Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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It The Artoafldeon Vtoer No.4 by Kevin Langston Encore Editor Robert Fleming Assistant Encore Editor "A lot of people won't get no supper tonight." Although we don’t think it’s for the same rea son Joe Strummer intended in “Armagideon Time,” a lot of people won’t be eating supper tonight. Instead, they will be spending all their money on the rereleases of the entire Clash catalog. The six studio albums, three compilations and one boxed set have been restored to the way the band originally intended them to be heard. The Clash and producer Bill Price oversaw the mas tering of each album from the original master tapes, and even the original album artwork has been recre ated in its original design. The albums include The Clash (UK version), The Clash (US version), Give ‘Em Enough Rope, London Calling, Sandinista, Combat Rock, Cut The Crap, The Story Of The Clash, The Singles and Super Black Market Clash. In addition, the boxed set, The Clash on Broad way, has been remastered and repackaged The Clash’s sound has never been better, and it’s finally represented in the fashion they origi nally intended and deserved The hype over The Clash arose in October of 1999, when Epic Records released the long-await ed live Clash album From Here To Eternity. The album not only proved The Clash to be a pow erful live band, but it also gave people an idea of how they would sound under the scope of the re mastering process. The Clash might never get back together, much to the chagrin of their fans, but The Clash are now back in some form. In fact, Epic Records has 01/on rolo'jcorl tho UK version of their self-titled debut. It features a different track listing and or der than the US. ver sion. These five al bum reviews cover some of the most sig nificant work done by The Clash. On their self-ti tle debut release. The Clash exploded on to the London mu sic scene like a bomb. However, it is important to clarify which version of their first release is being spoken about. That’s right, there are two versions of their first album available now. There’s the U.S. version which most people are accustomed to, and then there is the UK ver sion, which is the original version of the album available in the United States for the first time. The reason for this is that many record executives were unsure of how U.S. audiences would react to The Clash’s sound. So when preparing the first album to be released in the United States the track listing was altered to improve their chances with Amer ican audiences. So songs like “Protex Blue,” “48 hours,” “Cheat” and “Deny” were replaced with “Clash City Rockers,” “White Man in Hammer smith Palais” and a cover of “I Fought the Law.” Another difference between the UK and U.S. ver sions is the inclusion of “Complete Control” on the U.S. version, a song that denounces the deci sions of the record companies in their handling of The Clash. The result of these changes makes the two ver Mima annuli tAiiiipieieijr ail ferent albums. The UK ver sion is much louder and faster and has a more direct message. The U.S. version is equally powerful but not as direct. So even though both albums have many of the same tracks, the two distinct ver sions of The Clash can easily be seen as two different al bums, each worthy of a space in your record collec tion. London Calling is perhaps the finest album that The Clash ever recorded. Tak ing a slight turn off the avenue of punk rock, The Clash com bined elements of rockabilly, reggae, rock and soul to cre ate an album that has influ enced and continues to influence musicians from all walks of life. London Calling continued to keep in tune with the Clash’s views of society (“Lost In The Super market,” “Death or Glory”), give people inspira tion (“Wrong 'em Boyo,” “Rudie Can’t Fail,” “I’m Not Down”) and offer political commentary (“Span ish Bombs,” “Guns of Brixton”). In comparison with the old version, this remastered version of London Callingboasls many advantages. The most noticeable difference is in the sound. The muf fled playing and vocals are replaced with crystal clear guitar, drums and vocals _________ that don t sound as it they are being recorded down a hallway. (You can actually hear all the backing vocals clearly, as well.) Also making its appearance for the first time as an “official” track on the album is “Train in Vain,” which until now has nev er been listed as an official song on the album. Originally released as a triple vinyl album, Sandinista is by far the most diverse al bum The Clash ever produced. The follow-up to London Call ings more produced than their previous efforts. The band us es many special effects with vo cal arrangements that weren’t evident in their nrevinns al bums. While it was a change of pace, it didn’t ex actly fit The Clash’s usual pace. Nevertheless, this album clocks in at more than 140 minutes, a feat more or less unheard of from any other punk band. At about this time, Joe Strummer was getting into reggae music, and it’s apparent in many of the songs. This album is perhaps the first punk album that forged many different genres. Of the different genres represented are rock, rockabilly, ska, gospel and rap. It might be funny when you think about it, but The Clash seems to pull it off in convincing fashion. While it seems they over step their boundaries with a lot of the vocal effects, The Clash’s true roots are still evident in spirit. They are still lash ing out with their insightful lyrics, but they played around with the message a bit. London Calling might be The Clash’s most in fluential album, but Sandinista can provide a stronger foundation of versatility and diversity for The Clash’s sound. Fans might look to London Calling for initial inspiration to have it affirmed by Sandinista. Combat Rock is probably the most well-known Clash album, not for its content from start to fin ish, but for its two radio hits, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock The Casbah.” This album is more of a throwback to the earlier days of The Clash. This is a more suitable follow-up to London Calling than was Sandinista, but it nevertheless shows signs of evolution from the two previous albums. While it might lack a lot of the punkish bite of their early albums, the message remains, and it’s obvious The Clash have moved on to conquer dif ferent genres of music. “Know Your Rights” is a gutsy call-to-arms opener for the album. This “public service an nouncement with guitars” is more or less a true to-fomi opener for the album. The Clash always did know how to open an album. “Rock The Casbah” was a surprise radio and video hit that was more of a success for its beat ^ than for its lyrical content. Most ot the hoppers dancing tn this beat had no clue what the song was about. The song might have cast them into the limelight for the wrong reason; nev ertheless, they were still there. “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” was the follow up single to “Rock TheCasbah,”andit enjoyed success for more of the same reasons. The people liked the danceable hpat and in thic raon the senseless lyrics. The Clash now had two popular radio hits and the fame that goes with it. The world tour that would follow would forever establish The Clash as one of the most sought-after and best live acts of the ’80s prompting one fan in the liner’s notes of From Here To Eternity to say: “I’d sell my grand mother to see The Clash in concert.” Artist: The Clash Album: The Clash UK Rating: OtiY'&iY out of d-d-d-d Album: The Clash US Rating: dd-dd out of dddd Artist: The Clash Album: London Calling Rating: out of Artist: The Clash Album: Sandinista Rating: out of ■ *tee CLmi*eam&T mm*l Artist: The Clash Album: Combat Rock Rating: ifrsj-ii-sJ- out of ihb&ir