I wanted to let the dust settle and provide an assortment of observations, updates and details about the forthcoming releases by The Clash scheduled for September, initially the box set Sound System. The specifics if you will as I’ve seen a lot of reaction to the new releases over the last 36 hours. Today I’ll just focus on  some of it.

Release date:  September 9 applies for the UK, the actual release date in the US/Canada will be the 10th as Tuesdays are new release dates here (no I never worked that one out either).

Format(s): The box set at this time is only scheduled to be in CD format. I realise, and share, the huge interest in a vinyl alternative but nothing is currently scheduled. My best guess as to the reason why no vinyl option and probably the correct one is due to cost as a vinyl pressing would greatly inflate the price of the box set, probably by as much as 30-40% which I don’t think would go over very well. It’s ironic and not the fault of anyone but the record labels that in the eighties vinyl was far cheaper than the CD version due to manufacturing capacity and technology I assume and here we are 25 years later with the reverse being true.

Update – Sony now this morning say there will be vinyl editions…just the studio albums in a ‘flight case’ box set. Price unknown. (I’m guessing that means the new/unreleased material won’t see a vinyl option)

Where’s the vinyl?

Pricing: The (somewhat) good news is that the North American price loaded on Amazon at $290 appears to be incorrect as I suspected as it made no sense whatsoever in relation to the UK price. Overnight they’ve magically lowered it to $250. Even at that I’ve never seen what is essentially a 11 disc plus DVD boxset priced anywhere near that level and the correct price should be  apparently $169 for the US and £111 for the UK so we’ll wait and see what happens, via the official site the prices are lower. I’m sure you can find € pricing online by now also? So let’s talk about the pricing situation at present and I’ll be polite – it’s a fucking car wreck. Whether you feel it’s overpriced or not is altogether a side issue, but where you live and how you go about buying it shouldn’t make a true difference in price of somewhere between 40-70% dependent on shipping, taxes and exchange rates. If something is imported that’s a different matter but I’m sure the US release will not be imported from England. Something I was so excited about is now a ball of question marks because Sony/Amazon and others have hugely inconsistent pricing at present and I think it needs to be resolved asap.

Which is to say nothing of it being expensive and I really feel that it is. I looked at all of the box sets that I own today and on average (per disc) they were between 35-60% less expensive than this looks set to be and many contained a lot more unreleased material. How much do I want (another) remastered copy of each studio album at this stage? As The Baker said on the Facebook page however, perhaps this box set isn’t aimed at us but the new/young/casual fan? But can that really be accurate? Sony know Clash fans are furiously loyal but on the other hand we’re not made of money, or maybe we are.

Now I guess whether you’ve already pre-ordered it or not may have more to do with your financial situation than your love of the band, in any terms that’s a big outlay for a collection of music that most already own to a great extent. On the other hand this will it seems be the last official release ever by The Clash and thus the nearest we’ll ever see to a full collection unless Sony have some sort of deluxe/platinum edition up their sleeves which I wouldn’t bet against. The remastering alone may well be that significant and I’m curious to see what others say when it does get released. My budget for music isn’t what it used to be in these economic times and for the same outlay I can purchase 12-16 new albums or attend half a dozen concerts or buy groceries for a fortnight. I can’t do all and I won’t be buying it at the current prices. My birthday is quite soon however.

At present there’s enough variables in pricing for me to write another blog post about it…which I might do at the weekend. For now I’d avoid online retailers and ask your local record shop what their shelved price will be. I’d always recommend that in fact.

Content: Before we look at what’s included let’s consider what has been excluded. Cut The Crap is again erased from the history of the band which is either airbrushing or a marketing decision by the band and label, fair enough but I think it should been included. You can think what you want about the album but for the amount of cash being shelled out it should have been included, it was on CBS, was an official release and while it didn’t feature two of the four key players it also did feature two. If you’re looking at the boxset to be the complete archive of The Clash which I assume was the purpose then Cut The Crap should have been included. I have a copy already but yes I’d like a nice shiny new one if I’m buying the definitive box set.

