Gang of Four – Another Day/Another Dollar (1982) Review | Comrade, Let Us Seize the Time
Kronomyth 2.5: For a few dollars more, you could have 40 minutes of entertainment.
American democracy’s dirty little secret lies in Thomas Jefferson’s twisting of John Locke’s natural rights of life, liberty and property into “life, liberty and the pursuit of happines.” That small distinction set into motion the world’s greatest capitalist experiment by equating the pursuit of property with the pursuit of happiness. It’s a bitter truth that sounds a lot better when you’ve got a driving bass, pounding drums, scathing guitar and a strong singer/sloganeer selling it. Another Dollar/Another Dollar presents the Gang of Four’s latest single, To Hell with Poverty b/w Capital (It Fails Us Now), with the experimental History’s Bunk and two tracks from their live performance at the Hammersmith Palais. It’s the last statement from the original four before their polemics began to soften. And, in my ongoing defense of the unduly maligned Adam & The Ants, tell me that “To Hell with Poverty” couldn’t have slipped its foot into Dirk’s white socks without anyone being the wiser.
The Product
A1. To Hell with Poverty (Dave Allen/Hugo Burnham/Andy Gill/Jon King) (4:57)
A2. Capital (It Fails Us Now) (Andy Gill) (4:01)
A3. History’s Bunk! (Andy Gill/Jon King) (2:57)
B1. Cheeseburger (live) (Dave Allen/Hugo Burnham/Andy Gill/Jon King) (3:40)
B2. What We All Want (live) (Dave Allen/Hugo Burnham/Andy Gill/Jon King) (5:26)
The Players
Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill, Jon King. A1/A2 produced by Gill, King & Launer, A3 produced by Gill & King, B1/B2 produced Burnham/Gill/King.
The Pictures
Photography and design by Gill/Gillan.
The Plastic
Released on EP in January 1982 in the US (Warner Bros., MINI 3646). Reached #195 on the US charts.
