Happy 40th Birthday, London Calling

When I was a kid, like 12 or 13, punk rock exploded. It was even on the news, they would talk about how aggro the music was and how crazy the fashion was. I remember watching this lengthy segment on the Sex Pistols, maybe when they came to town or something. My dad wouldn't let me listen to them, I remember he said "punk rockers are bad people" even though there was absolutely no way he knew one or had even met one.

I kinda just went on with life and the first punk band I discovered on my own in high school was the Ramones (via Rock n' Roll High School), maybe around 81 or 82. I never went further than that for whatever reasons. Nobody I knew listened to the Sex Pistols or The Clash or anyone else for that matter. I was never exposed to any of it and I went through the rest of the 80s blissfully(?) ignorant.

By the end of the 80s, I was a huge music geek. I thought I was so knowledgeable but the reality was I didn't know shit. Around this time, Rolling Stone had published their issue that included their top 100 albums of the 80s. So, realizing that I didn't know it all, I decided to track down (either buy or borrow and record onto cassette) and listen to every album on that list.

I went through the listen and the biggest revelation was when I got to number one, London Calling by The Clash. Remember, I was never exposed to any kind of punk outside of the Ramones. I was expecting some kind of tuneless cacophony for whatever reason. And when I put it on, BOOM. It was incredible. My jaw slowly made its way to the floor. My eyes kept getting wider. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. And my feelings slowly turned to outrage. A whole decade and nobody bothered to tell me about this shit. NOBODY. Fuckers.

After that, I put it on repeat and tracked down the rest of the albums. Joe Strummer is like a hero to me.

So, happy 40th birthday to London Calling, one of the all-time greats. Also, the reason the album was on that best of the 80s list is because the US release was in January of 1980. Today, 14 DEC, is the real birthday.

If you haven't heard it and were maybe on the fence about it, please give it a shot (here's a handy Spotify link), it's really worth it.

Spanish bombs rock the province

My friend, John, hipped me to this Tijuana No!, telling me that they performed one of his favorite versions of The Clash's Spanish Bombs. I don't know much about the band, but I really like this track as well. I especially like the way the singer enunciates the words. It might be the slight accent that does it for me. So, no big write up here about how this song changed my life, I simply dig this track and I don't really know the band.

Tijuana No! > Spanish Bombs

You have the right to free speech, as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it

Joe is the man. Go see the film. Know your rights. And laugh at Johnny Depp. WTF was that all about? It looked like they were interviewing Captain Jack Sparrow.

The Clash > Know Your Rights (Live)

I gotta come clean

I've been reading Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer. I have to say I'm not entirely interested in the stuff he did as a child, so I sorta skimmed the first quarter of the book. I'm roughly halfway through now, and the stories and details about the 101ers and the beginnings of The Clash have really caught my attention. This is the good stuff!

Subsequently, I've been listening to a lot of The Clash lately. One thing that really strikes me is that their songs have a really good pop quality to them. They're very catchy and singable. It seems like that gets overlooked when most people talk about The Clash.

This is just one example, but check out this early tune, 1-2 Crush On You (it comes complete with a sax solo!), and judge for yourself. If that interests you, it can be found on the Super Black Market Clash album, and (I believe) The Clash on Broadway box set. I think the box set might be out of print (OOP) but, judging from the tracklist, it looks like it'd be very worth your time. Super Black Market Clash would be the more inexpensive option, if you were going to purchase either of the two. I've seen that going for a tenner at the most, brand new. They're one of the few bands of which I'd purchase a new RIAA-affiliated disc.

The Clash > 1-2 Crush On You

The Future Is Unwritten

There's a new documentary about Joe Strummer, called The Future Is Unwritten. So far, it seems to be playing in the UK only, hopefully it gets out here soon because I'd really like to see it. I'm almost ashamed to say I got into The Clash so late, waaaaay after they were gone. Joe Strummer seemed like a real, genuine hero. I bet it would have been fascinating to have a chat with him over a few beers. Seems only fitting that he should do a cover of Bob Marley's Redemption Song. You can find this on the Streetcore album, which was released in 2003, just after his death. He was working on this album at that time. He also had recorded a duet of this track with Johnny Cash, which shows up on the Cash 5-disc box set, Unearthed. So I'm posting both versions just because I like them. It might be overkill, but whatever, I'm just trying to share the love.

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros > Redemption Song


Joe Strummer & Johnny Cash > Redemption Song