Remember the days of hunting for "Peel Session" albums of your favorite bands----the rare "B" side or unreleased versions of favorite songs? Gang Of Four did something brilliant- with so many new bands being more then heavilly influenced by their first two albums, they reformed with the original line-up and toured playing, with few exceptions, a near recreation of their 1981/82 set list. Old fans came out for nostalgia and new fans came out of curiosity and came out learning how it should be done.... This new album sounds, outside of a few embellishments, like a very well recorded live show....it captures all of the energy, and with modern recording technology, cleans it up without over polishing - Most of all, it puts the release date as 2005 and opens up a lot of doors to marketing for the younger generation that wants something that sounds a bit more "current" sound-wise (while Solid Gold's production still holds up, Entertainment can sound a bit 'dry'. The new recordings of songs featured on "Songs Of The Free" are the real stand-outs - GOF gets back to the basics and treated them as they should have years ago (no back-up singers, production that captures the energy without sounding over-produced)- More then worth the price - highly recommended

The great thing about this cd is that is has a cohesive sound throughout and it does not sound like a collection, which it is. The cd stands up on it's own even though it is all previously recorded material culled from G04's first three records. some new versions of songs are better than ever, like "I Love A Man In A Uniform" and others are no better or worse than the original recordings, but just "sound" different, bigger, fatter, more three dimensional due to modern recording technology and mixing. Andy Gill should now be recognized as the great guitar sculptor that he is, and he is all over these songs with his slashing, scratching guitar art. Nice to hear the previously mentioned "I Love A Man In A Uniform" given the classic G04 sound to enhance the wonderful, cheeky anti war/ military lyrics,lifting this song out of danceland past and into the modern nightmare world of blind patriotism and the George Bush agenda. All the lame Franz Feminine G04 rip off bands should be hanging up their hopes on this fine return to form. Given a chance, this one should really turn the smart kids on. Go see them live,"Anthrax" is fun!

yes, it is a bit weird for a band to cover themselves 25 years after the fact. yes, they're not 25 anymore, and neither are you. yes, the first 2 albums were (and remain) unbelievably brilliant in their own right. ignore all that, and just listen to this album.

bottom line: this just freakin' rocks. the punch and aggression of "to hell with poverty" are just fantastic, and kick the whole album into high gear from the very beginning. the sound is much fuller, much more like their live sound, and almost a little overwhelming in its intensity. this is the sound of a reformed band trying hard to prove that it can blow the doors off its new imitators, and succeeding brilliantly.

you need this album.

Obviously this "self-tribute" release isn't a replacement for "Entertainment!" and "Solid Gold" (and if you don't already own those two albums, stop reading this and buy them right now), but "Return the Gift" is an awesome album in its own right. The modernized production adds new depth and heft to the guitars and drums; it's a decidedly different (and, frankly, more Franz Ferdinand-esque) sound than the dry, wiry original recordings, but it works just as well.

The band plays with just as much power as they did 25 years ago, if not quite as much agility. Consequently, a couple of the jumpier songs from "Entertainment!" (namely "Damaged Goods" and "Natural's Not in It") sound a little too restrained when held up to the live-wire originals. On the other hand, songs like "Paralysed" and "Anthrax" sound like they were born for this kind of treatment.

As for the tracklist: To my mind, the only truly regrettable exclusions are "Cheeseburger" and "I Found That Essence Rare." But it's impossible to find fault with the tracks that did make it; all of these songs are simply great no matter what year it is. The second disc of remixes is an interesting add-on, worth a couple of spins. I wanted to hear Karen O's vocals on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' version of "I Love a Man in Uniform."

Once again, "Return the Gift" does not replace the original masterpieces, but it does stand alongside them as a different but equally valid take on the same material.

It is about time the GOF get the praise that they deserve.Can you hear where Flea gets his bass influence from?Or Will Seargent from the Bunnymen gets his riffs from?This CD sent chills down my spine I can't wait to see them perform in Anaheim this month.Every station in L.A. should be spinning this CD.