It has been a while since the last post, and even longer since the last in this series.
I left you with the promise that we'd find out who would represent the letter G in our alphabetical sojourn through the music of the 80s. And so, I finally fulfill that promise now.
So, who shall be the sole representative of the letter G?
There are several good candidates.
One band is a sort of Supergroup of 80s bands- General Public. From the English Beat (whom, you may recall from a previous post, were really just The Beat) were vocalist Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger. Mickey Billingham and Andy "Stoker" Growcott from Dexy's Midnight Runners,
Mick Jones from The Clash, and The Specials' Horace Panter rounded out this Them Crooked Vultures of the 80s music scene. Their first album, ... all the rage, was released in 1984.
The album was a success, moreso in North America than in England, owing much to the single "Tenderness. " It is, most assuredly, a song that will stick in your head, and one that might representthe zeitgeist of the 80s musical scene. But, alas, it is not to be.
A very good case could also be made for the Go Go's. You have heard the Go Go's, if you've ever heard any radio station's 80's Lunch Break. Inevitably, they will be the band that plays after the B-52's "Love Shack" or after "Come On, Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Their song "Vacation" probably played about 10 minutes ago. According to their official website, the Go Go's are "The most successful female rock band of all time." I believe it. Their debut album, Beauty and the Beat went double platinum pretty quickly, and stayed at the Billboard number one spot for weeks. They continued to spawn hit albums and songs throughout the early 80's. And, as we've seen with several other acts from that time period, the Go Go's continue to perform even today. (Albeit in a slightly altered form, as bassist Kathy Valentine is no longer with them.)
But, no, the Go Go's are not our band of the day. That honor goes to another band that is still performing today.
Gang of Four was, at the time, one of the most politically motivated and diverse in style of any band of the era. They named themselves after a group of Chinese revolutionaries, after all.
With their mix of punk, funk, and dub, Gang of Four stood out from the pack. As a result, though they never made much of an impact on the charts in the U,S., they have been cited by artists like Michael Stipe ,of R.E.M., and Flea, of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, as influences.
In their later years, their oeuvre expanded to include disco-influences, while keeping the political bite of their lyrics. Case-in-point, our video of the day. "I Love a Man In Uniform" was released in 1982 as part of the album Songs of the Free. It was quickly banned on British radio, as it coincided with the British invasion of the Falklands Islands.
It's probably the one song from Gang of Four that stands a chance of being played on the radio today, with its funky disco-style and its motown-like backup singers.
So, here, from 1982, is Gang of Four's "I Love a Man In Uniform."
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