A second album 'Solid Gold' was released, but Dave Allen left following internal problems in 1981 (later joining Shriekback), and was replaced by Sara Lee, previously from Jane Aire and the Belvederes.
Her arrival allowed the group to modify their sound slightly and move away from hard edged but funky guitars into a more accessible, commercial area. The album 'Songs of the Free' was an example of this, featuring the single 'I Love A Man In Uniform', which seemed to be heading for the UK charts until the Falklands conflict broke out, causing it to be wiped from radio playlists.
Burnham was dismissed in 1983, and the band recorded 'Hard' as a three-piece, filling any gaps with session musicians. By this time, their early audiences had moved on, and their original, refreshing mixture of sounds was lost between purist fans of different genres, such as punk/pop/disco & funk. The band split up in 1984, with a posthumous live album 'At the Palace' emerging later that year.
Following various solo projects, Gill & King resurrected the Gang of Four name in 1990, and released an album, 'Mall' the following year. Whilst they continued to write catchy tunes laced with political ideals and soundbites, their sound had taken on a slightly harder 'American' rock sound, which was reflected in a degree of success in the USA.
In the mid 90's, a further album continued this trend, with an almost mechanical feel to songs like 'Tattoo'. With hindsight 'Shrinkwrapped' was the obvious sound that Gang of Four had always been headed for, and found the band more comfortable with their music than they had sounded since their second album. Tracks from the album were initially part of a soundtrack to a film, 'Delinquent'.
Jon King has since given up on the music business, effectively ending the band for good, whilst other members have re-united to compile rare recordings for a 2CD US compilation titled '100 Flowers Bloom'. A live album and video have been rumoured as future releases, but none have yet materialised.
Media coverage tends to ignore this hugely influential band, although Andy Gill has been appeared on production credits for other bands throughout the last two decades. Artists from R.E.M. to Red Hot Chili Peppers in the USA, and Manic Street Preachers to Bis in the UK have cited them as an influence, and their subtle brand of funk mixed with punk rock guitars is surely a pre-cursor to the American industrial rock sound so successfully used by Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson.
Following his departure from Gang of Four, Dave Allen was a member of Shriekback, and also formed King Swamp, Low Pop Suicide, the Crash Baptists and Elastic Purejoy.
Drummer Hugo Burnham found employment as a session musician with artists such as ABC and Samantha Fox, before becoming manager of Shriekback in 1985, and subsequently taking on similar roles for artists such as Julian Cope and Thrashing Doves.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE GANG OF FOUR: Wire, The Slits, Manic Street Preachers, Nine Inch Nails, Fugazi, Public Image Ltd, Joy Division, The Au Pairs, The Minutemen, The Clash,
Television, Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Age of Chance, Big Flame, Shriekback, The Fall.