Gang of Four was one of my favorite bands in the 80's, along with Joy Division, The Fall, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. But the 'Gang' was very different from those other bands, mixing punk and funk rock... I love it!
That is the Shite... sacrificed many a brain cell experiencing their tunes and still not more than a half a brick short of a full load thirty years later. They are one of the bands that helped form my current world view. Thanks Gof4, always BRILLIANT!
Saw this in Atlanta live around this time period, small club, standing right next to the stage. Dude on left side of stage was hitting what looked like a block of wood, it was wrapped with duct tape (we were in the south) I was 2' away.
I always laugh imagining them at sound-check on this one....."Hello...oh, could we get a little more of that stick in the side fills please?" Brilliant tune.
"Striking speaker with drumstick" is probably the tamest way Jon keeps the beat while performing this song. Other live performances of "He'll Send In the Army" on CZcams have him taking a hammer to a folding chair, a 2-by-4 to a television set, and a baseball bat to a microwave.
How they take this song from chaotic atonal dissonance between 1:09 and 1:22, and at 1:23 all four of them, as if communicating telepathically, NAIL IT, FULL POWER, at 1:23 IS OFF THE CHAIN!!!!!!!!!!! The mark of a TRULY GREAT BAND!
OMG I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.! I THOUGHT I SAW THIS BAND AT THE METRO IN CHICAGO A FEW YEARS LATER LIKE 1986? I DONT REMEMBER FOR SURE ITS BEEN A LONG TIME....
Stunning guitar work. Exquisite harshness. If only the ownership mess preventing the DVD release of "Urgh! A Music War" were cleared up. That film is PACKED with great post punk performances.
Great band, threatening a little reunion...finally! Lots of underrated, influential bands from the period, like, among many, Pere Ubu. Just came from the wrong town, and Dave Thomas wasn't photogenic. Still, like Gang of Four, largely unsung and hugely influencial. Thanks for uTube.
Live - the ONLY way to hear this ripping song...this clip was my first introduction to seeing what Gang of Four looked like (courtesy or Urgh!) - thanks for posting it! So cool to see Dave Allen, Jon King, and Andy Gill all take a turn at the mike...
I saw the Gang Of Four play at Irving Plaza in New York around 1981 or 82. Don't remember the year exactly. Anyway, the opening support band for them was REM. No one knew who REM was at the time and I never became a fan of that group, but when they became big at least I could say I saw them live. The G of 4 put on a great show. Probably the best live band I ever saw.
The notes from 1:21 to 1:24 are fantastic. Last time I saw Go4, Jon King was beating a microwave with an aluminum bat instead of a cabbage case with a drumstick.
Saw em at the start of the year while waiting for Pennywise to come out, I say that because I didn't know who they were at the time. All I can say is they are one of the best live acts I've ever seen. The way they were throwing themselves and instruments around the stage was incredible.
I saw Go4 in the early 80's at a place called the Wax Museum in Washington DC. They made music sound like noise, and noise sound like music. No one's been able to do it better. The precision it must take to convey the impression of haphazardness is hard to grasp.
Just checked out steel pole bathtub. Thanks for the tip. The Nirvana and, especially, Mudhoney influence is clear. Still, I like 'em. Alls i'm saying is; don't damn Kurt because he chose the route he chose.
well, they are underrated....unfortunately...I reckon they are the most underrated and yet most influential band ever. If I only had to have one band in the world...they would be it
@Plasticsoul I'm convinced that Gang Of Four is one of the main influences that led to Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello's innovative guitar technique.
@scoobyjenkins My sentiments exactly. My whole point being its not the guitar that makes the song, its pretty much everything else, with attitude being crucial for Gang-Of-Four. No beef against the band, actually like them a lot, I just appreciate educated and insightful analysis of what makes a band unique. When I read "haphazardly,and messy" it does a big injustice to the band and what makes them great. That's all.
It disappoints me that Gang of Four couldn't leave it at here. I mean Entertainment and Solid Gold were almost perfect articles of punk and energy. The 2005 reunion is only a cut above the fucking John Lydon butter commercial, but I guess everyone needs to earn a living. This just seems so much more punk than any Ramones/Sex Pistols/Clash anything ever. It's furious, intelligent, focused.
REM had also been their opening act at The Left Bank in Mt. Vernon NY. It was the first I had ever heard of REM, but was familiar with the *other* bands from Athens, GA. I had also seen Go4 at The Ritz in NYC, and the opening act was Pylon (an Athens GA band as well). The Left Bank show might have been the last one with Dave Allen on bass (it was close to that time that he left).
