# The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four out now

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/the-problem-of-leisure-a-celebration-of-andy-gill-and-gang-of-four-out-now/
- Published: 2021-06-04T08:29:05-05:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

**_THE PROBLEM OF LEISURE:_** **_A CELEBRATION OF ANDY GILL AND GANG OF FOUR _– 
Out Now!**

[**Buy / Stream Here**](https://gang-of-four.ffm.to/theproblemofleisure)

**A new compilation album featuring new interpretations of Gang of Four songs by
major artists with original artwork by Damien Hirst**

**New website – **[**www.theproblemofleisure.com**](http://www.theproblemofleisure.com/)

[[

Credit: Damien Hirst, Dog with Bone, 2017 © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. 
All rights
reserved, DACS 2021

It’s finally here. Two years before his passing, iconic guitarist, producer and **
Gang of Four **founder **Andy Gill **embarked on a project very close to his heart.
The result, out today, is**_ [The Problem of Leisure](https://gang-of-four.ffm.to/theproblemofleisure)_**,
a double album of tracks written by Andy Gill and Gang of Four, all newly reinterpreted
and recorded by artists whose own unique contributions to music were enriched by
listening to the band. The album features songs from across Gang of Four’s 40-plus
year career, each individually chosen by the artists’ who covered them.

Originally conceived by Andy to mark the 40^(th )anniversary of Gang of Four’s extraordinary
1979 debut long player **_Entertainment!, _**an album widely heralded as a classic(_“
the fifth best punk album of all time”_ – **Rolling Stone**), _The Problem of Leisure
_quickly expanded beyond that remit when several participating artists chose tracks
from different albums and periods. Every musician who committed to the project was
given the freedom to create new versions of whichever Gang of Four songs they wanted
to cover, with Andy overseeing some of the earlier productions but largely leaving
artists to create their own interpretations.

The final 20 track double-album features an extraordinary roll call of global talent,
with artists from seven different countries and four continents, demonstrating the
breadth and scale of Andy and Gang of Four’s influence.

Damaged Goods

[⌊Damaged Goods⌉⌊Damaged Goods⌉
Watch this video on YouTube

**IDLES “Damaged Goods”**

When Andy died, on February 1, 2020, his widow, **Catherine Mayer**, was determined
to finish the project.

“There was never any question in my mind about getting this record finished,” she
says. “It was far advanced, with many tracks already submitted and a wish-list of
artists Andy still intended to approach. He was so passionate about making progress
that on the day he was taken into hospital, he delayed the ambulance while I fetched
his computer and noise-cancelling headphones. In intensive care he listened to mixes
and selected the wonderful, playful cover art by **Damien Hirst**.”

![](https://i0.wp.com/mcusercontent.com/f67b4587af2b2ef9aa80ed984/images/8f8cb61c-
188b-4d42-b201-5c3786d0e313.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

**Andy Gill**
Credit – c. 2016 oneintenwords.com

The album, distributed by Ingrooves and out on the **Gill Music **label, is available
to download and stream and is also presented in a variety of physical formats with
all artwork variants created by Hirst. There are three gatefold double vinyl formats–
the “**dogluxe**”, available only from The Gang of Four store ([www.gangoffour.uk](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gangoffour.uk%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0OMqjBPHKg0foH5Q4UGnzNLCdZA7zoB54V0cJTcZ0MBoU9pv7pVK-7cN4&h=AT2Bb_XN15O82_Vmg0VnulKp8Ow3IkC2_s9KRJzE5OhVzuZq3Wdn2VQn0u4e1gt3QaW3WNWf5HKYBZj9jCdK-NKsPlgQMPUGOsRXNt-4cAj6IgH6HW-iywqyNwkK3QQvyk0ABE4&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5B0%5D=AT3yduXi6E-QWDdCeqM_MFkTzkk9LqooC1QamsSgMwx2WEwGxZp-DRTKUWSJEv3b2GuCWj6mToifawTitkGlLT-8QA-_KS_o4u4nCMXKTMCyTvSfMwgeHUeowZCTN9KkXs9Bdqar3tbOeyuOKmn0MhiABt48AyFdxlX1c5UH5Jnf5o6VBjLqElcJpKbi-CQd0h-iOlLBRd7EWn0ivg)),
is heavyweight red vinyl with a red sleeve and contains a six-sheet poster and a
special googly eye on the front; the yellow vinyl and matching sleeve is only available
from independent music retailers worldwide; and the black vinyl with the green sleeve
is on sale everywhere. There are two CD formats – a limited edition case-bound book
with a googly eye and a gatefold digipak version. There is also a limited edition
C90 cassette, with a pink body.

