Once Gang of Four became the Gang of Two they really began to suck. It was the textbook example of why cool, influential bands should know when to hang it up. Perhaps Michael Jordan was jamming 1991's Mall and 1995's Shrinkwrapped when he pulled over his Hummer and thought to himself, "Man, M.J., you don't want this to happen to you. Retire." So why does Rhino's new 40- track Gang of Four retrospective spend nearly 25% of the time on this material?!

There's no denying that Gang of Four are one of the most influential bands of the last 20 years. Echoes of Andy Gill's jagged bursts and barbed hooks can be heard in music everywhere, from Fugazi and Shellac to Blur and R.E.M. Satire, humor, and funky, danceable rhythms made the Gang of Four the smartest, most accessible punk founders. Entertainment and Solid Gold arguably remain two of the greatest albums rock and roll ever shoved up the Man's ass. So why does Rhino serve up the Alan Moulder Catwalk Club Mix of "I Parade Myself" on the second track?!

The motivation behind this compilation remains a haphazard enigma-- the sequencing reveals little plot, the liner notes little insight. The folks at Rhino clearly couldn't decide whether to make it a rarities collection, a live collection, a studio retrospective, or a greatest hits. The juxtaposition of the later '80s synth-pop garbage with the electrifying early music hints that the rhythm section was a little more necessary than Andy Gill and Jon King suspected. And the inclusion of several of the great tunes from Entertainment and Solid Gold offered here as mediocre live versions is inexcusable.

Rhino would have been better off had they simply repackaged and remastered Entertainment and Solid Gold with a nice, thick, picture- laden booklet. In my dreams, that compilation got a 100%. I mean, isn't this reality frighteningly close to the lame consumerism Gang of Four warned about when they were young and angry?

-Brent DiCrescenzo