A happy new week to you all then as we steam into another Monday on the blog. I just don’t know where the time goes anymore as it seems like it should be midsummer and yet here we are in the second week of October. I also noticed that I have the very best intentions when it comes to rolling along with The Clash Cup and yet once I think it’s about a week since the latest installment it turns out that it’s been close to three weeks which is unforgivably long. My October resolution will be to get to at least three more match ups before Halloween so tonight will be the first. If you happen to be new to the blog it’s a simple process where you vote for the best Clash song based upon a random match up, better still is proportional representation is offered so that runners-up can still make it through to the next round with good support. We’re getting closer to the final 64 songs now and the beginning of round three, the final goal is to propose the best 16, 8 and then the final four best Clash songs ever recorded. According to you, the cream of Clash fans. Before that we have to review the last pairing which I’m ashamed to say was back on September 18.

English Civil War defeated Four Horsemen 39-19

That was far more one-sided than I had expected, but for once (at last) my preferred choice made it through to the next round. I’m very curious to see how many tracks from London Calling make it to the final 64 but Four Horsemen won’t be one of them. So let’s move on to the next terrific twosome.

Clash Cup Round 2 Match 12

What’s My Name versus Jimmy Jazz

This really is a fantastic pairing of songs for so many reasons. First of all both of them are really good tracks and it would be a shame to see either depart with The Clash Cup quite so early. Better still is a huge contrast in styles of the two songs, if you bumped into some herbert who had only ever heard ‘Rock The Casbah’ and wanted to know more about The Clash just imagine if you threw these two songs at him or her to listen to. If you have no prior knowledge of the band you’d probably be shocked to realize it was the same group in the first place, What’s My Name is almost a prototype 1976 English punk song although I think the original version may have predated Joe Strummer joining the band that summer, but received his lyrical reworking like some other early Mick Jones tracks. As for musicianship it along with White Riot is one of the more basic Clash tracks to play but what it lacks in complexity it makes up for with aggression and lyrical nous. Hard to believe then that just three years later the same band knocked out Jimmy Jazz for the London Calling album, what would have been a huge departure in 1978 somehow fit just perfectly onto the album that established the band as being willing to draw from the past as much as write about the future. The origins of the song lay with Topper Headon and his desire to do something with a jazz feel on the album, when added to Joe Strummer’s ability to ‘tell that tale’ plus the introduction of brass you have a Clash song unlike any other.

Form Book

Round 1 What’s My Name defeated The Right Profile     72% of the vote
Round 1 Jimmy Jazz defeated If Music Could Talk    74% of the vote

Back in the first round both songs had to overcome fairly stubborn opposition but did so quite comfortably it looks. If Jimmy Jazz is one of the least likely Clash songs on London Calling, then the song that What’s My Name defeated in round one would probably run a close second. I had thought The Right Profile would have done a bit better, but support for some of the early Clash songs seems to be very strong. With all that said I don’t quite know which way you lot might vote on this pairing. I think it will be very close but Jimmy Jazz will just win it by head. Chop Chop!

Stuff

This is sometimes a tricky bit, trying to tell you something about the songs that you don’t already know. As it happens I’m in the middle of that Marcus Gray book about the making of London Calling, whilst it’s an interesting read at times it gets very very detailed to the point where you need a cup of coffee and a cigarette after reading some chapters – so full of information is his writing. He also runs through track by track in such exquisite detail that you feel a bit overwhelmed by the information, you can’t argue the facts really but you can debate the interpretation of some songs at least to a certain extent. Jimmy Jazz is one such song where the lyrics are examined as painstakingly as a crime scene, though I’m not convinced that Strummer had quite so much in mind when to a certain extent the song is so brilliant because it feels quite free-form and he literally skats his way through it. As for trivia, opening whistle isn’t provided by Joe or any member of the Clash but by band friend and roadie The Baker  (what a relief, thanks for correction lads…). As for What’s My Name, I just checked and the song does get co-writing credits for Keith Levene so it was kicking around from the very early days. It’s a song that is either about alienation or just general confusion, some observerance about boredom by its very nature just simply getting you into trouble, which it can, and does, and I have.

