Joe Strummer

August 21: The Late Joe Strummer was born in 1952

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

joe-strummer

“We aren’t particularly talented. We try harder!”
― Joe Strummer

“—Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control and it didn’t have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realised that you either became a power or you were crushed”
― Joe Strummer

As frontman and main songwriter of the Clash, Joe Strummer created some of the fieriest, most vital punk rock — and, indeed, rock & roll — of all time. Strummer expanded punk’s musical palette with his fondness for reggae and early rock & roll, and his signature bellow lent an impassioned urgency to the political sloganeering that filled some of his best songs.
~Steve Huey (allmusic.com)

The Edge inducts the Clash Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2003:

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The Clash’s Best Songs – 6 Different Lists (Uncut, paste, stereogum, The Guardian, CoS & UCR)

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

TOC

  1. The Clash’s 30 best songs – Uncut
  2. The 10 Best Clash Songs – Stereogum
  3. The 18 Best Clash Songs – Paste
  4. The Clash’s Top 20 Songs – CoS
  5. Top 10 Clash Songs – Ultimateclassicrock.com
  6. The Clash: 10 of the best – The Guardian

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The Clash’s 30 best songs (Uncut Magazine)

An all-star panel – including Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Terry Chimes – vote for their greatest cuts (from Uncut’s December 2003 issue)

  1. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (Single A-side, June 1978)
  2. Complete Control (Single A-side, September 1977)
  3. London Calling (Single A-side and title track of third album, December 1979)
  4. Straight To Hell (Combat Rock album track, May 1982. Issued as a double-A-side single, September 1982)
  5. I Fought The Law (From the “Cost Of Living” EP, May 1979)
  6. Garageland (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  7. 1977 (B-side to “White Riot”, March 1977)
  8. Safe European Home (Give ‘Em Enough Rope album track, November 1978)
  9. Clash City Rockers (Single A-side, February 1978)
  10. White Riot (Single A-side, March 1977)
  11. Janie Jones (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  12. Police And Thieves (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  13. London’s Burning (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  14. Bankrobber (Single A-side, August 1980)
  15. Stay Free (Give ‘Em Enough Rope album track, November 1978)
  16. Rock The Casbah (Combat Rock album track, May 1982. Issued as single A-side, June 1982)
  17. Rudie Can’t Fail (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  18. Police On My Back (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  19. Lost In The Supermarket (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  20. Broadway (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  21. Armagideon Time (B-side of “London Calling”, December 1979)
  22. Somebody Got Murdered (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  23. Should I Stay Or Should I Go? (Combat Rock album track, May 1982. Later issued as a double-A-side single, September 1982)
  24. The Magnificent Seven (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  25. I’m So Bored With The USA (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  26. Tommy Gun (Single A-side from the album Give ’Em Enough Rope, both November 1978)
  27. Career Opportunities (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  28. The Guns Of Brixton (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  29. Spanish Bombs (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  30. This Is England (Single A-side, September 1985, from the album Cut The Crap, November 1985)

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The 10 Best Clash Songs (Stereogum)

Timothy Bracy And Elizabeth Bracy | December 7, 2012

  1. Spanish Bombs
  2. Straight To Hell
  3. Clampdown (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  4. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
  5. London Calling
  6. Complete Control
  7. Lost In The Supermarket
  8. Up In Heaven (Not Only Here) (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  9. Train In Vain (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  10. Safe European Home

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The 18 Best Clash Songs (Paste Magazine)

By Max Blau | January 31, 2011

  1. Train in Vain
  2. London Calling
  3. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
  4. I Fought the Law
  5. Spanish Bombs
  6. Complete Control
  7. Remote Control (The Clash album track, April 1977)
  8. Police On My Back
  9. Lost In The Supermarket
  10. Clampdown
  11. Career Opportunities
  12. Clash City Rockers
  13. Death or Glory (London Calling album track, December 1979)
  14. Should I Stay Or Should I Go
  15. Janie Jones
  16. White Riot
  17. Police & Thieves
  18. Straight To Hell

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The Clash’s Top 20 Songs (CoS)

