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Driving their guitar spangles and jangled lyrics into the new wave morass of the early '80s, Gang of Four hoped to spin magic one more time with their 1983 swan song. The last studio album the band recorded before it disintegrated in 1984, Hard came under fire from critics and fans alike, both camps skewering this foray into lighter, more dance-oriented territory, screaming bloody sellouts and death-of-our-heroes up and down the streets, without once stopping to see the album for what it really was. Yes, it's true that, by 1983, the band had abandoned the bite and saliva that drove its once politically fraught lyrics. Yes, it's also true that this album snaked out into smoother-edged waters than previous efforts; that Jon King and Andy Gill had grown up a little. But really, after the sexed-up disco of the preceding Songs of the Free's "I Love a Man in Uniform," which proved to be one of 1982's biggest club hits, where exactly did one go next? Hard, of course. Packed with relatively fluffy dance songs -- "Woman Town," "A Man With a Good Car," and the hyper ballad "Is It Love" -- Gang of Four were not so much selling out as catering to a new breed of fans who had little time to worry about the desiccation of society but would sure as hell shake their money-makers to songs whose lyrics danced about the periphery. Sellout? Sure. But that really depends on what side of the split you're looking. Hard lost the band most of its pure-bred fans, but still managed to let plenty more get their ya-yas out to something a little cooler than the pap-driven pop that littered the clubs like brittle bones.
© Amy Hanson /TiVo
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Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Ron Albert, Producer, Produced by - Howard Albert, Producer, Produced by - Gang of Four, MainArtist - Andrew Gill, Composer, Producer, Produced by - Jonathon King, Composer, Producer, Produced by
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd
Album review
Driving their guitar spangles and jangled lyrics into the new wave morass of the early '80s, Gang of Four hoped to spin magic one more time with their 1983 swan song. The last studio album the band recorded before it disintegrated in 1984, Hard came under fire from critics and fans alike, both camps skewering this foray into lighter, more dance-oriented territory, screaming bloody sellouts and death-of-our-heroes up and down the streets, without once stopping to see the album for what it really was. Yes, it's true that, by 1983, the band had abandoned the bite and saliva that drove its once politically fraught lyrics. Yes, it's also true that this album snaked out into smoother-edged waters than previous efforts; that Jon King and Andy Gill had grown up a little. But really, after the sexed-up disco of the preceding Songs of the Free's "I Love a Man in Uniform," which proved to be one of 1982's biggest club hits, where exactly did one go next? Hard, of course. Packed with relatively fluffy dance songs -- "Woman Town," "A Man With a Good Car," and the hyper ballad "Is It Love" -- Gang of Four were not so much selling out as catering to a new breed of fans who had little time to worry about the desiccation of society but would sure as hell shake their money-makers to songs whose lyrics danced about the periphery. Sellout? Sure. But that really depends on what side of the split you're looking. Hard lost the band most of its pure-bred fans, but still managed to let plenty more get their ya-yas out to something a little cooler than the pap-driven pop that littered the clubs like brittle bones.
© Amy Hanson /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:23
- Main artists: Gang Of Four
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Rhino - Warner Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
© 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US ℗ 1983 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Gang Of Four under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd for world excluding US and Canada and (P) 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company for US
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