Saturday morning – welcome back to the blog or hello for the first time. I’ve a few things to be catching up on so let’s get straight to it.

If you don’t visit The Quietus website you really should. They offer a great range of news, interviews and opinions. It’s one of my favourite sites for indie music interviews and they never fail to deliver thought provoking interviews and break news as quick as anyone. Thumbs up as usual to the site for a great interview with Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks. Pete is always a good conversation and this is no exception as he discusses Joe Strummer, the legacy of his band and punk rock. An articulate chap he also muses on the (huge) gap between London and Manchester.

“We found this whole other world of ideas, but tried to temper all that meaningful stuff with humour. Really, punk was about questioning things”            Pete Shelley

Next then………..as much as I like and admire Joy Division and New Order was it enhanced by the antics of Peter Hook? Yes he plays mean bass and of course he was instrumental in the appeal of both acts but he never struck me as anything other than a difficult chap. If more evidence was required (it’s not) here’s some from a recent story in Rolling Stone.

Another good article about the demise of albums that is worth a read. In a very suitable analogy is compares the record buyer of 1980 who purchases London Calling thus acquires the equivalent of a novel, while the ipod generation (need a term for that, leeches seems weak) are essentially cherry picking songs and never getting the full flavour of an artist. I tend to agree and I’m sure the gap can be bridged especially when a 13 year old can spend $40-$50 on a PS3 game, you could get 3-4 cds for that. Come on parents – do the right thing!

This sounds like a good book to look out for – Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History 1955-Present. Fans of The Clash won’t be surprised to see Bob Gruen (happy birthday yesterday Bob!) and Pennie Smith feature in the book. There’s something about those black and white images that just completes the legacy. I look at the Bob Gruen Clash book at least every week as those photographs are simply magic.

Speaking of books there is a new release for Clash fans:

New Clash Book released...

The Clash: Essential Interviews (Rifftastic!/Rock Reader Books) – compiled by John D. Luerssen

Here is the link and part of the blurb:

From its first-ever gigs with The Sex Pistols to the creation of its triumphant 1979 album ‘London Calling’ and on to the global success of 1982’s ‘Combat Rock’ and everything in between, THE CLASH: ESSENTIAL INTERVIEWS collects the group’s most candid and indispensible media interactions. It is a must-read for any Clash fan.

I’d be happy to write about a review copy if I was sent one (hint hint…again) but can’t imagine there’s a great deal I’ve not read yet…but prove me wrong!

Okay that’s all for now. More news this evening.

Tim

Hello everyone, we’re nearly there as round one is almost complete. Enjoy the next few days of voting because beginning next week I can almost guarantee that every decision will be a lot more difficult. If you’re new to the blog, for the last 3 weeks we’ve been voting on Clash songs in a knockout ‘cup’ format. Song with the most votes continues and the loser is vanquished. We’ve had to say so long to some great songs but only 64 tracks can make the really interesting stages. For today we’ve got some earlier results now official and both were very one-sided:

Lost in the Supermarket defeats Listen 34 – 2

Revolution Rock defeats One More Dub 32 – 5

So a very good day for London Calling, with a few bouts still to go I make it that at least 10 Tracks from the masterpiece will make the final 64 and at least 5 have yet to be voted on. So maybe 16 of 19 can go through! For now though I turn your attention to the random number generator for a fresh foursome of Clash platters to be reviewed. As always links and comments will follow, your deadline for voting is overnight Sat/Sun.

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment. Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

Are You Ready? - I’ve linked on purpose to the original demo version from November 1983 which is very different from the recording that appeared on Cut The Crap. The demo isn’t great but it’s a defined upgrade on the eventual version that surfaced. Based on the sequence of events this would have been one of the earliest tracks recorded without Mick Jones and featuring his two replacements. This almost sounds like a Clash song, not a good Clash song mind you. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep….

Julie’s Been Working For The Drug Squad – This on the other hand does sound like a Clash song although very unlike anything on the debut album. This version is a GTER demo which is radically different to the song you know. No piano so the song is driven along by horns and a saxaphone solo. A real skiffle and shambling song, I can only image this was recorded before the producer had his say.

Rebel Waltz -One of the songs that made me wonder should I try and learn bass rather than guitar. In the end I did nothing til I was much older (fool) but the bass line is really majestic. A fine fine vocal performance by Joe Strummer and I’m fascinated to see how the song fares in the voting to follow.

Something About England – This is definitely in my personal top 20 Clash songs. Lyrically one of the most ambitous songs that Strummer wrote with The Clash. The roles played by Mick and Joe are so diverse that it makes the song a magical event (Joe IS the old man). One of those songs that I’ll forever associate with wandering around Piccadilly and Leicester square as a 16 year old in the rain, no money to spend and just observing London. I can’t listen to it and not feel that I’m anywhere other than near Soho waiting for my sister to finish work and drinking a can of strongbow while listening to the Clash on my walkman. You can play this song to me every day and I’d listen to the whole thing gladly. I miss London.

Vote vote vote….thanks as always.

This weekend marks the 33rd anniversary of the Notting Hill Carnival/riot of 1976. For Clash fans this also marks 33 years since the inspiration for Joe Strummer writing the lyrics to White Riot. He and Paul Simonon spent bank holiday Monday at the Carnival and the warm summer of ’76 was just one part of the recipe that led to a full scale riot on the streets of West London that afternoon. Race relations in London were a long way from where they are today and even though Britain is far from where it should be (see Bradford for a recent example) London is not, I’m happy to say the racially charged city it once was. The ‘sus’ law of the mid 70′s allowed the police to stop and detain anyone if ‘suspected’ of planning something criminal and tensions built all weekend. Young British Blacks were targeted and animosity was running high, a huge police prescense all weekend spilled into violent clashes that resulted in more than 100 police officers hurt, many more members of the public and related violence, looting and destruction. Strummer was so impacted by what he and Paul saw that White Riot was written that same week.

Black man gotta lot a problems
But they don’t mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An’ everybody’s doing
Just what they’re told to
An’ nobody wants
To go to jail!

A famous photograph from that weekend was used later by The Clash on the sleeve of Black Market Clash – a slim young Rastafarian walks alone toward a huge line of Police, the man in that image was of course Don Letts.  Letts is interviewed in today’s London Evening Standard about the carnival, how it has changed and the new and different (but so similar) challenges faced by immigrants today. Letts is such a talented cultural observer and of course is also launching his new film Carnival to coincide with this weekend. An insightful interview and definitely worth your time.

Arsenal – Man Utd tomorrow….come on you Gunners!!