Red Set by James Dooley

Author:James Dooley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Red Set: A history of Gang of Four
ISBN: 9781912248049
Publisher: Watkins Media
Published: 2018-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

NO ONE LIVES IN THE PAST

While actively promoting Songs of the Free, Gang of Four decided that one of the ways forward was to establish a relationship with a new manager. Among the possibilities were Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein, who together operated the firm Q Prime. Another candidate was Los Angeles-based Bennett Glotzer. One of the attractions of Glotzer was that he was Frank Zappa’s manager. “When you’re an act, one of the things that actually makes you want to be with a manager is: who else does that manager represent,” reflects King. “And he represented Frank and Frank was famously obsessed with detail, I mean he was really OCD-like and obviously a genius as well, but that he was represented by Bennett was to me the biggest thing that said it was a good choice at the beginning, even though I loathed the man.”

Hugo recalls that when he was in California remixing “I Love a Man in a Uniform” he met with Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker at Warner Bros. Records. While the meeting suggested that there continued to be much interest in Gang of Four at the label, Hugo recalls being warned that the group should avoid selecting Bennett Glotzer as a manager.

In spite of Hugo’s cautioning against the idea, Jon and Andy opted to work with Glotzer. “Hugo rang some alarm bells and passed some messages over to us from Warner Bros. –very negative messages,” recalls Gill. “Jon and I chose to ignore that warning… I obviously regret that and wished I had listened a bit more carefully to Hugo at that point.”

Hugo recalls that Bennett’s office had something of a Hollywood façade feel about it. There was an overt effort being made to project a thriving business. “There was something like twelve people bustling around working and I realised later only two of the people actually worked for him,” laughs Burnham. “The rest were all from central casting… hanging out.” While it would take a while for the extent of Glotzer’s financial problems and somewhat dodgy business practices to be clear, the group pressed on with him as they continued to tour and plan their next album.

In early 1983 Gang of Four once again toured North America. The two backing vocalists accompanying the group, Dolette McDonald and Michelle Cobbs, had ties with the band Chic. At this point McDonald was probably best known for her prominent role in the Talking Heads touring band – a large ensemble that had also included Busta Jones. It seems certain that Gang of Four were increasingly drawing on their funk and disco influences for their overall sound. It is also likely that the band was trying to offer a more professional and visually engaging stage presentation. Of course this didn’t mean the shows entirely lost their manic and noisy qualities. As always, this balancing act required both retaining an established identity, and moving on to something slightly different. As the tour came to a close, the band returned to Europe and played a date for the German music television programme Rockpalast.

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