Catherine says: “Andy would be delighted with every aspect of this album, including
the critical response to it. His ashes are in the flat we shared, in a wine flagon,
and the reviews have been so good that I’ve been reading them out to him.”

Last year, obituarists struggled to sum up Andy’s profound impact on music. He had
co-founded Gang of Four and remained at the time of his death its only original 
member. As co-writer or writer of all the band’s songs and through his unmistakable
and much emulated guitar style, Andy influenced generation after generation of musicians,
and that effect was amplified by his work as a composer and producer. This album
speaks to that impact and influence. 

The album campaign started with the release of a new version of “**Natural’s Not
In It**” by **Tom Morello & Serj Tankian**, on January 8, 2021. This was followed
by **3D**’s updated (Redux) version of “**Where the Nightingale Sings**” on February
12, 2021 which featured vocals from alt rock duo **Nova Twins **and was co-produced
by **Robert Del Naja **from **Massive Attack **(as 3D) and Andy Gill. Singles by**
Warpaint **(“**Paralysed**”), **Helmet **(“**In the Ditch**”) and **Herbert Grönemeyer**(“**
I Love a Man in a Uniform**”) have been released subsequently, showcasing the breadth
of artists who have contributed to the album. **IDLES **version of “**Damaged Goods**”
was the last single to be released before the album, generating acclaim and excitement
in equal measure.

The new website for the album – [www.theproblemofleisure.com](http://www.theproblemofleisure.com/)–
contains more information about the project including the stories behind the connections
of many of the contributing artists to Andy Gill and Gang of Four.

**The Problem of Leisure: CD One**
 **Vinyl One, Side A**[**IDLES – Damaged Goods (UK)**](https://youtu.be/mQpBb7uL4EI)
[**Tom Morello & Serj Tankian – Natural’s Not In It (USA)**](https://youtu.be/AMzeuh6kFRU)
[**Helmet – In the Ditch (USA)**](https://youtu.be/wNS2ReTAHpA)[**3D\* x Gang of Four feat. Nova Twins – Where the Nightingale Sings (UK)**](https://youtu.be/zeJuy42wgl8)**
Hotei – To Hell With Poverty (Japan)** 

**Vinyl One, Side B**
**Gary Numan – Love Like Anthrax (UK)****Gail Ann Dorsey –
We Live as We Dream, Alone (USA)**[**Herbert Grönemeyer feat. Alex Silva – I Love a Man in a Uniform (Germany)**](https://youtu.be/ms20CRIMfck)**
LoneLady – Not Great Men (UK)****JJ Sterry – 5.45 (UK)** 

**The Problem of Leisure: CD Two**

**Vinyl Two, Side C**
**La Roux – Damaged Goods (UK)****Everything Everything – 
Natural’s Not in It (UK)****Dado Villa-Lobos – Return the Gift (Brazil)****The Dandy
Warhols – What We All Want (USA)**[**Warpaint – Paralysed (USA)**](https://youtu.be/bENKa3p77Sk)

**Vinyl Two, Side D**
**Flea & John Frusciante – Not Great Men (USA)****The Sounds–
I Love a Man in a Uniform (Sweden)****Hardcore Raver in Tears – Last Mile\*\* (China)****
Killing Joke x Gang of Four – Forever Starts Now (Killing Joke Dub) (UK)****Sekar
Melati – Not Great Men (live version) (Japan)** 

**\* 3D is the remix name of Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack**
**\*\* “Last 
Mile” is the new title for this cover of “Broken Talk”, reflecting new lyrics sung
in Mandarin by Hardcore Raver in Tears**

**Gang of Four’s Socials**
**Facebook**: [https://www.facebook.com/gangoffourofficial/](https://44f0c9baac5dbe5d9f0edad3db53331a.tinyemails.com/d2317e7c3ff43c296db50c40e09dae57/07f909bb94db5b1b6acb11985bb800f3.html)**
Instagram**: [https://www.instagram.com/gangoffourofficial/](https://44f0c9baac5dbe5d9f0edad3db53331a.tinyemails.com/d2317e7c3ff43c296db50c40e09dae57/da7913ce428efaeb50c772fbd5e06eb8.html)**
Twitter**: [https://twitter.com/gangof4official](https://44f0c9baac5dbe5d9f0edad3db53331a.tinyemails.com/d2317e7c3ff43c296db50c40e09dae57/d971bf90abac614798aed6d8ac1ebe53.html)

**Helmet’s Socials**
Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/HelmetMusic](https://www.facebook.com/HelmetMusic)
Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/helmet_music/](https://www.instagram.com/helmet_music/)
Twitter: [https://twitter.com/helmetmusic](https://twitter.com/helmetmusic)

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