Inspired by JdoubleP’s example, I thought I’d put a little more prose into these music-sharing entries.
I really missed the boat with the Clash. I had a chance to go see them live in the early 1980s, and I declined. All I had ever heard from them were the handful of tracks that made it to the radio, and those didn’t really appeal to me. Years later, however, London Calling would be playing over and over as we edited the college newspaper all night on deadline. I could listen to that album forever.
When Joe Strummer died in late 2003, I decided I should go out and buy a copy of one of his recent albums: Global a Go-Go, which he recorded with a new band called The Mescaleros. My favorite track has to be the one I include below because it’s a celebration of the multicultural carnival one finds in more and more of the world.
Spoken: So anyway, I told him I was in a band. He said, “Oh yeah, oh yeah – what’s your music like?” I said, “It’s um, um, well, it’s kinda like…You know, it’s got a bit of, um, you know.”
Sung:Ragga, Bhangra, two-step Tanga
Mini-cab radio, music on the go
Surfbeat, backbeat, frontbeat, backseat
There’s a bunch of players and they’re really letting go
We got, Brit pop, hip hop, rockabilly, Lindy hop
Gaelic heavy metal fans fighting in the road
Sunday boozers for chewing gum users
They got a crazy D.J. and she’s really letting go
For your temporary listening pleasure: Bhindi Bhagee (mp3, 6.8M)
- Look for these albums, too: Streetcore and Rock Art and the X-Ray Style.
- Here’s an iTunes list of music from Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros.
MP3 files are posted for evaluation purposes only. Availability is limited: usually 24 hours. Through this site, I’m trying to share and promote good music with others, who will also hopefully continue to support these artists. Everyone is encouraged to purchase music and concert tickets for the artists you feel merit your hard earned dollars. If you hold copyright to one of these songs and would like the file removed, please let me know.
The Clash were a formative group for me, both musically and in terms of my identity. Though the British context only translated so far in my suburban upbringing, they gave a real edge to my basic new wave sympathies, which often threatened to dissolve into nothing more than an amorphous synth soundscape with a hook and a beat. I still have my vinyl copy of London Calling, though I haven’t played it in forever. I would go give it a spin, except my turntable gave out a couple of years ago.
jwb
Jimbo, If your copy of London Calling is in good condition, it’s probably worth something (sorry if that link to an ebay auction doesn’t work for too long).
And GZom, thanks for the info. on Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros — hadn’t known about them before. I like the spirit of “Bhindi Bhagee,” though I think Strummer is running just a couple steps short of an actual melody in his singing! Still, you’ve gotta love the guy.
London calling/ all the ZOMBIES of death
Quit holding out/ and draw another breath
“I think Strummer is running just a couple steps short of an actual melody in his singing”
But Amardeep, the song has a flute solo. You hear me?
A. Flute. Solo.