You may remember Matador Records acquired the Gang of Four catalog earlier this year, putting their records back on streaming services along with a whole bunch of live recordings. They've now announced that Gang of Four's crucial, influential early years, including the two albums they made with their original line-up (1979's Entertainment! and 1981's Solid Gold), are being collected for a new box set titled Gang of Four: 77-81 to be released by Matador Records on December 11.

Both Entertainment! and Solid Gold have been remastered from the original analog tapes, and the box set also includes an exclusive singles album, and a double album of the never-officially-released Live at American Indian Center 1980. There's also a C90 tape featuring 26 never-before-released demos, outtakes and rarities from the era, a couple badges/pins, and a 100-page hardbound book that includes the first-ever official publication of their lyrics.

You can pre-order Gang of Four 77-81 now and check out the box set packaging and the tracklist, and listen to Entertainment! and Solid Gold, below.

Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill died in February.

GANG OF FOUR: 77-81 TRACK LIST

ENTERTAINMENT!
A1. Ether
A2. Natural’s Not In It
A3. Not Great Men
A4. Damaged Goods
A5. Return The Gift
A6. Guns Before Butter
B1. I Found That Essence Rare
B2. Glass
B3. Contract
B4. At Home He’s A Tourist
B5. 5.45
B6. Love Like Anthrax

SOLID GOLD
A1. Paralysed
A2. What We All Want
A3. If I Could Keep It For Myself
A4. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time
A5. Why Theory?
B1. Cheeseburger
B2. The Republic
B3. In The Ditch
B4. A Hole In The Wallet
B5. He’d Send In The Army

SINGLES
A1. To Hell With Poverty
A2. It’s Her Factory
A3. Armalite Rifle
B1. Capital (It Fails Us Now)
B2. History’s Bunk!
B3. Cheeseburger (Live) *
B4. What We All Want (Live) *
*Live at Hammersmith Palais

LIVE AT AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER 1980
A1. Not Great Men
A2. Contract
A3. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time
A4. Damaged Goods
B1. He’d Send In The Army
B2. Guns Before Butter
B3. 5.45
C1. Anthrax
C2. It’s Her Factory
C3. Ether
C4. Natural’s Not In It
D1. At Home He’s A Tourist
D2. Rosanne
D3. Return The Gift
D4. Glass

CASSETTE
SIDE A -THE EARLY DEMOS (VARIOUS)
I) REHEARSAL ROOM – LEEDS, 1977-78
The Things You Do
What You Ask For
Armalite Rifle
Love Like Anthrax
Silence Is Not Useful
Disco Sound
Damaged Goods
Elevator

II) CARGO DEMOS – CARGO STUDIO, ROCHDALE
Song One
Song Two

iii) THE TAPES – POLYDOR STUDIOS, JAN 1978
Essence Rare
Tourist
Return The Gift
5.45
Corked Up With The Ether

SIDE B – ABBEY ROAD DEMOS

FROM 5TH JANUARY 1981 – (single track from cassette)
Why Theory
Cargo
Trains
Army
Disco/Funk
Dog’s Breath
Asshole
Cymbal
Reverb
Cheeseburger
Ditch

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