Hard (Gang of Four album) explained

Hard
Type:	studio
Artist:	Gang of Four
Cover:	Go4Hard.jpg
Released:	September 1983
Studio:	Criteria (Miami)
Genre:	Dance-rock
Length:	36:33
Label:	EMI
Producer:	Howard Albert, Ron Albert, Jon King, Andrew Gill
Prev Title:	Songs of the Free
Prev Year:	1982
Next Title:	A Brief History of the Twentieth Century
Next Year:	1990

Hard is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk group Gang of Four. It was originally released in 1983 on Warner Bros. Records and was the first album to not feature original member Hugo Burnham, while Dave Allen had already left before the previous album, Songs of the Free.

The album was reissued as part of a two-CD package along with the band's 1981 album Solid Gold.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote that "Gang of Four have seriously compromised its hard-edged dance rock for a gauzy, overly arranged pop sound that's closer to traditional disco than to the aggressively stomping dance music that has won the group a serious following."^[1]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Andy Gill and Jon King; except where indicated

1. "Is It Love" (Gill) – 4:35
2. "I Fled" – 3:54
3. "Silver Lining" - 4:13
4. "Woman Town" (Gill) - 5:12
5. "A Man with a Good Car" - 3:45
6. "It Don't Matter" - 3:54
7. "Arabic" - 3:39
8. "A Piece of My Heart" - 3:14
9. "Independence" - 4:05

Personnel

Gang of Four

• Jon King - vocals, melodica
• Andrew Gill - guitar, vocals, additional drums
• Sara Lee - bass

with:

• Jon Astrop - bass on "Is It Love", "I Fled", "It Don't Matter" and "A Piece of My Heart"
• Alfa Anderson, Brenda White King, Chuck Kirkpatrick, John Sambataro - backing vocals
• Mike Lewis - conductor of strings and horns

Technical

• John Rollo - recording
• Scott Heiser - photography

Notes and References

1. News: Holden . Stephen . Rock . The New York Times . 27 Oct 1983 . C21.