Gang’s best? That’s ‘Entertainment!’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 | 8:31 a.m.

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival unveiled its 2005 lineup on Monday, and it looks a bit like 1985 all over again.

Bauhaus, the Cocteau Twins and New Order are all scheduled to perform at the event, which takes place April 30 and May 1 at Empire Polo Fields in Indio, Calif.

Far and away, however, the reunited outfit that excites me most among Coachella's 80-plus acts is Gang of Four.

The British quartet's original four members recently got back together for a few shows and, possibly, some studio work.

The timing couldn't be better. With retro dance-punk thriving in the hands of such buzz bands as the Rapture, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, it's the perfect occasion for the genre's progenitors to return to the scene.

Scanning the message board on www.coachella.com, I was shocked to learn how few music fans seemed to know much about Gang of Four.

"Where are Franz and the Rapture?" one poster had typed, apparently unaware that the Gang would provide a similar -- not to mention more original -- concert experience.

The band's debut album, 1979's "Entertainment!" ought to be required listening for anyone with even a passing interest in modern rock.

Don't take my word for it. In the liner notes to EMI's 1995 reissue, R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe had this to say: " 'Entertainment!' shredded everything that came before it."

The CD sleeve also includes this praise from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea: "It completely changed the way I looked at rock music and sent me on my trip as a bass player ... The electricity and inventiveness of their first few records is something any rock group should grovel to attain."

What makes "Entertainment!" so great? For me, it's that 26 years after its release, it still sounds innovative. Hordes of bands have tried to copy the Gang's angular rhythms, jagged instrumental blasts and politically rebellious lyrics, but none have done it as well.

All 12 cuts on the original disc -- along with three bonus tracks -- are standouts, each with something unique to offer, from the funky "Not Great Men" to the droney, half-spoken "Anthrax."

One warning: "Entertainment!" has gone in and out of print with regularity over the years. At the moment, it appears to be readily available through most larger online shops, such as Amazon.

So pick up a copy fast, and hear a band that influenced virtually every other rock act on the Coachella bill, even if their fans don't realize it.

Artist: Gang of Four.

Title: "Entertainment!"

Year of release: 1979 (reissued 1995, EMI).

Tracklisting: "Etherm," "Natural's Not in it," "Not Great Men," "Damaged Goods," "Return the Gift," "Guns Before Butter," "I Found That Essence Rare," "Glass," "Contract," "At Home He's a Tourist," "5:45," "Anthrax." Bonus tracks: "Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time," "He'd Send in the Army," "It's Her Factory."