This is a blog service announcement with keyboard! I rarely write at lunchtime but many of you have probably already seen the news as it crept in to all sources, I found out about 12 hours ago (thanks Clash fans in Australia) and now its hit the NME and The BBC and everywhere else of course. There will be a film made about London Calling, or more specifically The Clash and Guy Stevens and the making of London Calling and production work starts next year. The good news is that Paul Simonon and Mick Jones are executive producers (why no Topper) so that a initial feeling of quality control and authenticity is built into the mix. No casting has been announced but the film will focus on the relationship between the band and Guy and how the album came from that partnership.

I went to bed last night not knowing what I thought of the news and woke up no wiser whatsoever. I think this coming hot on the heels of the news about the Joe Strummer biopic is 50% calculated and 48% absurd…either way late 2011 or 2012 promises to be an interesting time to go to the cinema…or avoid it depending on your point of view. The first talked about film ‘Joe Public’ (change that title) has caused a lot of dissent and worry amongst what I consider most of you to be – deep and impassioned fans of the band. The risks seem greater than the reward for many of you it seems and is there even a point is another query I’ve seen. To suddenly within a few weeks hear of another film is quite astounding – two positive emerge instantly – the involvement of members of The Clash as a high level and the premise of a story. Having just completed the excellent book about the making of THAT album by Marcus Gray I’m not sure how you convert that into a film. What is not in doubt is that two of the most important characters are no longer with us – I wonder if its partly fueled by Mick and Paul wanting to set the record straight. But what needs to be set straight? Lily Allen’s mum is producing the film…I need to do some homework eh? We can debate whether London Calling was the best Clash album I guess (it was…just…but ask me tomorrow) but it is certainly one of the best albums ever made for reasons I can dive into and bore you to death. The chemical reaction with Guy Stevens was important but certainly so was the huge role that Bill Price played…if anything maybe as important picking up the pieces. That said the film could be fantastic – the story itself obviously is. Value in telling it on the big screen…I don’t know…I hope so. I like my gags that Sandinista! will be a trilogy and Cut The Crap reality TV. Maybe I can make this blog into a book?

I’ll read more about it and formulate thoughts during the week – so much for a quiet day in Clashblog Towers! Best – Tim

Friday night then and a late late post which is in keeping with a week that always felt like it was wagging me rather than the reverse which I simply would always prefer. I’m so glad and fortunate to be (self) employed though and appreciate it always. I know a huge number of people remain without work so the idea of taking any time off seems an almost guilty pleasure, I think its tragic when people who want to work and are able to work can’t find employment. Its something I feel quite strongly about, that work brings a sense of pride and value to the individual. Having seen what mass unemployment has done to communities both in the UK and here in the States its a stark reminder of how fragile our society can be and remains.  The mid 80′s and the early 90′s in the UK were both very divisive times to observe and somehow the last few years seem even deeper, darker, more difficult perhaps. I’m not sure why but I think it might be because many struggle to see how ‘the good times’ can return without a lot more hardship and changes yet. I also hope I’m completely wrong….that’s not a political statement – but an economic one – the current model is unquestionably broken.

the making of the Joe Strummer mural in Lima

Anyway I’ve rambled away from the cause of the blog so lets review a few things I saw over the last day or two – as ever there’s loads of different things spinning around the internet. One piece I read with interest was an article about ‘when bands should split up’ on Suite 101.com – its a very broad topic with no easy answers but in the piece the example of The Clash comes up. The author suggests that The Clash should have ended as soon as Mick Jones was kicked out of the band. Its a safe and obvious statement to make though I think its written purely with the power of hindsight. I can (and have managed to) debate myself as to how I feel about that. On paper at least Strummer and Simonon plus the new recruits laboured on a lot longer than I would ever have expected. The Clash MKII were officially an act all the way up until 1986, releasing one album, one single and touring more often than I recollected during that time. I remember being annoyed as can be when Mick was kicked out of the band and was rather cynical about ‘The Clash’ continuing with the same name then the press release from Strummer/Simonon in September ’83 that claimed that the band would be ‘continuing the work that The Clash had set out to do’. I was always a huge Mick Jones fan and was probably more likely to give up on a new Clash than the average fan at that time, but still I bought ‘This is England’ and then ‘Cut The Crap’ and saw the new lineup perform live twice – I gave it a try and I’m glad I did. I subscribe to a belief that its better to know why you don’t really like something than why you do, the final incarnation of The Clash wasn’t the same thing nor anywhere near as good. It also should be said that any strength in the songs records post-Mick was washed away by the mid 80′s production on that final album. Hindsight says they should have ended yes, but the list of bands that have lost a major part of the engine and then continued to make great music so it is possible. There are also those (Echo and The Bunnymen first time round come to mind) who made one final album without a key member and it damaged the legacy. I think Paul and Joe felt they had to continue to see if it could still work, the band were coming off the back of their most commercially successful album and the right chemistry could have seen that continue. However the final album was too long in coming and 1985 was a very different playing field to the one last visited three years earlier, none of that aided by what was a really poor record. I do think that a name change might have been a better idea based on the music that was released.

