Back on vinyl next month: Gang of Four’s 'Songs of the Free’

On October 25, Matador Records will reissue Gang Of Four’s third album ‘Songs of the Free’ on vinyl. The digital remaster is available now. The album is pressed on standard black vinyl and has been remastered from the original tapes by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road with supervision by Jon King.

Bassist Dave Allen, drummer Hugo Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and singer Jon King recorded their first two albums, ‘Entertainment’ (1979) and ‘Solid Gold’ (1981). Allen departed the band and Sara Lee joined to record third album, ‘Songs of the Free.’ The album includes “Call Me Up,” a live favorite, and their biggest “hit,” “I Love A Man In Uniform,” which climbed the UK charts until the BBC decided to ban it during the Falklands War, presumably because it might be considered critical to the military. The song received heavy airplay in the US, as well, though primarily from stations that saw it as a pro-military dance song.

The album was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey and co-produced by Jon Howlett, whose experiences recording bands like OMD and A Flock of Seagulls may have helped with the album’s sound register as slightly less punk and a touch more new wave.

Following ‘Songs of the Free,’ Burnham departed the band. Andy Gill and Jon King continued on to release ‘Hard’ in 1983 before disbanding in 1984. Andy and Jon reunited to release Mall in 1991 and ‘Shrinkwapped’ in 1995.

In 2004, the original quartet reformed for tour dates and released ‘Return The Gift’ (2005). Gill’s untimely death in February 2020 was cause for many to once again re-examine the group’s catalog and the legacy of these early releases was widely cited.

Matador reissued ‘Entertainment!’ and ‘Solid Gold’ and released the Grammy® nominated box set ‘77-81’ to critical acclaim in 2021. Since then, vocalist Jon King and drummer Hugo Burnham have taken the show on the road again with David Pajo on guitar. Sara Lee joined on bass and has since fully retired. They will be touring in North America in the Spring of 2025.

Track list: 

1.Call Me Up

2. I Love a Man in Uniform
3. Muscle for Brains
4. It Is Not Enough
5. Life! It's a Shame
6. I Will Be a Good Boy
7. The History of the World
8. We Live as We Dream, Alone
9. Of the Instant