Gang of Four about 3 decades late, but their jagged guitars and infectious licks are beguiling.
Not my cup of tea
Liked it a lot. Very epic guitar playing
Not very interesting.
New album to me but enjoyed it immensely
Didn’t enjoy this at all.
Damaged Goods is a banger! Fun album. Nice low-key punk rock.
- entirely new to me. Never heard of Gang of Four - Ether has “skipping” quality than grates my nerves - I have essentially no opinion. It really blended into the background as I listened. It may have been progressive at the time it came out, (and I appreciate that it was influential on others) but it just sounds like classic punk rock to me
Pleasant listen, refreshing compared to some other stuff.
good energy, love the flat nature, should have listened to more of the lyrics; excellent listen. need more early post-punk in my life.
New artist! Not for me! 1/5
I found this album quite the Entertainment! It's all a bit eggs, chips and beans but then that's punk I guess or post punk as it happens
One of my favorite albums. Andy Gill gets a lot of press as an unlikely guitar hero, but the rhythm section of Dave Allen and Hugo Burnham is seriously underrated. Dave Allen's bass makes you want to shake your ass while listening to heavy political lyrics about Maoist rebels in Latin America. Guerrilla war struggle is a new entertainment!
Really rough proto-punk
My first time with this one. (Though it’s been on my to-do list forever!) Great album cover. No bad songs. Unique sound. The closest comparison I can come up with is Wire circa Pink Flag. But where that feels more Art Rock or New Wave in essence, Gang of Four feels decidedly more Punk. And more cohesive and like the product of somebody’s political and personal vision or dream. The sound reminds me of Young Marble Giants, but louder and faster and more yelling. Great satire. Instrumentation is really unique. The backing vocals on the chorus of “Damaged Goods” takes what should have been the hit, sing-a-long moment of the album and puts it waaaaaay back in the mix. There are other moments like that, where instincts and inclinations are not only ignored but actively opposed. Really great content and lyrical subject matter. Yeah this is great. Best punk album we did this week! 5 stars!
Used to love these guys a few years ago, never got into much past this album but I've always loved it. Damaged Goods is a timeless song, for what it is I think the album itself is pretty timeless. Has a style that will never go out of fashion and they nailed every aspect.
this was a stunning album on first listen... so pointy, and almost unapproachable? I keep thinking about pointy towers and brutalist architecture when I hear this album. I gotta say that I enjoyed the lyrics as well... Never too on the nose for me, maybe it's in the delivery. I feel like I'lll return to this album. Great morning punk listen while buying groceries at the co-op! To quote Charlie, "I feel like this should be 4 stars, but I can't exactly point to why." 4/5!
This was new. Not familiar with Gang of Four but i liked it.
Lacks coherence of thread as an album. Some excellent singles.
Too long for an album that was innovative, but noisy rather then musical. Highly influential, much more so than most 'influential' albums, but overstays its welcome by about 10 to 15 minutes.
Really great.
Classic album
Nice old school punk
Good stuff
vähän voi voivottaa, punkki poikia mutta en tiiä kuule, ei ole tarpeeksi kaunista eikä tarpeeksi likaista... välimuoto... vituttaa... nohhh mitä tässä sanois lyriikka ei ei kelpaa. sensori ei tykkää tästä. ei tulisi stipendiä tästä teoksesta, jarmutusta kitaralla, ihan ok... mitäänsanomaton albumi... at homes hes a tourist
More loved than lovable, but still pretty great.
They were a good band adding to the sound from the late 70s. Yeah the album's not as good as the albums the Police or The Clash were putting out then - all those albums are 5s - but it's better than a lot of other decent albums from that era.
The scratchy guitar, combined with the bass and drums deliver such punch. And the lyrics you don't forget easily. It's a fantastic debut album. Too bad the band blocked efforts to make it more of a success.
I was never a fan of Punk, but post punk is another story, especially when it’s done well with intelligent (and intelligible) lyrics, good musicianship, and great hooks. Damaged Goods has always been a favourite of mine and over 50 years later it still kicks ass. A lot of folks say that this sounds a lot like the Killers, LCD Soundsystem, Wire, etc but I think they’ve got it backwards, THEY all sound like the OGs of this genre, The Gang of Four.
I wanted to like this. I was excited to listen to it. This sounds like a combination of The Clash & The Cure and not as good as either. I can't quite put my finger on why this is disappointing but it is.
