Monday..that’s alright, midsummer’s day and all that. This was the longest day of the year it would appear, remember as a little kid staying out in June until 930-1000 at night when home time was limited to sunset? It felt like all the laws of conventional childhood freedom had been broken just due to the rotation of the planet, anarchy couldn’t be far off until we realised that the sunset would be back to 830pm in another month or so. But yeah it was all about the possibilities when you were seven…not that we did much…started fires, built rafts to float on ponds and found daring shortcuts on footpaths that weren’t public. Just what am I on about? Yes…midsummer – Glastonbury is nigh and I’m sure that will dominate proceedings the next week or so along with hopefully numerous reports from the field.

Speaking of big festivals The Clash *with Mick, essentially bowed out with their biggest ever concert at the US Festival in Southern California in 1983. Not the best event ever, the whole buildup was fraught with tension over appearance fees (and where to donate them) combined with inner friction which showed that the huge ascendancy of the band which had already seen Topper booted out was perched to cause more chaos. The US Festival didn’t cause The Clash to self destruct but it is certainly the symbolic moment when Mick and Joe weren’t on the same wavelength any more and this was to prove the case in more detail when they returned to London. So here’s what I want to know – how can a huge festival 27 years ago finally reveal a life performance that’s causing a buzz in Clash circles as the full version of London Calling is seen for the first time in its entirety? Funnily enough I hear from people all the time who’ve seen The Clash in small towns and famous gigs from the earliest days through to the The Clash Cut The Crap lineup but I never hear from people who were at the US Festival. Surely some of you are out there…if so what memories do you have of that night?

So back to the video (below) and what do we have? A UFO, but of course, opens up proceedings and then Joe making a nice little introduction about something for the centuries (to come). Mick Jones actually standing within 5 feet of him at the beginning and then off doing his own thing for the rest of the song. Paul another 40 feet to the right going through the song methodically, I hate big stages and then of course Joe. Lyrics in the wrong order, missed verses, missed lines but getting it back together for last third of the song. London Calling performed live seemed to have the lyrics routinely messed up by Joe, far more than any other song that springs to mind. I’ve no idea why. The audio is pretty good, and the camera angles suggest this was ‘officially’ recorded, the video quality is very good although it only heightens the appearance of a band that were by that time pretty fractured.

I just want to know just where these tapes sat for over a quarter of a century?

Have a lovely night ~ lots more tomorrow.

Tim