Hello Clash friends, decent weekend? I hope so, mine was alright but filled with obligations so it felt like it passed at an even quicker rate than usual. Therefore any chance I had at writing a post last night was snuffed out. In fact it’s 10pm as I write this without much of a story in mind so I’ll see what I can shake out of the trees and/or finish the post tomorrow if needed. Have you ever considered how many great bands have hailed from Scotland over the last 30-35 years and when you consider the population is just over 5 million it is quite a testament. One of these days I’ll put together a list of my favourite Scottish bands, I’d have to say the vast majority would be post 1980 but that really covers my (relative) area of expertise. It was a thought that never occurred to me when The Clash were active but you almost have to consider that Joe was half Scottish or at least inspired by that to some extent, I’m English born but with my Mum being Irish I’ve only ever really considered my ‘half-Irishness’ more as an adult. I know that Joe was more drawn to that part of his heritage in his later years. I always felt like a mutt really. Who were the original/better Scottish punk bands anyway, nothing is springing to mind from 1977 (ish). I think the post-punk period was more favourable North of that border, but go ahead and prove me wrong.

Vince White is still going update. For those in the minority that still think The Clash MKII were full of good ideas you might enjoy this link to a new song by Vince White. Even if you don’t like the song you might enjoy his hair. Even if you don’t like his hair you might remember the 4:03 you spent as time you’ll never get back. —update — Good news, this is another Vince White, apologies to the real Vince White, that one is still busy plotting the overthrow of government in London. I was misled by the video being tweeted hashtag The Clash!! —- Actually I’m being unfair, it would be a poor  retelling of history to suggest that the stand in members of The Clash over those final years were treated well, particularly at the very end. Nor were they on much more than a hiding to nothing once that final album went into to the studio. It’s a piece of Clash history that I feel really unqualified to tell and judge it on the music only, those weren’t good times for Joe or Paul if interviews are anything to go by. I did see that final lineup of the band live and it wasn’t awful. I know many of you have good memories of their live performances at the time even allowing for the lack of Topper and Mick. There seems to be a lot ill-will from that period of time so examining it in much detail doesn’t seem to be very healthy and Joe for obvious reasons and Bernie Rhodes for personal ones aren’t filling in the gaps. As a rule of thumb I’ve somewhat excluded that part of The Clash story on the blog although it hasn’t been a conscious decision, perhaps I need to revisit that?

If you’ve wondered recently whether Mick Jones might get pulled back into another stint as producer of The Libertines (if that reunion was to be permanent) you probably received your answer with the news that Pete Doherty has been sent back to prison for six months. It seems that will be the final straw that closes the book on The Libertines and the patience of Carl Barât with regards to Pete. It seems that based on the last six or seven years that jail is not where Doherty is going to find successful rehabilitation which only underscores the tragic waste of of his talent in my opinions. Not only does that put paid to his UK tour but also I think the hopes of a full reunion of The Libertines. There’s also other unfinished cases of guilt by association over Doherty regarding the deaths of ….you know what I won’t even bother you can look it up in the gutter press which now appears to officially be The Daily Mail. Just type Daily Mail and Pete Doherty into your search engine and ask yourself if that outstanding newspaper just might have a vendetta of sorts? On a slightly more positive note I’m looking forward to the forthcoming Libertines film perhaps getting a US release (or at least a DVD). It has been released in the UK and here’s a link to the interview with director Roger Sargent at the London premier. I think there are some strange parallels to The Clash even beyond the music.

This has hardly been my most positive/focused update ever has it? Ah well, I’ll be back tomorrow with some Strummerville news that is worth knowing about. See you in the comments – Tim. Oh and Ryan Giggs….I guess add me to the list of those to be sued, you had an affair with Imogen (don’t call me Michael) Thomas.

Good evening everyone, hoping your Monday passed by with little consequence and you are fit and well wherever you may be reading this. Interesting follow up in the comments section on yesterday’s post about the ebay listing for what appear to be very old and rare Clash recordings from early 1977. I’d be keen to know if anyone can shed any more light on this as based on what’s been said it sounds like there isn’t even a guarantee these old 1/4″ tapes will even play. Speaking of rumours, I’ve yet to see any official word on Sandinista! 30th Anniversary and I’m wondering if that opportunity has now been missed? If you know differently let me know. Read on as I’ve news of a special price on a great Clash collectible and a chance to win your own copy too!

