Let's raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer

He would've turned 60 yesterday. Hellcat Records celebrated by dropping a doozy of a digital treasure trove:

LINK

Streetcore is one of those albums I always forget about. Everytime I hear it I love it to death. Prolly shoulda put it on my Pitchfork list.

Quote

What's you're favorite Joe Strummer solo song?

"Trash City" with his Latino Rockabilly War band, from the soundtrack to a film called "Permanent Record" that I haven't seen. Love that tune.

Hmm, I missed "Streetcore", I'll check it out. I saw Joe live in '01, full of life, excited to get his career going again. A year later, he was gone.

There will be a free screening of the doc film "Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten" this Aug 31, Pershing Square, dowtown Los Angeles. See y'all there.

I can't listen to "Silver and Gold" from Streetcore without tearing up. Poor ol' Joe, making plans for all the things he was going to do before he got too old.

Dang. Seem to have something in my eye. BRB.

I'm ashamed to admit that Streetcore is the only one of his Mescaleros records I've heard. Must rectify that. I've always really liked it, so I have no excuse for not getting the others.

Literally not 1 inch of new ground was broken, nor advancement in Rock music was made by Streetcore. It is just a collection of great songs ending with the most fitting songs to end an album, career or a life.

Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer.
I think he might've been our only decent teacher.
Getting older only makes it harder to remember:
We are our only saviours.
We're gonna build something this summer.

- Hold Steady, "Constructive Summer"

Man, I wish I saw Joe Strummer in some form live before he died. I havent heard Streetcore before but will definitely check it out. God Bless the man, and forgive whoever let them use London Calling in that Lexus commercial ten years ago. What a travesty.

What's you're favorite Joe Strummer solo song? That "Johnny Appleseed" is pretty unbelievable!

In some ways Coma Girl. Some how it reminds me of the song Stepping Out by Lennon. They are both simple, exuberant rockers that make me feel great. They are both by guys who were close to their death (not that Lennon knew it), who cast a long shadow over music. Coma Girl is pure, perfect rock.
Although Burnin Streets...

Quote

What's your favorite Joe Strummer solo song?

The Strummer side of that soundtrack to "Permanent Record" is ace.

"Trash City" was brilliant. There was also an instrumental on that soundtrack that I recall fondly.

However, my personal favorite was/is "Leopardskin Limousines" off of Earthquake Weather.

Bet the people at Xerox hated it.

> They are both by guys who were close to their death (not that Lennon knew it), who cast a long
> shadow over music.

Joe didn't know it either. He had carried his heart ailment all his life, without it ever being diagnosed.

Yeah, I'd definitely go with "Trash City," with "Johnny Appleseed" a close second.

My fav tune from Earthquake Weather is "Passport to Detroit." Streetcore is the best solo album, IMO.

"Trash City" is a great tune.

"What's you're favorite Joe Strummer solo song?"


No love for "Tony Adams"? That's one that comes to mind immediately. . .

"What's you're favorite Joe Strummer solo song?"

Global A Go-Go

I'd have to go with "Yalla Yalla," off the first Mescaleros album.

Only Joe Strummer could've penned and delivered these lyrics:

"...We're cutting our hands at the kebab shop,
In the streets of fear,
Forgetting all our best taekwondo moves,
On a barrel of beer,
We're trying to get a signal through on Ragga F.M.,
Do the D.T.I., bust CNN,
Sucking the wine right outta the vine,
Spitting it out again..."

As things spun out of control 10+ years ago, this song permeated me on a molecular level...sometimes it's made me feel better, sometimes it's made me feel worse, but it's always elicited a strong emotional response.

Not familar with all of his solo work, but def. a +1 for "Trash City". And not his best but I still have a soft spot for "Love Kills" from the Sid & Nancy soundtrack.

Wow, you've thrown down the gauntlet, Erik. Let's see...

While we may never know the full extent of Mick Jones contributions to General Public's All the Rage, but he sprinkled some top quality mojo throughout.

