These guys took the Gang of Four sound and went in a dancier direction, and while I can't say I'm a huge fan of the band, this song was one of my favorites of 2005.
Showing posts with label Gang of Four. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gang of Four. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Song of the Day: Wire - Lowdown
As I've mentioned before, I became an R.E.M. fanatic when I was 12. When I become infatuated with a band, I usually want to know what they listen to and what inspires them. This is how I became familiar with Wire.
Actually, I should say I first came to know Wire without knowing that I knew Wire; that is, R.E.M. covered Wire's "Strange" on Document, only I didn't know it was a cover song. But I later read in an interview that Michael Stipe was especially influenced by three albums: Television's Marquee Moon, Patti Smith's Horses, and Wire's Pink Flag (it's scary to me that I still remember reading this some 20 years ago, but I digress).
While I wasn't able to get my hands on the latter record, I did get a best of that encompassed their first three albums. At the time, I didn't think it was all that great, but it's really grown on me over the years, especially as I've come to love similar bands, such as Gang of Four. In fact, thanks to vinyl reissues, I now own the first three Wire albums, and when this song from Pink Flag came up on my iPod the other day, it reminded me how great the band is.
Actually, I should say I first came to know Wire without knowing that I knew Wire; that is, R.E.M. covered Wire's "Strange" on Document, only I didn't know it was a cover song. But I later read in an interview that Michael Stipe was especially influenced by three albums: Television's Marquee Moon, Patti Smith's Horses, and Wire's Pink Flag (it's scary to me that I still remember reading this some 20 years ago, but I digress).
While I wasn't able to get my hands on the latter record, I did get a best of that encompassed their first three albums. At the time, I didn't think it was all that great, but it's really grown on me over the years, especially as I've come to love similar bands, such as Gang of Four. In fact, thanks to vinyl reissues, I now own the first three Wire albums, and when this song from Pink Flag came up on my iPod the other day, it reminded me how great the band is.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Song of the Day: Gang of Four - Not Great Men
You can hear Gang of Four's influence everywhere, from bands as diverse as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Futureheads. I remember downloading this track from Napster in its illegal-but-not-everyone-understands-that-yet phase, and it led me to buy the Entertainment! CD, probably one of the best albums of all time. Like the Talking Heads, these guys know how to take the punk spirit and put rhythm behind it, and the album is amazingly consistent. Maybe it's because I heard it first, but "Not Great Men" remains my favorite track.
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