| The Clash - The Clash - The Singles |
|
|
| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | |
| Written by John Sutton-Smith | |
| Friday, 01 December 2006 | |
performance: 9 sound: 8 release year: 2006 label: Columbia/Legacy reviewed by: John Sutton-Smith It is both remarkable and encouraging how much the Clash and their fearless frontman Joe Strummer have continued to influence and impact the attitude, culture and politics of the world closing in on a quarter century after they burst onto the scene with pioneering punk anthems “White Riot,” “London’s Burning” and “Clash City Rockers,” to name a few that were a searing clarion call to social action and political change. Even “London Calling,” the signature tune written by Strummer in 1979, is a prescient snapshot of terrorism, nuclear catastrophe, environmental disaster, starvation and war. Strummer declared early on that the Clash would be "antifascist, antiviolence, antiracist... ," while other groups like the Sex Pistols were famously declaring that there was "no future." This politically conscious stance made the Clash an anomaly, standing in direct opposition to the nihilism and alienation dominating punk. The Clash are now the subjects of a remarkable collection of cross-cultural projects including a new film by Julien Temple, a U.K. award-winning play “Meeting Joe Strummer,” a comprehensive biography on Strummer, the re-release of the celluloid punk saga "Rude Boy," and a major new exhibition devoted to the band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Along with these comes a major new catalog release, The Clash – The Singles, an expansive 19-disc box set of every UK single, including the never before commercially available “Capitol Radio” EP. It is an amazing collection that demonstrates pretty clearly why the Clash were termed “the only band that mattered,” and why perhaps they do now more than ever. For true Clash fans, this is the grail: all 19 singles packaged in replica sleeves, with detailed liner notes and lots of rare photos. The CD format includes a wealth of bonus tracks, culled from 12” singles, non-UK b-sides and promo discs, six tracks never available before on CD. From 1977 to 1980, the band released a stream of classic punk singles that were a torrent of pure energy and political bite. In “Complete Control,” “Tommy Gun” and “I Fought the Law,” Strummer conveyed, beneath the rhythm and rage, an intellectual understanding that even democracies can be hypocritical when they seek to maintain control under the guise of nationalism. He vividly captured that sentiment in "Whiteman in Hammersmith Palais": "If Adolph Hitler flew in today/They would send a limousine anyway." Fired by Strummer’s political passion, Mick Jones’ rhythmic showiness and Paul Simonon’s driving bass, the Clash made music that sent a message that is still being heard today. Sound If it’s audio fidelity you’re looking for, then let me say a truer sound has never been put forth. From the truly garage punk of “1977” through the dub excursions of Sandinista and beyond, the sound was the truth for the Clash, uncluttered, unvarnished, unaltered. To have mixed further or polished further would have missed the point and sucked away some of the visceral energy on which the band thrives. But that is not to say that the sound of the punk anthems and the reggae grooves is not exactly perfect as it is; in listening again it still carries the urgency, conviction, vision and soul that has made the Clash remain so important and so vital 30 years on. Extra Features The set comes in two formats; the CD set includes bonus tracks and b-sides, while the vinyl contains the 45-rpm, 7-inch singles as they were originally issued, with replica labels and sleeves. Both include a color booklet with tons of old photos and track by track commentary from a host of fans – Pete Townshend, Steve Jones, the Edge, Shane MacGowan, Mike D, writers like Nick Hornby and Irvine Welsh, and film director Danny Boyle. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
|
