The Clash are an English punk and reggae group known as "The Only Band That Matters." During the late 70s and early 80s they produced some amazing records: The Clash, London Calling, and Sandinista. Although I never tire of listening to these classic albums, there are a lot of other interesting recordings of The Clash which are also worthy of some attention. Here are two lesser known releases:
Black Market Clash: This 1980 album is a 10' EP containing nine songs. This is a rough reggae record full of dub, hashish, and six-shooters. Notable songs include Bankrobber/Robber Dub, Pressure Drop (a cover of the Maytals' song), and this dubby Armagideon Time.
Black Market Clash: This 1980 album is a 10' EP containing nine songs. This is a rough reggae record full of dub, hashish, and six-shooters. Notable songs include Bankrobber/Robber Dub, Pressure Drop (a cover of the Maytals' song), and this dubby Armagideon Time.Armagideon Time |
London Calling Sessions: In 1978 The Clash rented a rehearsal space called Vanilla Studios. They used the space to party, play soccer, and write songs for an album which would eventually become London Calling. The final recordings would be done a year later in Wessex Studios. But they did record demos in Vanilla, including some covers, some songs that would appear on the album, and some songs that would never be heard again. A roadie named Johnny Green was supposed to deliver the tapes of these demos to The Clash's producer Guy Stevens (an outragous drug-adled individual who used to throw chairs at The Clash while they were recording in order to maintain a combative atmosphere). On the way to met Guy Stevens, Johnny left the tapes on a train.
For the next twenty-five years these tapes were missing. Although record collectors furtively hoped the tapes had been recovered and where secretly preserved, they never found their way into the open market. However in 2004, Clash guitarist Mick Jones discovered a partial copy of the tapes. For the first time, these obscure recordings are available. They are low fidelity and recorded on a boombox. But they are incredibly powerful. Here are three tracks from the collection: a version of the song London Calling, a instrumental Guns of Brixton, and a cover of Bob Dylan's The Man in Me.
London Calling |
Paul's Tune |
The Man in Me |