Finally I’d like to offer a huge thank you to those of you who have written in about seeing Gorillaz on the early legs of the North American dates. Thanks for the photos and the news I’ll work in as much as I can. What is most exciting to me is the comments about the gigs themselves have been consistently excellent and affirm that my idle speculation this week has been correct – that the band are much improved and more cohesive live playing as a tight unit (albeit an 18 piece one). Paul and Mick are also receiving wonderful receptions when introduced…Damon knew this would happen!! Glitter Freeze is going to be our highlight as I mentioned yesterday, with no vocalist to take centre stage it will be 4 minutes where you can squint and see a direct piece of Clash history, I simply can’t wait to see them. I’ll leave you with a clip from the Letterman broadcast the other night to get you in the mood. Will be back later in the day, I started writing this last and ran out of steam.

Gorillaz – Rhinestone Eyes on the David Letterman Show

Hello again and welcome once more to the blog. After a busy few days it will either come to you as a relief or a shock to find that this post isn’t exclusively about Joe Strummer. Indirectly a decision that Joe made in 1983 led to what I’m about to write about, but that would be splitting hairs. I finally got around to getting a copy of the Legacy edition of the Big Audio Dynamite debut “this is Big Audio Dynamite”. Few things scream louder about the passing of years than these special editions that are getting released to celebrate anniversaries of the initial release. I suppose that only cuts to the quick when you have a clear memory of purchasing the album (on vinyl) at the first time of asking. I don’t feel so bad about that knowing that so many of you are in the same boat.

The album was originally released with great anticipation in October of 1985, although you could argue the official 25th anniversary is not for a few months CBS/Sony/Legacy actually released the special edition in April of this year. I don’t quite know why I didn’t pick up it earlier but that’s neither here nor there. I would’ve been 18 when the album was released and that two year spell between what was essentially the dissolution of The Clash and the release of this album was a spell where I found myself listening to some great music but still lamenting the end of the band. After The Clash split you could rely upon the NME and Melody Maker to provide at least occasional gossip about the future of Mick Jones, what was clear from the very earliest days was that he wouldn’t be rejoining The Clash and that Joe and Paul with some new recruits would keep the band name if not the quality. Late in 1983 or early 84 it was reported that Mick was working with Topper and a new plan was being formed, when the rumour fell quiet the next thing I recall reading was that he would be working with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger from The Beat as a member of the newly formed General Public. That turned out to be far more than a rumour and Mick did indeed work with them on their new material and featured on their debut album “All The Rage” which I believe was released in the summer of 1984.

I get the impression that Mick’s involvement with them may have been more a case of helping out than his next career move. By all accounts simultaneously in 1984 Mick had continued to sow the seeds which were to become Big Audio Dynamite. He had certainly approached Don Letts very early on and the remaining members of the band were in place that same summer. Leo Williams had been playing with Mick since very soon after he left The Clash whilst drummer Greg Roberts was added later during ’84, plus Dan Donovan on keyboards in ’85. Reading the music papers compulsively combined with the fact that I worked in a record shop at that age resulted in me frequently asking our CBS rep if he knew anything about Big Audio Dynamite and when something might be expected. In hindsight it seemed like an awful long time had passed between the rumors of the band working and recording and the actual release late in 1985. Strangely, during that same period of time the new version of The Clash had been equally quiet in terms of recording output but they had played live as a now five piece lineup extensively during 1984. That in itself kept The Clash under the spotlight and while the glare was not on Mick Jones it’s now very clear just who was producing the more worthwhile record.

It’s also interesting that while The Clash with a revamped lineup hit the road in earnest in 1984 some of the tracks that eventually made up the final Clash album were in existence very soon after Mick got the sack. I remember thinking that the delay between Combat Rock and that album seemed almost endless, especially for a band who had released so much material between 77 and 82. If anything the feeling was that the new Clash would get a head start on Mick by releasing some new material first but in a strange twist of fate it was actually Big Audio Dynamite that released their first album about three weeks prior to The Clash. Working in a record shop at the time and knowing a lot of Clash fans it is hard to believe that we used to debate whether the Big Audio Dynamite album could possibly be as good as whatever The Clash did next. I also recall still being pissed off about the way Mick was ousted and had a quiet suspicion that his project would actually turn out to be better. Probably the only time I was ever 100% correct when forecasting events connected to The Clash. It’s a bit hard to relate just how different things were in 1985 perhaps Mick Jones sums it up best in the sleeve notes for the newly released Legacy edition: “What do I remember?… Reagan was president, Thatcher was Prime Minister and we were Big Audio Dynamite”

I will scribble up my review of the Legacy edition later this week focusing on the bonus artwork, the special packaging, the fully remastered first album and the bonus disc which probably drew the most attention. That’s all for now-Tim.

July 20, 1984 story from the 'Ottawa Citizen'