The Clash - The Guns Of Brixton

(Broadcast)

21 September 1979 - Palladium - New York, New York


This famous photo, later used for the cover of 1979's London Calling album, was taken on this evening by Pennie Smith



I don't wanna brag about my punk rock "bona fides", but, well, just to brag a little, I was acutally at the Clash concert where the cover picture for this album was taken (at the old New York Palladium, since demolished for a NYU dormitory!). Of course, this album hadn't come out yet, but at that concert, the Clash did many of the songs that were featured on this album, as well as the then better known songs from their first album. London Calling became a classic and is rightly considered so today. Still, I don't know if i'd call it "punk". The Clash were already becoming poppier by this time, which is OK. This record showed a great variety of styles (as well as a good deal of pretensiousness that overcame a lot of punk groups as they got past their first album). The Clash could pull it off, tho, unlike many of their contemporaries. The Clash was the first punk group I ever really "got into". I found their first record, when it was still available as an import-only, in the Discomat store in Grand Central Station way back in 1978, and, along with the Stooges "Funhouse" (then also only available as an import) changed my whole way of thinking about rock & roll music. I had finally found something in the whole wretched mess of 1970s music that I could listen to. While everyone else I knew was listening to Styx, Foreigner, Toto, Boston, ELP, Yes (!!!), and I was holding my nose and trying not to puke, along came The Clash and eventually that whole long-haired mascara stained music scene went crashing into well deserved oblivion. Eventually, I came to like other groups (Wire, Gang of Four, Joy Division, Flipper, Mission of Burma and, especially, The Fall) better than the Clash, it WAS the Clash that showed me the true path. I still consider the import version of their first album their true masterpiece. London Calling was very good, and for a while I listened to it constantly, and it is well worth buying. It is a studio album, but in a way it is such a summing up of that period, that it is almost like being there in person at a live event. Tho it is not dated, and it stands the test of time, it will still take you back to your teen age years (if you were a teenager in 1979). BTW, the tickets for those historic Clash concerts at the Palladium cost about 10 bucks--including the teletron charges. I bought the tickets at the teletron at J&R Music world when it was still only a basement record shop, years before it became the super mega electronics and computer store it is today.
-blackmarketclash.com

01. Safe European Home
02. I’m So Bored with the USA
03. Complete Control
04. London Calling
05. White Man In Hammersmith Palais
06. Koka Kola
07. I Fought the Law
08. Jail Guitar Doors
09. The Guns Of Brixton
10. English Civil War
11. Clash City Rockers
12. Stay Free
13. Clampdown
14. Police and Thieves
15. Capital Radio
16. Tommy Gun
17. Wrong ‘Em Boyo
18. Janie Jones
19. Garageland
20. Armagideon Time
21. Career Opportunities
22. What’s My Name
23. White Riot

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The Clash - This Is Live Clash

(Broadcast)

14 September 1979 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, Illinois



When the show let out, we were all standing in the street, still in semi-shock as to what a great gig it was. I happened to look up at the Aragon . . if you look at the picture of the venue, there’s these little windows up high. Leaning out were Joe and Mick, looking at the crowd and Chicago with huge grins on their faces, like a couple of kids at Christmas. Joe turns and looks at me across the street, we exchange grins and waves and thumbs up and off he goes. Man, I miss that guy. Thanks for the memory. -Paul from Chicago
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I first saw THe ClASh 26 years ago at The Aragon Ballroom 1979 I was 12 years old. My Mom helped me sneek in without a ticket got me past the door by saying I just wanted to buy a t-shirt..........once in I was gone up the stairs never to be seen until the end of the show while my parents waited for 2 hours in the car........... then again in 1982 same venue I was a sophomore in high school. The greatest band ever!!
-SmokeM

