Artist: Gang of Four Album: Entertainment!, reissue (Rhino)

Along with the Clash, Gang of Four brought punk's revolutionary drive that was killed off by the Sex Pistols' nihilism. Entertainment! was the band's loudest statement that rock music could still make a difference.

Lyrically, Entertainment! was a searing indictment on England about to collapse from unemployment and poverty under the new administration of Margaret Thatcher.

Through their neo-Marxist lyrics, Gang of Four -- the three art students and a lorry driver named their band after the group of Chinese Communist Party members who attempted a coup after Mao Zedong's death -- tackled England's social ills, from patriarchy to oil-driven war (sounds familiar, eh?).

Musically, the album overturns all the standards and rules of rock. Hugo Burnham's paramilitary drumming and Dave Allen's plodding bass play lead roles, while Andi Gill's staccato guitar dictates song development.

After so long missing from the shelves of music stores, Rhino recently re-released the album with bonus tracks from the band's Yellow EP and two tracks from a live show. The end recording does justice to the band that first brought politics to music, effectively. -- M. Taufiqurrahman