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GANG OF FOUR
100 Flowers Bloom
FEW ROCK BANDS can lay claim to more than a shred of originality, much less to inventing a sub-genre, but Leeds, England, quartet Gang Of Four obtained an early copyright on metallic-edged martial punk-funk that by all rights should still be raking in the franchise royalties. (Just ask Fugazi.) A shotgun wedding of brittle, tension-wire guitar riffs, declamatory (sometimes to the point of mantric) lyrical polemics, teeth-rattling dub bass excursions and minimalist, surprisingly precise drumming, GO4 appeared at the perfect time, issuing its debut single in '78 right when anarchy-minded punks were turning into ineffectual cartoons and prior to the post-punk movement's slow death by synths. This two-CD overview contextualizes, via LP tracks, a handful of demos and remixes and a wealth of live recordings, just how incendiary, not to mention booty-shaking, the band was. The live version of "What We All Want" is enough to convert the non-believer: It's as jaggedly raw as a Stooges bootleg, as propulsively danceable as a Prince concert track, and as hypnotic (listen to the serpentine lead guitar) as a field recording of Moroccan street musicians. And the studio material reveals a staggering degree of sophistication; "I Love A Man In Uniform," despite its anti-authoritarian punk-rock stance, features sound effects, dub production tricks, and female vocals that are part gospel choir and part Greek chorus. "Two steps forward/six steps back," chants the Gang in the '79 classic "At Home He's A Tourist," possibly predicting its own inevitable fate as the early '80s gave way to less edgy, more commercial pop sounds. Following lineup changes the band split in '84, reemerging briefly in the early '90s with a couple of decent but uneven albums. Just the same, that pair of forward paces represented a huge stride. --Fred Mills
R.E.M.
Up
AFTER THE SONIC boom of Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the now drumless R.E.M. turns in a set of 14 atmospheric, moody, and melodic tunes that only occasionally breaks a sweat. Always glad to turn a quirky phrase ("opposing thumb, dorsal fin/that monkey died from my grin"; "I'll be pounce pony/phony maroney/pony before the cart"), Michael Stipe delivers lyrics that head straight to the heart of the new zeitgeist. The narrator of "Daysleeper," for instance, is a technogeek whose "ocean machine is set to 9," while other songs touch on genetic engineering, plate tectonics, Pacific Rim economics, and urban ennui--impossibly heady fare for most pop songsters, but hardly out of the ordinary for the cerebral Stipe and company. It all makes for fine late-night listening, if not good dancing. --Gregory McNamee
DICTATORS
Live: New York, New York
THE DICTATORS WERE the East Coast answer to Iggy and the Stooges. Formed in 1974, this quintet of brawny, pre-punk Noo Yawkers body slammed their rivals with equal amounts heavy-metal depth charge and go-fuck-yourself street punk attitude, also melding junk culture-wrestling, TV, booze, fast food and bimbos into the mix. Recorded live at the Ritz in 1981, the Dictators pay homage to their primary influences by covering the Velvet Underground ("What Goes On"), the Stooges ("Search and Destroy") and Mott The Hoople ("Moon Upstairs"). Led by bad boy/wrasslin' fanatic and irrepressible singer Handsome Dick Manitoba, with unsung guitar wizard Ross "The Boss" Funicello, the 'Tators were too metal to be called punk and too punk for all the pre-CBGB's hair shakin' headbangers. The 'Tators were the quintessential street-wise heavy rock band. Examine the cocksure, tough-as-nails lyrics to "New York, New York" (not the schmaltzy Sinatra standard) for proof: The band bashes its way across the stage and Manitoba provides boisterous comic relief with mock-insulting banter directed at his adoring audience. Originally released on cassette only (also on the ROIR label), this newly remastered version includes three previously unreleased live tracks recorded in the late '80s (the details are sketchy) in sizzling 'Tators fashion. A must-have for all high-school kids studying Punk Rock 101. --Ron Bally |
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