The Great Sandinista Parlour Game

While driving to the campsite during half term I made my family listen to Sandinista. All six sides, one hundred and forty four minutes, over two cds. No-one really objected. Mrs Swiss hummed along to the songs she knew. I continued to find songs I didn't know. While settling down outside our tent I did think about instigating the Great Sandinista Parlour Game but thought it might be pushing it.

The Great Sandinista Parlour Game- in other words, can the six sides and thirty six songs of The Clash's fourth album be trimmed and condensed into one twelve track killer album? Joe Strummer thought not- in Westway To The World he said some people thought it would've made a better double album or single album or e.p. but he rated it as ''a magnificent achievement'' and loved it ''warts and all''. Topper reckons it could be a lot shorter, as does Paul. Mick thinks it's perfect for people living on oil rigs or who are away from home a lot. In typical Clash style they thought that by insisting on a triple album, following London Calling (a double), selling at 'no more than £5.99' they'd be sticking it to CBS. CBS agreed on the proviso that they waived all royalties on UK sales until it sold 300,000 copies. To date it still hasn't. They also became obsessed in the studio with it having six songs per side, thirty six in total, which probably explains the inclusion of some songs. Anyway, here we go...

The Magnificent Seven- Invents rockers do rap, with Mickey Gallagher & Norman Watt Roy. In.

Hitsville UK- Mick's lightweight, poppy tribute to UK indie scene, sung by Ellen Foley. Out.

Junco Partner- bluesy/reggae cover of New Orleans song. Good. Maybe.

Ivan Meets G.I. Joe- Cold War disco face off, sung by Topper. Out.

The Leader- rattling two minute rockabilly version of Profumo affair. Maybe.

Something About England- lost masterpiece, tale of the 20th Century, sung by Mick & Joe. In.

Rebel Waltz. A waltz. Out.

Look Here. Jazzy stomp. Fun but inessential. Out.

The Crooked Beat- Paul's tribute to reggae and south London. Great bassline. Maybe.

Somebody Got Murdered- sublime guitar rock with great Mick vocal. In.

One More Time- Heavy reggae ghetto rocker. In.

One More Dub- Dub version of above. Out but only because of duplication.

Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)- funk rock, Blockheads again. Out I think.

Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)- Mick's attack on poverty. Post-punky. Out.

Corner Soul- militant reggae rock (again). Good but... Out.

Let's Go Crazy- Clash samba. Who else did this kind of thing? Still, out.

If Music Could Talk- Mad talking blues, with squawky saxophone. Joe's favourite, so...In.

The Sound Of Sinners- So they did a gospel song. Because they felt like it. Out.

Police On My Back- blistering cover of Equals song. Clash albums need great cover versions. In.

Midnight Log- cool dubby rockabilly. Maybe.

The Equaliser- dub but not about Edward Woodward. Maybe.

The Call Up- disliked by some, but a dead groovy anti-war song. In.

Washington Bullets- laid back history of Latin America. Name of album comes from this. In.

Broadway. 2am in a bar in New York song . Great Joe vocal. In.

Lose This Skin- Tymon Dogg's fiddle song due to chance meeting in NY. Diverting but...Out.

Charlie Don't Surf- Apocalypse Now inspired fluid funk-rock. Maybe.

Mensforth Hill- Something About England played backwards. Listening Squire & Brown? Out.

Junkie Slip- skiffle anti-drug song. Out.

Kingston Advice- sparkling Clash reggae. Yes.

The Street Parade- superb, dreamy, melancholic, steel band, ode to being lost in the crowd. In.

Version City- dub. Out.

Living In Fame- more dub, with Mikey Dread. Out. Probably.

Silicone On Sapphire- sci-fi, fx, dubish. Out.

Version Partner- dub version of Junco Partner. Out. It's not that I don't like the dubs but...

Career Opportunities- Mickey Gallagher's kids sing old Clash song. Fun but... Out.

Shepherd's Delight- weird, acoustic/found sound/tape manipulation track. Far out but Out.

Which gives us...

Side 1 The Magnificent Seven, Junco Partner or The Leader (New Orleans blues or rockabilly? I can't choose between them, help), Something About England, The Crooked Beat, Somebody Got Murdered, One More Time, If Music Could Talk.

That's seven songs on side 1, one must go- sorry Paul, it's The Crooked Beat I think.

Side 2

Police On My Back, The Call Up, Washington Bullets, Broadway, Kingston Advice, The Street Parade.

Which makes a damn good Clash album. With a dub version as a limited edition follow-up. But without the anything goes, try everything spirit which makes Sandinista so bewildering and unwieldy but so good and so interesting. It's been said before but if anyone tried this today they'd have critics and the Mercury prize falling over themselves to praise it. As it is, it was slammed at the time and still has a mixed reputation today. Maybe the Sandinista Parlour Game is futile, maybe Mick and Joe's opinion is the right one. And, as for this post, in the words of Joe halfway through the first track, 'fucking long this innit?'

The Street Parade

Get Good Or Stay Bad

More Lee Hazlewood anyone? Here's Run Boy Run from 1968, a lovely countryfied song about being born the wrong side of the tracks. The mp3 is ripped from a 2004 compilation called Radio Clash, given away free with Mojo, the songs being chosen by Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. Memory tells me this song was one of Paul's choices but I could be wrong and the magazine's in a box in the loft.

Run Boy Run

41

Today is my birthday. 41, since you're asking. I know, where does the time go?

Today's song is possibly the greatest song The Clash wrote, which makes it probably one of the greatest pieces of post-war popular culture this country has produced. Hey, it's my birthday and I'll make wild claims if I want to. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais is surely well known to most readers, and is the pinnacle of The Clash's 'trash reggae', has brilliant tinny production and guitars, bass playing that proves that by this Paul Simonon has learned to play and more great Joe Strummer lines skewering late 70s Britain than any one song should contain.