Punk is usually a pass for me, but this album feels really well produced and less gritty. Perhaps this makes it less punk, but I like it.
This album fucks. Super tight, funky drums and bass and still-relevant leftist subject matter.
Sounded generic. Only track I remembered was 'Damaged Goods' because 'Your kiss so sweet Your sweat so sour' kind of get me some interesting images in my head. But it's just lyrics and not music itself. All songs sounded the same and also I felt like I heard it all before only with different words.
Dance and punk?
Super catchy, energetic punk greatness
Didn't do much for me...
Good wholesome shouty fun
One of my favourite albums, love it
Good stuff.
Great, hadn't listened before, enjoyed this! Damaged Goods was a stand out for me.
This album is meh. I think I enjoyed it a little more than the other punk albums, but I still didn't enjoy it too much. Would give it 1.5 stars if I could. Favorite song: Love like anthrax Worst song: Glass
Classic. One of post-punk's greats. Like Wire but catchier and funkier. Also, I've never heard anyone pronounce migraine as "mee-grain". Might have to give this a 1/5 because of that. Smh
Great stuff. "Damaged Goods" is a certified banger. The Clash meets Devo.
There’s early punk vibes and strong garage roots here in this utterly fantastic debut. Everything seems to coalesce together to make sure you’re actually having a great time while listening. High production considering the circumstances of this albums creation.
Other than the cool guitar production and some decent riffs, this is a very annoying album. The anti-melody approach to the vocals, the poor production of the other instruments and the lack of actual songwriting, with a long run time, just made this not that good of an album.
An album that, in the sea of post punk albums, sinks rather quickly and remains forgotten
Despite repeated listens I just couldn't get into this. I did have their follow-up album Solid Gold at one time and I seem recall that was much better. This was dull and plodding
Mycket go skate på ps2 feeling
tycker inte detta var så intressant
I was ok with this one, i have liked the other 70’s punk rock bands but this one was ok.
Awesome angsty post-punk. Lots of spiky riffs and shouted vocals. The music crackles with restlessness, sexual frustration and anti-establishment feelings — they really capture an energy. The songwriting is really strong too. Highlights: “Ether,” “Natural’s Not In It,” “Not Great Men,” “Damaged Goods,” “I Found That Essence Rare,” “Glass,” “5.45” (I like the theme of this one - how tv turns war into entertainment)
Cool overall sound that can be a little abrasive at times in a good way. Feels like some proto punk type of sound even though this was released in 1979 and probably just towards the end of proto punk. One thing I would have liked more was if they changed their sounds across the board across the album. It sounds like they recorded all of the vocals on the same day, in the same room, with the same energy level, etc etc. This is something I read once about Pearl Jam focusing on- like how they would intentionally change knobs / settings on guitar amps and move microphones even slightly just so that each song would get it's own kind of sonic placement within itself. I love the album cover and the words on it. Very interesting. Middle 3/5 for me.
Started strong with the first few beats....now I remember these guys!
Meh
Trendsetting new wave
One of the most brilliant and most influential albums of the 70s full of extraordinary songs and also a very recognisable hit (Damaged Goods). Great tracklist and impressive project!
Am into new wave, now called Post Punk but never like Gang of Four. Still 3 stars for the wonderful base play of Dave Allen, who later made the whole world happy with Shriekback
The band should be called 'Gang of Five,' because this album is five stars
Slightly dull punk, without any catchy hooks or interesting ideas
Listened Before? N Good solid album from post-punkers Gang of Four. I've never taken the time to listen to them before and I really enjoyed this one although I'm still a bit confused what separates punk from post-punk especially in the British sense. *shrug* Maybe just the poppier beats, but The Clash was big on those... Added to Library: N Songs added to playlist: Damaged Goods
Beetje gekke muziek kan ik wel waarderen. Dit is me toch net iets te rommeling. **
Very punk album but with a twist. The album has more of a rock feel and influences from other styles (dance? funk?) that makes it interesting enough. Not a fan of punk but this was a decent listen. Fans of punk will likely love it.
They're not a name that comes up all that often, but I really like this. Four stars for Gang of Four
This is a challenging listen, and given all the hype and genre defining work that's here... i was hoping that it would be a bit more "listenable". It's interesting, but there wasn't a song that i actually enjoyed. I was hoping to be a bit more engaged by this, but it unfortunately doesn't work for me.
