Hard (Gang of Four album)

Last updated

Hard
Go4Hard.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1983
Studio Criteria (Miami)
Genre Dance-rock
Length36:33
Label EMI
Producer Howard Albert, Ron Albert, Jon King, Andrew Gill
Gang of Four chronology
Songs of the Free
(1982)
Hard
(1983)
A Brief History of the Twentieth Century
(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 .

Contents

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

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau B [2]
Pitchfork Media 3.8/10 [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
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]

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

with:

Technical

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References

  1. "Hard - Gang of Four | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "Hard". Robert Christgau.
  3. "Gang of Four: Hard/Solid Gold". Pitchfork. 9 February 2003.
  4. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 271.
  5. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 163.
  6. Holden, Stephen (27 October 1983). "Rock". The New York Times. p. C21.