There’s been a fair amount of hand wringing already about what’s not been included *(full concerts, more live releases, more demos, some of the material on the London Calling 25th anniversary and a total exclusion of Every Little Bit Hurts and One Emotion come to mind). I would have loved the boxset to include essentially everything no matter how good or bad we might consider it and that of course just like Cut The Crap comes down to personal taste. I would have loved to have seen the unreleased material and DVD get a release as a free standing item but understand why it got packaged in the set.

I genuinely hope that the remastering is a major factor and Mick Jones is saying as much in interviews, I’d tend to think he’d know best. If I can listen to each album and hear things I’ve never heard before then that is truly enticing. At present that will probably be the deciding factor for me, although perhaps not for all potential buyers.

What we do have are three discs of special recordings beyond the remastered studio albums plus a DVD and the full track listing is as follows:

Disc One
1. White Riot (Single version)
2. 1977 (B-side)
3. Listen (Capital Radio EP) / Interviews (Capital Radio EP)
4. Capital Radio (Capital Radio EP)
5. London’s Burning (Live B-side Remote Control)
6. Complete Control (Single version)
7. City Of The Dead (B-side)
8. Clash City Rockers (Original single version)
9. Jail Guitar Doors (B-side)
10. White Man In Hammersmith Palais (A-side)
11. The Prisoner (B-side)
12. 1-2 Crush On You (B-side Tommy Gun)
13. Time Is Tight (Black Market Clash)
14. Pressure Drop (B-side English Civil War)
15. I Fought The Law (Cost Of Living EP)
16. Groovy Times (Cost Of Living EP)
17. Gates Of The West (Cost Of Living EP)
18. Capital Radio (Cost Of Living EP)
19. Armagideon Time
20. Bank Robber (A-side)
21. Rockers Galore On A UK Tour (B-side)
Disc Two
1. Magnificent Dance (12”) 5:36 (available on Singles box set)
2. Midnight To Stevens (Outtake)
3. Radio One (B-side Hitsville UK)
4. Stop The World (B-side The Call Up)
5. The Cool Out (US 12” B-side of The Call Up)
6. This Is Radio Clash (A-side)
7. This Is Radio Clash (B-side 7” – different lyrics)
8. First Night Back In London (B-side Know Your Rights)
9. Rock The Casbah (Bob Clearmountain 12” mix)
10. Long Time Jerk (B-side Rock The Casbah)
11. The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too (Outtake)
12. Idle In Kangaroo Court (Outtake listed as Kill Time)
13. Ghetto Defendant (Extended version – unedited)
14. Cool Confusion (B-side Should I Stay Or Should I Go 7”)
15. Sean Flynn (Extended ‘Marcus Music’ version)
16. Straight To Hell (Extended unedited version from Clash On Broadway)

Disc Three
Extracts from The Clash’s first ever recording session at Beaconsfield Film School 1976. Recorded by Julien Temple
1. I’m So Bored With The USA
2. London’s Burning
3. White Riot
4. 1977
Polydor Demos – The Clash’s second recording session January 1977
Produced by Guy Stevens
5. Janie Jones
6. Career Opportunities
7. London’s Burning
8. 1977
9. White Riot
Live at The Lyceum, London 28th December 1979
10. City Of The Dead
11. Jail Guitar Doors
12. English Civil War
13. Stay Free
14. Cheapstakes
15. I Fought The Law
Bonus DVD
Julien Temple Archive – 6:20
White Riot Interview – 7:10
Promo and interviews with Tony Parsons
1977 1:87
White Riot 1:48
London’s Burning 2:05
Sussex University 1977
I’m So Bored With The USA 2:14
Hate & War 1:94
Career Opportunities 1:42
Remote Control 2:73
Don Letts Super 8 Medley 11:40
White Riot 1:52
Janie Jones 1:73
City of the Dead 2:04
Clash City Rockers 2:15
White Man in Hammersmith Palais 2:53
1977 1:41
Clash On Broadway – 19:50
London Calling
This Is Radio Clash
The Magnificent Seven
Guns Of Brixton
Safe European Home
Promo Videos
Tommy Gun 3:00
London Calling 3:20
Bankrobber 4:00
Clampdown (Live) 5:00
Train In Vain (Live) 2:10
The Call Up 3:10
Rock The Casbah 3:20
Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Live at Shea Stadium) 2:50
Career Opportunities (Live at Shea Stadium) 3:00

I’d imagine beyond the posters and buttons it is these four discs that will make people’s minds up as to the overall value of the boxset. I’m keen to see the Don Letts footage along with Sussex University footage in particular. The more I peruse this list the more I wish I had the cash or a willing sponsor at Sony Music. Are you listening Sony?

