So that will be the late afternoon sunshine closing down another weekend then Clash fans? Another weekend consigned to the rubbish bin of history and a surprisingly early awareness of the holiday season rushing in. Late December used to mean time off work and John Peel’s festive countdown, now its straddled by the anniversary of the the loss of Joe Strummer and a reminder that we lost John Peel almost exactly two years later in 2004, both events slapped me in the face and said ‘you’re not getting

On stage in Glasgow during the recent Strummerville roadshow

any younger either’.  You may remember about a month ago I wrote this piece wondering where have all the protest singers gone – and while I didn’t suggest that none existed I just wondered why there wasn’t a loud voice or band making a full blown campaign against the overt rubbish that passes for governments and the collective indifference of youth who want more pop and less angst. I was happy to get a very reasonable reply from an artist who says not only are his band writing real protest songs in 2010 but to find them you’d need look no further than the Strummerville roster! I’ve been meaning to write more about other bands in general on the blog which has consistently been one of the best laid plans, but I also think listening to other stuff and better still introducing people to something new is fully in keeping with the legacy of The Clash not to mention interesting to listen to. So I’ll do more in that direction if you’re on board? Chances are if you’re in the UK you’ve seen them on the recent 3 part Strummerville documentary that’s been airing.

The contact was made by Chomsky (of Chomsky All-Stars) who explained that not only do protest songs still exist but that they are at the heart of the music of Chomsky Allstars and after putting some time aside to have a listen he’s entirely right. Rather than try and rewrite history – here’s a reproduction of  the official blurb about the band:

Part financed by the Strummerville charity, Chomsky Allstars’ debut album is a truly eclectic melting pot, featuring vocal cameos from Christy Moore, Drunken Balordi’s Billy King, Bob Marley biographer Chris Salewicz, notorious Scots rapper Eastborn, Noam Chomsky and even Mahatma Gandhi. The Glasgow band’s high-octane constellation of punk, blues, dance and dub has so far seen them feature on the internationally-acclaimed ‘Shatter The Hotel’ CD, headline both the London launch of the album and the Glasgow leg of the ‘Westway Round The UK’ tour and feature in Don Letts‘ ‘Strummerville’ documentary. Guitarist and lead singer Chomsky even provides guest vocals on the opening track of breakbeat legend Cut La Roc’s current album ‘Larger Than Life’, alongside Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody. That song, ‘What Love Is’, is also included here. All ten tracks on ‘Rhyme, Treason & Rhythm’ are infused with infectious melodies and inspiring lyrics, from the opening anti-consumerist rocker ‘Disease Of Desire’ and the Afrobeat-inflected World Cup anthem ‘The Beautiful Gain’ through to long-time live favourite ‘The Big I Am’. Acoustic tracks are mixed seamlessly with the gritty eco-blues of ‘Bad Mood Rising’ and the sensual funk of ‘Give Us Peace’ to create a concoction best described as Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros meets Rick Rubin.

But let’s get you current with the band – the new album “Rhyme, Treason and Rhythm” should be available for download on Nov 14th but for the most current information please bookmark the Chomsky Allstars Myspace page where you can hear more songs. Getting back to my original point though, of protest songs and singers. I would encourage you to check out the lyrics to each of the songs currently available online, very notably ‘So Long’ which offers a less than warm farewell to Margaret Thatcher. You can download and listen to the track via this link. The impact of the former prime minister remains a source of great division in the UK and although twenty years have passed since she relinquished power the scars have yet to heal for many of us of a certain vintage. ‘Bad Moon Rising‘ is linked here and is a acerbic look at the BP oil spill. My favourite track that I’ve heard thus far is The Beautiful Gain that is linked in the official blurb above.

I hope that you take some time to give Chomsky Allstars a listen and keep up to date or get in touch with Chomsky via their facebook page as I’m sure he’d love to hear from you. In the weeks and months ahead we’ll look at many artists associated with Strummerville and also profile more new bands that I stumble upon or that you tell me about, especially if they have something to say. Cheers – I’ll speak with you Monday. Tim

One of these days I’ll definitely get together a definitive list of Clash related reading material (let’s go ahead and call them books) for the site. I don’t think I’ve read everything on the market myself yet but I think a buyers guide might be useful and informative. With your help we may even uncover some gems that I didn’t know about. There have been shelves of books already written about the birth of the English punk scene in 1976 and of course the genetic links that the English origins hold to New York or elsewhere. When I say elsewhere I’m thinking The Saints who were from Australia and arguably were the earliest purveyors of what was to sound like British punk rock. While I’ve read many (but not all) books written about The Clash I’ve not done more than skim the surface of books that look at the entire scene. Naturally enough many of those devote many chapters and ratios of their contents to discussing The Clash and the part they played on the scene. If you’ve read some or many of those books get in touch if you’d like to help put together an unofficial guide to them for the site as a future project.

