Duff Review: "Joe Strummer 001"!

Ignition Records
3xLPs and 1x12" single /2xCD
2018

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The story goes that after Joe Strummer's death (in 2002 at age 50 from a heart attack), a huge cache of his writings and recordings was discovered in a barn in his backyard, which ultimately yielded the 20,000 items that now comprise the Joe Strummer Archive (apparently he was quite the pack rat-documentarian). The new compilation Joe Strummer 001 is the first batch of freshly buffed material to emerge from the archive, much of it somewhat obscure/hard-to-find (see LP #1) or never released (LP #3 and the 12" single) and will be eagerly consumed by Clash and Strummer fans. But LP #2--containing readily available recordings of Strummer with The Mescaleros, Jimmy Cliff, and Johnny Cash (plus his contribution to Chef Aid: The South Park Album, the Buddy Holly pastiche "It's a Rockin' World")--is a bit at odds with rest of this set, as its seems to be more about re-shaping/re-claiming Strummer's post-Clash legacy than yielding unheard musical gems or rarities. (For instance, they could have swapped out LP #2 out for a cleaned up version of some/all of The Clash Mark II's Out of Control demos (AKA the 1983 Lucky 8 demos) or their legendary live benefit performance for striking coal miners at The Academy in Brixton on December 6, 1984, since that excellent, unheralded band was really more of Joe Strummer solo enterprise anyway. For proof of their greatness before manager Bernie Rhodes' machinations mucked it all up, read Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki's "We Are The Clash" and listen to Crooked Beat Records' Recutting the Crap Volumes I and II. Also anyone looking for a fantastic comp of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' music should pick up their Live at Acton Town Hall, which we reviewed a few years ago).

Strummer's so-called "wilderness years"--between the disintegration of The Clash Mark II in 1986 and his finally regaining solid footing again with The Mescaleros in the late 1990s--were filled with a series of short-lived groups and one-off collaborations (and the not-so-great solo album Earthquake Weather); acting in and recordings cuts for art house and Hollywood film soundtracks; a drawn-out legal dispute with Sony; subbing for Shane McGowan in The Pogues; and DJing on the BBC World Service. (In Chris Salewicz's "Redemption Song: The Ballad Of Joe Strummer," he posits that during this period Strummer was clinically depressed--and episodes about the demise of The Clash Mark II in "We Are The Clash" support this assertion.)

The aforementioned unreleased/hard-to-find tracks on LPs #1, #2, and the 12" single have precious little reggae (disappointing, really--and the cover of The Tennors' "Ride Your Donkey" from Earthquake Weather is surprisingly meh) and there's a bit too much Americana for my taste, but the punk, rock, and worldbeat songs are pretty terrific. If you followed Strummer in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, you've likely encountered some of this lesser-known material (on LP #1), like "Love Kills" from the "Sid and Nancy" soundtrack, "Trash City" from the "Permanent Record" OST, and "Generations" from the A Punk Look at Human Rights comp (with punk supergroup Electric Dog House, made up of members of The Ruts DC and The Damned). But I've never heard the prime cuts "Afro-Cuban Be-Bop" with The Astro-Physicians (AKA The Pogues, which give this left-field Latin-y/Irish mash-up its Celtic flavor) from the "I Hired A Contract Killer" indie film soundtrack and the rabble-rousing cover of the anti-fascist Spanish Civil War song "15th Brigade" with The Latino Rockabilly War, the b-side to the "Island Hopping" Earthquake Weather single. Oddly, "Sandpaper Blues" with Radar is replicated almost note-for-note on The Mescalero' debut Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (is it the same recording?).

Of LP #2's previously unreleased songs, only "When Pigs Fly" (which nicks a bit of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love") and "Rose of Erin" (both from the indie film soundtrack "When Pigs Fly"), the lounge-y "The Cool Impossible" (think "Broadway"), the Clash Mark II demo of "Pouring Rain" (ragged and impassioned!), and the absolutely stellar rocker "London's Burning" (which was released as a 7" vinyl single that we reviewed recently) are essential additions to the Strummer canon. It's definitely interesting to hear the reggae-ish "Czechoslovak Song/Where is England" demo, though the version from the Lucky 8 sessions--retitled as "This is England"--has much more kick to it (and it should be noted that the UK 12" of this last great Clash single includes two other legitimately good Clash Mark II tracks, "Do It Now" and "Sex Mad Roar"). And then there are other songs from the vault that take up space that could have been devoted to more vital material which was left on the shelves--like the cleaned-up, zydeco-y second take on "Pouring Rain" and the "Sid and Nancy" outtakes (with Mick Jones on guitar) "Crying on 23rd" (a straight-up blues track) and "Bullets" (a country-western cut with Pearl Harbor--AKA Pearl E. Gates--on vocals who, at one point, was spouse to Paul Simonon).

