100 Flowers Bloom: Anthology
In the late '70s, Gang of Four took a hybrid of funk and rock and created the clearest articulation yet. Now, at last, these lads from Leeds get the retrospective they so richly deserve. One-third greatest hits, one-third blistering live cuts, and one-third demos and remixes, "100 Flowers Bloom" shows rock's "theoretical devastators" to be at the peak of their powers. Gang of Four have influenced bands fromFugazitoR.E.M., with a cutting edge that never became uncomfortable. Years later, today's bands still can't hit as hard as tracks like "Ether" and "Better Him Than Me." The packaging and liner notes are the usual Rhino high quality, and the songs are as uplifting as they are interesting. "Please send me evenings and weekends!" Amen.--Marc Calhoun