I have wandered down a Clash shaped alleyway this week so if you don't like them, you'll have to bear with me for one more post. The Clash's approach to Middle East politics may have come across as a bit simplistic on the sleeve of the 12" but, let's face it, it can't have been any worse than the West's dealings over the last few years. Maybe both sides should just get down to some tunes on a ghettoblaster. As it is we get it wrong and make a mess time after time. Our government oppose IS but support Saudi Arabia (some of whom fund IS). And while we act in revulsion at terrorist beheadings of British and American citizens, the Saudi legal system executes its criminals by- yup- beheading. And so on and so forth.
Back to The Clash. On Wednesday, after posting Complete Control, I got an email from Dubrobots saying nice things abut the blog and pointing me towards his own 12" remix of Rock The Casbah, which is a pretty smart job with a stripped down, funky, extended intro and chopped up vox. It would work well played out somewhere. Free download too.
Everyone knows Topper Headon wrote the music for Rock The Casbah, finding himself alone in the studio one morning before anyone else had got out of bed. Joe added some words and job done. It was their biggest hit in the US until the Levi's advert. The video is a hoot- even though the man who wrote the song isn't in it, having been sacked and replaced by Terry Chimes.
I was reading a Clash forum comment thread once, with some people saying they don't like this song or Should I Stay Or Should I Go mainly it seems because they were hits and had videos, and presumably that just isn't punk maaan.
Three Clash posts in a row, poor ole' George will by mightily pleased ... ha ha!!
ReplyDeleteYou can't hate on a hit like Should I Stay or Should I Go...that's just wrong. It's not some hit written to cash in on a current trend...that's pure grain, 100 proof, rock n roll. It's a stone cold, etched in stone, example of what Rock n Roll is and could, despite it all, be their finest single moment.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice man you are SA!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am a little miffed at the captcha thingy asking me to prove I'm not a robot. What's wrong with being a robot, hmmm?
Hats off (or whatever Robots wear these days) to Dubrobots - he takes Rock The Casbah, a song which this dyed in the mohair Clash fan fell immediate in love with then spurned for it's appeal to US Radio (yes I've been accused of being a member of that "we hate our favorites when they get famous" crowd).
ReplyDeleteCombat Rock is a much more complex album than most Clash fans realize, or are willing to admit. It was made under a number of levels of duress. The band was splitting into camps, Topper was out of control - chemically, Bernie Rhodes was asserting himself again and Strummer was becoming much more fragile. It's worldwide success was both well deserved but a final blow to the band's stability. Seeing them on tour was really like watching 4 separate musicians onstage trying to make music together. The group power from the past was lost.
Well put Echorich.
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