This is Big Audio Dynamite is a very good album, but I've always felt No. 10, Upping Street is a stone cold masterpiece from start to finish. Hey, who co-wrote and co-produced that one? Joe Strummer...hmm. After that, though, things went from B.A.D. to worse (sorry, I couldn't resist). Seriously, though, returns began to diminish with Tighten Up Vol. 88. Over the next 7 years the band name from Big Audio Dynamite to Big Audio Dynamite II to Big Audio, and finally back Big Audio Dynamite, at which point even my interest had flagged.

Jones's team up with Roddy Frame and Aztec Camera, "Good Morning Britain," is an outlier, but it's also sheer genius.

So, Carbon/Silicon...there are some very good tunes that bear the indelible, inimitable mark of Mick Jones ("Why Do Men Fight?" and "Disunited Kingdom" both have their charms), but there's quite a bit of experimenting going on throughout their catalog, and much of it's underwhelming. You can't beat the price, though.

Jones produced The Libertines Up the Bracket, so kudos are deserved there. Oh, and he just did a song with The Wallflowers, for real: [www.youtube.com] ("...welcome Jack, the new drummer, he jammed with the mighty Joe Strummer...")

Paul Simonon got together with Gary Myrick for that one Havana 3AM album (solid, with "Hey Amigo" being the one track that I still listen to quite often), played on one of Dylan's weird, disappointing mid-period LPs (Down in the Groove), went back to graphic art, then hooked up with Albarn for The Good, the Bad and the Queen and Gorillaz. The Good, the Bad and the Queen is my favorite Albarn-related album from start to finish, but you'll forgive me if I don't go weak in the knees for Plastic Beach, which, with the exception of "On Melancholy Hill," is better as a concept than as a listening experience.

"you'll forgive me if I don't go weak in the knees for Plastic Beach, which, with the exception of "On Melancholy Hill," is better as a concept than as a listening experience."

I'd disagree here. Besides that track, Broken and Empire Ants are wonderful. Much better than all of the "notable guest" tracks (though Little Dragon is notable in my universe--she did great work with DJ Shadow recently as well).

Erik, I won't argue with your take (I'd actually considered crediting "Empire Ants" while manically typing), and am confident you are now and always will be a much bigger expert on the Albarn catalog than I...

I'd say Think Tank (blur) had something going on as well. . . as Coxon-less as it may be.

To wit: [www.youtube.com]

This is also pretty amazing: Albarn, Jones, Simonon, and De La Soul in a great live performance on Letterman:

[www.youtube.com]



Post Edited (08-25-12 23:18)

god bless trouserpress



Post Edited (08-26-12 01:53)

101ers

As long as there is a Damon Albarn, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon will have occasional employment, as long as they put on the ship captain's hats and dance around.

I love Joe Strummer, but in death, In my opinion at least, his status has really become overblown. And the canonization I can't take. . .



Post Edited (08-24-12 16:58)

Medicine Show is the best song by any Clash member after 1983.

Nose, I'd contend "Medicine Show" isn't even the best song on the side one of This is Big Audio Dynamite–that honor goes to "The Bottom Line" in a walkover.

In any case, one of the things I've really enjoyed about this thread is how it led me to dig up some items from the garage (the Permanent Record soundtrack, the 12" of "Good Morning Britain") and give them a fresh listen. Oddly, I'd had both Havana 3 AM albums (did you know there was a second album?) close at hand for the past few years, since a friend rhapsodized about how that band had changed his life.

Can we agree that The Clash and its various somewhat incestuous offshoots epitomize the Trouserian style? After Cheap Trick, of course.

I love Damon Albarn. I don't think everything he touches is gold, but IMO, he's one of the few musical visionaries going today.

Oh, and Blur were probably the BEST band of the '90s, so he's got that going for him as well.

> Oddly, I'd had both Havana 3 AM albums (did you know there was a second album?) ...

Yeah, I did.