THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

Gang Of Four's Seminal Debut Available AgainMay 17 From Rhino Records

March 24 2005
LOS ANGELES --

Rhino Records rights a cultural crime by re-releasing Gang Of Four's debut album, ENTERTAINMENT!, on May 17. The reissue supplements the groundbreaking 1979 album's 12 original tracks with eight previously unreleased and rare recordings. Out of print for eight years, ENTERTAINMENT! will once again be available

In addition to the original album's 12 tracks, the ENTERTAINMENT! reissue includes the Yellow EP (two U.K. singles and their B-sides combined as a 12" EP for American audiences) and four previously unreleased cuts. Fans will be thrilled to hear early alternate versions of "Guns Before Butter" and "Contract" that offer a look at the way the band developed its songs.

Two live tracks round out the CD, capturing Gang Of Four in concert at their peak. "Blood Free" was never recorded in the studio, and live versions of it are so scarce that the band members themselves didn't recognize the song when they first heard the tape. A rollicking live rendition of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" shows Gang Of Four's love of heart of rock 'n' roll, undercutting the misperception of the band as dour Marxists.

Few groups can claim to have influenced as many other artists as Gang Of Four. Listen to Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, The Futureheads, or a dozen other hot bands today and you'll hear a heavy debt to Leeds' own Gang Of Four. In the 26 years since its original release, ENTERTAINMENT! has been recognized by critics, musicians, and music fans as a stunningly original work. Strident vocals, jagged guitars, and funky, halting rhythms were combined with incisive lyrics dissecting human interactions to mount an aural assault that remains irresistibly persuasive.

Gang Of Four have re-formed with all four original members (Jon King, vocals; Andy Gill, guitar, vocals; Dave Allen, bass; and Hugo Burnham, drums) for the first time in 23 years and are touring the U.S. in May, including a stop at the world-famous Coachella Music Festival in California on May 1.

In addition to the expanded CD reissue of ENTERTAINMENT!, Rhino Vinyl will reissue the original album on 180-gram HQ vinyl on May 10.

ENTERTAINMENT!