Of course it looks cool, from the box itself to the extras and the sleeves I think perhaps all of that extra shine helped drive costs up. Is that punk? Well you can debate that yourselves, as I’ve written endlessly The Clash were a great rock band that evolved in the punk era. We’re not going to get London Calling or Sandinista! value in 2013 whether we like it or not. However I do think you need to compare the pricing in different markets and with other existing box sets by other artists.

Extras: I’ve bought a good number of boxsets in the past and my primary motivation has always been the music, the particulary hard to find tracks or unreleased versions. I know some people get excited by stickers, badges and posters and the boxset offers a lot in that direction if that’s your thing. New republished copies of The Armagideon Times parts I & II are also appealing as is the new part III which might be fascinating to collectors.

Variations: Again more than you can probably stomach today such as digital versions and studio albums only but I will get to it I promise, so I’ll save that for the weekend too. The US version from the official site does include a signed print (by Mick, Paul and Topper) which does sound very cool, especially for those with nothing autographed.

Thanks for letting me ramble, I’m trying to sort out all of the details and I’m sure the band spent a long time putting this together so I wish the marketing was a bit more polished especially concerning the pricing. The other topic that I don’t have time for today is the band finally putting to rest the notion of them playing live ‘as The Clash’ at any point. While I never thought it wise nor likely this should kill the speculation for once and for all with all three being in the same room at the same time giving the same answer. As Topper said ‘nobody can replace Joe’.

Your comments are welcome as I’m by no means the authority on all of this.

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When I was in school and we had the chance to learn a second language I opted for French and I’ve regreted it ever since, in part because I wasn’t very good at it and in part because I’ve rarely had a chance to use it and like they say use it or lose it. Dozens of times since I’ve wished I had instead learned Spanish, having visited Spain a good few times for work and holiday and now living in the US it would have come in handy. I’d have like to have been able to speak Spanish today and to have also been in Granada, Spain as it was a rather special day as you’ll see from the images below. We were lucky enough to have some of the earliest images of the Plaza Joe Strummer last month when Karl visited and let us share these images.

Today was the official dedication of the square and the guests of honour were none other than Joe’s widow Lucinda and at least one of his daughters. I believe both attended but I’m not 100% sure at the time of writing. As you’ll see the street sign for the plaza was indeed temporary and isn’t it great to see so many in attendance. If you’ve found additional photographs online please let me know and I’ll be happy to add them to the blog. Until then please join me in thanking Marty for bringing these pictures to our attention, just arrow through the full gallery.

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Today is part two of my chat with Randal Doane the author ‘Stealing All Transmissions-A Secret History of The Clash’. If you somehow missed part one it’s linked here and you can purchase the book if you haven’t already from Amazon in the US or WH Smith in the UK. Unfortunately you’ll have to do some research for other markets but starting with the monster named after the big river in South America is probably a good bet. Make sure you check out the insightful comments on the last post from The Baker too. So I’ll hand it back to  myself and Randal below and cover my throat in medicine, until next time good people and please join me in thanking Randal for taking the time.

The relationship between New York and The Clash is considered (after London) the most important one the band built, at times perhaps more so. What do you put that down to?

RD: New York’s the US’s most international city, and its bars close at 4am. It also has a rich rock’n'roll history, and of course the growing popularity of rap and hip-hop culture circa 1980 held quite the allure for The Clash, too. New York, then and now, teems with possibility for long-time residents and interlopers alike, and The Clash made the most of the vintage clothing shops, the recording studios, Studio 54, bars in midtown, the Village, and in Soho, and then there was Bob Gruen, who ensured that they could tool around in 1954 Buick as if they were stars in a noir thriller.

