Hello in Clash loving living rooms, offices, trains (do you use your phone to read this?) and elsewhere Just a few quick links for you tonight and part two of the Carbon Silicon album review tomorrow. I had the best laid plans on Saturday and then spent the last few days with the flu…I know one thing after another. I’ve got this optimism burning bright now – daily or more posts as originally planned on The Clash Blog. There’s so much music and news to share and you lot keep sending me great stuff also – I’m backlogged and that’s a good thing.

Our good friend Pete (Photographer and all around nice chap) bumped into a certain Mick Jones the other night at The Inn On The Green. Being a photographer he didn’t have a camera, but did capture this with Mick’s approval via his laptop…truth be told Mick essentially lined it up and took the snap (so a semi-exclusive!). Seems Mr. Jones was in excellent form and having a good night seeing Dirty Strangers (? the band..not the collective) and popped up on stage to jam with John Sinclair. Sinclair was the former MC5 manager and a White Panther…(Detroit breeds good committed people doesn’t it?)…he’s still incredibly active and 68 years young…puts me to shame…sitting here typing out my blog drinking a Latte….shame. Anyway – photo is to the right….pretty cool!

I’m listening to No 10 Upping Street this evening and I’ve got to say this album gets stronger and stronger as the years roll by. Mick’s lyrics (and vocals) were far more structured than the (still strong) debut album and he’d shaken of any post Clash hangover by the time the recording got underway on the 2nd Big Audio Dynamite album. The band never got the critical praise and sales that I think they merited but if you’re newer to The Clash and wanted some of the better post-Clash albums in your collection you could do a lot worse than pick this disc up. Listen in entirety for free on lala.com or head over to Amazon UK (4.50 GBP) or Amazon USA ($2.50) - there is supposed to be a reissue with bonus tracks in 2010, but don’t wait – get listening. Added to that the Joe production/co-writing and I guess it’s as near to a Clash continuation as we ever got.

Right, this next bit makes me happy and angry at the same time. Sardinia, island in the Mediterranean and part of Italy, has a small town in the middle of the island called Tonara. All well and good so far right? Well they also now have a street named after Joe Strummer (see picture below). While I think that’s brilliant – why the hell hasn’t London (or Somerset) or similar made this happen yet? Is the bureaucracy in England such that we can’t honor our modern day poets? You’ll name a bloody 150 million pound motorway bridge after a woman who was born into her job and yet still nothing after Joe? (Oh yeah…and The Queen is still alive and she never wrote White Riot did she! ). I’d be content with a small lane in West London, or even a tube stop on the Metropolitan line being called Strummerville….better still let’s call the Westway the Clash memorial flyover (they name all the freeways here after people…..one of our locals was just renamed after a soldier sadly killed in Iraq…) Not sure how to get a campaign started…but it’s on my 2010 list. If any readers of the blog work on a borough council in London (or anywhere in England) please get in touch and we can start a petition!

Unrelated to The Clash – but if you love great guitar music chances are you’ve owned a few albums produced by Steve Albini? He’s been one the producer on a number of my favourite albums and rarely gives interviews that offer more than soundbites, so I was thrilled to find this LENGTHY interview with him on The Daily Swarm. If you’ve enjoyed The Wedding Present, The Breeders, Helmet, Manic Street Preachers, PJ Harvey, The Frames, Low, Mogwai, Nirvana (to name a few) you may already have heard his production. One of my favourite producers – so tuck into his interview and get listening.

One other thing I need to clear off my list (although the film is nearly two years old) if you’ve not seen Happy Go Lucky – then  you should. I’ve always been a fan on Mike Leigh’s films (someone who doesn’t go all Bridget Jones when setting a film in England) and the performances he gets from Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan are just remarkable and both dominate the film. Let me know what you think.

Night then….

Just a quick follow up from yesterday as a few people had emailed me to ask more about the Damien Hirst / Joe Strummer history,connection and

Damien Hirst (and a cow)

relationship. I thought I’d so some additional scouring to see what promotional activity went hand in hand with the current auction that I covered yesterday and it seems Damien has been doing the rounds with the UK press  and giving some really informative interviews about his art, the charity and his relationship with Joe(not the tabloids) so rather than reinvent the wheel and explain more about their past and Hirst’ current place in the Art world – it’s better for me to link out to these interviews. Incidentally, I’m waiting to learn what the Strummer piece covered yesterday raised at the auction. Lots of good information and some Strummer tidbits are included therein so have a quick look at the links below.

