Good evening and welcome back to a very wet and dust/sandstorm ravaged Clash Blog. We had what you might call a bit of weather this evening and if you’ve never been caught in a Haboob here’s some video footage that was taken nearby earlier. You can read my account if it here. They look rather more exciting than they are, a bit like Rancid.

An addendum must be inserted earlier and my apologies for the gaps between updates, I’ve had ‘one of those weeks’ bedding in new work tasks and generally keeping wolves from doors and putting out fires and every other time-worn saying that applies. More to the point I’m back now and shocked to see I started to write on Wednesday and it’s now Friday. I bet you were all to busy with the stooopid stories about Casey Anthony and The News of The World to check in anyway right?

A few days ago you might recall the post that included that rather remarkable YouTube upload of London Calling stripped down to the key component of drums, bass, Mick’s lead guitar and most powerfully Joe’s lead vocals. It definitely gave us all an opportunity to hear the song in a previously impossible manner unless we were sitting in Wessex Studios in 1979, while it wasn’t the most impressive ‘find’ of Clash historic debris ever it was definitely one of the enjoyable. Therefore I’m slightly sullen to learn that the source was that bloody video game rock band/guitar/rock/keyboard hero/legend or whatever it’s called. I’ve ranted before about those games and my sentiment that if your child has a genuine love for music go and purchase them an acoustic guitar or a pawn shop drum kit, not a video game. Still, it seems that the game allows one to strip out the individual audio files from a song song for drums, bass, guitar and vocals thus allowing us to hear what were (despite the source) really effective single elements of one of the greatest songs ever written, not just by The Clash but ever written. This information is a bit of a shock to me but makes sense, if you know otherwise please let me know.

Regardless of that being correct we can again thank Flip2K for what’s below. Joe’s isolated vocals from ‘Complete Control’.

Complete Control, Joe’s vocals only

While I don’t think it has the same haunting effect as hearing London Calling it’s still something else. First you’ll notice his vocals are double tracked through most of the song and the dub effect is really rich. Best of all those last 45 seconds are so full of fire and venom it makes the skin shiver, or at least it did for me. Joe Strummer’s passion is palpable which of course is the case with the original recording also but again stripping it to just vocals reveals much you won’t have heard before. I honestly had never noticed (considered?) in the thousands of times I’ve heard that brilliant song that the vocals were double tracked perhaps because the song is so guitar laden, or maybe because I don’t put on full trainspotter clobber when I listen to The Clash. Regardless, I’d suggest you bookmark Flip2K’s YouTube page to see what else he uploads or maybe we should send him requests?

I’ll be back tonight I hope and thanks for sticking with the blog in the meantime. A happy weekend is coming right? Tim

Good morning and welcome back to the blog. We had rain last night for about six whole minutes, which if you live in a desert is a big event in July. I’m still excited about it. Speaking of July today is of course July 4th, so well done America and all that but it’s also a special day for Clash fans who also like to recognise special anniversaries as today marks exactly 35 years since The Clash first played live. Just typing the phrase ’35 years’ seems almost absurd to me but it is a fact, on this day in 1976 the band made their first official live appearance in Sheffield with The Sex Pistols at the Black Swan. I previously wrote about this in depth on the blog so if you happened to miss it part 1 about that gig in Sheffield is here with the conclusion here.

I’ve just brewed some coffee and I’ve a small pile of random things to cover so if you have a few minutes please indulge me.

Firstly, if you go back to the last post and beyond we’ve added a lightbox feature to the blog so that you can see larger versions of the images used on the post (if applicable) and if there are multiple photos you can scroll through them. It will be especially nice when we get a series of photos from an event such as when Pete heads out in London and beyond. So check it out, I hope you’ll like it I’m trying it today on this post so fingers crossed.

Next a few things that you might not have seen if you don’t also follow the Facebook page and I realise not everyone does, those with a life for example! We had featured a video linked here of Billy Bragg performing ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ at Glastonbury last weekend as it was nice to hear a Clash song played at the festival (were there any others?) and because it was Billy of course. Some chap comes on playing ‘old school authentic punk rocker’ (probably has the official badge) and spewing out about Billy Bragg being a sell out and such. Therefore it was nice that Billy Bragg dropped in to set the record straight about his politics, voting, The Clash and his own activism as a result of seeing the band. Some of the exchange is over on the left, I don’t mind if people disagree and debate here or on the facebook page. Nothing will be censored but it does help to get your facts right. I’ve said it before and it is because I believe it, Bragg does as much as anyone to keep the passion and the spirit of The Clash alive in 2011 and encourages his audiences to learn more about what is going on. Regardless of your politics he says get involved, don’t wait for someone else, which is in keeping with The Clash as far as I’m concerned.

