History Music / GangOfFour

* ExcitedShowTitle: ''Entertainment!''

* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: "I Love a Man in a Uniform"

Gang of Four were a British PostPunk band and one of the TropeMakers of DancePunk. They combined {{Funk}} rhythms, jagged guitars and simple bass lines with a heavy emphasis on politics and a sardonic approach to love and sex. While never big in the charts, their mix of PunkRock, {{Funk}}, and Dub Reggae has been influential since their debut in 1979. Bands from Music/FranzFerdinand to Music/RedHotChiliPeppers cite them as an influence.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: 4-5 on ''Entertainment!'' and ''Solid Gold'', 3-4 on ''Songs of the Free'', ''Hard'' and ''Mall'', back to 4-5 for later albums.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: "Anthrax" has Jon singing in the left channel while Andy talks about writing love songs in the right.

The classic lineup contained Jon King on vocals, Andy Gill on guitars and backing vocals, Dave Allen on bass, and Hugo Burnham on drums. The band dissolved and reformed multiple times, transitioning their style from PostPunk DancePunk to NewWaveMusic, Dance Rock, and back to PostPunk with their revival in the TurnOfTheMillennium. Its final lineup included Andy Gill, bassist Thomas [=McNiece=] and vocalist John "Gaoler" Sterry.

Gill passed away at the age of 64 on February 1, 2020; the band [[https://twitter.com/gangof4official/status/1223653715363663884 announced]] his death that same day via Website/{{Twitter}}. He will be dearly missed.

Gang of Four are a British PostPunk band and one of the TropeMakers of DancePunk. They combined {{Funk}} rhythms, jagged guitars and simple bass lines with a heavy emphasis on politics and a sardonic approach to love and sex. While never big in the charts, their mix of PunkRock, {{Funk}}, and Dub Reggae has been influential since their debut in 1979. Bands from Music/FranzFerdinand to Music/RedHotChiliPeppers cite them as an influence.

The classic lineup contained Jon King on vocals, Andy Gill on guitars and backing vocals, Dave Allen on bass, and Hugo Burnham on drums. The band has dissolved and reformed multiple times, transitioning their style from PostPunk DancePunk to NewWaveMusic, Dance Rock, and back to PostPunk with their revival in the TurnOfTheMillennium. Currently Jon King has stepped away from the band, leaving Andy Gill, bassist Thomas [=McNiece=] and vocalist John "Gaoler" Sterry.

Gill passed away at the age of 64 on February 1, 2020; the band [[https://twitter.com/gangof4official/status/1223653715363663884 announced]] his death that same day via Website/{{Twitter}}. He will be dearly missed.

The classic lineup contained Jon King on vocals, Andy Gill on guitars and backing vocals, Dave Allen on bass, and Hugo Burnham on drums. The band has dissolved and reformed multiple times, transitioning their style from PostPunk DancePunk to NewWaveMusic, Dance Rock, and back to PostPunk with their revival in the TheNoughties. Currently Jon King has stepped away from the band, leaving Andy Gill, bassist Thomas [=McNiece=] and vocalist John "Gaoler" Sterry.

** ''What Happens Next'' is full-blown IndustrialRock.

** ''Songs of the Free'' transitioned to a more accessible NewWaveMusic sound
** ''Hard'' and ''Mall'' were RAndB records
** ''Shrinkwrapped'' brought back the Dance Rock
** ''Return the Gift'' returned the band to their jagged PostPunk sound, plus bigger drums]
** ''What Happens Next'' is full-blown IndustrialRock

** ''Return the Gift'' returned the band to their jagged PostPunk sound, plus bigger drums

[[caption-width-right:334:The classic 1979 lineup]]

* NewSoundAlbum:

*** They never ''entirely'' abandoned their signature sound at any point, though they certainly altered it enough to count as this on all the aforementioned records.

** ''Shrinkwrapped'' brought back the DancePunk

* ''Return the Gift'' - (2005, re-recordings of songs from their first three albums)

The band has dissolved and reformed multiple times, transitioning their style from PostPunk DancePunk to NewWaveMusic, Dance Rock, and back to PostPunk with their revival in the TheNoughties.

* PostPunk