Nick Freedon – April 10, 2017

  1. London Calling
  2. Straight To Hell
  3. Rudie Can’t Fail
  4. I’m So Bored With The USA
  5. The Magnificent Seven
  6. White Riot
  7. Rock the Casbah
  8. The Guns Of Brixton
  9. I Fought the Law
  10. Train in Vain
  11. Know Your Rights (Combat Rock album track, May 1982)
  12. Clampdown
  13. London’s Burning
  14. Complete Control
  15. Spanish Bombs
  16. Ivan Meets G.I. Joe (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  17. Julie’s Been Working For The Drug Squad (Give ‘Em Enough Rope album track, November 1978)
  18. Pressure Drop (“English Civil War” B-Side (1979)
  19. Washington Bullets (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  20. English Civil War (Give ‘Em Enough Rope album track, November 1978)

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Top 10 Clash Songs (ultimateclassicrock.com)

Bryan Wawzenek – March 9, 2014

  1. White Man (In Hammersmith Palais)
  2. Clampdown
  3. London Calling
  4. White Riot
  5. Straight to Hell
  6. The Magnificent Seven
  7. Lost in the Supermarket
  8. Should I Stay or Should I Go
  9. Career Opportunities
  10. Rock the Casbah

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The Clash: 10 of the best (The Guardian)

Dave Simpson – Wed 23 Sep 2015

  1. Complete Control
  2. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
  3. Safe European Home
  4. Armagideon Time
  5. Spanish Bombs
  6. Train in Vain
  7. Bankrobber
  8. The Call Up (Sandinista! album track, December 1980)
  9. The Magnificent Seven
  10. Straight To Hell
Alldylan / Borntolisten @ Facebook

-Egil

December 22: The great Joe Strummer passed away in 2002

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

“We aren’t particularly talented. We try harder!”
―Joe Strummer

“Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control and it didn’t have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realised that you either became a power or you were crushed”
― Joe Strummer

Continue reading “December 22: The great Joe Strummer passed away in 2002” →

Joe Strummer’s letter about Bruce Springsteen

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

When asked for his opinion on the subject/the man/the musician Bruce Springsteen in 1997, Joe Strummer sent the following letter to “rocumentary” filmmaker Mark Hagen. The film in question, ‘Bruce Springsteen: A Secret History’, was broadcast in 1998 on British television:

Joe Strummer’s all-caps handwriting:

ATTN: MARK HAGEN

Dear Mark – here’s my contribution

BRUCE IS GREAT… IF YOU DONT AGREE WITH THAT YOU’RE A PRETENTIOUS MARTIAN FROM VENUS. BRUCE LOOKS GREAT… LIKE HE’S ABOUT TO CRAWL UNDERNEATH THE CHORDS WITH A SPANNER AND SOCK THE STARTER MOTOR ONE TIME SO THAT A ENGINE STARTS UP – HUMMING AND READY TO TAKE US ON A GOLDEN RIDE WAY OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE YONDER…

BRUCE IS GREAT… BECAUSE HE’LL NEVER LAY DOWN AND BE CONQUERED BY HIS PROBLEMS HE’S ALLWAYS READY TO BUST OUT the SHACK AND HIT THE TRACK… HIS MUSIC IS GREAT ON A DARK and RAINY MORNING IN ENGLAND, JUST WHEN YOU NEED SOME SPIRIT AND SOME PROOF THAT THE BIG WIDE WORLD EXISTS, THE D.J. PUTS ON “RACING IN THE STREETS” AND LIFE SEEMS WORTH LIVING AGAIN… LIFE SEEMS TO BE IN CINEMASCOPE AGAIN.

BRUCE IS NOT ON AN EGO TRIP… BRUCE IS ACTUALLY INTO THE MUSIC… WE NEED PEOPLE LIKE THIS… A LOT OF RECORDS TODAY ARE MADE BY PEOPLE JUST TO FEED THEIR FAME. BRUCE IS GREAT… THERE AINT NO WHINGING WHINING OR COMPLAINING.. THERE’S ONLY GREAT MUSIC, LYRICS AND AN OCEAN OF TALENT.

ME? I LOVE SPRINGSTEEN!!!

(Signed, ‘Joe Strummer’)

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