Hello again, not much excitement with me so I hope you are having some. Luckily though I’ve got some good things for you to look at/listen to. After The Clash (Mark II) finally hit the self destruct button, the first foray back into music for Paul Simonon was Havana 3am. The short-lived band clearly need further exploration on this site which I’ll attempt at a later date (chances are some of you will know a lot more than me please contribute as I’d appreciate it). I remember buying the cassette of the only album they released in ‘91 and have subsequently added the CD to the collection but wouldn’t claim to have invested very much time in it. However the reason I write is the often brilliant Wolfgang’s Vault site (subscribe! subscribe!) have released a live concert by the band that you can listen to online. The 8 tracks were recorded at the Marquee in New York in 1991, I’m going to give it the once over and if you’re more conversant with the album than I it will be worth checking out. Wolfgang’s Vault has a remarkable encyclopedia of live concerts from the last 40+ years so you might want to have a wander round the site.

Has anyone seen the Ian Dury film yet? Still no word on a local release here but I’m curious to see what you thought about it. The reviews are generally positive but it looks like a fairly intense and at times dark picture. As a result I was fascinated to read what surviving members of The Blockheads had to say and thanks to The Quietus such an interview has now taken place! In a very lengthy interview it shows just how hard it is to capture the essence of someone no longer with us and the atmosphere that the band existed in some 30 years ago. I’ve said it before but my hope remains that someone will tackle the details of the story of The Clash one of these days. While the Strummer films have been great I still think there is a tale to be told – but you face the same difficulty as this film – just who would portray The Clash? (apart from the bloke from Glasvegas!)

Finally, what a sensible audience visit the site El New York Chico! The writer has posed the question ‘How important is the legacy of The Clash in rock music?’ Judging by the replies so far they have an audience almost as well sussed as us! Anyway please lend your thoughts after reviewing the post. It amazes me how kind (and deservedly so) the passing time has been to The Clash. I was just 18 when the final version of the band ran out of steam without Jones and Headon and in the mid 80’s I was convinced we’d just lost a band like no other. As indie music took over followed by the Manchester/Madchester dance scene by the time the 90’s began it was like The Clash never happened and few people I knew saw the band as much more than a footnote; the punk band that made it.

Then the amazing gradual but titanic reversal of opinion over the last 15 years meant music fans both old and young realised that The Clash really were quite an amazing thing. The fury of the early records replenished by experimentation that was largely brilliant resulted in 5 albums that stand up to anyone’s. Even though I was ‘there’ from the second album onwards what I appreciate most as I’ve aged it just how much music they made in such a short period of time. It was all over within 6 years or so – and now bands will wait that long between albums.

For me, there will never be another band quite like them – and that’s alright with me.

Tim