Before you cast your vote, I always urge you to take one last listen to both songs before clicking a mouse so that you vote with a clear conscience. As ever I will provide a few links to get you started, I don’t think you can top this live version of Jimmy Jazz from New Jersey in 1980. ‘Who said no birds will sing’. For What’s My Name you can find a great selection of lovely raw recording from the earlier gigs, but this one from Manchester in 1977 is a must see/hear for Joe Strummer going simply mental.

Thanks for voting, polls are all yours until Friday. Please add your comments to explain your voting, I always enjoy that. Talk to you soon.

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Good evening everyone how was your Saturday then? I just got home from playing football where it was a lovely 104f when we started but good fun nevertheless, in fact I imagined the ball was a particular person’s head (see previous post) so putting my boot through the ball had an extra level of satisfaction tonight. If this is your first visit your timing is good as it’s time for another edition of The Clash Cup. A very simple process that allows you to vote for your favourite Clash song via the blog; round one included every Clash song I could find and we are now well into round two. The pairings are completely at random and you can vote once over the next four or five days. Before seeing which names come out of the bag tonight we need to recap the previous battle from earlier in the month which was quite a close run thing.

Justice Tonight/Kick It Over defeated The City of The Dead 37 – 30

That was quite the result, it was close from the very beginning and the original lead set by the eventual winner got smaller and larger until it ended as a very tight affair. As it stands, the City of The Dead looks set to continue into round three as one of the most successful runners up however that is subject to change based on the overall results from this round. I know I had a hard time picking between these two and it seemed so did you. The battle of the B-Sides indeed! Now we’ll use the random number generator for the next two:

Round 2 Match 11

Four Horseman versus  English Civil War

I do believe we have another difficult decision on our hands based on the above. I know both songs will get good support but on this occasion I know instantly which one I’ll pick but don’t let my thoughts influence what you do nor should you let the current votes impact your decision because I do see some big changes from day to day with these votes. This could be another situation where the runner-up gets enough support to make it into round three or perhaps I’m totally misjudging how the votes will fall. For me, English Civil War was one of the first Clash songs that I became completely obsessed with as a kid and I still find it’s one that sends my blood racing. Great to sing along to and then one of the first songs I learned to play very badly on guitar when I eventually learned how to do many years later, still learning don’t hold your breath. On the other hand Four Horsemen was never amongst my top 10 tracks from London Calling which means it will probably go and win this handsomely.

Form book:

Round 1 – Four Horsemen defeated Lover’s Rock          71% of the vote
Round 1 – English Civil War lost to London’s Burning    with 31% of the vote but stayed in the competition due to most votes for a runner-up in round one

Odds:

I’d completely forgotten that English Civil War had lost in round one but got a lot of votes which enabled it to continue on. I’ve actually read that a lot of people felt the song was too gimmicky and the lyrics too naive, not to mention the fact it wasn’t technically an original composition either. I may be in the minority willing it to go forward in The Clash Cup although I think it’s probably not going to make it this time. London Calling just has so much support spread across its 19 tracks so that songs from the album will usually be a favourite until we get to the final 32.

Stuff:

When people listen to songs that are more than a decade old or so the phrase ‘how has it dated’ often comes up. My opinion for what it’s worth is that Four Horsemen even years ago was the only track on London Calling where the production maybe didn’t bring out the best in the song and I’d say the passing of time emphasizes that a little bit more. As for English Civil War it technically a Clash cover version with the tune of course taken from Johnny Comes Marching Home and/or Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye. So whether the origin of the folk song is American or Irish is up in the air. I would guess Irish and then rewritten during the Civil War by Irish-Americans as a reworked folk song to mark the brutal war. Common sense tells me my personal affection for English Civil War came from knowing it from when I was a toddler although I don’t remember attending any Irish folk sessions it could be my Mum’s fault I would venture (yes she’s a Dubliner, not one of the Dubliners mind you, I don’t want to misrepresent her).