Here’s a question to ponder then. Do you think of The Clash as a singles band or an albums band? That question only probably holds much relevance if you’re of similar vintage to myself and grew up when the release of a single was often a bigger deal than an album’s release and perhaps as importantly singles wouldn’t automatically be included on albums. Indeed in the good old days of vinyl if you were a proper enthusiast you picked up each single as it came out by a band or at worst went back and gathered/sought out the ones you missed. Partly to have the artwork and the individual piece added to the collection but often because the song wasn’t available on another format. The Clash were despite a lack of major recurring chart success strong believers in the power of the single and released some of their finest work in just that format. What other band would put out a song as great as Bankrobber and not include it on any of their studio albums? I would say that The Clash were a singles band and latterly and album band, crossing that divide with ease as the industry started to change. It’s interesting to note that artists such as Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (Morrissey would be another great example) who grew up obsessed with the single culture of the 1960′s when the idea of marketing albums hadn’t even begun remained loyal to the format and put such stock in releasing great singles.

I envy those of you who were able to collect the 7″ and later in 12″ singles of each of The Clash releases. I managed to get my hands on about two thirds of them over the years but never had the cash at that time to collect them all. It was with excitement in 2006 that CBS/Sony decided to release a box set of all of The Clash singles on CD. Not just 2 CDs containing all of the singles and b-sides but each single and extra tracks were reproduced to match the original vinyl in (slightly) smaller version, complete with original sleeve artwork and special faux vinyl printing on the disc itself. A great friend of mine was a little late to find his obsession with The Clash (I hope I was partly responsible) and he’s certainly made up for lost time since, as a result it was the perfect Christmas gift for him the year it came out. If you’ve never seen the box set it is simply beautiful in its detail and makes a perfect addition to a complete collection of The Clash, particularly now that finding mint condition vinyl and artwork from those original records is harder than ever, it also comes with a rather brilliant 44 page booklet. When the box set originally came out it wasn’t inexpensive ($80 here in the States) but still a wonderful purchase. I’ve just learned that starting tomorrow there is a way to purchase the box set at half of original list price for a very limited time at just $39.98 via a division of Sony Music Entertainment. If you didn’t purchase it first time round I’d encourage you to check out PopMarket.com by Sony this week. They’ve provided full details below and also been kind enough to let me offer one copy of the boxset to a reader of the blog. The only condition is that you need to answer a question I’ll set and be able to furnish me with a US mailing address (sorry if that rules you out…)

Here’s the official word on: The Clash – The Singles Box Set

The Clash – The Singles Box Set
The ultimate gift for Clash fans – this deluxe box set features all 19 UK Clash singles packaged in replica picture sleeves.
• All 19 UK Singles in their original sleeves
• Bonus Tracks from 12” singles, non-UK b-sides and promo discs
• 6 tracks never-before available on CD
• 66 tracks in all
• 44 page booklet with rare photos and memorabilia
Original Price $79.98 / PopMarket.com Price $39.98

The Clash – The Singles is a deluxe lift off box in a slipcase that includes all 19 of the legendary bands UK singles packaged in replica picture sleeve artwork. The box includes the rare NME give-away “Capitol Radio” EP (never previously commercially released), and bonus tracks from 12” singles, non-UK b-sides and promo discs – and six tracks never-before available on CD. There are 66 tracks in all! The 44 page color booklet features all the various single artwork, rare (and many unseen) photos, extensive memorabilia and reflections written by some of today’s biggest artists who credit the Clash as major influences in their careers.

Created by Sony Music Entertainment, POPMARKET is a free, members-only music club that caters to fans, bargain hunters and serious collectors alike. Introduced in late 2010, POPMARKET has quickly become a buzzed-about site for incredible deals that often sell out within hours, containing a mix of premium music and rare, collectible albums, boxed sets and memorabilia at deeply-discounted member’s-only prices available for a limited time.