Speaking of cover versions there was also the rather bizarre sight of ‘London Calling’ being performed at a punk festival in Estonia which has surfaced. Which isn’t that odd except for the fact that the song has a conductor, an orchestra and a ‘choir’ or at least a few hundred choreographed singers with lyric sheets interpreting the song. I’m not sure what to make of it, the intention of course is good. It is worth a viewing so I’ve included it beneath.

London Calling performed at Punk Laulupidu in Rakvere, Estonia last month

This is in danger of turning into one of the most random posts I’ve written in a while and I blame that on the coffee being a bit too strong this morning. I also wanted to include some really nice photos of Big Audio Dynamite from Glastonbury last weekend. So this is my first chance to try that new gallery feature, so click on one and use the arrows to look at the others. These were sent over by Vicky Baker, please take some time to check out her blog at goinglocaltravel.com, she is a travel writer for The Guardian and elsewhere who writes about some amazing places in addition to being a serious Clash aficionado.

Please click on image to open gallery (image courtesy Vicky Baker)

Not much else to add this morning, I’ll wish you a good holiday or a decent Monday dependent on your location. More tonight if I get time, until then I hope to see you in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter. You can also have a daily update sent direct to enjoy with your bowl of Alpen by subscribing to my RSS Feed here

Good evening once more Clash people around the world, I hope all is well. I’m alright I suppose, summer has arrived with full vengeance which in the desert is similar to how you feel if you live in a cold climate when mid-December arrives. Outdoor activities become less enjoyable and with the exception of time near a swimming pool you start to get a bit cooped up. Similar, but not the same, I’d rather endure 10 weeks of sunshine and blazing heat than a single winter in Chicago or Stockholm. There was no blazing heat and very little sunshine at that festival ‘way out west’ this weekend so far as I could tell but I have kept half an eye on events from this years Glastonbury festival. Unfortunately most of the acts (B.A.D. included) that I’d like to have seen didn’t seem to make the ‘official coverage’ so we’ll wait to see what crops up online over the next 48 hours. If you were there and care to recount the concert please get in touch with me.

Ideally we’ll have B.A.D. reports from Bournemouth and Glasto in the coming days and take a quick look at the lack of Dan Donovan in the band and what that may or may not mean.

Tonight I wanted to show you a video which caused a huge response on the Facebook page, I was glad because when I stumbled on it the other day I was simply blown away and stunned by the impact it had on me. Someone (Flip2K) was kind enough to upload to YouTube four separate files of London Calling stripped down to the bare components. There is a file for the chopping lead guitar of Mick Jones that is well worth a listen, Topper’s steady beat and also one of Paul’s bass that makes you shuffle for sure but the one that turned me upside down and many other people based on the response was Joe’s vocals standing alone. They are below for your listening pleasure and I don’t think words will do it justice. You can hear every intake of breath and feel the beads of sweat on Strummer’s forehead as he literally throttles the microphone with his apocalyptic warning not just for London but for the world at large. When you think you’ve been as impacted by old Clash songs as it was ever possible to be and then hear this it leaves the hairs on the back of your neck tingling, it simply does.

If you don’t have time to read today’s post please make sure you press play above

For me the timing of hearing this during Glastonbury weekend was perfect. The festival perhaps became Joe’s most comfortable spot and thinking of him and John Peel this weekend seems to be a celebration of what those two achieved. How this passion is missing as Coldplay and U2 trot out dad rock that really makes you feel music is now far too safe and dreadfully confined. I must have listened to the audio above a dozen times in the last three days so I hope it does half as much for you as it did for me. It just happens that the photo on the youtube video is also my desktop wallpaper…..comfort food.

More soon then and I hope to see you in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter. You can also have a daily update sent direct to enjoy with a pint of cider by subscribing to my RSS Feed here