Are you still listening to much new music, what do you enjoy most that is recent?

RD: Each February, I assemble a Village Voice Pazz & Jop-inspired mix disc, so that I have a sense of what “the kids” are tuning into. I dig Carbon/Silicon, of course, and I can be caught dancing in the kitchen with my daughter to Teddybears or Tune-Yards a couple nights a week. I think the Kopecky Family Band achieved a measure of pop-confection perfection with “Heartbeat,” and that Air Traffic Controller comes close with “You Know Me.”

My favorite contemporary performer for the past few years, though, is Hamell on Trial. Imagine The Clash meets George Carlin on acoustic guitar. He’s got it all.

Do you think that The Clash would have achieved more than for example U2 on the global market if the band had managed to regroup and stay together/overcome Topper’s issues and the conflicts with Mick?

RD: In terms of quality, or quantity? I think Joe had difficulty with the “Rock the Casbah”-level of fame, let alone Superbowl-halftime-show level of fame. It seems as if the last time Joe and Paul had fun together as The Clash was that busking tour when they lived hand-and-guitar-to-mouth. Could they have had fun as the size of U2? Hmm …

I’d like to side with Don Letts on this question. Seven years is a long time for any band, and The Clash amassed a host of great, great songs in those seven years (76-83, of course), and blew away a lot of people who saw them live. Plus, I don’t know that I would trade Big Audio Dynamite’s debut for the album that might have succeeded *Combat Rock.* I just love the humor, the sound, and the joy and–perhaps most surprising of all–the lack of bitterness of that album.

 What’s the main reason a seasoned Clash fan might want to read the book?

RD:  The main reason? Hmm … I wrote the book for folks like your readers so that they might wax rhapsodically with greater accuracy about the righteousness of our youth and our music, and to tell the stories of select deejays and rock journalists who really mattered. I also hope my reflections on music, technology, and fandom resonate with readers in the US and UK who grew up listening to vinyl, cassettes, then CDs. Likewise, I think folks should know the modest number of degrees of separation between Hilary Rodham Clinton and The Clash.

I want to own up to this now, too, so there are no illusions: I understand that I erred when I identified Joe’s last gig as Acton, rather than Liverpool. I’m delighted to set the record straight in a subsequent printing of the book, and look for your guidance in terms of the number of hail-marys I need to say before I might be forgiven by The Clash faithful.

Favourite Clash album and song – and why?

RD: I’m still making sense of Sandinista! (which is amazing), but I’ve got to give the nod to *London Calling.*  It fit perfectly on a 90-minute XLII tape with the 5-song EP by Echo and the Bunnymen that came out in ’84, and I wore that tape out. *London Calling* was an audacious move, but it’s effectively a 3-sided, filler-free LP at 66 minutes (rather than 2 hours+), and every song sings with the band’s determination, their sense of humor, and the brilliant mixing work of Mick and Bill Price.

Song-wise: “Charlie Don’t Surf” gets the nod today over “White Man in Hamersmith Palais,” but try me again next week. The lyrics of “Charlie” are awe-inspiring in their poignancy and simplicity, and the hook and the spacious dub mix just draws me in.

What three people living or dead would you most like to have a few beers with?

Karl Marx– I’d like to talk to him about parenting.

Joe Strummer –There’d be so many topics of interest, but I’d ask him first about compassion and laughter.

Ralph Ellison–He was such a sharp dresser, so I know I’d have to starch up my finest shirt and press my favorite tie before settling down for a conversation about jazz, prose, and freedom.

You’ve got one sentence to tell a 15 year old kid today why they need to invest time in The Clash. What would you tell them?

RD: ”This is the stuff of Robert Johnson at the crossroads, kid, but The Clash isn’t asking for your soul, just your ears, and your mind.”