As with the majority of punk music (everything other than Clash?), this is a bland and rather annoying to listen to album. The best thing about punk music is the world moving on.
Didn’t listen
Not for me. There were some great parts on the songs but it just felt chaotic without really any purpose for me. I zoned out after a few songs which already tells it did not really captivate me.
Tried listening to this album a few years ago and I didn't care for it. Listening again, the whole way through, something clicked with me. The beats are choppy, yet infectious, the songs are interesting and the guitar sound is amazing! I don't know what I was expecting previously, but this is music I should have been listening to. Really really enjoy this record and glad I gave it another go! Entertainment, yes!
Entertainment misses more than hits for me; has some annoying early new wave influences and a bunch of stuff that sounds like 2000s indie pop I didn't like either. Misses the edge it tries to carry, 2/5.
This is really good, and miles ahead of its time - if you don't listen too hard this could very easily be mid 2000s indie rock (a la Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand etc.). Don't think there's a huge amount of filler in this either, punchy, gritty not quite punk music. Top end of a 3/5, really enjoyed.
Damaged goods is such a great song !!!
Glad to have been made to listen, but I probably won’t revisit.
I can't truly forgive the way they pronounce "migraine" but that only slightly diminishes my enjoyment of this album. Gang of Four rocks hard without trying to do too much. I love how the instruments make space for each other, bouncing back and forth in a head bobbing polyrhythm.
Whiny. Amateur. Not bad, but not very listenable
Post punk, ok
Skipped my way through it
The album is epic. One I can listen to over and over and still find it interesting. Love the toned back detached sound.
For an album released in 1979, the music in this album is incredibly relatable to a modern audience. 90s pink, surf rock, and ska see their origins here. Strong bass lines and rhythmic distorted guitars are the hallmark of this album. It’s easy to see how exactly it has influenced modern music. Standout songs are Damaged Goods and I Found That Essence Rare.
a relisten for me. Haven't gone through the whole album for a while, but always love 'damaged goods' and 'i found that essence rare'. this is a definitive post punk album, each song captures that post punk sound - slashy guitar, gorgeous basslines and politically driven lyrics. The cover is really good too, perfect visual of what the album is all about. Very good album but i usually only come back to one or two songs, and there's a few that are filler. nonetheless, a very good album to introduce newbies to the post punk sound.
2.5
5/12, 42%
Vote labour
it would be nice to hear what gang of four would have to say about our new prime minister that has been thrust upon us by the old pensioners of kent. i don't think they'd be happy, but then who is? should have been SHACK for PM. he doesn't fool any indians.
A hugely successful gang bang with the lights on and all the children going wild for the wonderful spectacle on show. A roaring triumph glazed in a spicy cum sauce.
The musical equivalent of someone scared of wasps doing that half run/walk, flapping and turning their back up as they cower in public, nonsense. It looks so silly and brings me great joy.
Not much to my liking, with a typical Brit rock sound that doesn't pick my attention.
What happens when you can't play guitar? Well this apparently and most punk bands, so you can sound edgy and raw. I like this sound on a lot of emo albums.
This is great, and I'd never heard of them!
Gang of Four saw what was happening with the ever evolving musical landscape and thought "Maybe there shall be movement". Entertainment sees the band brandish their mission statement with intent and the urge to groove, with the angular spike of post-punk mingling with the funk flavors that flow through them. An essential album of the era and a statement only they could make. Favorites: Ether, Natural's Not In It, Not Great Men, Damaged Goods, I Found That Essence Rare, Contract, At Home He's a Tourist, Love Like Anthrax.
The whole day is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. Still lacking something though
Kind of grew on me. Still not my favorite type of music
Fine proto punk
Well it was entertaining, that’s for sure
I hadn't heard of this band before. They sound similar to other early punk bands to me.
Solid album, can see the influence it had, though not quite as strong as some other post-punk albums
This too is a classic punk album
Never got into Brit punk, and while this wasn’t bad, it wasn’t my favorite. Maybe a song once in a while, but the album started to sound the same every song
Was in the mood for this style of music and really enjoyed it.
Nice album. It looks like an essential album for the post-punk movement, but it's a little bit annoying sometimes due to the repetitiveness. Not perfect, enjoyable, and historically significant, so it deserves a 4-stars rate.