For my money I’d still recommend that every Clash library begins with at least two books and if I had to narrow it down I’d first go with the Bob Gruen book which is of course primarily photographs but my goodness such photography. Page after page of fantastic imagery that owes as much to the undeniable talents of Gruen as it does his extremely warm relationship with the band. There are so many moments where he catches the band just hanging out like mates or an urban gang that you realise another photographer wouldn’t have been able to capture. Check it out if you don’t have it – the link for Amazon in the US is here or the UK is here. The price is about the same for both as both currencies continue to plummet to oblivion in an exchange rate equivalent of West Ham against Bolton Wanderers.

The other book I just can’t stop reading and enjoying each time through is the very detailed and emotive work Chris Salewicz and his fairly recent biograpy of Joe Strummer – Redemption Song. A riveting work that I keep finding excuses to read again as each time I open the pages I feel like I am transformed to a specific moment in the evolution of John Mellor to Joe Strummer and The Clash from West London nobodies to globally famous. Equally meritorious is Salewicz’ ability to bring light and definition to Strummer’s childhood and equally fascinating his life and career after The Clash. You almost have to roll your chair back when you appreciate that  period covers some 25 years and saw Strummer acting, writing, and performing in a number of guises. Speaking of Chris Salewicz I just picked up his new book about Bob Marley which I’ll get started on in the weeks ahead, here’s a link to a really good interview with the author in the Houston Press about “Bob Marley-The Untold Story”. More info on Chris’ official site.

Extract from 'Redemption Song' courtesy Chris Salewicz

In the weeks ahead I’ll compile a list of all books I can uncover that relate to The Clash and perhaps draw on you the reader for your collective knowledge, especially for the titles I mentioned above. Not much news from the desert for you – trying to determine just how near to the stage do I need to be for Gorillaz and justify the expense. Once you are more than a dozen rows back does it make much difference, or will I rely on the video screens? I don’t do 5,000 seat venues as a matter of course…..

Thanks for dropping by as always. Tim

Right then…here we are again; Bastille day and all that! July 14, 1979 was a famous day for The Clash as they returned to the scene of one of their most famous moments – The Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park North London. They’d been there before in May of 1977 which was the unofficial moment that punk became something far bigger then ever before, I’d written at length about the venue and the show before. By 1979 The Clash had cemented their reputation and already outlived almost all of their punk contemporaries from 1976. The concert was almost a cathartic homecoming, expectations were higher than ever and The Clash did more than deliver. This was the same summer that the band had been writing and rehearsing the tracks that were to become London Calling later that year just a mile away or so in Highbury. As it was the concert took old and new Clash songs including about half a dozen that would be new to the audience and won them over playing more than 20 songs with a new swagger and range that had not been seen before. Right before their hometown audience The Clash were turning into something new, something bigger and a band about to release an album that would change all preconceived notions of what The Clash were really about. If ever there was a concert I wish I attended that might be the one.

A quick link to the never dull L.A. Times music and culture blog which features a short interview with Shepard Fairey. Fairey has (especially after the Obama poster) become an artist who is in great demand but I love the fact that he always – simply always – is happiest when discussing Joe Strummer or The Clash. Good man Shepard!

Things via the Clashblog email ~ I’m often asked where to get the full audio for the famous ‘Without People You’re Nothing” quote by Joe Strummer. Happily we managed to get an audio link via Antonino D’Ambrosio today which I’ve added to the AudioClash page on this website. (find it under ‘special stuff’). That page reminds me that I really must do some housecleaning on the website – dead links don’t look good at all. If you have a mop and broom and want to pop over and help, get in touch!

I’ve waxed on about NPR (National Public Radio) more than once before on the blog, but it truly is a goldmine of information and viewpoints. Please enjoy this audio link to a great interview with Chris Salewicz the author of the wonderful Joe Strummer biography ‘Redemption Song’ that was on NPR in 2007. I’ve got to dash – thanks for dropping in. More later tonight or tomorrow…