Thanks for the time/space on theclashblog, Tim, and keep up the good work

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Today I’ve got some great news for those of you who enjoy a good read / collect books about The Clash. You’ll perhaps remember that back in February I wrote my review of ‘Stealing All Transmissions-A Secret History of The Clash’ by Randal Doane. It’s a terrific read that explores the exact environment that helped lead to The Clash breaking through in North America which consequently coincided (in my humble opinion) with the band being at the very height of their creative powers. A fascinating look back at a time now eroded, the author studies the importance of the support the band received from FM DJs and those who helped govern the buzz back in 1978/9.

I’m pleased to say that the book has now been published for the UK market and is now available at WH Smith or via their website if you simply follow this link at a special price of just £6.86 which is a bargain you should take advantage of. Randal has also been writing his own blog stealingalltransmissions.wordpress.com that you should visit, as he takes a regular look back at punk/post-punk music on both sides of the Atlantic. You can also follow him on Twitter @stealingclash, as you can see the man is wired.

Randal was also kind enough to humour me by answering a number of questions about himself, The Clash and of course the book which I’ve reproduced below. It hopefully tells you a great deal more about the book itself too. You know me by now, I tend to go on so it’s a bit lengthy but to be fair so does he therefore I’ve split it into two parts. My thanks to Randal for taking the time for the interview, part two to follow soon.

You’re a little younger than me, tell me more about how The Clash influenced your early days of not just listening to music but considering the potential of it?

RD: I got turned onto The Clash when I was 13, during the summer before I started high school. As I note in the book, football players, cheerleaders, and the Friday-night home games dominated the school’s culture, and the place abounded with the triangles of homosocial male bonding of muscle cars, after-market stereos, and Van Halen. So The Clash–and a host of other bands from the UK–kept me mindful that the future was unwritten, and that things could be otherwise. (Kudos to JulienTemple for picking such a great title for his Strummer biopic.) In other words, The Clash saved my soul.

How vital do you think the support of deejays and journalists was in the success of The Clash in North America?

RD: Absolutely vital! The rock scribes and the deejays shared with The Clash the conviction that music and culture mattered, that culture was political, and that the stakes were high. When more people listen to The Clash rather than, say, Poison, the world is a better place. The folks at Epic served as good allies, too, and did some great things to help promote London Calling and the LPs that followed.

As an American, why do you think The Clash made the crossover to the American market where acts like The Damned and The Jam never had the same impact despite huge success in the UK?

RD: Good question. I’m not sure I know the history of The Damned or The Jam well enough to venture an accurate guess, but I’m still happy to offer one. Now I dug *Machine Gun Etiquette* and the upbeat tunes on *Phantasmagoria*–very groovy stuff. But The Damned especially, and The Jam, too (if less so), sound inextricably English in a way that The Clash did on a handful of tracks on *The Clash,* and then they didn’t. *Rope*’s difficult to pin down in this regard: it’s English and American rock, and the production is more Phil Spector than Bill Price. It’s certainly more clear cut with the next two: *London Calling* teems with a variety of great sounds from England, the Caribbean, and urban America, as does *Sandinista!* Let’s also consider the possibility that The Clash simply made more interesting music.

Can you think of other bands from the UK who might have been able to step in the space that The Clash opened up in the North American market if The Clash never existed?

RD: The Police, maybe. They made their debut appearance in the states–and New York–about the same time as The Clash. They were on A&M, so they had major-label support, and they also had an awesome drummer and an amazing lead guitarist, if a comparatively less-suave bass player. Sorry Gordon! The Police, though, due in part to their prog-rock roots, didn’t inspire kids to start bands the way The Clash did, so the DIY-post-punk scene in the US especially would have consequently been, well … I shudder to think.

Do you think new technology and easier access to music could see something that was ‘against the grain’ the way punk was take hold to such an extent again? 

RD: Back then, I could identify the grain–or, say, the dominant center of western popular music. I don’t know if there is a center today, and it’s one of the key points you can glean from The Replacements’ documentary *Color Me Obsessed,* when sales figures from Replacements’ albums are compared to LPs by Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and a couple others. *Slippery When Wet* has sold over 12 million copies in the US alone! I don’t see anything quite like that happening again. Is that a good thing? Possibly. Anything is possible.