It’s, it’s not terrible. And I liked a lot of it but man is it for a particular time and vibe that I’m just not into
Sharp catchy riffs, great bass lines, variety in beats and no bs songwriting. Really ahead of it’s time. Was gonna say it’s a bit long but the last three tracks in Spotify are bonus so minus those it’s really well paced. Maybe I’ll finally get into post-punk if more albums are as good as this one.
Classic English post punk, good album. Feels slgihtly directionless and less emotive than some of Gang of Four's other stuff. "Damaged goods" is my highlihgt. "at home he's a tourist" is jokes too.
Decent punk rock. I liked the lyrics and some of the grooves but personally I like punk to go a little harder and with more energy. Just a personally taste thing
A seminal post-punk album. The combination of funk and staccato guitar has been much imitated since, but rarely done as well. Even rarer are bands that play this type of music and also have a pop sensibility. A classic.
Pretty good post punk/new wave album. Nothing stands out but I did like most of it.
This was a pretty fun listen. The lyrics were interesting and the drums were great. Not sure if ever listen again but there was a lot more happening musically than a lot of punk rock from this time.
I can see why it's significant even if it's not so much my thing!
I really like this album and band. Never heard of them before. It was a great suprise.
I really enjoyed this a lot especially the guitars. You can see how this band influenced so many others. It sounded like something I wish I heard more of today.
Another completely new thing to me. Punk. Okay. Punk-ish. The song *Natural's Not In It* could even be AltRock. This album could have been dropped in 2000 and kinda fit in with Jet, The Vines, and The Hives. Okay. Maybe that's a stretch but whatever. What I type here doesn't really matter. Fuck conformity and fuck the establishment. I am not a punk rock fan, but this was really good. I did not expect to like this as much as I did. oh and fuck the hippies too. Favorite song: Damaged Goods.
Gang of Four is right up my alley....This is my Saturday get shit done around the house type of music. I was only 4 when this album came out and so I really missed this wave for the most part. at that time if it wasn't on MTV I didn't hear it. There were glimpses and whispers. Now in my late 40's I get it.
Ik vond het weinig entertaining op zo'n zomerse dag.
Aangezien ik 1 nummer van deze plaat al kende, begon ik vol goede moed, maar helaas was het toch niet heel spannend allemaal.
Mjah, niet met veel aandacht geluisterd. Maar wat ik hoorde, was matig.
Zelfs bij 41 graden in de file was dit nog goed te doen!
Iets te eighties. Best leuke nummers, maar die manier van zingen ken ik nu wel.
Haven’t listened to a lot of post punk, very cool to hear the inspiration for more modern punk
Never heard this before but definitely see how this was influential. Not really a punk fan but I enjoyed the listen. Solid 3 stars.
The first three songs use the exact same rhythm and really blend together into one long song. By “Return the Gift” we start to hear some better diversity but in the very next track half way through we’re back to the exact same sound. Not enough diversity throughout the album. It became quite boring
Liked it. Can't remember any of it.
Not for me.
This was very good, refreshing. 3 stars.
A few good tracks but a lot of it sounds too similar
I remember when magazines used to do their occasional Top 100 albums of all time, when I'd go through the list and count how many I had. Generally I had a pretty good return in the Top 20, by the time it was into the 40s it was a lower percentage and after 50 it was more sporadic. I can always remember getting to 'Entertainment', which was usually around the mid-50s and noting that I'd never heard this band and didn't know anything about them. When I finally got around to listening to it, in my mid-late 30s, I couldn't believe that I'd missed out on this for so long. It's the sort of album I should have had in my collection since my teens. I saw them in Brisbane and they were amazing. I was going to see them again the following day at Soundwave but their stage was already running really late even by mid-afternoon and so I decided I needed to head back to the main stage for Slayer, which I regret. I was going to go see them in Brisbane again a few years ago but it got rescheduled from Feb or March to November and I was over in japan when they played but in Japan in the wrong weeks to see them there. I got offered an interview with Andy Gill and snapped it despite not being able to go to the show. It went through scores of interviews and it was so hard coming up with questions that he hadn't already been asked, even when I thought I had something that was more obscure. The interview was great, one of those you can't really believe is happening and where it felt like a very natural conversation and you could have kept going long after the 20 minutes. Whenever I open Skype, he's still there in my contacts on screen, which always makes me feel really sad.
Certainly is.
Aside from Damaged Goods I found this just annoying - not one for me.
Early punk kind of reminiscent of the Ramones with the bouncy guitar riffs. I think this might be the band that does the theme song for the show Misfits but I could be wrong. Good album, fun listen and energetic, would be great driving music.
