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  1. 2023 Albums Thing 078 - The Clash “The Clash”

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    I gotta admit that when my 14 year old self first heard this it came as something of a disappointment. To me back then, sat next to the singles by the Sex Pistols I’d been devouring, this sounded a bit weedy compared to those huge Pistols singles. In the years that followed I did of course beat a good measure of sense into myself and came to love this record as I should have from the off. 

    From the cover pictures (the back sleeve picture taken during the Notting Hill Carnival “riot” in 1976) to the music within this is the sound of unrest in the UK but more specifically London during that long hot summer of ‘76 when most of this was written. We’re hearing about hookers, the unemployed, calls to revolt, booze, drugs crap TV and wild weekends. 

    The whole album is a twitchy rush. The opening drum intro to “Janie Jones” arguably sets the scene for how this whole thing is gonna go. Having said that the following “Remote Control” could almost be what came to be known as Power Pop. For a band that later embraced and were embraced by the USA “I’m So Bored With The USA” is quite the statement.

    And then at track 4 we have The Clash’s first really important song, possibly one of THE most important songs in all of Punk Rock. “White Riot” is not only a scream of anger, a call to arms and an absolute whirlwind it’s also one of the most intelligently written lyrics I can think of. Calling a song “White Riot” and with that chant it could have been easily misrepresented as something it isn’t. The lyric calls out apathy and expresses admiration for black communities and their willingness to fight back against oppression (Notting Hill ‘76 for instance). It’s a brilliant piece of writing and I’ve consequently never heard “White Riot” being accused of being in any way suspect in content.

    On it hurtles. “Police And Thieves” is something of a clumsy try at reggae (they got better eventually) and the closing “Garageland” sees The Clash starting to self-mythologise. It’s a brilliant debut and my 14 year old self really did need a good talking to.

    White Riot - https://youtu.be/t6cF3ayJgM4

  2. 2023 Albums Thing 077 - John Cooper Clarke “Snap, Crackle & Bop”

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    JCC’s 4th album, (the live album “Walking Back To Happiness” was officially the 3rd) which I nevertheless always think of as his 2nd, follows much the same formula as “Disguise In Love” with the poet performing his poems over backing tracks by the Invisible Girls, no solo performances this time. 

    One of the great surprises tied to this record was watching episode 14 of season 6 of “The  Sopranos” (the greatest TV drama series of all) titled “Stage 5” and realising as the closing credits music started that you were hearing this albums opening track “Evidently Chickentown”. The clash of cultures between New Jersey organised crime and Salford poet was jarring and perfectly right at the same time. 

    Outside of that “Snap, Crackle & Bop” is all about one astonishing piece, “Beasley Street”. Even now, 43 years later, it remains an absolutely brutal but accurate punch in the face for life in early 1980’s (Thatcher’s) Britain. The hopelessness of day to day existence for whole communities in parts of the country is laid bare by John Cooper Clarke’s brilliant words. 

    “The boys are on the wagon, The girls are on the shelf, Their common problem is that they're not someone else”

    If you’ve never heard it then you must click the link below. 

    Beasley Street - https://youtu.be/0oldi8_jH40

  3. 2023 Albums Thing 076 - John Cooper Clarke “Disguise In Love”

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    The bard of Salford, the Punk Poet, John Cooper Clarke rose to fame around the Manchester Punk scene with an image part Punk and part “Blonde on Blonde” Bob Dylan. His motormouth delivery set a standard for other contemporary performance poets. His poems are equal parts punk themed social commentary and working men’s club comedy. All these years later one of his poems (1982’s “ I Wanna Be Yours”) is part of the GCSE English syllabus in schools, that felt like a “we were right” moment for some of us old Punks. 

    I always think of “Disguise In Love” as JCC’s debut but in fact it’s his 2nd album, his old record company beat CBS to the punch by issuing “Où Est La Maison De Fromage?” before this one. It’s a strange beast as there are only two solo poems included (a live hurtle through the single “Psycle Sluts 1&2” and the glorious “Salome Malone” again recorded live). On the rest of the tracks JCC delivers his poems over backing tracks by the Invisible Girls, a band including producer Martin Hannett, Bill Nelson and Buzzcocks Pete Shelley. The backing tracks range from “I Don’t Want To Be Nice” with it’s New Wave reggae-ish groove to the jazzy vibes of “Post War Glamour Girls”. 

    But the main focus here has to be JCC’s words which can make you laugh out loud (“Readers Wives” delivers “The fablon top scenarios of passion, Nipples peep through holes in leatherette, They seem to be saying in their fashion, “I'm freezing Charlie - have ya finished yet?” “) while two songs later he can make a very serious point about racism (“(I Married A) Monster From Outer Space” gives us “They'd go…nudge nudge...when we got off the bus, Saying it's extra-terrestial, not like us, And it's bad enough with another race, But fuck me...a monster...from outer space”) wrapped up in sci-fi humour. 

    I first saw him perform as the compère at a big New Year show in 1980, at the NEC in Birmingham, also featuring Elvis Costello, UB40 and Madness. Unknown to me at the time my wife to be was at the same gig with her mates. We’re going to see him for the first time since then next month and I canna wait. 

    I Don’t Want To Be Nice - https://youtu.be/bjLwUzy340A