Care to say a bit more about that?

RD: More bands are out there, making fantastic music, but with Pandora, Spotify, and the rest, it appears to be a race to the bottom in terms of royalties for the musicians. I don’t want my favorite bands to “keep it real” by having day jobs. I want them to have the money that allows them to have the freedom to make great songs over the long-haul–or at least for a few years.

The relationship between New York and The Clash is considered (after London) the most important one the band built, at times perhaps more so. What do you put that down to?

New York’s the US’s most international city, and its bars close at 4am. It also has a rich rock’n'roll history, and of course the growing popularity of rap and hip-hop culture circa 1980 held quite the allure for The Clash, too. New York, then and now, teems with possibility for long-time residents and interlopers alike, and The Clash made the most of the vintage clothing shops, the recording studios, Studio 54, bars in midtown, the Village, and in Soho, and then there was Bob Gruen, who ensured that they could tool around in 1954 Buick as if they were stars in a noir thriller.

Clashblogger again now and we’ll end part one right there with the remainder coming up soon. If you happen to be in Cleveland or NE Ohio Randal is giving a reading of the book and it also be on sale this Saturday evening May 18. Full details below:

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A rather stupid post tonight or a bit fun if you like. When I look at the visits to the site I can get data that showed the words typed into the search engine that brought you here. As you’d imagine the vast majority are as you’d expect; The Clash, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, London Calling etc. but I also can see the phrases used. I notice a lot of questions are asked and Google or Bing then brings the visitor to the blog. I’m not complaining as I’m glad people find the site and in many cases get their questions answered too. The number one question is the location of the (New York) Joe Strummer Mural – the specific details of which I addressed on this early post back in July 2009.

I thought/hoped you might have a laugh at some of the more obscure questions I’ve seen that people asked and then found the site as a result. There are so many that I’ll need to break them down into a few categories, so look for part two in the near future. Here’s my favourites and thus the top ten ‘Why’ questions, a few of which I still wonder and a few which will hopefully make you smile, none of these are made up. The best answer to any of these (add to comments) I’ll send a prize too incidentally. These first batch then are in no particular order – The Top 10 Why Questions:

1. Why did Mick Jones leave The Clash?
2. Why are the British blamed for everything?
3. Why is Cut The Crap a great album?
4. Why do Gorillaz waste the talent of Paul Simonon?
5. Why does Joe Strummer think smoking is good?
6. Why is being a bus driver or ambulance man so bad?
7. Why should I live in Norwich?
8. Why wasn’t Cut The Crap mentioned on Westway to The World?
9. Why were The Clash so important?
10. Why is Nick Nolte fat?

As I mentioned I’m not even sure how some of these led to people finding the site but I’m sure collectively we can answer all ten effectively. Part two will be the ‘How’ questions. Your comments to any are hugely appreciated.

Thanks for dropping in.

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I’ve been sitting on the fence when it comes to this rather large and extremely well marketed (and thus talked about) exhibition just kicking off at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art - ‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’. It wasn’t until I completed far more reading that I realised how large an exhibition this is and while on the surface it all sounds vulgar there is surely going to be something for everyone, in theory anyway. The vulgar can be found in the quotes from the ‘celebrities’ who attended the opening party, each in turn reducing punk to some trivial branding or label that mixed fun and cool in some sort of fashion(able) blend.  Punk was never so vulgar as to sell safety pins adorned with pearls and t-shirts that cost the equivalent of a week’s groceries. I thought the scene which I was to arrive  late to due to my year of birth was about anything but a predetermined look or style and certainly not means tested, no rules was half of the attraction for me and others I knew so it is very strange to see it reimagined as something very different.

How do I caption this?

Anyway, from the other side of the country and with no intention of attending the exhibition which runs from now until August 14, I am best left waiting to hear what some of you much nearer to New York think of it should you happen to attend. I’m sure we’ll all benefit from a viewpoint that doesn’t sound like a press release. For now though I thought I’d focus on the facts and by all means have a look at Google News and just type in ‘New York Punk Exhibition’ as there are dozens of previews from all sources. Instead let’s go on to the facts.

