It started with me being a punk rock girl.
If Joe Strummer wore them, I could wear them.
Then the young ones came along, and this song made history.
I'm in my 40's now, and I still rock out, in my doc martens.
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity. Margaret D. Nadauld
Showing posts with label The Clash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Clash. Show all posts
Friday, August 08, 2014
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Punk Rock Girl
The other day I was talking with a friend about my top 5 albums of all time. My criteria is it has to be something that you can listen to from start to finish and enjoy the whole album. There are lots of single collections or greatest hits, and that would be cheating. My list is so very ME.
5. Let it Be-the Replacements
4. Sandinista-the Clash
3. The Joshua Tree-U2
2. Ramones-Rocket to Russia
1.
London Calling to me is THE perfect rock album. It is sublime, layered and just so different. It was the moment that punk became nuanced, and took it up another level. There were different stylings, all of which had been teased by previous Clash albums, but put on vinyl with London Calling. From the opening anarchy of the title track, to the surf rock a billy of Brand New Cadillac you get treated to scat and jazz on the appropriately named Jimmy Jazz. There are early gangsta overtones with the ominous Guns of Brixton, indictments of capitalism and marketing and just a good true blue romantic pining song in Train in Vain. Back in the vinyl days, that was the hidden track. It was like hitting the aural lottery when you heard it the first time.
I first got into the Clash when I was about my son’s age. I was in 5th grade. I heard Train in Vain on 102.7 WNEW and it was all over. They became my favorite band. Since it was the days before the internet, I had to read articles about them on microfiche at the library. Rolling Stone seemed to feature them a lot, so I started reading it too. (I was quite the precocious 10 year old, but that’s ok. Its made me have discriminating taste.) I remember begging my mom for London Calling and when I finally got it (after what seemed like an eternity) it stayed on my turntable for a very, very, very long time. Well, at least until I got Sandinista the following year.
The album encouraged me to read about the Spanish Civil War.
I read Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, and another literary love affair began. I read about the Crimean war and thrilled over Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade.
That led me to a poem that is still a favorite-Crossing the Bar.
I read about Montgomery Clift and watched his movies. That in turn led to me reading another James Jones novel, the Thin Red Line. This begat me reading Rudyard Kipling, since the book title was inspired by a Kipling poem, Tommy. This lead me to read about World War I because of the Kipling poem, My Boy Jack.
I became more literate because of the greatest rock album. Who says music can't change your life?
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Clash City Rockers
I discovered the Clash when I was about my son's age, thanks to London Calling. From the opening track of London Calling, to the hidden Train in Vain it is one of the best, most consistently brilliant albums ever.
My love affair with Strummer & Co continues to this day. After London Calling, I was compelled to listen to more and find out more about the most important band in the world.
This was in the days before the internet so I hunted down fanzines. I was not disappointed by the previous or subsequent efforts.
To this day, certain songs by the Clash provide me with a jolt of energy or a power surge when I'm working out. Pressure Drop (yes it's a cover but it beats the Specials version hands down ) forces me through an extra few minutes on the treadmill.
Death or Glory from London Calling is another song that keeps me going. I start my runs usually with the Magnificent Seven off Sandanista! The irony is, the album Combat Rock brought them to the mainstream and it's my least favorite.
In their songs, the bands referenced historical events, politics and various types of music. My natural curiosity led me to learn more about what they sang about (to me that made them different from other bands of that-or any-era). I may not have always agreed with their political leanings, but I'm grateful for having heard both sides of the story. Just as you can't detach religion from U2, it's the same with politics and the Clash.
As a preteen, I read both Marx & Nietzsche because they were name checked in a song. I became well versed in the conflict over oil (a never ending issue) that Rock the Casbah was really about. If you want to know what band raised my political awareness first, it was the Clash. They made me, as a kid, take an interest in it, care and know I could make a difference. All these years later I'm still rocking out to the band and acting as an agitator and instigator.
The other constant: my Clash t shirt. It still hangs proudly in my closet. I wear it from time to time, which isn't bad for a shirt that's 30 years old. It's a little threadbare, but has weathered time well. It saw a lot of shows in Salt Lake City, Sunday matinees at CBGB's and later at City Gardens and the Troc in Philly. My sister wore it proudly and now my it will be available for my son to show off his excellent taste in music. He loves LMFAO & Lady GaGa but he also loves the Clash, Replacements & Weezer. I'm teaching him well!
And it all began with one song...
My love affair with Strummer & Co continues to this day. After London Calling, I was compelled to listen to more and find out more about the most important band in the world.
This was in the days before the internet so I hunted down fanzines. I was not disappointed by the previous or subsequent efforts.
To this day, certain songs by the Clash provide me with a jolt of energy or a power surge when I'm working out. Pressure Drop (yes it's a cover but it beats the Specials version hands down ) forces me through an extra few minutes on the treadmill.
Death or Glory from London Calling is another song that keeps me going. I start my runs usually with the Magnificent Seven off Sandanista! The irony is, the album Combat Rock brought them to the mainstream and it's my least favorite.
In their songs, the bands referenced historical events, politics and various types of music. My natural curiosity led me to learn more about what they sang about (to me that made them different from other bands of that-or any-era). I may not have always agreed with their political leanings, but I'm grateful for having heard both sides of the story. Just as you can't detach religion from U2, it's the same with politics and the Clash.
As a preteen, I read both Marx & Nietzsche because they were name checked in a song. I became well versed in the conflict over oil (a never ending issue) that Rock the Casbah was really about. If you want to know what band raised my political awareness first, it was the Clash. They made me, as a kid, take an interest in it, care and know I could make a difference. All these years later I'm still rocking out to the band and acting as an agitator and instigator.
The other constant: my Clash t shirt. It still hangs proudly in my closet. I wear it from time to time, which isn't bad for a shirt that's 30 years old. It's a little threadbare, but has weathered time well. It saw a lot of shows in Salt Lake City, Sunday matinees at CBGB's and later at City Gardens and the Troc in Philly. My sister wore it proudly and now my it will be available for my son to show off his excellent taste in music. He loves LMFAO & Lady GaGa but he also loves the Clash, Replacements & Weezer. I'm teaching him well!
And it all began with one song...
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