As always I encourage you to give both songs a final listen before voting which you can do by way of clicking the options that follow. Voting itself is equally easy but all votes are final, if you feel like justifying your decision or indecision please feel free to add your comments as it would be nice to hear from you. As for the versions, I almost forgot Animal Farm was one of the most influential ‘proper’ books that resonated with me at an early age and as you know the cover of the English Civil War 45rpm sleeve featured the aforementioned conflicted farm animals. Don’t know why that came up but there you have it and if you resort to read one book this year that you’ve never read, try that one or To kill a Mockingbird. Back on track here is Four Horsemen which features Joe adding vocals from the making of London Calling DVD with Guy Stevens working his magic. (Warning for the ladies tasty Paul Simonon alert on the video). As for English Civil War it just had to be the Rude Boy clip/outtake where Strummer looks positively charged and ready to shout the lyrics through your head if need be.

Happy voting, thanks for voting and I will speak to you very soon.

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Only me again with the latest installment of the Clash Blog. I’m not impressed today as the temperature is back over 110f just when I thought the worst of the summer was gone, if you’re sitting somewhere and complaining about it being in the 60′s outside I don’t want to hear it. Make sure you check back with the blog over the weekend as I should have approval for some very cool images from a recent art exhibition for you. This afternoon back like a zombie it’s time for The Clash Cup, I know it’s been dormant for a few weeks but all of the events surrounding Joe Strummer’s Birthday including reviews and previews took out much of the blog during the latter part of August.

So will it be this B-Side...

The Clash Cup if you’re new to the blog is a very simple and democratic process allows you to select your favorite Clash song by way of voting on the blog. We are now in round two and looking to whittle down the best Clash songs ever until we reach a final 16, then eight and so on. Each of the pairings is set 100% at random so you take what you get even with the decision isn’t always easy. Before tonight’s pairing we do have to review the voting for the most recent installment of the cup which was earlier in August. Decent voter turnout for the last matchup but I would suggest the more likely song still won out:

This is Radio Clash defeated Ghetto Defendant 28-18

Closer than I expected but I don’t think enough runner-up votes to allow the Combat Rock track to make it through to the next round, which to be fair is probably how it should be. As I said this is most likely the last round where the voting will often be fairly easy, so let’s have a look at the next pair:

Round 2 Match 10

City of the Dead versus  Justice Tonight/Kick It Over

Well that’s a turn up for the books as neither song would make the most obvious list of Clash songs which is not to say either song is poor by any means. In fact both songs are quite unique in terms of sound and come from that spell of hyperactivity that The Clash were guilty of from ’77 until ’79. The other thought I had almost immediately is how do you separate the two and choose a winner? I know which one I prefer (just) but I won’t share it so as not to influence your voting… as if. Also by sheer coincidence both tracks appeared on Super Black Market Clash which I think is another novelty in this pairing. The extended version of the album is sometimes just the perfect tonic for a good Clash fix perhaps especially because it featured many songs you don’t hear quite as often. Battle of the B-sides!!

Form book:

Round 1 – City of the Dead defeated Freedom Train           98% of the vote
Round 1 – Justice Tonight defeated Junco Partner             73% of the vote

Odds:

I am not quite sure what you can take from the first round, both for convincing wins although Justice Tonight had to overcome a trickier challenge from Junco Partner which was tough because I love both songs. If I had to predict a winner I think it might just be City of the Dead because it is an original track and not a dub/remix. Though I do think the voting will be close.

Stuff:

...this B-Side?

Not many tracks by the Clash have dated that badly at all, although I do think City of the Dead is one of the rare exceptions where the production just sounds a little muddy and the song could only be from the mid-late 70s. Worth remembering a song this good was originally just a B-Side to the stellar Complete Control. Justice Tonight of course was B- side to another of the most famous Clash singles London Calling so for yet another reason this pairing has fantastic symmetry. You don’t need me to tell you it’s also the dub version of Armagideon Time, a song that I will go on record and proclaim as my very favourite Clash cover version and high on my list of all Clash songs.

As for the voting the polls open immediately and you will have until next Tuesday morning to cast your vote for which song remains in the competition. Before you vote it’s always good to have one last chance to compare the songs side-by-side so if you’d like to just click the links that I provide. For City of the Dead let’s substitute the live version so we don’t focus on the production of the original. I do think some of Joe’s lyrics on the track are superb. Your last task is to reserve 8:54 of your life to just mellow out to Justice Tonight / Kick It Over and make sure you turn up the bass first of all.

Enjoy voting and thank you – this is actually rather an interesting pairing.

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