The exhibit apparently looks to trace the path of punk from a local nucleus of rebellion and boredom by kids in New York and London to a global and very high line of alternative fashion thirty odd years later. More than 100 designs are featured going back to McLaren and Vivienne Westwood creations all the way to the present day.

Seven individual galleries cover the history of punk’s impact with two dedicated to the New York and London of the 70′s respectively with the emphasis on CBGB’s along with the Kings Road own Seditionaries, if only from a historic perspective I’d like to see those galleries. The remainder is where things get more broad as the interpretation of the early days of punk is shown with features on the 80′s, 90′s and up to now. I’ve no idea how much or little will appeal to a fan of The Clash but hopefully the aspect of the music is well interfaced with the fashion elements, I can only hope so.  Trying to be objective about the regurgitation/hijacking (?) of such ideas becomes increasingly difficult while at the same time I do believe the influence lingers on in many forms, most notably away from the arena of the music industry ironically. Is punk an inspiration in the modern world of fashion/style or a sign that new ideas are simply quite thin on the ground?

Some suggested reading below, but what I hope most is to hear from anyone who goes along to the exhibition itself.  Please convince me it’s not destined to be the most contrived punk-related exhibit ever, I mean Anne Hathaway and Beyonce at the opening gala, $100 ‘Climate Revolution’ t-shirts? Surely some mistake. Is this just a money spinner for the fashion industry or a genuine homage? Essentially I’m finding it all pretty repulsive and cash-laden but don’t want to ignore that it is taking place and will be notable for some good reasons too I hope. Read more below to get a proper flavour, but highly recommended is this piece in The Daily Beast.

New York Metropilation Music of Art 

Reviews and Previews:

Reuters | Pentagram.com | New York Times | BBC News (video) | Washington Post | The New Age 

Interviews:

Vivienne Westwood

This sums it all up, ‘So antiseptic that it doesn’t have anything to do with…the late 70′s’

Gil uncovered another piece of footage I’d never seen before that was just uploaded and by my logic it ought to be new to you too. If you were a kid in the mid-late 70′s and your Dad (or Uncle) was as annoying as mine you probably were caught repeatedly on Ciné film/Super 8 home recordings dependent on what you called it at your house. While in those days the 8mm film for the home user didn’t capture sound it did record good quality footage of whatever your family was doing., anyway that’s enough rambling from me.

So below we have a 2.5 minute clip of The Clash performing live plus audience at the Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Finland on August 4th, 1979. As I mentioned no audio but they’ve added White Riot to the clip, I’d recommend watching it with no sound as it’s essentially a distraction. It’s amateur film but still good for it featuring lots of audience shots of flicked hair Scandinavians, both the curious and local punks it would seem. The weather looked delightful for Finland and The Clash are going at it with great gusto on stage. Some good closeups of Joe plus Mick and Paul throwing some great shapes on stage, for a festival there seems to be a lot of room down the front which might be due to the significant distance between  audience and stage. It also might be the earliest footage of The Clash playing outdoors in summer sunshine!

You’ll probably try and figure out which song(s) the band were playing but it might prove difficult as the film jumps back and forth to the audience so frequently. I also enjoyed the unhappy looking security men and policeman (perhaps) who have that expression of pure discomfort for the new wave of music being blasted out on stage. Thanks again to Gil and for more details on the gig there is no finer place than the Black Market Clash website. Thanks also to Timo Lähteenmäki for the upload.

From a historic perspective this was The Clash arguably at the very height of their ascent, the gig was a run for cash but this was the summer of 1979 the same summer that saw the creation of London Calling. Hope you enjoy and please share with abandon and if you want to fill my coffee/bandwidth (see right margin) that’d be very appreciated.

The Clash at Ruisrock Festival, Finland – 1979

Today I wanted to share some very inspiring news from the halls (offices?) of our friends over at Strummerville. Oftentimes we’ll support a nonprofit (Strummerville being one of course) and wonder specifically what our contributions are aiding, this new venture by Strummerville is quite simply one of the most exciting yet.

