Good Evening – hope you had a good day….where are we then? I’m cold…it’s just a damp chilly day here and my old bones are creaking a bit, plus when we were playing football tonight the floodlights crapped out before we were finished and we were left in the dark like rebels without a cause. Strikers without a light. Funny in hindsight I suppose. Speaking of hindsight, that takes me to my first story – Chrissie Hynde!

The other day I covered the news that Mick Jones, Chrissie Hynde and others were working on a charity song to benefit victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Chrissie has given this interview to the Guelph Mercury where she discusses the song along with what she has been up to lately (Guelph, I wondered also, 60 miles from Toronto apparently!) . Its definitely worth a quick read if only for the quote beneath:

“Yeah, it was a regular beauty contest”  Chrissie Hynde describing the lineup for the Haiti benefit single

As you’re probably aware her relationship with The Clash and Mick in particular extends all the way back to 1976 as she spent years soaking up

That original Pretenders lineup

the scene in London, all of which surely helped her when recruiting that original (and brilliant) lineup for The Pretenders. I learn bits and pieces as I write and research the blog and one of those things I always assumed to be an urban myth about Chrissie is apparently true. When Mick Jones was recording the vocals for Train in Vain for what turned out to be a last minute addition to London Calling he was apparently looking up above into the booth where Chrissie stood and it helped him spit out the anguish (venom?) of that lyric. I’ve got no inside scoop on that relationship – has Chrissie written a book yet? I sense she’d keep it to herself anyway. Does anyone know if Mick ever played live with The Pretenders or Chrissie (post 1976-8)? I remember thinking that feather haircut thing she had circa the first album was as good as it gets, it was between her and Siouxsie Sioux for me for a very short while back then.

Thanks for your Paul Weller comments – consensus, good bloke, peaked with The Jam and don’t give up on his solo stuff. I still think The Style Council lyrically, musically and conceptually were the business if only you could strip away that archetypal 1980′s production sheen. Then there was D.C. Lee…she was nice also…and tonight’s blog is straying from the normal path of honour and chivalry you expect from me.

Months ago I mentioned ‘The Hours’ - a band that formed post Mescaleros and featuring Anthony Genn and Martin Slattery from the aforementioned band. Seems they’ve got a new EP out now and worth a quick listen. Read more about that and the new song ‘Ali in The Jungle’ at this link from MusicRemedy.com – I’ll close with the video beneath – nice to see some Mescaleros!! (A cracking song, reminds me of Geneva…if you remember them?). Clash Cup – first match is very close…did you vote?

Night!

Fan and Mick.....(I owe a credit but can't determine source...sorry)

Hello all – I’ve only time for a short post today but it stands to reason that it’s a short video clip to go with it. I’ve got a few other little bits and pieces also so stick around after the video if you’d be so kind.

This video isn’t earth shattering (I wish it were)  – it’s no longer than a 25 second clip but there is more than a bit of a buzz for me knowing the two of them were putting down their guitar parts at the same place at the same time. It is something I’m sure Damon Albarn (who is my age) was very quietly and secretly just getting heaps of pleasure from, I mean he’s only human. Of course I refer to the Gorillaz new album on which they will feature and the fact that Damon’s project take video/music as art to the highest extreme it’s exciting to know a cameraman was there that day – i.e. we can almost surely count on seeing more in the weeks ahead when the album gets released. The clip is below -

In other news – I’m cold today for no apparent reason and pissed off that Arsenal bought no new players.

Otherwise a few short snippets so your trip today was worth more than a 20 second video clip:

Most Def blog gives us his take on The Clash and more specifically the relative importance of London Calling. No updates from the Carbon Silicon site since before Christmas after promises of more contact from TJ – hoping we’re not slipping back into a silent spell lads? Quick moment of silence please as today marks the 15th anniversary of the disappearance (and presumed passing) of Richey Edwards of Manic Street Preachers. One of those strange sad tales that never will provide a conclusion to be understood. I will say that from 1992-1995 the band provided some of the greatest music of that decade and were amazing to see perform live, if you’ve never invested time with them I encourage you to do so when you can.

Speaking of anniversaries North London’s own John Lydon turned 54 – if you feel like spending some time with him and his videos here’s an easy link to save on typing. One of these days I’m going to write about him at length…I just need to find the right tact.

Finally – song of the day that I felt like sharing – Spoon “Sister Jack” - a reason to like Texas….now how often do I write that?

Sorry for hasty post and somewhat over dramatic blog post title- talk soon I hope!

A wolf moon tonight….very nice indeed it is too. If you read this tomorrow (Saturday) you’ll wish you had noticed the moon last night, a killing moon indeed. So what is on the agenda tonight then? The Clash Cup – you have been very patient with me on this and I’ve got a semblance of a schedule back so I’m committing to at least two ‘ties’ per week – round two will begin Sunday. If you’re a newer visitor to the blog we whiled away many hours on the blog last Autumn trying to the best Clash songs of all time. It’s all good fun so do come and participate – we need your votes. I thought Sunday would be a good day as dependent on how a certain football match goes earlier that day I’ll be either elated or morose, so be gentle if need be.

A Cuban in London is a great title for a blog and its also home to a post that I suggest you have a look at. The subject matter is The Clash and the theme of the posts are ‘killer opening songs’ (if he’s in London they should be ‘brilliant opening songs’ but I digress). I’m tempted to agree with his choice – does any album kick off with a better opening track than London Calling from the double album of the same name? I can’t think of any album that opens with a song that sets the stage quite as emphatically, it acts as a call to arms, a warning and a statement of intent – all at the same time. It has everything you want in a Clash song, Joe sounding as fixated as at any time, guitar that chops you in half and Paul with a bassline that should be forever taught in school. Weaving all that magic together was Topper on drums truly making the song a siren to the new decade that was about to begin. It’s a great question – is there a better opening track on any album – the only thing that I think sets up the album to follow with comparable lustre is Joyriders by Pulp which slowly teases you into the world of Jarvis Cocker and the detached brilliance of His ‘n’ Hers their 1994 masterpiece. I’d love to hear your suggestions…

When I think of early English punk  besides The Clash I always associate it with one band above all the other contenders. We all have our own choices and for many its The Sex Pistols, or The Damned (I’d guess they would make the big 3 list for most people) but for myself it would be Buzzcocks. I also think in addition to the Clash the band that most influenced what music I liked most from 1979 onwards would again be Manchester’s entry to the best of British punk. If you have any gaps in your record collection I recommend without reservation that you take advantage of what Mute Records are doing next month! Each of the first three Buzzcocks albums are being reissued as special two disc editions – the amount of extra tracks from John Peel Sessions / Demos / Singles & B-Sides plus live tracks is beyond fantastic. I can’t wait for these and will be replacing my well worn early CDs which in turn replaced my well knackered vinyl. If you don’t purchase any other reissues this year please give these a try. Also, the only live show I show for them in the States this year is next month in Orange County.

Well off track but worthy – a friend of mine runs a site where comic artists (comic book art) sell their private pieces and its more affordable than you’d imagine. If you have a friend, kid, or relative who would appreciate some exclusive art – they are currently holding a special auction of pieces where all proceeds benefit Haiti. Better still he has managed to get his company to match the bids…so have a look here for the details. Thanks. (The auction closes soon..but email me or him if interested).

Finally – sent in a link to a Rancid video (The cover of “Cheat”) via the comments section the other night – in case you missed it I’ve added it below. The first part of the video is what you want to wathc with Joe Strummer giving us all a message.

Cheers all