01. Jimmy Jazz
02. I'm so bored with the USA
03. Complete Control
04. London Calling
05. Clampdown
06. White Man in Hammersmith Palais
07. Koka Kola
08. I fought the Law
09. Jail Guitar Doors
10. Police and Thieves
11. Stay Free
12. Clash City Rockers
13. Safe European Home
14. Capital Radio
15. Janie Jones
16. Garageland
17. Armagideon Time
18. Career Opportunities
19. White Riot

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The Clash - France 1981

(Soundboard)

9 May 1981 - Palais St. Sauveur - Lille, France


Although not one of the best performances from the tour, this CD is a great place to check out the developing new arrangements on this tour of the Sandinista songs and the variations on the older songs in soundboard hifi quality.
London Calling fades in at its start to begin the CD. A good performance but with Mick’s solo too far back in the mix, a feature of this tour. Safe European Home and The Leader are both fine performances. “And now we have Mr Mick Jones” and the afore mentioned duly picks out the intro to a powerful Somebody Got Murdered with committed vocals and playing from Mick and some great drum fills from Topper. The sound improves in the left channel early on in White Man In Hammersmith Palais. An excellent performance only marred by Mick’s ineffective solo. “You better watch the Guns of Brixton are going to crash you” intros Joe with its new arrangement heard very clearly here. The audience are markedly less lively than at Paris the night before. Joe tries to understand the shouts from the audience but although he tries hard with his pigeon French tonight he proves again that his Spanish was much better than his French! Topper then starts up a solo drum intro, Joe comes in but then breaks off, and a still rather ragged performance of Lightning Strikes proceeds. Its wing and a prayer stuff with Lightning Strikes on this tour with the band improvising each night with Joe struggling with the mass of lyrics and changes to the rhythm. Much more familiar territory next for a powerful “Un chanson de 1958” I Fought The Law ending with Joe screaming “But the fuckin’ law won!” Joe then announces amusingly “I would now like to sing for a change” before an excellent performance of Corner Soul. It is tight and committed with Mick’s guitar fills effective and inventive, certainly one of the highlights of this CD.
There is an edit, which restarts into the beginning of Ivan Meets GI Joe that still sounds ragged and ineffective with Topper getting the lyrics jumbled. Joe has the same problem during Radio Clash singing at one point “I got the words wrong!” It’s an enjoyable performance the band delivering an extended improvised ending. Joe adlibs over the ending of a fine Charlie Don’t Surf suggesting the audience don’t like it and no doubt many in the audience would be struggling with these unfamiliar Clash fayre. Back to more typical Clash energy and attack next with an excellent Magnificent Seven, which just lacks an inspired rant from Joe to make it exceptional! Joe sounds tired and pissed off asking, “Where’s Junco Partner?” but as if to lift their own spirits the band play a soulful, almost mournful, slowed down Bankrobber, another definite highlight. At one point the music drops down and Joe just whispers the lyrics hoping to hear the “Ooh’s” backing from the audience, after a few seconds he is duly rewarded and thanks the audience. The variations in the new arrangement of Wrong ‘Em Boyo are well evidenced here but tonight’s performance is somewhat lacking in fire. The recording sadly ends with Train In Vain, now a little slower, more soulful performance than in 1980.
-blackmarketclash.com

01. London Calling
02. Safe European Home
03. The Leader
04. Somebody Got Murdered
05. White Man In Ham Palais
06. The Guns Of Brixton
07. Lightning Strikes
08. I Fought the Law
09. Corner Soul
10. Ivan Meets GI Joe
11. This Is Radio Clash
12. Charlie Don’t Surf
13. The Magnificent Seven
14. Bankrobber
15. Wrong ‘Em Boyo
16. Train In Vain

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The Clash - Bond International Casino

(Broadcast)