Interview with the Guardian – Nov 14

A great interview in The Times – Nov 13 (much Joe commentary including this beneath)

“I think Joe taught me the most fundamental things, such as that who you are and what you represent are equally important”

Interview with the Independent Nov 13

Also tonight – more Jail Guitar Doors news from Billy Bragg as the Bard of Barking interviews with metronews.ca and explains that the US chapter may also be getting some competition from Canada. Good old Billy can always be counted on to further a cause and take it global. I’ve actually got some unconfirmed rumours that you can expect to see Mick Jones and Billy Bragg together stateside in the Spring, more on that as I get confirmation.

Finally – use your social media skills and help promote the fact that Carbon Silicon are giving away their new album via their official site. If you twitter – send a tweet, if you use facebook – make an update with the link. It’s a great way to share their music with your existing connections and it takes a few seconds. I’ll be back with part 2 of the track-by-track review of the album tomorrow.

Tim

Right then this is unconventional but I’m gonna post a review of the new Carbon Silicon album The Carbon Bubble track by track as I hear it for the very first time, I’ll write the summaries as I listen. Don’t count on me though – get along to the band’s official site and download your own copy pronto. Excited to see what Mick and Tony have been up to – so straight into it then….(tracks 1-6 tonight, the balance tomorrow!)

1. Fresh Start - Almost an early Big Audio Dynamite feel to this one, plus an unexpected harmonica at the start. Leads on to a catchy and optimistic chorus. A slower track but very enjoyable, backing vocals by Tony (??) – the jury is out.

2. What’s Up Doc? - The only song I’d heard in full prior to the album release, a great (D / E?) riff with generally sound comparable to early stuff by The Who if I can draw that comparison. Love the stop/start verses very reminiscent of 60′s garage bands – the sort of stuff you’d hear on those Nuggets compilations. Mick sounds like he’s having a great laugh doing this, I’d love to know if this took multiples takes as it has a very live feel. A real keeper! Plenty of swearing if you have little kids near the speakers (just in case!)

3. Reach for The Sky – I love the guitar sound on this, think spy movie and a fantastic tempo. Mick’s vocals are really up front and centre in the mix which is a great thing. It of course references the classic 1956 film of the same name. Multi layering of Mick’s voice which I’m a sucker for. There’s a lot been written about Mick’s voice (genuinely) losing a lot of it’s range and strength after his illness back in (1988-9? from memory). Reach for The Sky shows him using his voice to best possible effect and it’s still strong, choruses build to a nice middle break with just percussion then that great riff coming back in. Love this track, I need to learn to play it as soon as possible….guitar tab experts please leave comments.

4. The Best Man - This is good fun “Oh baby baby, I ain’t got nuthin else” – Similar tempo to much from The Last Post. Kind of a Stooges guitar sound but even as I write it’s almost got a glam rock feel – which is no bad thing. Echoes of T-Rex or even Glitter but of course improved upon due to Mick Jones chattering over the top. Nice guitar solo around 2:45. Total change to the sound again on the 4th verse, I’m writing this all on the fly but I’m really enjoying the production of these new tracks. It’s a much cleaner mix than the previous album. This is a song that lends itself to an 8 minute version live.

5. Unbelievable Pain – Immediately worth noting this is the first track that’s a bit slower. Mick’s vocals are crystal clear and he sounds brilliant. Bit of a sad song – “Tell the trees not to bud, tell the rivers to flood” – I’m loving this. (handclaps mid song!) It’s a very simple structure but it’s all about the sorrowful lyrics, a song of regret and missed chances. If Tony offered any background to this track on the earlier podcast I’d like to learn more about the origins of it. The guitar sound is like what I get out of my practice amp – which is great and fuzzy. Sweet solo (Tony?) around 5:10, hadn’t even noticed how long this song was until I just checked it. Lovely track.

6. Make it Alright - Bloody hell it’s Supergrass…at least it sounds like them for the first 30 seconds, another classic garage 60′s feel. I’m pretty sure Tony James is offering backing vocals on this one. This is the track that breaks into the “you gotta keep the devil at bay any way you can” refrain in the middle, which somehow works perfectly. Following from that it’s back to the breakneck pace that the song opens up with.

What can I say – first impression of the first 6 tracks….I’m thrilled. Listen loud – listen often – tell your mates! I’ll be back with the rest – plus there are bonus tracks, great artwork and more news to follow.

Tim