This is the sound of a dystopian Thatcherite nuclear winter - the sound of an sinking Argentinian destroyer and the soundtrack to that future striking coal mining automatons would funky dance to. To me subjectively this is an awesome album - influential to me on a musician level and most of my favorite musicians probably count this band as an influence. Lovely.
"Entertainment!" is the debut album from the Leeds' band Gang of Four. Credited as one of the first post-punk bands and encorporating funk, Dance, Reggae and Dub. Their music is very much unique: a very aggressive, angular guitar with an idiosyncratic rhythm. The guitarist, at times, almost sounds like each note he plays is giving him an electric shock. The closest musical comparison I can think of is a weirder version of Devo if that's possible. The lyrics are politically far left - Situationism, feminism, theory of alienation on personal life and commodification. I obviously had to look up three of these four ideologies. Given all this, this makes for one heck of an interesting and orginal listen. "Ether" starts things off with a weird time signature from the rhythm section and that angular, aggressive guitar which almost sounds like a gun. Which is interesting, since the song is about internment (basically imprisonment) of the IRA by the British. "Damaged Goods" is the one song I've heard the most from this album. It has great driving guitar and dance beat. Undoubtedly, Bloc Party was listening. Supposedly about the effect of capitalism on a relationship. OK. A similar sounding song "I Found That Essence Rare" states that the worst thing about the 1950's were bikinis and is actually a reference to the H-bomb testing on Bikini Island. A great example of that guitar sounding like it's giving the guitarist an electric shock is "At Home He's a Tourist." Great bass line and rocking end too. I forgot how different sounding this album was/is. A pleasure going back to this one and especially hearing their influence on some future bands.
Beaucoup de stock intéressant ici. C’est comme un Talking Head plus irrévérencieux et moins talentueux. Le guitariste ... ... J’imagine que c’est lui qui joue l’Harmonium sur « It’s her factory »... « At Home He’s a tourist » est tout de même un classique du New Wave. J’irai probablement écouter le reste de ce que le band a produit.
Excellent, particulièrement Damaged Goods. Une belle découverte.
Entertaining!
Very punkish kind of post-punk. Very enjoyable, the bass lines are very good. All the songs sounds alike, but I liked the album nonetheless.
Doesnt feel that original now, but at the time I guess they were pioneer of the punk genre. Great album, but all songs felt a bit the same. I liked it, but I'm still really attached to others bands in Punk/Post-Punk.
Very good post-punk album, but unfortunately, nothing particularly hooked me up and it won't fit into my genre classics.
Disjointed jangling with no traces of actual songs or melodies.
Oh god it's more late 70s UK punk. At 600+ albums, this project ruins my morning almost every day. It's never anything good. Sometimes I wonder if the author's central goal here was to try and prove that the UK was just as cool as the US. But I'm not from either so I can judge fairly: UK music pisses me off 99% of the time, US only mildly annoys me. US wins. 2/5.
Ugh, nope
Pretty solid easy listening
Banger of a punk album
Slaps, will listen again
Didn’t listen that closely but really liked and would listen again
Could have swore they were saying "please send me emails on weekends" on 'Return the Gift' which is actually super punk but nothing else really stood out for me.
Gives me punk rock vibes and little bit of weezer. The guitar work is solid. Doesn’t really stick with me though. Maybe a couple more listens but I’ve started this album multiple times now and the second half kinda blends together besides love like anthrax. Fav tracks: ether, not great men Least fav: none
I was aware Gang of Four existed, but didn't know anything about them and had never listened to any of their stuff. Sounds like it was groundbreaking then - a little dated now. But I enjoyed listening to this - they have their own sound.
I've a couple of these, I've from a cover done by one of my favourite bands. Decent enough 3/5, maybe a 4.
Very good traditional punk album from a band I've never heard of.
Solid punk music.
Punky
ok. didnt rock my world
This is pretty great but will need a bit more brain power to fully comprehend. Faves: Natural's Not In It, Not Grat Men, Damaged Goods.
couldn't hold my attention. skipped to damage goods, and was underwhelmed. totally understand how this inspired music i like today, but it's not my cup of tea
I can hear a lot of modern bands in this. Sounds like they would fit in with any time period between 1980 and 2000. Heavy Clash vibes
Nice sound and interesting enough but it’s too long
A punk? post-punk? masterpiece. Must-listen. Sick basslines, incredible riffs and great lyrics. 10/10 1. Natural's Not in It 2. Ether 3. 5:45
Rock clásico. Sin grandes estridencias. Suena un tanto a "antiguo" sin serlo tanto. Destacan guitarras y batería, sin más
This music is not for me. Sorry.