@thenewfella1994 Thanks for the input. So, maybe there are lists I just haven't come across, but generally the talk of that era surrounds bands like the Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, etc. In regards to the U2 influence, I'm thinking more along the lines of The Edge's percussive guitar style, than the songs as a whole... very much out of the GO4 guitar sound (at times). Obviously The Edge wasn't as noisy, and took it more in a pop/new wave direction.
The family's head gives orders In the end, what he says goes This system's well constructed She owes him all she gets The army has it's uses In times of civil crisis Bond together with your mate Against the common enemy The Private's not born that way The Private's not born that way Guns take up all his time With no job he'd be in a mess Wanted action, gets some in She pays him back in the bedroom One step down from her leader Obeys, or is punished Like he obeys his bosses
@thenewfella1994 I it say time and time again that Gang of Four is probably the most underrated band in modern rock history. As you say, so many bands copied them. But when people talk about the great albums/bands of the of the punk/new wave era, I never see "Entertainment!" mentioned. But their fingerprints are everywhere. Tell me you don't hear The Edge's guitar style here. In fact, I think The Edge is on record as saying that they were an influence on him.
it's pretty interesting how the guy hits with the stick at the start keeping time like an idiot (but good) working up some frustration against the crowd
The commander gives his orders In the end what he says goes This systems well constructed She owes him all she gets The army has its uses In times of civil crisis At em boys see any action Hey boys see any action Together with you mates against the common enemy The private's not formed that way Guns take up all his time With no job he'd be in a mess Boys in action get some in. She pays him back in the bedroom One step down from her leader Obeys or is punished Like he obeys his bosses
Interesting that they sound a little like the Talking Heads who pre-dated Gang of Four by only a few years. However these guys pre-dated Radiohead by many more years and Radiohead sounds to me anyway similar to this style.
R.I.P. Andy. You truly were an inspiration.
Gang of Four was one of my favorite bands in the 80's, along with Joy Division, The Fall, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. But the 'Gang' was very different from those other bands, mixing punk and funk rock... I love it!
the best guitarist ever
ブンミおじそん the bassist is amazing as well, the drummer is out this world.... I only wish groups would make great rock again.
The people who gave this thumbs down must have been searching for green day videos.
Perfect response!
great guitar
That is the Shite... sacrificed many a brain cell experiencing their tunes and still not more than a half a brick short of a full load thirty years later. They are one of the bands that helped form my current world view. Thanks Gof4, always BRILLIANT!
I saw Gang Of 4 in LA in 1982, twice! Love 'em.
Of Sara was playing bass then.
Saw this in Atlanta live around this time period, small club, standing right next to the stage.
Dude on left side of stage was hitting what looked like a block of wood, it was wrapped with duct tape (we were in the south) I was 2' away.
RIP Andy Gill :(
I always laugh imagining them at sound-check on this one....."Hello...oh, could we get a little more of that stick in the side fills please?"
Brilliant tune.
Rest in power, Andy!
"OK Jon, this part's really important... Hit this thing with a stick over & over again."
Block of wood wrapped in duct tape.
Always on the 4
excellent band excellent delivery passionate
yeah seriously if I was at that show I would've been going out of my mind. Some of the baddest-ass guitar-playing you will ever see.
"Striking speaker with drumstick" is probably the tamest way Jon keeps the beat while performing this song. Other live performances of "He'll Send In the Army" on CZcams have him taking a hammer to a folding chair, a 2-by-4 to a television set, and a baseball bat to a microwave.
My god. Just forgot this wonderful video
andy gill..the man...the guitar..the cheekbones. Totally rock!!
How they take this song from chaotic atonal dissonance between 1:09 and 1:22, and at 1:23 all four of them, as if communicating telepathically, NAIL IT, FULL POWER, at 1:23 IS OFF THE CHAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
The mark of a TRULY GREAT BAND!
Some said… Punk perfectly deconstructed… I'd add, With Funk!
One of my favorite lines in any song. "His sisters well constructed" Only problem is that isn't the line.
"The systems well constructed"
Saul, brilliant minds think a like. That's always the line I sang.
OMG I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE.! I THOUGHT I SAW THIS BAND AT THE METRO IN CHICAGO A FEW YEARS LATER LIKE 1986? I DONT REMEMBER FOR SURE ITS BEEN A LONG TIME....
