Pitchfork

Oh Gang of Four, how can we miss you if you won't go away? At first, we were all "Yay, Gang of Four! Every band I like rips off Entertainment! Now that they're reunited, I can finally experience their magnitude in the hot, sweaty present!" But then the quartet started following the Pixies model of reunification, touring relentlessly and playing any festival that would have them. Of course we'll be sad if/when they go away again, but for now we yawn and say we'll catch them the next time they roll into the local Hard Rock Café.

However, it seems that us lazy, fickle fans are in for a surprise. Next Tuesday, October 11, V2 will release Return the Gift, a double-disc split between re-recordings of old Go4 songs and remixes by young admirers like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ladytron, and Hot Hot Heat. But if the mere fact of the original Gang of Four lineup playing together again isn't enough to make you pre-order the album right now, maybe the limited-edition version will pique your interest. See, it comes with a dollar bill stuffed in the packaging. You capitalist pig. In a press release, the deal was explained all conceptual-like:

"On the original Entertainment cover there is a famous picture of a cowboy and an Indian shaking hands. At this point in their relationship the Indian is innocent and the cowboy innocently believes he can exploit him. Many years later and the Indian is addled and all the cowboy's hopes are dashed. The common currency is cash, the liquor that flows through all our veins. The advertisers call to us: sirens in the wilderness. We buy and sell. We are in it up to our necks. Return The Gift-- But we probably won't, will we?"

Yeah, probably not. But a crisp new Washington isn't the only freshly-announced reason to pony up a stack of 'em in exchange for Return the Gift. Each CD will come with an insert bearing a password that unlocks access to a special exclusive section of the Go4 website. There, fans will find Quicktime videos of the band's current tour, as well as a bunch of remixes that were turned in too late to make Return the Gift. Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen recently told Pitchfork that the mixes will include Tortoise's take on "Paralyzed", two Melvins remixes of "He'd Send in the Army" (one being a "dub mix"), Aesop Rock's version of "To Hell with Poverty", and Tommie Sunshine's sliced-and-diced "At Home He's a Tourist".

We're healthily skeptical about fancy internet-only junk in our CDs, but it's worth pointing out that Allen takes this stuff seriously. Last year, he co-founded a techie consulting company called Pampelmoose, which offers various services to independent musicians. Pampelmoose developed the Gang of Four website, and Allen is making sure that it ain't another boring old band homepage. The site's store currently offers the cheapest pre-order price for Return the Gift, and will soon feature swanky merchandise, including Gang of Four t-shirts designed by Danny Seim of Menomena.

Just in case you forgot, here's the Return the Gift tracklist:

>> CD1:
01 To Hell With Poverty
02 Damaged Goods
03 Natural's Not in It
04 Not Great Men
05 Why Theory?
06 Anthrax
07 Paralysed
08 What We All Want
09 Ether
10 He'd Send in the Army
11 Capital
12 I Love a Man in Uniform
13 At Home He's a Tourist
14 We Live As We Dream, Alone

>> CD2:
01 To Hell With Poverty (Go Home Productions Remix)
02 Natural's Not in It (Ladytron Remodel)
03 I Love a Man in Uniform (Yeah Yeah Yeahs Remix)
04 Ether (Tony Kanal Into the Ether Remix)
05 At Home He's a Tourist (The Others Remix)
06 Not Great Men (Phones Remix)
07 Anthrax (Faultline Remix)
08 Damaged Goods (Hot Hot Heat Remix)
09 Why Theory? (Amusement Parks On Fire Remix)
10 Natural's Not in It (Repackaged By The Rakes)
11 At Home He's a Tourist (The Others Alternate Mix)
12 What We All Want (Dandy Warhols Remix)

Gang of Four are in the middle of a seemingly endless U.S. tour. The current leg is sponsored by VH1 Classic. And we thought they only played A-ha and Whitesnake videos! Dates:

10-04 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
10-05 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
10-06 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-07 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
10-08 Atlanta, GA - Earthlink Live
10-11 Houston, TX - Meridian
10-12 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-13 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
10-15 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
10-17 Hollywood, CA - Virgin Megastore
10-18 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
10-20 Hollywood, CA - Avalon
10-21 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues

href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/g/gang-of-four/entertainment.shtml">Gang of Four: Entertainment!
href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-08/19.shtml#gangoffour">Gang of Four to be Remixed by YYYs, Ladytron
"