Well, this certainly is a reasonable representative of its genre. It just isn't my genre. I did find a line in it that quite described how I felt listening to it: "How can I sit and eat my tea? With all that blood flowing from the television"
Umm...well...okay. It was fine. It didn't find it challenging to listen to...well, maybe I found the last track somewhat challenging. I also didn't find it life-changing in anyway. I am just going to leave this Gang of Four here.
Zipped through this four times today. Fun!
I wasn’t crazy about the thought of post-punk… why? No good reason. I started this up with a negative attitude. Fortunately Gang of Four is pretty great and melted all that away quite quickly. I very much enjoyed bopping along to this. Clever lyrics, great songs… Glad to have my preconceptions dispelled!
Tight, distinctive, economic. Great bass that's used like a counterpunctual rhythm guitar. Cryptic and unusual lyrics. Brilliant stuff.. there are a couple of songs that wash over...but I like this a great deal. Solid 4.
not for me
I like the energy but nothing much else. Found it tough to get through.
Cool and edgy, sharp and angular, jagged and argumentative – this sounds exactly like politically engaged music should sound. One can hear its influence (even if one wonders whether the influencees are fully aware of the actual influencers.) It gets to feeling a little one-note after a time, but this is a band/record to know for sure, and a clear marker of a cultural moment. 3.2 for 3.
felt like expired canned goods.
Ironic this album should be called 'Entertainment!' because it provided almost no entertainment value whatsoever. Okay, thats a little harsh. Repetitive and grating to start, this album got off on a bad foot, but I think it grew on me over time.
OK,
I liked it, cool vibes. Wasn't that impactful though, didn't leave me wanting more. It was fine and that's fine for today.
2.5
envie de sauter partoutttt par contre on se passe de la deuxième moitié
No lo recomiendo mucho
Very happy to have discovered Gang of Four
Dance punk!
I really like this band despite not really being super into punk and generally finding it quite stressful. I hadn't heard of them before and I did find some of the tracks on this album fun! I didn't come out of listening super stressed and I could appreciate some of the elements. The singing voice actually isn't making me anxious and it's quite nice and nostalgic somehow. I'm pleasantly surprised but I wouldn't pick it out to listen to in future.
I actually really enjoyed this and it was a total Friday vibe when I listened to it. Luke was very happy to have it on it the flat - apparently a big thing for him a uni. Really loved the fun punk vibes and would listen again
I love it. Gang of Four are great. I don't really listen to them by choice a lot but they are so deep rooted in my favourite genres that Spotify plays them to me all the time and I'm always happy with that.
Good overall punk/post-punk album.
It's hard for me to adequately convey the impact this album had on me when it came out. I was about 18 or 19 when I first heard this album. I was just coming out if my prog rock high school days and was ready for a new sound that got my ass moving as well as my mind. I had never heard anything like this before. A rhythm section that demanded attention...that grabbed hold and would simply not let go. Stabbing guitar that was more color and mood than lead instrument. And the singing...real English accents that I found so damn charming. This album and Wire's first three were at the centre of a musical epiphany for me that 40 years later continues to shape my musical tastes. 5 🌟 (I'd give it 6 if I could)
Out of 325 albums suggested on this platform it really feels like 300 of them are 70s/80s era punk rock. Maybe I need to hear this many albums that all sound the same before I die, but it's grating on me. 8 minutes in and I'm longing for something less repetitive. If the entire album is this formulaic 50 minutes and 39 seconds is going to feel like a lifetime...
Punk rock
Great stuff
Belle découverte! Une énergie punk qui n’empêche pas une certaine sophistication des riffs et grooves.
a bit weird at times, but i dig some songs. might need another listen though
Like Beck and the Beastie Boys had a British baby who played punk techno weddings and made up the lyrics to their songs on the spot. Didn't hate it.
Almost good.
