Description
The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where the Pistols were nihilistic, the Clash were fiery and idealistic, charged with righteousness and a leftist political ideology. From the outset, the band was more musically adventurous, expanding its hard rock & roll with reggae, dub, and rockabilly among other roots musics. Furthermore, they were blessed with two exceptional songwriters in Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, each with a distinctive voice and style. The Clash copped heavily from classic outlaw imagery, positioning themselves as rebels with a cause. As a result, they won a passionately devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. While they became rock & roll heroes in the U.K., second only to the Jam in terms of popularity, it took the Clash several years to break into the American market, and when they finally did in 1982, they imploded several months later. Though the Clash never became the superstars they always threatened to become, they restored passion and protest to rock & roll. For a while, they really did seem like “the only band that mattered.” Unlike many, this era of The Clash (1977-83) was truly a Gang, four likeminded souls burning themselves out before age and compromise poisoned them, and the album “London Calling”(in it’s original form), is their most concise statement of brilliance. This album is a collection of Clash rarities. Taking you right through their career. From the first sessions for Polydor in late 1976, right up to the “This Is England” single in 1985. The Polydor demos are in excellent quality ones, probably taken straight from the master tapes that now reside in the vaults of Polydor. There are also alot of cool live trcks recorded between 1978 and 1983 on here. So all in all, Clash fans must have this. The Clash were not just the self-proclaimed Last Gang in town, but one of the best too.
Track list:
1. 1977-Polydor demo
2. White Riot-Polydor demo
3. Garageland-complete Rude Boy outtake
4. Pressure Drop-CBS demo
5. White Man In Hammersmith Palais-alternative lyrics
6. All The Young Punks -CBS demo
7. Safe European Home-Music Machine 1978
8. Lost In The Supermarket-Majestic Theatre 1983
9. Revolution Dub-Rude Boy rock edit
10. Return To Brixton-Jeremy Healy remix 1990
11. The Magnificent 7-Dirty Harry Full Radio Mix
12. Capital Air-with Allen Ginsberg-New York 1981
13. Should I Stay Or Should I Go–Mick Jones produced version
14. Walk Evil Talk-Combat Rock session
15. This Is England-Dust 7″ version issued in error 1985
16. Career Opportunities-Polydor demo
17. Janie Jones-Polydor demo
18. Londons Burning-Polydor demo
19. Tommy Gun-Dunfermline Kinema 1978
20. English Civil War-London 1979
21. Outside Broadcast-Radio Clash remix 12″
22. The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too-Combat Rock outtake
23. Kill Time-Combat Rock outtake