3 June 1981 - Bond International Casino - New York, New York



The recording starts as a fine London Calling is counted in with plenty of ‘controlled feedback’ from Mick. The sound is a little flatter than usual but soon picks up. Next Safe European Home blasts in and Mick plays around interestingly to begin with his guitar parts on the end section but then seems to lose interest. The band are still in the process of warming up on The Leader but are responding to another very noticeably enthusiastic and noisy Bonds audience. Train In Vain is brought back again to its 4th position in the set and there is a change in the arrangement (and in later gigs) with an extended instrumental break after “..speak to me”. During this tonight Mick speaks to the audience but his words are unclear. The audience are very appreciative and before a fine White Man In Hammersmith Palais Joe responds with a pleased “Yeah, yeah, yeah…it was like a morgue in here last night – attack, attack, attack!” Joe as usual adlibs over the final section but his words sadly are unclear due to the sound quality limitations. An extended This Is Radio Clash is followed by the return of Corner Soul and then Guns of Brixton; all fine performances but unexceptional. The Call Up tonight though is inspired. It’s preceded by Joe’s “Any minute now the drums will play” and Mick’s firework sounding effects are prominent but effective. It’s a very fine performance, tighter and more spirited than most of the earlier Bond’s performances of this underrated live Clash song. It’s straight in then to a fine Bankrobber and then Joe asks the audience, “come on lets have some encouragement” and certainly gets it, the audience going wild for a stunning (at Bonds now recharged and reworked), Complete Control. There is an extra long teased out start, and the band really tear into the song, Mick’s solo verges on the histrionic, and when the song ends abruptly, the audience roar their approval. An edit begins the 2nd CD with Joe adlibbing over the beginning of Lightning Strikes “lightning strikes at random, random”. Mick adds some great guitar, the band in strong form, and Joe adlibs aplenty (although largely unclear). A fine Ivan Meets GI Joe next and then Charlie Don't Surf with a lengthy intro, “into the darkness”, Mick’s improvised guitar work here though is less effective. Magnificent Seven tonight is shorter but very tight, powerful and effective; “keep your eyes on front, keep your eyes straight ahead”. Broadway appropriately gets its live debut at Bonds, with the same arrangement as later performances. Mick’s guitar fills are great and inventive but an abrupt ending shows the arrangement live is not quite worked out yet. “Its time to work” shouts Joe before Somebody Got Murdered, which builds from a very slow intro into a very good performance. Career Opportunities is dropped from the set and replaced by Police and Thieves with a new intro; Topper plays the drum intro but Mick now plays the melody over the top as Topper keeps the drum rolls going before the usual reggae chords kick in. Whether intentional or not its very effective, the band continuing to reinvigorate songs that had been staples in previous live sets. Mick’s playing is inventive and improvised but as previously at times tonight more interesting than especially memorable. Next Clampdown crashes in with Mick again improvising around his usual guitar intro. Joe’s (and Mick’s) vocals are impassioned and Joe rants powerfully over Topper’s drumming over the suitably climactic finale to the song and the main set. An edit begins the first encore with as usual One More Time, which has a lengthy Topper intro as presumably the rest of the band return to the stage, and then finally Joe’s rhythm guitar comes in. There’s no Mick guitar sound to begin with so either a sound problem or Mick has not made it back from the dressing room! There is a lengthy instrumental gap mid song but Mick’s crucial contribution to the song is somewhat lacking so it is not a memorable performance. An edit before Brand New Cadillac brings a better performance and an improvement in sound, fuller bass but distance problems remain. A further edit before Washington Bullets and the sound now is noticeably louder, fuller and clearer, this is the best sound on the recording and continues through to the end. There is lots of cheering mid song as presumably the El Salvador leaflets are released from the ceiling onto the audience. Tonight’s speech from the El Salvadorian is mostly unclear but Mick’s playing here is some of the most inventive and enjoyable tonight. It’s straight into then an impassioned Janie Jones to bring the encore to a close. An edit before the second encore, which begins with Armagideon Time. Joe adlibs aplenty during a strong performance with Mick’s playing and effects particularly enjoyable. A shorter concert than those previously ends in fine style as Joe screams New York's Burning and the band then tear through London’s Burning.