Stunning guitar work. Exquisite harshness. If only the ownership mess preventing the DVD release of "Urgh! A Music War" were cleared up. That film is PACKED with great post punk performances.
Still one of the greatest gigs I ever saw...in NYC at the Ballroom...Gang of Four, Bad Brains, & Bush Tetras. Damn!
Great band, threatening a little reunion...finally! Lots of underrated, influential bands from the period, like, among many, Pere Ubu. Just came from the wrong town, and Dave Thomas wasn't photogenic. Still, like Gang of Four, largely unsung and hugely influencial. Thanks for uTube.
the most incredible display of music artistry that I've ever seen!
Live - the ONLY way to hear this ripping song...this clip was my first introduction to seeing what Gang of Four looked like (courtesy or Urgh!) - thanks for posting it! So cool to see Dave Allen, Jon King, and Andy Gill all take a turn at the mike...
UNBAFUCKENLEAVEABLE !!!!
WHAT A BAND !
ANDY GILL TAKES MY BREATH AWAY....!
This song is amazing and Gang of Four as a band I still love.
Such a great band. One of my favorites of all time from the Punk era.
Andy Gill is an exceptional guitarist :) He moves like Wilko Johnson, which is good
this is awesome! I remember when this movie came out. This was always my favorite performance!! Cheers!
love the stick metronome and they all sing alike...great great movie(URGH)!!
@roryrandomlyrocks he is the master of playing undecipherable chords and some of his timings were simply amazing, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
I saw the Gang Of Four play at Irving Plaza in New York around 1981 or 82. Don't remember the year exactly. Anyway, the opening support band for them was REM. No one knew who REM was at the time and I never became a fan of that group, but when they became big at least I could say I saw them live. The G of 4 put on a great show. Probably the best live band I ever saw.
Andy Gill is a madman!
gang of four are too underrated
Absolutely fucking immense. Every time I see it.
The notes from 1:21 to 1:24 are fantastic.
Last time I saw Go4, Jon King was beating a microwave with an aluminum bat instead of a cabbage case with a drumstick.
Saw em at the start of the year while waiting for Pennywise to come out, I say that because I didn't know who they were at the time. All I can say is they are one of the best live acts I've ever seen. The way they were throwing themselves and instruments around the stage was incredible.
I saw Go4 in the early 80's at a place called the Wax Museum in Washington DC. They made music sound like noise, and noise sound like music. No one's been able to do it better. The precision it must take to convey the impression of haphazardness is hard to grasp.
Great bands. Love 'em all. Saw GOF and Bad Brains live too.
RIP Andy Gill!!
i used to have that guitar
one of the best shows i ever saw was gang of four at perkins palace in pasadena
God damn I love Gang of Four.
AWEEESOME
great song, great band
the best.
The art of stopping.
Fuckin Awesome! loved that movie! This was a highlight!
great video
@roryrandomlyrocks he plays it like a percussion instrument - it's glorious! :)
Just checked out steel pole bathtub.
Thanks for the tip.
The Nirvana and, especially, Mudhoney influence is clear.
Still, I like 'em.
Alls i'm saying is; don't damn Kurt because he chose the route he chose.
Andy Gill's guitar playing in this sums up everything I love about new wave guitar!-in a very exaggerated way :)
Hunh? Not a Nirvana fanatic but an admirer of a band of an era.
Warner Bros. has recently released it on DVD. Search for at their online shop.
such glorious cacophony at the beginning!!
well, they are underrated....unfortunately...I reckon they are the most underrated and yet most influential band ever. If I only had to have one band in the world...they would be it
perhaps I shouldn't have talked about the influence of GO4 on Kurt Cobain.
Great video anyway! I can't grow tired of watching it...
very cool, if i'm not mistaken this is from Urghh a Music War, good movie of the era w others like Echo+Bunnymen, Gary Numan, and so on...
@Plasticsoul I'm convinced that Gang Of Four is one of the main influences that led to Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello's innovative guitar technique.
@scoobyjenkins My sentiments exactly. My whole point being its not the guitar that makes the song, its pretty much everything else, with attitude being crucial for Gang-Of-Four. No beef against the band, actually like them a lot, I just appreciate educated and insightful analysis of what makes a band unique. When I read "haphazardly,and messy" it does a big injustice to the band and what makes them great. That's all.
It disappoints me that Gang of Four couldn't leave it at here. I mean Entertainment and Solid Gold were almost perfect articles of punk and energy. The 2005 reunion is only a cut above the fucking John Lydon butter commercial, but I guess everyone needs to earn a living. This just seems so much more punk than any Ramones/Sex Pistols/Clash anything ever. It's furious, intelligent, focused.
