Hard | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1983 | |||
Studio | Criteria (Miami) | |||
Genre | Dance-rock | |||
Length | 36:33 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Howard Albert, Ron Albert, Jon King, Andrew Gill | |||
Gang of Four chronology | ||||
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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 .
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B [2] |
Pitchfork Media | 3.8/10 [3] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10 [5] |
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." [6]
All tracks composed by Andy Gill and Jon King; except where indicated
with:
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Gang of Four are an English post-punk band, formed in 1976 in Leeds. The original members were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. There have been many different line-ups including, among other notable musicians, Sara Lee, Gail Ann Dorsey, and Mark Heaney. After a brief lull in the 1980s, different constellations of the band recorded two studio albums in the 1990s. Between 2004 and 2006 the original line-up was reunited; Gill toured using the name between 2012 and his death in 2020. In 2021, the band announced that King, Burnham, and Lee would be reuniting for a tour in 2022 with David Pajo on guitar.
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