Some Of The Best Clash Footage We've Seen In A While

Surprisingly, none of this amazing 1981 footage of The Clash is included in the brilliant film Westway To The World. Thankfully, we have the internets available as our personal archivist, and so that which is forgotten by filmmakers is available from YouTube. Check out the interview video above, and the two tunes below ("The Magnificent Seven" and "Radio Clash"), to see a band at the height of their creative powers. This is not to be missed.

The Clash: "Broadway"

Sandinista! is frequently dismissed as an artistic indulgence; a band that was having too much fun with too many drugs, and simply released a three record set of dub influenced dreck. But the fact of the matter is that it was a record of "the only band that matters" attempting to outsmart their record company in spades. See, The Clash thought that if they released a three album record, it would fulfill three records of their contract. Sadly, they failed to check with anyone before doing so, and it turns out they were wrong.

The result is an undeniably sprawling epic that is rife with the band's infatuation with dub reggae and the newly emerging genre of hip hop. Is the record indulgent? Sure. Is it challenging? Definitely. Is it deserving of it's bottom-of-the-barrel reputation? Absolutely not.

Underneath the enormity of this record is a set of artistic gems that could have more than easily created a brilliant single record for the band. What's more, because the record has been so dismissed out of hand, many of those tunes have fallen by the wayside, with the band's other records dominating later generations' assessment of the band's catalog.

Case in point: "Broadway". The track, which was never a single and lacks in commercial appeal, simply oozes with the vibe the band was trying to capture at the time. Heavy dub reverb, a near-rap vocal track, a creepy ethereal feel, and all of it underscored by what is in reality the band's standard four piece lineup. It's certainly The Clash, but it sounds like something entirely new, and we're pretty sure that's what they were going for.

mp3: The Clash - Broadway

So much awesomeness.

That is all.

(Via iri5 on flickr)

Weekend Entertainment: Wolfgang's Vault Has The Clash, Talking Heads, And Joe Strummer

It's been a little while since we've seen any new material that caught our eye on Wolfgang's Vault, but apparently when it rains, it pours. This weekend the streaming site has shows from The Clash and Talking Heads, as well as a two part interview with Joe Strummer. Yes, tasty indeed.

The Clash show is from The Agora Ballroom in Ohio circa 1979, and as such it has a selection of tracks from the band's first two records. Some of those tracks (especially from the second album) got rarer in later years, so it's nice to catch a live version of some of those tracks. We were psyched to see "Stay Free" on the list.

The Talking Heads set is from a 1977 set at CBGB for King Biscuit Flower Hour. It was recorded prior to the band's debut 77, but also interesting contains their cover of "Take Me To The River" from the second album. If you want raw, early Talking Heads, this is your cup of tea.

Finally, the Joe Strummer interview is made up of two parts, one from 1983 and one from 1984. The focus is largely on the breakup of The Clash, and decidedly absent is the optimistic Joe of the late 90's. It's interesting, to say the least.

All in all, these three serve to underscore why Wolfgang's Vault continues to be filed under "awesome" here at HAD - free, rare, new concerts every week? Too cool.

Stream: The Clash Live At Agora Ballroom
Stream: Talking Heads Live At CBGB's
Stream: Joe Strummer Interview

A Word On M.I.A., "Paper Planes", And The Clash

Hey kids - we'd been meaning to post this for a while, but today's news the M.I.A. was nominated for an Oscar for "O Saya" put a bee in our bonnet. To be honest, we really, really, didn't even think we would need to post something like this. We kind of just assumed everyone knew. But after a vague survey amongst (we thought) musically astute friends, we discovered that a surprisingly few people seem to be aware. So, here you go: a public service announcement. Those of you who feel that this is old hat, please bear with us.

It's about Maya's "Paper Planes". We don't know how else to put it, so we'll say it straight: you know that's a Clash sample, right? The little organ riff that drives, oh, you know, the whole song? It's ripped straight from the beginning of "Straight To Hell", a tune off of the band's final album as a unit, Combat Rock.

We're not sure why we feel it's quite so necessary for you all to know this, except maybe that we think The Clash, despite all of the critical recognition, seem to still get lost in the shuffle sometimes. Their legacy is so much more than "Rock The Casbah" and "I Fought The Law", and while those who love them recognize it, a lot of others don't.

"Straight To Hell" is exactly the sort of epic, sprawling political commentary that made the band so popular, yet relevant at the same time. Given her history in art and politics, we're sure M.I.A. realized that when she picked the sample, so now, urm, you can too: have a listen.

mp3: M.I.A. - Paper Planes (YouSendIt, Click Through)
mp3: The Clash - Straight To Hell (YouSendIt, Click Through)

The Clash: Live At Shea Stadium

We're not really sure how we feel about this: on the one hand, it's always great to see live releases get a quality mastering job in the studio, and The Clash's live catalogue is better than most. What more, with Joe Strummer headed on to the next world, we'll take anything we can get. But this show, really? The Shea Stadium gig was a) an opening set for The Who, b) missing Topper Headon on drums, and c) when the band was openly feuding and on their last legs. Don't get us wrong: the disc is probably still ten times better than most CD's you could spend your money on. But that being said, couldn't they have picked a better gig to give the reissue treatment?

The Clash: Live At Shea Stadium is out tomorrow. And, yes, We'll still be buying it. Argh.