Shall we talk about The Clash & The Specials?

26 in a fortnight.

Listened to London Calling & Too Much Too Young, properly, for the first time in January which since then it’s turned into a full on every-day obsession with everything I can get my hands on. Bearing in mind I grew up with Greenday, Offspring, Blink, all that, the only time I gave into the ol’ man and his insistence was to Stiff Little Fingers.

Turns out both The Clash & The Specials are scathingly relevant to me right now, seriously reflecting the state of the country and its population.

Is it just a case of history repeating itself, just me, or is there something to be said for the revelation of hearing this genius perception for the first time?

It’s friday night ,ask your neighbor round 🙂

history repeating iam afraid,”ghost town” sums up tory policy on the working man 🙁

I’ll bore the arse off mrs.c later with socio-political cultural endeavours.

But enough of that… 😆

More of a push for some old folks to wax lyrical about the genius of Simonon/Hall et:al.

More Strummer than Simonon

Ghost town, musically, is quite irritating it is not a good song, but I can’t help listening to it frequently and it very much connects to my view of the world, then as a child and now as an adult.

Is there a modern equivalent? Is there any way a band with a message that could chart like the clash and the specials did?

Turns out both The Clash & The Specials are scathingly relevant to me right now, seriously reflecting the state of the country and its population.

absolutely. those of us that were around then have a very uncomfortable sense of deja vu right now.

glad you’ve found these great sounds.

i’m sure you’ve stumbled across this if you are building a serious specials collection but just in case you haven’t – the b-side to the original gangsters single was actually a track by the selector. an awesome piece of dub.

Ghost town, musically, is quite irritating it is not a good song

go on then, i’ll give you a chance to explain why the most socially relevant pop record ever made is not a good song.

Found out recently my uncle was the original drummer in the clash.

Never rated them…

trailmonkey – Member

Ghost town, musically, is quite irritating it is not a good song

go on then, i’ll give you a chance to explain why the most socially relevant pop record ever made is not a good song.

??? did you read my whole post? Even in the part you quoted I made it clear I was referring to the “musical” qualities not the message.

??? did you read my whole post?

yup, but other than to say it’s irritating, you don’t explain why

it is not a good song

just giving you a chance to explain but i rather think that you’re confusing subjectivity and objectivity.

Never rated them…

Your loss mate.

trailmonkey – Member

??? did you read my whole post?

yup, but other than to say it’s irritating, you don’t explain why

it is not a good song

just giving you a chance to explain but i rather think that you’re confusing subjectivity and objectivity.

yet you seemed to miss

but I can’t help listening to it frequently and it very much connects to my view of the world, then as a child and now as an adult.

whatever msp, let’s not ruin what could be an epic thread 8)

Original drummer that would I guess be Terry Chimes, or Tory Crimes as he was sometimes known.

I always remember giving the Nirvana kids who hero worshipped Cobain a hard time in school, ’cause he was dead and it always seemed super sycophantic but I tend to feel the same of Strummer sometimes. particularly recently with this current state of affairs.

Wonder what the yanks made of this…….

I also do get very angry at myself for listening to The Clash and thinking “That’s a Greenday chord. Edit *every “pop-punk”band since the clash*

Except it bloody isn’t and my education’s all feekd up.

Thanks Dad.

cfinnimore, if you haven’t seen it already I recomend you watch ‘the future is unwritten’ and have a listen to these:

http://www.prx.org/series/27024-joe-strummer-s-london-calling

Not my cup of coffee but have fun !

cheers yossarian

*edit* Lest we forget to mention the solo stuff.

Being a noob, it’s fine to reference Redemption Song in my awakening.

“They said that we were trash, well the name is Crass not Clash…”

Overblown, sellout ‘punk’. About as real as the 90s punk bands you grew up with.

Quite like The Specials though 🙂

The Clash, were decent in their day, but tbh at the time they were just another band…

+1 SLF, still rocking:

the b-side to the original gangsters single was actually a track by the selector

*cough* Selecter *cough*

That was the very first record I ever bought – and it happened to be the first release on 2 Tone. I am too cool for school.

OP – well done on your discovery. Now get some Beat and Dexys Midnight Runners in there as well. You have much to learn, young Jedi.

Throw some of this in there too…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV87–6U5Xk

My mate John is currently playing bass for Selecter. Rides an Orange 5. Not sure if the two are related 🙂

“They said that we were trash, well the name is Crass not Clash…”

Overblown, sellout ‘punk’. About as real as the 90s punk bands you grew up with.
Something along the lines I was going to post
From “don’t use the rules, they’re just for fools!” to embarking on a big Led Zep-esq tour of the States. Towards the end Joe Stummer was notorious for going AWOL on gigs that didn’t sell out.
Great Rock n Roll band tho, but there were other bands more relevant to the terrible economic troubles and other issues of the time.

If you want some more underground and hardcore punk with an erudite and scathingly abrasive social commentary try Sub-Humans.
Also, try Culture Shock and Citizen Fish. Both projects of Dick Lucas after the split of Sub-Humans, a punk-ska hybrid you may find interesting.

TooTall, catch the worms, catch the worms…

You mean, there’s more than that Sweaty armpit Eileen one ? 😈

it’s good to catch up on where all this came from>

Working backwards.

Oi polloi Bash the fash

Conflict the serenade is dead

Discharge Fight back

Here we go then

Black Flag

Pulley

T.S.O.L

I have an education, just the wrong side of the ocean.

Muddydwarf – subhumans havent split. Still gigging.

There is also some good reading material on The Clash; try The Last Gang in town by Marcus Gray, the Rise and Fall of The Clash by Danny Garcia, or Redemption Song Chris Salewicz and if you just want pictorial pleasure and great quotes try The Clash before and after by Pennie Smith.
They were the only band that mattered and influenced lots of people, and still do.
Nothing stands the pressure of a clash city rocker……..

Is Lucas back with them then? Saw him with Citizen Fish a few months back.

There is also some good reading material on The Clash; try The Last Gang in town by Marcus Gray, the Rise and Fall of The Clash by Danny Garcia, or Redemption Song Chris Salewicz and if you just want pictorial pleasure and great quotes try The Clash before and after by Pennie Smith.
They were the only band that mattered and influenced lots of people, and still do.
Nothing stands the pressure of a clash city rocker……..

yup – about spot on …
Just another band, my arse

Probably the articulate band of the New Wave, if not for many years …

Althea and Donna, ‘Uptown Top Rankin’
. Beats them all.

I haven’t looked at the rest of the thread… but whatever it says, jkomo is indeed correct 😀

Listen to the clash live at shea stadium. …fantastic.

Saw the Clash, at Bath Pavilion… 😀

Also, try Culture Shock and Citizen Fish. Both projects of Dick Lucas after the split of Sub-Humans, a punk-ska hybrid you may find interesting.

Did you hear that Culture Shock are getting back together for some gigs later this year? Not quite the original line-up, but should be good.
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CF & Subhumans still very much going – I think it depends what mood he’s in! Off to see CF in a couple of weeks at Bearded Theory 8)