3. Gang Of Four - Entertainment
Oh dear, it wasn't that long ago that I called Gang Of Four the most overrated post punk band on this very forum and here I am faced with having to listen to Entertainment in it's entirety. The last time I listened to this album I said it was like being beaten over the head with a flagpole with a red flag on it while someone repeatedly shouts 'We're socialists you know' right into your ear for over an hour.
Still, look on the bright side. At least I don't have to review a Chumbawumba album like being beaten over the head with a flagpole with a red flag on it while someone repeatedly shouts 'We're socialists you know' right into your ear for over an hour while standing in dog sh
it.
I have slightly mellowed my stance on the band since then. Helped by seeing them play an awesome version of 'At Home He's a Tourist' on the Old Grey Whistle Test in a 'Post Punk at the BBC' thing late one night on BBC4. Let's focus on the positives then.
Before I do this I should point out I'm only going to listen to the 12 songs that the album was originally released with and not the CD or downloadable versions which include 20 songs.
The first thing you'll notice hearing this album is you'll hear exactly where Franz Ferdinand stole both their guitar sound and every single idea they ever had for that matter. After a so so start the groove of 'Not Great Men' is the first real highlight of the album. The downside is I'm not confident they can sustain that for another 7 songs until I get to the one I want to hear.
Sadly it is all rather predictable, lots of uptempo drumming, angular jerky guitars, that thing English punk singers do when they sing like they have their tongues pushing their bottom lip out & doing an impression of talking like a spastic (See Paul Simonen for further details).
It's all very energetic, grooves along great but after a while it just becomes samey. the beat doesn't really slow down or speed up, every guitar riff sounds the same as the last save for a tiny variation. And as for the vocals, they give the word monotone a whole new meaning. I know monotone vocals were the 'in' thing in during the era this was released in but get angry, get upset, get emotional over something for God sake, if only to give it some variety.
At least when I get to the 6th song (which was back then would be the first song on Side 2) things pick up slightly with 'I Found That Essence Rare' which has less of the jerky guitar & funk bass & drums and more melody & almost a singable chorus. Even the next song 'Glass' owes more to 1976 style punk than it's post variety and is all the better for it. Sadly after that 'Contact' carries on as if those 2 songs never happened and we get much the same as before.
Next up is 'At Home He's a Tourist' so I'm just going to turn this up really loud and enjoy it....
That's better, what's next.
Oh this is interesting '5.45' seems to have a melodica in it or some sort of instrument, you know .. one of those blowly pianos. the song isn't bad either as it's a little slower than all the others, not much but enough to notice. The start of 'Anthrax' is so chaotic & noisy I expect Mark E Smith to walk out at any moment & start singing something off Fall Heads Roll. I was rather enjoying this sonic cacophony of guitar feedback until it stops suddenly when the vocals kick in a making it sound like most of the other songs. the final song does nothing really to persuade me to change my mind much more than it already had.
On the whole I still don't think it's the amazing album it's supposed to be. I can listen to Gang of Four at sporadic times but a whole album is too much and by the end I'm kind of glad I can put something else on instead.
This would have made a great E.P. but at 53 mins it's just far too long.