In August 2019, co-founding Gang of Four members Jon King, Hugo Burnham and Dave Allen, without Andy’s approval, exercised a provision of US copyright law to remove North American rights to the early Gang of Four output, including the albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold, from Warner Bros. They signed a new licensing agreement for this repertoire with Matador Records in the US in October 2019 without Andy’s involvement.

Days after Andy’s death in February 2020 both Entertainment! and Sold Gold were re-released on streaming services in re-mastered form, without any notification to Andy’s estate. His widow Catherine Mayer found out from online advertising that a new box set was to be released via Matador.

Andy had no involvement in this box set and would have disagreed vigorously with the version of history it promotes (though perhaps appreciating the irony that his lifelong instinct to interrogate historical narratives should find confirmation in his own life and death).

For further details, see a chapter about these events from Catherine’s memoir, Good Grief, republished by permission of Catherine and publisher HQ / HarperCollins. READ HERE.

TRACKLISTING

ENTERTAINMENT!

A1. Ether

A2. Natural’s Not In It

A3. Not Great Men

A4. Damaged Goods

A5. Return The Gift

A6. Guns Before Butter

B1. I Found That Essence Rare

B2. Glass

B3. Contract

B4. At Home He’s A Tourist

B5. 5.45

B6. Love Like Anthrax

SOLID GOLD

A1. Paralysed

A2. What We All Want

A3. If I Could Keep It For Myself

A4. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time

A5. Why Theory?

B1. Cheeseburger

B2. The Republic

B3. In The Ditch

B4. A Hole In The Wallet

B5. He’d Send In The Army

SINGLES

A1. To Hell With Poverty

A2. It’s Her Factory

A3. Armalite Rifle

B1. Capital (It Fails Us Now)

B2. History’s Bunk!

B3. Cheeseburger (Live) *

B4. What We All Want (Live) *

*Live at Hammersmith Palais

LIVE AT AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER 1980

A1. Not Great Men

A2. Contract

A3. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time

A4. Damaged Goods

B1. He’d Send In The Army

B2. Guns Before Butter

B3. 5.45

C1. Anthrax

C2. It’s Her Factory

C3. Ether

C4. Natural’s Not In It

D1. At Home He’s A Tourist

D2. Rosanne

D3. Return The Gift

D4. Glass

CASSETTE

SIDE A -THE EARLY DEMOS (VARIOUS)

I) REHEARSAL ROOM – LEEDS, 1977-78

The Things You Do

What You Ask For

Armalite Rifle

Love Like Anthrax

Silence Is Not Useful

Disco Sound

Damaged Goods

Elevator

II) CARGO DEMOS – CARGO STUDIO, ROCHDALE

Song One

Song Two

iii) THE TAPES – POLYDOR STUDIOS, JAN 1978

Essence Rare

Tourist

Return The Gift

5.45

Corked Up With The Ether

SIDE B – ABBEY ROAD DEMOS

FROM 5TH JANUARY 1981 – (single track from cassette)

Why Theory

Cargo

Trains

Army

Disco/Funk

Dog’s Breath

Asshole

Cymbal

Reverb

Cheeseburger

Ditch