Gang Of Four ‎– Return The Gift (2 CD)

For Return the Gift, the band returned to the studio and re-recorded a number of old favorites, using more contemporary production.  And me, I love it. Yes, it takes Gang of Four and makes them sound like Franz Ferdinand, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of those early records were a little thin and brittle, and while that may have been appropriate at the time, the enhanced fullness of sound, the huge and booming bass and drums, makes this sound like a modern-day classic of stunningly powerful indie rock.

The tracklist is a veritable greatest hits -- "To Hell With Poverty," "Damaged Goods," "I Love A Man In Uniform," "At Home He's a Tourist" -- and thus, not surprisingly, it's a song-for-song monster, blowing any contemporaneous guitar-based alt.rock records out of the water. Set aside any loyalty you may have to the original recordings, and anyone stumbling upon this in 2005 as the debut release from a new band would have to admit it's a serious wall-shaking mofo. Gill's steel-clang guitar shards are still there, but more riveting than grating this time around, and finally getting the bone-chilling rhythm section they deserve.  The more funk-oriented songs in particular actually make you want to get up and shake, rather than just listen and academically note their funkiness.

Label: V2 ‎– VVR1034432

Country: Europe

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)

Play great but have some superficial marks.