Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Joe Strummer, BMG 2021.
It’s hard to overstate the influence that the late great Joe Strummer of The Clash has had on popular music.
The Clash (London), along with The Ramones (USA), The Sex Pistols (London) and The Saints (from Brisbane, Australia) were amongst the vanguard of the punk movement of the late ‘70s.
However, unlike The Sex Pistols, who became the dominant punk band at the time – largely due to the drive and determination of their manager Malcolm Maclaren, the legacy of The Clash, with Joe Strummer the lead singer and songwriter, has continued to grow while the Pistols have faded somewhat into nostalgia.
And it is the class of Joe Strummer that separates the two bands.
The songs of The Clash remain as vibrant and relevant today as they were when they were written and London Calling, the single and album, is considered one of the all-time great records.
The album was voted by Rolling Stone Magazine as the best album of the ‘80s and The Clash as The Best Rock Band in the World.
I find it hard to disagree with that classification.
Assembly is a 16 track compilation of Joe Strummer’s solo years and it’s being released on 26 March.
It includes all the fan favourites you’d expect plus rarities plucked from the archives including his time with The Mescaleros, live recordings, his soundtrack work and his magnificent cover of the Bob Marley track Redemption Song plus many more.
Joe Strummer’s solo career after the demise of The Clash was many and varied.
He spent some time touring and performing with The Pogues and worked as an actor on some cult movies as well as touring with his own band and as a solo musician.
But many of you might not know of his impressive output as a soundtrack writer.
Amongst many outstanding efforts he contributed the song Love Kills to the movie Sid and Nancy, which was about the life, and death, of Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spugen, and this song appears in the compilation.
There’s also great live performances of classic Clash tracks like an acoustic version of Junco Partner and electrifying performances of Rudie Can’t Fail and also their wonderful version of I Fought The Law.
Joe Strummer’s songs give voice to the poor and the downtrodden and call out social injustice.
They are songs that deplore narrow minded bigotry and the excesses of wealth and privilege and that is why they will live forever.
