''Mall'' is the fifth studio album by

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

. Seven years after Gang of Four's breakup, founding members

Jon King Jonathan Michael King (born 8 June 1955) is an English musician, songwriter, and Grammy nominated Art Director in the post-punk band Gang of Four. Biography King attended Sevenoaks School, where he was a member of the 'Art Room' that produce ...

and

Andy Gill Andrew James Dalrymple Gill (1 January 1956 – 1 February 2020) was a British musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the rock band Gang of Four, which he co-founded in 1976. Gill was known for his angular, jagged style of gu ...

reteamed for ''Mall''. Slickly produced, with a heavy emphasis on synthesizers and ersatz funk rhythms, the lyrical focus returns the group to the political arena. As suggested by the title, ''Mall'' is laced with the usual examinations of consumerism and the economy, while the sample-heavy "F.M.U.S.A." is an essay on the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The album features a cover of

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

' "Soul Rebel", from their 1970 album ''

Soul Rebels ''Soul Rebels'' is the second studio album by the Wailers, their first album to be released outside Jamaica. The Wailers approached producer Lee "Scratch" Perry in August 1970 to record an entire album, and the sessions took place at Randy's re ...

''.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote: "An adventurous, often gripping album that flirts with commercial appeal while indicting American consumer culture, ''Mall'' more than justifies the Gang’s return to active duty."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Andy Gill and Jon King; except where indicated # "Cadillac" - 5:29 # "Motel" - 3:34 # "Satellite" - 3:58 # "F.M.U.S.A." (Gill) - 5:01 # "Don't Fix What Ain't Broke" (King) - 4:02 # "Impossible" - 0:54 # "Money Talks" (Gill) - 3:36 # "Soul Rebel" (

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

) - 4:05 # "Hiromi & Stan Talk" - 0:43 # "Colour from the Tube" - 3:45 # "Hey Yeah" - 3:42 # "Everybody Wants to Come" - 4:01 # "World Falls Apart" - 6:08

Personnel

*Andy Gill *Jon King with: *

Gail Ann Dorsey Gail Ann Dorsey (born November 20, 1962) is an American musician. With a long career as a session musician mainly on bass guitar, she is perhaps best known for her lengthy residency in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to Bowie's death in 2016. Asid ...

- bass, backing vocals *

Blair Cunningham Blair Cunningham (born October 11, 1957, Memphis, Tennessee) is an American drummer who has played for many bands and artists including Denise LaSalle, Robert Johnson, the Detroit Emeralds, Frederick Knight, Echo & the Bunnymen, Haircut One H ...

Frank Tontoh Frank Tontoh (born 22 May 1964) is a Ghanaian percussionist. Life and work Born into the world of music, his father being trumpeter Mac Tontoh, Frank began his musical studies at MIT in Los Angeles. Afterwards, he completed a degree in comp ...

, Martyn Ford, Neil Wilkinson, Steve Monti - drums *

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, Dave Clarke, Linda Taylor,

Louise Goffin Louise Goffin (born March 23, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and producer of the 2011 album ''A Holiday Carole''. Signed by record executive Lenny Waronker to DreamWorks Records, DreamWorks in 1999, Goffin released ''Sometimes a Circle ...

, Stan Loubières - backing vocals ;Technical *Bob Kraushaar, Chad Jackson, Jeremy Allom, Mike Dignam, Jim Abbiss, Jock Loveband, Mike Pela - mixing

References

1991 albums Gang of Four (band) albums Albums produced by Andy Gill Polydor Records albums {{newwave-album-stub