Sunday, December 27, 2020

The 1981 Listening Post - Gang of Four - Solid Gold

 Gang of Four - Solid Gold


#108

By Craig Fitzgerald

March 9 1981

Gang of Four

Solid Gold

Genre: Post-punk

Allen’s rating: 2.5 out of 5

Craig’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Highlights:

If I Could Keep It All For Myself

Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time

In the Ditch


I am at about a 30% hit ratio with the albums that Allen has assigned me, meaning that about 70% of those records so far have been records I've never listened to before. This is one of those. 


This is likely because in 1981, I was a 12 year old dipshit from the suburbs with no musical taste of my own. I had just discovered the Who, for Christ's sake, and I was busily listening to everything Pete Townshend wrote that I could get my hands on. 


Sure, people like that pain in the ass Luca Barnacles or Steve Caisse had this vast musical library when they were 12. Not me. I had Beatles and Monkees records, plus I bought a used copy of "Destroyer" that summer, the very first record I would buy with my own money.


Anyhoo, I've done my best to fill in the gaps, and this is one that had really escaped me. I have very, very little background with Gang of Four. The only song I know on this record is "If I Could Keep It All For Myself." I have no idea where I know this song from, but I know it. It was probably floating around in the ether circa 1985 and I just picked it up somewhere. 


I am sure that someone -- probably Luca Barnacles again -- will tell me "HOLY SHIT, YOU DUMMY, YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THEM LIVE AT THE RAT." Ok, well, I was 12 and my mom wouldn't give me a ride in the ol' Citation so I could hang out in Kenmore Square in my pajamas. 


All I have is this record, and frankly, none of what I would imagine would have been a pretty loud, intense show comes through on this record. 


I'm sure I'm really supposed to like this, and I'm going to be a lot less cool for thinking it's rather soulless and repetitive.


https://open.spotify.com/album/3yKMclooo3MxSZQGLtFqfL?si=O2DURRXpQJG_fyq2BnSCTQ

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