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Rating:
The shift imposed on Gang of Four post-Solid Gold wasn't the same, fortunate one that led bands like Talk Talk or, more generally in the mainstream realm, Tears for Fears in the '80s to successfully reinvent themselves (just think of the refined jazz pop of Spirit of Eden and the Brit-soul of The Seeds of Love).
With the departure of a key element of that brilliant post-punk from the late '70s, namely bassist Dave Allen, something breaks. The Gang of Four of '82, despite relying on three equally strong personalities: John King on words, Andy Gill on guitar, and Hugo Burnham on drums, can no longer replicate the glories of Entertainment and Solid Gold. Not that Sara Lee, who takes over on bass for this Songs of the Free, was just a newcomer.
The third chapter of the most politically engaged band from Leeds is a strange experiment that, on the one hand, tries to maintain the rough and argumentative atmospheres of its predecessors, while on the other hand, it offers surprising roundness and lightness, especially in terms of sounds and vocal arrangements.
Already in the opener "Call me up," one is confronted with a more settled and predictable idea of a song that has nothing to do with the erratic glitches of the debut: regular bass, panoramic backing vocals, extremely stretched guitar. In short, compared to the diptych, there's less drive.
By the second track, you already know that the loyal fans of the first two albums have moved on to something else and that perhaps the GOF can engage with a new audience. Indeed, I Love a Man in Uniform is a stunning track: uptempo, danceable, singable. A disco track you wouldn't expect from those who wrote post-punk masterpieces like "To Hell with Poverty" and "Damaged Goods".
If for a moment you think that the GOF wanted to throw everything to the wind, you also hope, at the very least, that everything remains at the levels of Man in Uniform. And fortunately, Songs of the Free contains other good tracks. Like I Will Be a Good Boy, for example, with melodica and Gill's voice in the foreground, the more upbeat "We Live as We Dream, Alone," and the echoes à la Frankie Goes to Hollywood of the final "Of the Instant." We are, however, already in the new-wave realm.
In conclusion: not an epochal album like the first two but a nice prelude to the upcoming new wave (which will be confirmed by the subsequent "Hard"). The proof of dealing with some bright minds is still there. Simply put, as I said before, something has broken. And trying to repair it doesn't completely eliminate the cracks.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Call Me Up (03:40)
Call me up, If I'm home
Don't say too much, I might be upset
Let us agree to differ
We're consumed by competition
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Call me up, if I'm alone
I don't like to spend too much time on my own
I need to have diversion
Consume me with a new passion
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
We are all in competition
Better move fast gobble up your dinner
Take a tip - get hip!
It's not so bad in the promised land
It's not so bad in the promised land
It's not so bad in the promised land
How do I fill my days?
A force called "Hard Cash" moves my feet
We are all in competition
It's the one thing that is simple
We are all in competition
It's not so bad in the promised land
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Children of the pleasure culture
Who must be grateful for what we've got
Happy smiles in sunny climes
So don't upset the ice-cream cart
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
Having fun is my reason for living
(Give me a break)
09 Of the Instant (04:57)
Who owns what you do?
Who owns what you use?
This land is your land
This land is my land
Right now to touch flesh is real
Let us think only of the instant
There was something that I can't remember
Did you say "I've had enough"?
We are in a happy state
It all comes to those who wait
While others plot the fate of nations
We spent the afternoons in an embrace
Somehow, you can't block it out
The bitter taste of interference
We still try to construct the difference
The space between a word and its sense
We, it seems, can own ourselves
In imagination
Then you say, we make our own world
Not everyone takes what they are given
If we believe what we are saying
We have the chance to include ourselves out
Who owns what you do?
Who owns what you use?
Then you say, we make our own world
Not everyone takes what they are given
There was something that I can't remember
Did you say "I've had enough"?
There was something that I can't remember
We have the chance to include ourselves out
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