At the time of typing, no-one has bought me a set of Clash action figures but there's still time.

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais

At The Top Of The Dial

Poking around the internet I found this, the lead track from a tribute to Joe Strummer album called Shatter The Hotel, all the tracks being reggae and dub versions of Clash songs. It's actually pretty good with several standout versions and worth tracking down if Clash covers are your thing. You can get it at emusic and on Amazon. The album's proceeds go to Strummerville which supprts several worthwhile Strummeresque causes. If you like the Easy Allstars cover albums of Pink Floyd and Radiohead chances are you'll like this too and many of The Clash's songs take easily to dub and reggae-isation. This one is London Calling, covered by Dubtronix ('Dubstep, future garage and beyond' his website says, and hopefully 'weddings, parties, anything, and bongo jazz a speciality' as well), with the great Don Letts and Dan Donovan (currently playing keyboards in reformed Big Audio Dynamite) guesting. Skanking.

London Calling [feat. Don Letts & Dan Donovan].mp3 - 4shared.com - online file sharing and storage - download

Life Through a Lense # 11

Marlon Brando 1964-Murray Garrett

The cat and typewriter juxtapose the public persona of Brando

Paul Simonon 1979-Pennie Smith

Iconic album cover shot captures the Clash bass player (who was clearly an admirer of Brando) in the Rock 'n' roll moment

In The Key Of A

Eight years ago today Joe Strummer died.

On the 15th of November he'd played a benefit gig for striking firemen at Acton Town Hall. During the encore Mick Jones, watching in the audience, asked his companion to hold his coat and joined Joe and The Mescaleros for run throughs of The Clash's White Riot and London's Burning. It the first time Joe and Mick had shared a stage since 1983. Mick has since said it was totally unplanned and spontaneous. Although Joe went on to make two further live appearences (Liverpool and Bridgwater) legend has it that this reunion was the last before Joe's untimely death, and as Anthony H Wilson always said, if in doubt print the legend.

This is White Riot, live from Acton Town Hall on November 15th 2002 with Mick Jones on guitar, in the key of A. If you're having a glass or two of anything tonight raise one to Joe Strummer, 1952- 2002.

Strummer Jones White Riot.mp3

Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 30

It wouldn't be right to do this Friday series without featuring serial Bagging Area offenders The Clash in some way. A love of rockabilly was brought to the band by Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer, and they recorded numerous rockabilly songs, either covers or their own, starting with Vince Taylor's Brand New Cadillac on London Calling. This is Long Time Jerk, a little known Clash song from 1983, the B-side to Know Your Rights. It opens with one of Joe's greatest introductions-

'We gotta scrape the trouble off our boots!'

This Friday night rockabilly series has to stop somewhere and I think this is it. We've gone from the early 50s to 2010 with 30 different bands or artists, rocking, rolling, shaking and smoking. If you want to investigate further I recommend Max Decharne's new book Rocket In My Pocket, and the accompanying cd. Available from all good stockists. I'm sure I'll come back to posting some from time to time- in the meantime quiffs up, jeans turned up, sleeves rolled up and off we go...

19 Long Time Jerk.wma

Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 27

This week's rockabilly rave-up comes from 1981, covered in Clash connections. That's Pearl and Mick Jones in the picture above. Pearl Harbour had fronted what the Americans call a 'new wave' band (Pearl Harbour and The Explosions) who made a mediocre album. By 1980 she had fallen in with The Clash, and recorded a rockabilly inspired album called Don't Follow Me... I'm Lost Too, much of which which sounds surprisingly good today, 29 years later. It bombed at the time. Pearl's boyfriend Kosmo Vinyl (Clash tour manager and self styled 'consiglieri') and Pearl decided she and the album should stand on their two feet, and so there were few credits on the album's sleeve despite it's stellar line-up which would surely have gained it more attention. Produced by Blockhead and Clash touring keyboardist Mickey Gallagher, and with Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon from The Clash and Wilco Johnson (ex-Dr Feelgood) amongst others playing the instruments. Pearl and Paul Simonon were married for much of the 80s, and she appeared on stage with The Clash. There's youtube footage of her performing this song, Fujiyama Mama, with The Clash in Japan. Fujiyama Mama was a hit in the 50s for rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson, whose songs have popped up on Friday nights here before. Anyway, take it away Pearl...

02 Fujiyama Mama (Album Version).mp3

Live And Direct From My Living Room

After the end of Big Audio Dynamite Mick Jones formed a band with mate Tony James (formerly of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik), and started off making guitar and sample based punk-riff-rock, distributing everything for free over the internet. I saw them at some point at Night And Day, good fun, very hot and sweaty, no Clash songs, but a good night out. By 2007 the songs had sharpened up and they issued a cd album The Last Post, with a cover featuring a load of the memorabilia Mick has collected over the years, and is now displaying in his mobile rock 'n' roll museum. Bring it up North Mick! This song, Why Do Men Fight?, was the closer to the album and the best, a cool guitar riff, driving bass, four to the floor drumming, and Mick's meditations on the nature of blokes and why they can't help punching each other- 'religion, race, colour, creed, law, jobs, drugs, whatever'. Alcohol, girls and football seem to be missing from the list but hey, this is a good, simple song, great when played loud in the car.

We're off camping for the Bank Holiday, despite the mixed weather forecast and below average end-of-summer temperatures. Brave or foolish? Time will tell. Don't worry, the rockabilly's all set up for later. Have a good weekend.

12 Why Do Men Fight-.wma