The special pricing offer begins this Wednesday May 11th at noon EST and lasts for 24 hours only, so don’t miss the chance to nab a copy of this boxset. Being CBS they also have some nice/worthy other deals from Dylan, Iggy Pop and Springsteen if you fancy. Here’s the link once again.

Thanks to Sony I’ve also got one edition of  The Clash – The Singles box set to give away absolutely free to a reader of the blog, the only restriction is as it is an official sweepstakes I’ll need you to be in the US to win the competition, sorry. To enter the competition please answer the following easy question via the contact page and enter :CLASH BOX SET in the subject line. Please include the correct answer (assuming you want to win) and your name to be eligible, strictly one entry per person. I’ll follow up to confirm your contact details if you are the lucky winner. Competition is open until noon EST on Friday May 13th and I’ll pick a random winner and announce it that day/contact you that day.

The Clash – The Singles Box Set – POPMARKET Quiz question:

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais was released in June ’78 and is perhaps the greatest single of all time. As the epic (pun intended) song comes to a close, what does Joe Strummer insist he is only looking for?

Good luck and my most sincere thanks to Sony/POPMARKET for the prize. Please note in the unlikely event that you should happen to decide to purchase a copy of the box set this week via PopMarket AND win the prize drawing AND can’t find a suitable home for a second copy (if your friends don’t like The Clash…question that friendship) – I will (with proof of purchase) pay you for your copy and use the prize for a future blog post. Sound good? Alright…I’ll be back tomorrow. *any confusion about the contest please email me, complaints about eligibility please contact my secretary. Tim

Hello once more, thanks for making a return visit to your Clash Blog. Football is an evil mistress I must say, every August it gathers your hopes up and depending on who you support keeps you emotionally invested for the better part of 9 months at which point you either are rewarded with occasional success on as for most teams (as in life) a more normal result is just taking part without perhaps being top of the class. So it’s been with my club this season who let me down again but I’ll be back and full of hope again in just a few months, it’s not officially time to congratulate Manchester United yet but I’ll do so anyway. Funnily enough this weekend also saw Mick Jones at Loftus Road enjoying an even more rare moment of exultation as his team Queens Park Rangers won promotion back to the top flight of English football returning to the highest division after a 15 year absence. I can’t even imagine how happy he must be this weekend, as a lifelong supporter these are the moments you wait and wait and sometimes keep waiting for. If you’ve no profound interest in football/soccer and want to try then may I suggest QPR (Arsenal will only drive you mental) as they not only play just a short distance from where The Clash first got to know each other but with Mick’s allegiance it is sort of an unofficial Clash FC.

It has been a week of rare Clash finds at least, just a few days after some of the footage from the Jamaica World Music Festival making its way on to YouTube there is an Ebay listing that if authentic might be rather exciting. Needless to say I’ve not got the money to find out so I wondered if I could ask a thousand of you to each contribute £2.50 then we can make a lowball offer of £2,500 and see if he bites, then of course we’ll all be part owners of it and can share it around the internet…or something. To what do I refer?

According to this ebay listing these are the original tapes (the big old 1/4″ tapes) from the CBS sessions with The Clash at Whitfield Street back in 1977 produced by Mickey Foote. It (looks like) seems there are 4 tapes in all consisting of three 4 song sessions and also a near complete version of the debut album. Let’s go with the logic that these are 100% authentic and we’d expect there to be studio chatter along with earlier demo versions of many of the tracks that the band were working on in February, March and April of 1977. I’m not at the level of historian where I would know what question could be asked of the seller to verify their authenticity but perhaps you are. Either way if legitimate I’m truly amazed to even see these for sale on ebay, they should be in the hands of Jones, Simonon, Strummer or in the British Museum if you ask me. Also, for those with better scientific knowledge than me (that would be anyone reading this) what sort of condition would 1/4″ magnetic tape be in 34 years after the recording and how would you transfer the recording? Perhaps CBS should purchase this on our behalf and release this at a special price for true fans rather than yet another Greatest Hits collection of songs/version we already own. Seller is in Glasgow, tell me more if you’ve already seen this listing.

Check out the full listing and let me know what you think – more photos below including a letter about the history of these. Looks like the auction runs til Friday…. Tim (Make sure you read the comments below, some interesting stuff – thanks all)