01 - London Calling
02 - Safe European Home
03 - The Leader
04 - Train In Vain
05 - This Is Radio Clash
06 - The Guns Of Brixton
07 - The Call Up
08 - Bankrobber
09 - Charlie Don't Surf
10 - The Magnificent Seven
11 - Somebody Got Murdered
12 - Police & Thieves
13 - Clampdown
14 - One More Time
15 - Brand New Cadillac
16 - The Street Parade
17 - Janie Jones
18 - Washington Bullets

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The Clash - Akron Civic Theater

(Soundboard)

17 August 1982 - Civic Theatre - Akron, Ohio



Saw the Clash at the beautiful Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, Ohio! My only chance to ever meet (Well, shout "aaarrrgggbblllluurrggbllblblb...PAUL!! TERRY!!! MICK!!! JOE!!!") the band as they shuffled in one at a time from the alley to they backstage door. Highlights for me....At the opening of the show with London Calling watching EVERYONE in the theater, including a mad rush of folks down out of the balcony, rush the stage and Mick going off on his little guitar riff in Know Your Rights and Ned and his Firebird that he had been rebuilding for eons and it was the first night on the road for it, breaking down upon our return and if I'm not mistaken, never to run again.
-GPAnderson
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Kurtis Blow was the opening act.

01. Intro
02. London Calling
03. The Leader
04. Radio Clash
05. Clash City Rockers
06. Know Your Rights
07. Guns of Brixton
08. Train In Vain
09. Call Up
10. Rock the Casbah
11. Police & Thieves
12. Police on My Back
13. Magnificent 7
14. Wrong Em Boyo
15. Career Opportunties
16. Somebody Got Murdered
17. Brand New Cadilac
18. I Fought the Law
19. Armagideon Time
20. Should I Stay or Should I Go
21. Clampdown
22. Straight to Hell
23. Janie Jones / Garageland

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The Clash - Going To The Disco

(Soundboard)

5 September 1976 - Roundhouse - London, England


JOE STRUMMER'S Clash--the best new band of the year? Well, some would claim as much. At least you can guarantee that any band formed by the 101ers guitarist will bristle with fire and energy. Unfortunately at the Roundhouse the Clash had little more on offer. The Ramones out of an East End squat? Indeed, many of the leather-clad Strummer's new songs were little more than rewrites of this years punk classics. But 'I've Got A Crush On You', 'Janie Jones', and the apocalyptic 'London's Burning' proved there was still power in Strummer's right arm. Unfortunately however, the warmth and love of the old pub rocking 101ers has been traded for a new aggression and belligerence. At 6 o'clock on a Sunday evening, long before the bar opened, the Roundhouse audience wasn't in the most receptive of moods. The more they sat down, the more Strummer screamed at them to stand up. It was a brave, if bitter attempt to instil some kind of occasion into the weekly Roundhouse rock and roll binge, but it was not appreciated. There was no disaffection when the Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers hit the stage. The Welsh band's normal entourage of drape-jacketed, crepe-soled teds were conspicuous by their absence but Crazy Cavan's characteristic brand of authentic rockabilly brought out dancers all the same. From 'Teddy Boy Rock and Roll' and 'Little Sadie', to a selection of Little Richard and Chuck Berry classics you can rely on Crazy Cavan every time. Only the hair oil is changed.
The Kursaal Flyers, on the other hand, come straight from the studio where they've been recording for CBS under the watchful eye of Wombler Mike Batt. The new album, tentatively titled The Golden Mile, is scheduled for October release but already the Kursaal Flyers are promoting it.
-Chas de Whalley, 1976 Sounds

1. Deny
2. 1-2 Crush On You
3. I Know What You Do
4. I Don't Want Your Money
5. I Can't Understand The Flys
6. Protex Blues
7. Janie Jones
8. Made Me Absent
9. Going To The Disco
10. 48 Hours
11.I'm So Bored With You
12. Work
13. London's Burning
14. What's My Name
15. 1977

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