Lastly, the 12" (one-sided) single offers an unreleased Strummer/Jones Big Audio Dynamite composition "U.S. North" (for the indie film "Candy Mountain") that must have been recorded around the time of BAD's No. 10, Upping Street (which Strummer co-produced with Jones; they co-wrote "Ticket" on that album, too). It's a decent song (though far too long at 10+ minutes) and may be the only instance where Strummer sang and played guitar on a BAD recording.

If you're unfamiliar with Joe Strummer's post-Combat Rock years, this compilation does a pretty spectacular job of filling in the blanks. But it may leave the more zealous Strummer/Clash fans less satisfied and hoping that subsequent releases from Strummer's recorded archive will reveal even greater finds.

+ + + +

Duff Review: "Outside The Lines: Lost Photographs of Punk and New Wave's Most Iconic Albums"

Matteo Torcinovich with Sebastiano Girardi
Octopus Books
2016

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The subtitle of this beautiful collection of photographs is a bit of a misnomer, as the previously unpublished shots presented here are from the same photo sessions that produced many of the iconic punk and new wave album covers that we've come to know and love and were mostly just long forgotten in the photographers' archives. Rather, these are the contenders that, for whatever editorial and aesthetic choices were made at the time, didn't make the cut (maybe it would have been more punk rock to call these series of pictures the "rejected photos..."). Either way, it's a fascinating, "backstage" look at what might have been, had any of these alternative shots been used on these classic punk and new wave LPs.

A few years ago, Italian graphic designer and punk/new wave afficionado Matteo Torcinovich was looking at the LP cover for the Damned's debut album and wondered if there were other, associated shots from that session. So, he contacted the photographer Peter Gravelle and, to Torcinovich's surprise, they began a long correspondence, which resulted in Torcinovich getting his hands on the unused Damned album cover pictures, which fueled his desire to track down many more of these discarded cover shots. After combing through his own record collection, selecting 150 of his favorite punk and new wave records from 1976 to 1982, Torcinovich reached out to all of the photographers involved and the results (if the photographers were alive, cooperative, and hadn't lost the negatives to time) from 46 cover photo sessions (for bands like the Ramones, Ian Dury, Ultravox, Blondie, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Lene Lovich, The B-52's, The Cure, PiL, John Foxx, Echo and The Bunnymen, Suicide, Bauhaus, and more) are presented in "Outside the Lines."

Ska fans and long-time readers of this blog, in particular, will want to take a look at Chalkie Davies' alternate shots for The Specials' debut record, one of which (the blue tinted shot) is pretty fantastic.

There are several essays that provide pop-cultural context for this musical era (the best is probably the one by Glenn O'Brien, known for his columns in "Interview," "Art Forum," "Spin"--and in one of Torcinovich's two essays, the biggest revelation is that he discovered who took the cover shot of Iggy Pop's The Idiot--it was always assumed to be Andy Kent, who took the Lust for Life photo--but was, in fact, a one-off, black and white Polaroid taken by Iggy's friend and collaborator David Bowie!), as well as short introductions to each series of photos related to these album covers. Some of the intros contain fascinating and insightful quotes from the photographers about their work (such as Martyn Goddard's recollections about shooting The Jam's In the City cover and Jim Rakete's on the Nina Hagen Band cover), but all too often you're left craving more details and factoids. Having said that, the images and contact sheets presented here are generally nothing less than stunning and will be eagerly sought out by new wave and post-punk fans (if you have "This Ain't No Disco: New Wave Album Covers" on your shelf, this book is for you!).

+ + + +

The Duff Guide to Post-Punk Gig Review: Public Image Ltd. at The PlayStation Theater, NYC, on 11/16/15!

John Lydon and PiL telling it like it is.

Editor's note: Forgive me that I'm breaking with my mission to cover ska here, but as you many have realized, I'm a massive fan of new wave and post-punk, and may occasionally cover a bit more of those genres here in the future. Yes, it muddies the waters a bit, but everything in my life is a bit messy. Ignore this post if you only want ska. 

