I've not heard this before , noticed it was from the KEXP Seattle sessions , there are some very good live sessions on YouTube from this station
One place I worked an office bod got named Smithers Jones for the reason his life seemed to reflect the song until one day he did not return to work , we later found out that him and his Mrs had a neat line in "sex services " that the Wembley police put an end to
It's often the quiet ones. A few years back I was trying to contact a bloke, who was the squarest individual I had met in a long, long time and ran the same department as me at a nearby council. I could never get hold of this bloke, despite it being in his best interest and leaving numerous messages to that effect. In frustration, I mentioned it to someone at another council...which was when I was told that he was under suspension for stealing £100,000's to fund a Frank Bough style life of coke and prostitutes. You never can tell.
It's a great track and you can see the influence on a wave of bands that followed in the early/mid '80's that perhaps if you were feeling lazy could be described as "Goth". My first Cure single purchase was the one that followed this, Primary, and then bought the follow up to that which is still my favourite Cure single and best of all it only cost me 20p as I found it in the reduced bin in my local record shop just after it had dropped out of the charts!
Talking of "Goth" bands I always loved this lot and saw them live a few times back in the mid 80's and whilst I never really thought of them as such they did seem to get lumped in with the likes of Play Dead and Balaam and the Angel a lot.
Strummer making his way through Armagiddeon Times (often holding a candelabra) and sweating his bollocks off is probably how I'll remember him. That and that leg shaking to I Fought the Law... ...as recalled by Jake Burns... You lit a flame in my heart And it is burning still And every time I hear you shout It still gives me a thrill I can see you up there With your right leg pumping Goodbye inspiration Voice of a generation Goodbye Inspiration I won't be playing Strummerville again Cheers, Joe...for everything.
I only saw him live once after the Clash and that was the Cambridge folk festival, not known for its punk credentials but he had the whole main tent on their feet and screaming for more at the end , the St John's ambulance had their work cut out for dislocated hips and shoulders that evening
I saw The Clash 17 times from the gig at The Rainbow in '77 to the last UK performance with Mick, in Brixton in the summer of '82. In Paul, Mick and Joe, there were 3 'front men' and behind them, an extraordinary drummer...but it was always Strummer when they played live...and they were all an absolute tour de force live. It was like scoring the winning goal in a cup final against your closest rival...over...and over...and over again. Happy days...
When they did multiple shows, I'd go multiple times. They did a week's residence on the Radio Clash tour and I went 3 nights and the same again at Brixton in '82. I'm into triple figure for The Damned. Pogo Pete has seen the UK Subs nearly 500 times.....suddenly 17 doesn't seem very many at all.
Mentioning The Clash and SLF brings this to mind... ...as I said to Mrs B as SLF closed Rebellion..."They are the closest thing to seeing The Clash live pre-London Calling.
The first time I ever heard SLF was at my Nan's house in Tower Gardens Road one Sunday afternoon in 1979. We often used to pop over and see her and then my Dad would take me through the park and down to the Lane to watch the Spurs reserves. I did get to see the likes of Martin Chivers and Martin Peters presumably coming back from an injury but obviously this was a few years previous. By the late 70's a visit to my Nan's was more about me disappearing off into the front room to listen to the radio whilst my Dad sorted out whatever it was she needed. Always loved Annie Nightingale on a Sunday afternoon and if memory serves me right she used to regularly play the Small Faces Lazy Sunday anyway on this particular Sunday she played Gotta Getaway and that was it, absolutely hooked. Went out and bought the single and shortly after that Inflammable Material which still to this day is one of my favourite debut LP's of all time and still gets regular plays! I've seen them live a few times but not with the original line up unfortunately, by the time I got to see them Bruce Foxton was playing bass though they were still very good I might add!
Unfortunately I only saw the Clash once - Canterbury Odeon - London Calling tour but it was one of my favourite gigs.
As for SLF seen them a few times but this was the first single of theirs that I bought. and with its brilliant 'B' side
Yeah I bought that as well although after I'd bought the LP. Always liked their b sides as you said 78 RPM was a cracker as was Bloody Sunday, the b side of Gotta Getaway and not forgetting the b side of Straw Dogs, You can't say crap on the radio with the obvious nod to The Clash at the end!
Was at this for my first SLF gig ...and it was as ****ing great as it looks. My daughters first gig was a free gig, The Damned and The Lightning Seeds in Lloyd Park in Croydon (CroyFest) but they're somewhat floored by the free gigs that used to be a part of London life... I'm way too young to have seen The Stones gig in '69 but the RAR, GLC and CND gigs in the late 70's early 80's were fantastic. Many/most of them were free and the bands were ****ing great. I saw The Clash, X-Ray Spex, TRB, Madness, The Damned, The Style Council, Wah!, Spear of Destiny, Billy Bragg, SLF...and a load of others...(edit forgot Elvis Costello and The Smiths...and Killing Joke) The lack of these shows today is just another sign that life gets a bit more exclusive and expensive with every passing year...
Mrs B and I went into a shop in Blackpool and this was playing... ...Loved it!...especially in the middle of a heatwave with Factor 50 on my newly shaved bonce.
Looks like it was a cracker and I'm guessing is the same festival that featured The Clash footage in Rude Boy? As for myself the only freebie of that size that I went to was the GLC's Jobs for a Change in June '84. It was a superb line up and whilst I did go primarily for The Smiths there was the added bonus of Billy Bragg, The Redskins and Misty in Roots as well who I also loved. In fact it was the only time I got to see Misty live although the day was slightly marred thanks to a load of Nazi skinheads attempt to bring down The Redskins! Having said that my overriding memory is of Martin Hewes swinging his bass around a few Nazi heads like a giant baseball bat!
