Gang of Four “Entertainment!”

As much as I liked this record in my memory, and I like it listening to it now, there was always something that felt cold to me about this band. Maybe it ‘s just the idea of Gang of Four, not actually the music. When I listen to it, some of the songs are amazing, like “Natural’s Not In It,” with some amazing guitar, and the same with “At Home He’s a Tourist.”  “I Found That Essence Rare” is a pop hit, or it should have been. Maybe it was. The only bad thing musically is when they pull out the dreaded melodica.

This record, from 1979, is an import, pressed in France, with a shiny red cover which is very familiar. I didn’t remember the inside sleeve, which is brown-green, with lyrics. I haven’t been inclined to listen to this over the years, but now after hearing it again, maybe I will.

Peter Gabriel

This record from 1980 is the last one without a title, and the last of his records that I bought. Look, you do 3 solo records without a title and the same font, then eventually do one WITH a title– isn’t that like ANNOUNCING that you’ve decided to suck?

Anyway, this one still has an edge, as much as humanly possible for a guy who was in Genesis. The cover is the WAX Peter Gabriel, melting– or maybe what Peter Gabriel would look like in a nuclear war.

1980 kind of marks a time when everything seemed too new to me– and it oddly still seems new. It is the time when everything began to suck, and continues to suck to this day. 27 years of sucking! Not to pick on this record– there are some nice songs, catchy songs– but not for me.

Peter Gabriel

This is Peter Gabriel’s 2nd solo record (1978) with the same font, the same name. It does have a different arty cover. He seems to have been influenced by punk rock; there is an attempt at high energy in songs like “On The Air” and “DIY” before lapsing into some Genesis-like crap. “Flotsam and Jetsam” is a nice song. Like on his previous album, there is another song that is also on the Fripp “Exposure” record– the song is, in fact, “Exposure”! I compare the two, once again, and the one on Fripp’s record is better!