"An Evening with Public Image Ltd."
PlayStation Theater, Times Square, New York
11/16/15

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Following the barbaric terrorist attacks on Paris just a few days earlier, it was probably prudent that the heavy security measures one had to go through in order to enter the Public Image Ltd. show had been enacted. Every concertgoer received 1) a full-body pat down, 2) had a metal detector run over their arms, legs, and torso, and 3) their bags, if any, were thoroughly searched (afterwards, I felt like I should have been locating my departure gate). But waiting that night on the long line to enter the venue with all of the graying and stout forty- and fifty-something PiL fans (and a smattering of young punks!)--with all of the Times Square tourists swirling around us (who had no idea who PiL were when they asked what we were queued up for)--and then going through the airport-style security, it all felt somewhat absurd and surreal, like we had lost our bearings (fear of possible attack wasn't usually part of the equation). We were gathered there for the music, perhaps a message, and certainly for a bit a fun with our friends (as were our compatriots at the Bataclan...). It never crossed my mind not to go see PiL, but the mass murder in Paris had imposed new meaning on attending their show that night. Yet, I doubt that it was anyone's primary intention for it to be an act of defiance (though, more on that later).

Did some of us feel guilt or shame to be participating in the same, seemingly innocent type of event that resulted in so many people being killed? Perhaps. (Guilt washed over me while I was waiting on line, watching the Times Square news ticker displaying the latest, horrific updates from Paris...) I suppose the indiscriminate slaughter of music fans and cafe-goers was meant to cow all of us in Europe and America into giving up the pleasure of going out with friends to a gig or for a drink and a bite to eat--the fun stuff that unites us and strengthens our bonds with each other. So, the only rational response for the average person living in a free society is to keep on doing these things--to ensure that they continue to be possible, even in uncertain times. And that's just what we all did, consciously or not.

The PlayStation Theater is in the sub-basement of an ugly, behemoth of an office building, which houses MTV and Viacom (and explained the music industry-types I encountered at the bar). When I descended the long staircase and entered the actual concert hall (which was comprised of two open, dance floor levels and a balcony with theater seating), it dawned on me that I'd been in this venue once before, when it was the former Loews Astor movie theater. The last time I had been there was in 1977, when I was eleven, to see "Star Wars" for the first time (shown on a 70mm print!). Mind blown, then and now.

There was no opening act for PiL, but plenty of fantastic dub reggae pumping out of the PA, no doubt selected by John Lydon (AKA Johnny Rotten), who's been a huge, very knowledgeable reggae fan since his teens. The 2,100-capacity theater was nearly full when Lydon and his PiL bandmates--Lu Edmonds (Mekons, Damned) on guitar, Scott Firth (Elvis Costello, The Spice Girls!) on bass, and Bruce Smith (Pop Group, Slits) on drums--hit the stage for two hours of completely blistering and mesmerizing post-punk/dance-rock. To be honest, I never expected it to have been this good.

Ever the sharp provocateur, Lydon--at almost 60 (!)--gave one of the most animated, funny, engaging, and compelling performances I've ever seen. Not one moment was phoned in; he gave it his all throughout the entire set, like it was the only gig that would ever matter (how exactly can his voice survive night after night of this?!). Madly gesturing, mugging, and making eye contact with seemingly everyone in the crowd, Lydon caterwauled, bellowed, spit out, and sang (as only he does) gleefully defiant songs challenging convention, power, and authority (more on that later), on tracks ranging from PiL's first single in 1978 ("Public Image") through key selections from their new 2015 album, What the World Needs Now... (released on their own PiL label). And it seemed like every song was presented in its expansive 12 inch version, long enough for us to fully inhabit it--to become transfixed by the rhythm section's Rock of Gibraltar-solid grooves and Edmonds' slashes of (what else?) angular post-punk guitar, so Lydon could have all the time he needed to convey his voluminous thoughts on a particular subject. ("Religion" must have been about 10 or 12 minutes long--I watched the first five minutes, then went off to empty my bladder, and returned in time for the last few minutes of the song and its theatrics: The very Jesus-like Edmonds was presented as the Son of God, while Firth played the Devil.)

Fairly early in the set, during a fantastic rendition of "This is Not Love Song," Lydon bitingly (and somewhat outrageously) commented (to loud cheers), "Sommme people cancel concerts--weeee never cancel concerts!" It was a cheeky piss-take on U2 and their cancelled Paris show, diminished a bit by the relative safety of our perch, way over on this side of the Atlantic. Nonetheless, it endeared PiL to the fans and was an acknowledgement of the unusual context of the evening (plus, it a was a tweak of Bono's nose!).