REM had also been their opening act at The Left Bank in Mt. Vernon NY. It was the first I had ever heard of REM, but was familiar with the *other* bands from Athens, GA. I had also seen Go4 at The Ritz in NYC, and the opening act was Pylon (an Athens GA band as well). The Left Bank show might have been the last one with Dave Allen on bass (it was close to that time that he left).
jelabarre59 San Diego summer ‘82
That's how I want to go wild tonight
congratulations. today this video was selected by the NYC Punk Rock Evolution Foundation.
The link between nostalgia,sexism, authoritarianism, militarism amd fascism is explored in this song.
Andy always wore his collars up.
I do not know how to play the guitar but I am going to do it any way and you can't stop me. Hell I'm gonna start a band too.
@findingphunc What was wrong with the 2005 reunion? The gigs were FANTASTIC.
@thenewfella1994 Thanks for the input. So, maybe there are lists I just haven't come across, but generally the talk of that era surrounds bands like the Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, etc. In regards to the U2 influence, I'm thinking more along the lines of The Edge's percussive guitar style, than the songs as a whole... very much out of the GO4 guitar sound (at times). Obviously The Edge wasn't as noisy, and took it more in a pop/new wave direction.
Cool
@alleyghost Eh, it was around that time. Gang of Four employ many of no wave's signature techniques and ethics.
Andy Gill is so fucking badass
@findingphunc Gang Of Four's new album Content is fantastic. It has the same angst as the first two albums - maybe a little more grown up and focused.
MORE! LONGER! ETC!
R.E.M. and the Red Hot Chili Peppers too.
And let alone all those England New Wave-bands who'd be nowhere without Gang of Four.
just look at the guitar work!! pure electricity... he's jumping, dancing with it, absolutely unique... i love it @__@
way to go guy hitting a stick :)
google Urgh! A Music War and you'll find the DVD for about $30.00 on an Urgh! website.
Seems to be the case with much of Go4 - the studio cuts are good, but the live recordings are awesome.
The family's head gives orders
In the end, what he says goes
This system's well constructed
She owes him all she gets
The army has it's uses
In times of civil crisis
Bond together with your mate
Against the common enemy
The Private's not born that way
The Private's not born that way
Guns take up all his time
With no job he'd be in a mess
Wanted action, gets some in
She pays him back in the bedroom
One step down from her leader
Obeys, or is punished
Like he obeys his bosses
Histórico!
Kurt Cobain saw them live in 1982 and he never recovered. I understand why when I watch this exciting video
@thenewfella1994 I it say time and time again that Gang of Four is probably the most underrated band in modern rock history. As you say, so many bands copied them. But when people talk about the great albums/bands of the of the punk/new wave era, I never see "Entertainment!" mentioned. But their fingerprints are everywhere. Tell me you don't hear The Edge's guitar style here. In fact, I think The Edge is on record as saying that they were an influence on him.
Look at Jon King's eyes....He looks like he's on PCP.
Fugazi is practically a Gf4 cover band.
it's pretty interesting how the guy hits with the stick at the start keeping time like an idiot (but good) working up some frustration against the crowd
@roryrandomlyrocks
Picasso said that he spent his entire life learning to draw like a child.
Andy Gill is definitely the man here.
Kicks Ass!!! Meth is a hell of a drug man.
1:20. guitar players is playing but not using his strings. brilliant.
@ruzz3ii
Yup. Where do you the influence came from? These guys.
The commander gives his orders In the end what he says goes
This systems well constructed She owes him all she gets
The army has its uses In times of civil crisis
At em boys see any action Hey boys see any action
Together with you mates against the common enemy
The private's not formed that way
Guns take up all his time
With no job he'd be in a mess
Boys in action get some in.
She pays him back in the bedroom One step down from her leader
Obeys or is punished Like he obeys his bosses
Hang on... Are the vocals shared this way on the studio recording? I never realized Dave was ever on lead vox. Cool.
Way to go,
Leeds Reunion...
wt guitar is that?
Interesting that they sound a little like the Talking Heads who pre-dated Gang of Four by only a few years. However these guys pre-dated Radiohead by many more years and Radiohead sounds to me anyway similar to this style.
brilliant to see this, a totally underrated track by Go4, love 'em to death!
Will they ever release Urgh a Concert War on DVD?
final solution "pere ubu , by the little red booster