The Clash: Revisited
This weekend, as long as I had my Clash collection handy, I decided to take a stab at a new & improved, reimagined debut(ish) album.
My first exposure to 1977's The Clash, like most of us here in the States, was via the adulterated 1979 American version, which swapped a few of the tracks on the UK original with later singles & b-sides (deemed, not incorrectly, a little more commercially palatable than the original slab of pure punk rock). And while I eventually got my hands on the original, I've always had a preference for the US version. Sure, the UK release remains, alongside the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bollocks, the quintessential British punk LP. But I also rarely if ever play it. I prefer the US reissue--both because of its familiarity, and because, as those evil CBS Records bigwigs surmised, I prefer the band's move into slightly more traditional rock & roll territory.
Which doesn't mean the US version can't use some improvements. There were a fistful of additional singles & b-sides released between 1977-1979, prior to London Calling, which have since shown up on various collections and are nearly as worthy as those selected for the '79 Clash LP. So I opted to cherry-pick my favorite tracks from the original '77 LP and the subsequent singles and combine them into a fully-integrated London Calling-length double album. The only liberty I took was tacking on 1981's "This Is Radio Clash" single which doesn't quite fit sonically but works as a fun bookend with the opening "Clash City Rockers."
Is it awesome? Oh, yeah.
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