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Sunday 21 August 2022

Strummer Mix

Today would have been Joe Strummer's 70th birthday had he lived. In way of a tribute and celebration of the man, his music and this event I've put together not one Sunday mix but two. Both mixes are post- Clash solo songs. The first is twenty minutes of solo Joe rocking, motorcycle guitars and leather jackets, and the second, half an hour of Joe in global/ dubbed out mode. Happy 70th birthday Joe, wherever you are. 

Strummer Rockers Mix

  • Johnny Appleseed
  • Generations
  • Trash City
  • Coma Girl
  • Burning Lights

Johnny Appleseed is from is second album with The Mescaleros, Global A Go- Go (it was also a single). Generations was a one off song recorded with Rat Scabies and Seggs from The Ruts as Electric Dog House and released on an album called Generations: A Punk Rock Look At Human Rights. Trash City was a 1988 7" single, Joe and Latino Rockabilly War, recorded when Joe was doing the soundtrack for the film Permanent Record. Coma Girl, a tribute to his daughter Lola and the Glastonbury festival, was on 2003's Streetcore, his last album, recorded with The Mescaleros and released posthumously. Burning Lights is just Joe and his Telecaster, one of the key songs of his post- Clash years, a rumination on being yesterday's man. It was in I Hired A Contract Killer, a 1990 film by Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. 

Strummer Global/ Dubby Mix 

  • Mango Street
  • Sandpaper Blues
  • Yalla Yalla
  • Yalla Yalla (Norro's King Dub)
  • At The Border, Guy
  • X- Ray Style
Mango Street was one of the B-sides on Joe's Island Hopping 12", a single ahead of his first solo album Earthquake Weather, a largely instrumental version of the song Island Hopping. Sandpaper Blues and X- Ray Style were both on the first Mescaleros album, Rock Art And The X- Ray Style, Joe's return from the wilderness in 1990. Yalla Yalla, written and produced by Richard Norris was the first single from the same album. Norro's King Dub is from the 12", Richard Norris' dub of the song. At The Border, Guy is from Global A Go- Go. 

5 comments:

John Medd said...

Nice one, Adam; saw Strummer a few times with the Mescaleros and they were never anything short of brilliant. Yalla Yalla, Nit Comb and From Harlesden to Cricklewood were standout tracks from their first album, but they were all masterpieces in their own way.
One for a third Strummer mix (should you get the urge) - Island Hopping: Strummer in flight mode with a drink in his hand!

Another great pic btw.

John Medd said...

Willesden. D'oh!

Adam Turner said...

Thanks Jihn. Saw the Mescaleros 3 times, always brilliant as you say. One very memorable night at Manchester Academy especially. Willesden to Cricklewood is lovely, should have found a space for it (or do a 3rd mix as you suggest)

Adam Turner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Adam Turner said...

John not Jihn