Almost half of their 15-song set was filled with new tracks from What the World Needs Now...--and in their live permutations, they fit in seamlessly with much of PiL's older hits. I particularly liked "Double Trouble," "Bettie Page" (about our repressed, but sex-obsessed American society), "Corporate," and a positively menacing "Shoom" (which was so much better realized live than on its recording). Of the tracks they performed from PiL's back catalogue, "The Body" (1987) was the ferocious highlight of the bunch, with the crowd singing along with the backing vocals, as Lydon wailed above us. (I've always thought "The Body" to be one of PiL's most perfect/catchy post-punk dance songs, one that recognizes society's oftentimes predatory sexual pursuit of women, but advocates responsibility--parents must raise children who will grow up to be good, decent human beings, which includes teaching them to use birth control--shades of "Too Much Too Young"--to avoid unwanted pregnancies and abortions!).

In particular, organized religion and tech/social media companies came under searing attack. The best line in "Religion" was, "Why should I call you father? You're not my Daddy!" And before "Corporate" began, Lydon sincerely (!) implored us to remember that, "Weeee are the one, all of us!" (as he pointed around the room in an inclusive, circular motion)--before ranting about how all of our devices and social media have effectively killed off ("Murderer!") real human relationships/interaction (and our capacity for empathy) and replaced communities with sham connections that serve to separate/divide us and bring out our very worst instincts ("Not global villages/But one globe/Not itty bitty little villages/of pity and learning how to/survive in the 21st century/And looking at World War III/Because all humans seem to hate humanity"). Indeed, the message between the lines this evening was that institutions are suspect, but that we do belong to--and have a responsibility for--each other (in the recent Vive Le Rock #30, Lydon states, "I like the idea of a caring society. Guess what? I became an American citizen because of Obama; he promised Obamacare and delivered on it.").

The final track before the encore was "Shoom," with its chorus of, "What the world needs now is...Fuck off!" and a fantastic, pulsing bass line (the chorus of the song is, presumably, a take on the 1965 Hal David/Burt Bacharach pop song "What the World Needs Now is Love," which was a hit for Jackie DeShannon that same year). It took us all a little while to catch on that Lydon wanted us to do the "Fuck off" part of the chorus, when he dangled the microphone and stand over the audience, like a mad boom operator. Eventually, we got it and heartily shouted our expletives (in a song chock full of them!). Lydon doesn't presume to have the answers to the host of global and personal problems that we're all facing. He most certainly thinks you should think up your own solutions. But he also firmly believes that you should call out anything and everything that is false--"bollocks"! (God forbid, you try to fool him: "Do you think that/You can play me/Do you think that/You can sway me...I'm working class, me/Right at the start/I'm horse and cart, me/Right in the heart/Four to the floor, beat/Grove in the heat/I'm always complete/I come from the street!")

The encore consisted of a spirited, yet somewhat ragged, "Public Image"--which elicited a massive roar of approval from the audience--and everyone sang along to the Irish blessing chorus of PiL's oblique but phenomenal 1986 anti-South African apartheid hymn "Rise." (It should be noted that the lyric,"Anger is an energy" is not a call to riot; Lydon also explains in Vive Le Rock #30 that after he contracted spinal meningitis as a young boy, the illness, "also took my memories for four years and that was a very long, slow process to regain my personality, to regain my life, and that's where the concept of "anger is an energy" comes from. The doctors were advised to not make life easy for me, to keep me angry, to spur the memories back...For me, "anger" has never been a violent thing, it doesn't represent hate or anything like that. Anger to me is a very positive force in my life. When I had the opportunity to use it the song "Rise," that is what I was trying to explain. But I never fully developed on it to an audience. I just hoped that people would pick up on it...It is an anthem. It's about hope. It's a hope-filled song. It doesn't preach violence or hate. It's odd that people think that. I've never preached those things. Unless it's against institutions; I hate them. Not people. There is a difference.")

When Lydon had sung his final, triumphant "Anger is an energy" and the lights came up, the crowd stayed put and applauded and cheered for at least a full five minutes, possibly more. What we had witnessed and experienced was so extraordinary, that we couldn't permit PiL to leave the stage so quickly. (Did we need time to process all that had take place--a moment to transition back to our normal lives?) Lydon was visibly touched by the reaction and thanked us all repeatedly. Before he finally exited the stage, Lydon waved his arm across the audience, pointed and stared at a wide swath of us, and slowly said, "I see all of you."

And I believe he did.

+ + + +

PiL's set list, New York City, 11/16/15

"Double Trouble"
"Know Now"
"This Is Not a Love Song"
"Bettie Page"
"Deeper Water"
"Corporate"
"Death Disco"
"The One"
"Disappointed"
"The Body"
"Warrior"
"Religion"
"Shoom"

Encore:
"Public Image"
"Rise"

+ + + +