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Listen to this song by post-punk architects, and cool-to-namecheck-in-an-interview pin-ups Gang of Four with their 1979 song “Damaged Goods”, a single from their masterpiece Entertainment
This tune is a high point of a very high artistic pinnacle as it is, with the choppy guitar matched only with the clipped lead vocal that make it sound almost like funk from some other dimension. The song, much like the rest of the album, seems to rely on texture as much as it does on hooks.
During a time where pop music was in a period of transition, this one stands out as being in a class by itself, stylistically speaking. By 1979, lines had been drawn between what had come before and what was upcoming in rock music. Being a fan of rock music wasn’t as simple as it had been, now that several streams of it had been established. But, where does this sit exactly?
The labels of post-punk and new wave, like most musical labels, are hard to pin down. Yet, to me there are a few characteristics which earmark them. One is a particular kind of contrast, which runs like a thread through the best of it.
This particular tune, for instance, is like the danciest song that you would ever hesitate to dance to, given the rueful lyrics that outline its anti-love song sentiments. Yet, the music seems to invite your movement as much as its lyrics demand your cynicism. It’s sexy, yet anti-sex. It’s pop, yet it seems to revile all of the sentiments of traditional pop music. As such, you’ve got a song, and a record, that is highly subversive in nearly every sense. The band would continue on this trajectory, and remains to be an active concern today.
For more information about Gang of Four, check out the Gang of Four Facebook page.
Enjoy!
The Delete Bin 
Ever notice the similarity of Andy Gill’s sound and approach to the guitar to that of Dr. Feelgood’s Wilko Johnson?
Two very different bands but I often wonder if Andy Gill was a Wilko fan.
btw – saw Gang of Four on their first North American tour after Entertainment was released. As visceral on stage as their records sound.
Hey Bob – re: Dr. Feelgood. I get the impression that Feelgood were something of an anomaly too, kind of a bridge between old school rock music and new, or new at the time. It strikes me that their back-to-basics sound was very much fuel to the idea that spare, economic rock music was a great path to building a sound. They certainly inspired pub rock bands, and later people like Graham Parker who also put out some interesting records by the mid-to-late 70s.
It must have been awesome to see Gang of Four during what many consider to be their prime.
Cheers for comments!
Andy Gill! One of my favourite guitarists … but I’ve never investigated Dr. Feelgood and will, now, given the parallels that have been drawn here.
Damaged Goods is a brilliant track from a powerful album. I agree that it stands in a class alone … or the band does … unless you want to toss it into the general “art rock” heap. That’s unsatisfactory, though, as it blows everything in that category out of the water in terms of danceability and lyrics. It’s a bit beyond punk, too, but it sounds punk!
Wow! Wish *I’d* seen Gang of Four live!