Fuck the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There you are, the Gang of Four, making one of the truly great deconstructions of the rock album with Entertainment!, and a bunch of conceited blowhards with no heart strip your angular, provocative funk-punk for parts and use it solely to score smack and ass, and as a horrific bonus begat Crazy Town. So yes, this album is a standout masterpiece of post-punk, a genre admittedly littered with standout masterpieces. With this, we have one of the most overtly political albums of the period, a late-Marxist synthesis of Brecht, Gramsci, Marcuse (the "repackaged sex keeps your interest" refrain summarises his later philosophy in five words) and Situationism. This radicalism extends to the music, where the instrumentation is egalitarian, with the consequence being to boost the bass (thus making it as funky as all fuck) and streamline the guitar (making it as sharp as all fuck). To appreciate this fully, it helps if you know what commodity fetishism and false consciousness mean, but if you just dance as jerkily as possible to this, you should love this. You should love this anyway. The allied group Delta 5's Marxist-flavoured Mind Your Own Business were recently used to advertise Apple, and as I already mentioned, the awful RHCPs nicked the Go4's innovations and hawked them in a meaningless, bastardised manner. This is an example of not only Marcuse's despair that capitalism subsumes everything, but Baudrillard's jest of how all this is just the free interplay of signs. By the by, I am not a Marxist.
Eh, it's okay. Early songs are not doing it for me. Still okay.
Getting this the day after The The’s “Soul Mining” is a great 1-2 hit of British post punk from the generator. “Entertainment” is one of those universally lauded albums of its genre I’ve never made the time for, so it’s been quite a journey getting to know it. It’s a frenetic, disarming listen where the energy never lets go. It’s almost a cliche to say “wow it was only 1979, jeez they were ahead of their time”… but it’s impossible to shake the feeling that “Entertainment” could be released in 2022 and fit right into the post-punk landscape today. A lot of this is down to the talents of the band themselves: Andy Gill’s guitar hooks are jagged, abrasive, angular. All rhythm, no lead (just occasional howling feedback where any other band may throw in a glossy solo). Riffs and rhythm parts are frequently start-stop and staccato, and vocals are barked out in a manner that perfectly suits the backing. Very few notes are left to ring out, perfectly serving the spiky, punchy feel. Hugo Burnham’s drums help to drive the songs home- listen for the hi-hat and cymbals in tracks like “Natural’s Not In It” or “Love Like Anthrax” to hear they’re used sparingly, adding to the cold starkness of the production. Above all though, Dave Allen’s bass is the hero of “Entertainment”. It introduces the world to the band’s sound on “Ether” and remains in the foreground throughout: all the bass lines are good but “Contract” and “Damaged Goods” in particular deserve special mentions. The songs themselves veer between oblique despair of the state of the world (pitched perfectly in “Not Great Men” and “Guns Before Butter”) and total high-octane mania (“Natural’s Not In It”, “Damaged Goods”, “I Found That Essence Rare”… all triumphs of manic energy). Very occasionally, it’s a little much to stomach, and it would have been nice to either get a change of pace or more of the accessible end showcased so well in “Damaged Goods”. But really, that’s my own preference: the more time I’ve spent with this album, the more it’s won me over and it could very easily become a 5 star once it settles in. And gee whizz, 1979…
3.6 - The one word I’d use to describe this record would be “effective.” The instrumentation is spare. The guitar is punchy with non-stop riffs, sometimes dissonant and jagged. The vocals and lyrics are clear and the songs provide social and political commentary that’s easily discernible. This record would be spinning at an independent record store and I’d think to myself, “this sounds cool, I should ask the clerk what it is.” But then I’d forget to.
Fun punk album. Less aggressive than some of its contemporaries.
There's too much punk in this list of albums 😮💨
5/5. Oh yeah 🤘
Haha damn, man, I feel like this has to be the most popular genre on this list. Seems like every other album is a British punk-rock band. I'm trying to give it a fair shake but finding it a bit tough admittedly.
Le lien Tidal n'est pas le bon, mais l'album est bien présent sur la plateforme (https://tidal.com/album/72601257). Wow, quel coup de coeur pour moi. Certaines pièces m'étaient familières, peut-être entendues dans des playlists. J'aime comment la basse prend de la place pour développer les mélodies. C'est minimal aussi dans les arrangements, mais tout est là pour que ça reste accrocheur. Pièce préférée: Damaged Goods
Lyrics are a bit clunky at times, not something I'd come back to listen to again but done well enough
Good album. Nothing amazingly good but nothing bad. Right in the middle.
This has a cool punk funk groove. The vocals aren’t great but I do think that it fits the vibe of the album overall