They’ve formed a partnership with Tech Music School London (TMS) which sees TMS offer aspiring musicians the chance to pursue their musical ambitions as the college, part of the award winning BIMM Group, partnered with Strummerville to offer a fully funded place on its BA (Hons) Creative Musicianship course. Such scholarships don’t come cheap - each being worth £17,250, for the full three years of tuition fees. The great news is that one Strummerville Scholarship will be offered to one student, each academic year, for the next 6 years. A quick quote below and here’s a link to the full story over at Strummerville. In total TMS are offering £103,000 worth of education in partnership with Strummerville!

”We are delighted about our partnership with Tech Music School London and thank them for giving this wonderful opportunity. We can’t wait to see the first talented young person on The Strummerville Scholarship.”

Lucinda Garland Trustee of Strummerville

It’s a inspiring decision that will make a huge difference to those who receive the scholarships. TMS are just about to move into a new location too, one that will feature a Strummerville performance room. To learn more about Tech Music School London please visit their website.

You can help Strummerville by visiting their website, purchasing any of their merchandise, attending upcoming events or by making a donation at any time. Let’s help them make 2013 a brilliant year for others.

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While music from 1982-84 offered much brilliant stuff (despite that spell leading to the collapse of The Clash) there wasn’t much about television comedy that sticks in the mind for those less adventurous broadcasting times. Whilst music was reinventing itself and challenging,  television was generally a decade behind in terms of going through anything resembling a punk phase. One notable exception was BBC’s The Young Ones which ran from November of 1982 to June of 1984, I thought my memory was playing tricks on me but only twelve episodes of the comedy were ever made. At the time it was probably the most anarchic thing that the BBC had ever ran in the 80′s and upon research I found out that the only reason it ever got commissioned was the advent of the new television channel (Channel 4) in the UK and the BBC fearing that any ‘alternative’ audiece would migrate to the new station en masse.

Background information complete and fast forward 30 years, Ade Edmonson who starred as Vyvyan Basterd no longer has orange spiked hair, in fact he has no hair at all. However in a throwback to the days before The Young Ones he now tours as the head of a band he began in 2008 called The Bad Shepherds that are deeply influenced by punk music. The three piece act features Ade on  on vocals, mandolin and mandola; Troy Donockley on uilleann pipes, cittern and whistles and Andy Dinan on fiddle and their repertoire includes a wide range of  punk and new wave covers with a folk sheen. Now 56, Ade grew up right when punk came to the forefront:

“I was 19 when punk arrived, so it’s always been a part of me. But even before that I remember when we got (folk electronic band) Fairport Convention. That felt kind of revolutionary”

He plays because he enjoys it and the band just began a 5 date tour of Australia but the music doesn’t aim for any comedic edge, simply a folk instrument based interpretation and loyal observance of the original songs. For Ade it’s become a career love after his comedy phase ended and takes the music seriously as evidenced by the dexterity of the musicians. Worth a look if you have the chance, you can find out more via their official site or Facebook page. Dates coming up include Sydney, Brisbane and Perth over the first 8 days of May.

Source article for quote – TheAustralian.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Bad Shepherds – London Calling

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So what’s on tap today? I have photos, lots of great photos and a sign that you really need to read the blog often to make it along to the events that matter most. It also helps if you’re in London.

Last night you may recall that I wrote about the launch of the new Sheila Rock book ‘Punk+’ at Browns in central London. The book looks amazing and as you might expect there was a healthy turnout for the opening event. Friend of the blog (and yet another West Ham United supporter) Nick made it along and has graciously allowed me to share his photos below. He’s the handsome chap with Mick.

Mick? Yes, that one was there along with Sheila Rock naturally, Don Letts, Tony James, Paul Simonon, Chrissie Hynde and others. A splendid time was had by all whilst you and I were working yesterday. All winter long we’re wondering where our Clash crew are and as soon as the snow melts and the sun reveals itself they’re out and about. It might be a very active summer I hope.

Please join me in thanking Nick for the photos and being on the spot. As ever click on any image to enlarge and open gallery.

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