If Music Could Talk

Plus, John gave us the inimitable Psycho's Path, proving once again the purity and greatness of the 90s.

Flex wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 7:39pm

Plus, John gave us the inimitable Psycho's Path, proving once again the purity and greatness of the 90s.

One of these days, I'm going to pour one too many glasses of wine and listen to that album again. But not tonight.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 7:42pm

One of these days, I'm going to pour one too many glasses of wine and listen to that album again. But not tonight.

Pull out your Billy Idol Cyberpunk disc and make it a back-to-back extravaganza of digital greatness.

Flex wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 7:56pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 7:42pm

One of these days, I'm going to pour one too many glasses of wine and listen to that album again. But not tonight.

Pull out your Billy Idol Cyberpunk disc and make it a back-to-back extravaganza of digital greatness.

So, that'd be a two bottles of wine to get to that place. The upside is that I'd probably pass out and not hear much.

If we are making a case for Lydon what about Joe?
His best post Clash work was late 99-2002 there’s a gap of 20 years.

101Walterton wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 10:17pm

If we are making a case for Lydon what about Joe?
His best post Clash work was late 99-2002 there’s a gap of 20 years.

Yeah he did do some pretty good stuff in the interim though.

revbob wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 10:26pm

101Walterton wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 10:17pm

If we are making a case for Lydon what about Joe?
His best post Clash work was late 99-2002 there’s a gap of 20 years.

Yeah he did do some pretty good stuff in the interim though.

He did but in the spirit of the original discussion Joe was definitely making some of his best music 25 years after he started.

101Walterton wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 11:10pm

revbob wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 10:26pm

101Walterton wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 10:17pm

If we are making a case for Lydon what about Joe?
His best post Clash work was late 99-2002 there’s a gap of 20 years.

Yeah he did do some pretty good stuff in the interim though.

He did but in the spirit of the original discussion Joe was definitely making some of his best music 25 years after he started.

The arc of Joe's career is interesting. He totally was making some of his best music 25 years after he started, but I also think he made some really good stuff in-between the Clash and the Meskies - just not many people heard it and it was pretty scattered. I say his career is interesting because he was this huge star and then he wasn't - mainly because he chose to step away. It wasn't like he suddenly started making crummy records (I''ll give him a pass on CtC because that is a Bernie creation) - he just chose to no longer be the version of Joe Strummer that he had become. I'm trying to think of other artists who followed that path? Lennon to an extent. He also chose to step away.

The Clash didn't make a decent record after 1986. The 80s ruined rock 'n' roll and I blame Jimmy the Hoover and Heston.

WestwayKid wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 5:48pm

revbob wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 4:04pm

Flex wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 4:00pm

Low Down Low wrote: ↑

03 Apr 2019, 3:56pm

Graceland fan here too. Another who doesnt get that much love around these parts but would definitely fit the bill here too is Van Morrison.

Interesting. I admit I basically have a gap in my knowledge of the Van catalog from about 1977 to 2006.

Yeah same but a much wider gap. I know Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance and Gloria end of story. Not saying it's a good thing, just factual.

His catalog through the early 90's is really solid. It isn't until about 1992/93 that it gets a little spotty. He's just never gotten downright bad. His catalog is probably one of the strongest around.

I agree with all this. Through the 80s, it's all top notch imo. Does get a little hit and miss from early 90s on, but there's always 3 or 4 belters saving every album. No more than most good or great artists. One thing earlier Van does have is a great live sound with the various backing sets from Caledonian Soul Orchestra to Pee Wee Ellis and a ton of other greats. There's a bit of the cabaret/old troubador act about him now, but he is touching mid 70s now and it's still better than 90 per cent of what's out there i reckon.

Has there ever been a band (in your opinion) that could be considered a "spiritual heir" to the Clash?

Oddly, my first thought was Costello and the Attractions, but they were contemporaries.

I can defend the below as inheriting their spark for while, but you'd expect me to.

The Pogues
The Replacements

WestwayKid wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2019, 11:00am

Has there ever been a band (in your opinion) that could be considered a "spiritual heir" to the Clash?

Slightly off topic as it's not my opinion but I'm sure I remember reading The Towers of London claiming they were the new Clash/Clash reborn when they released their inspirationally named first single 'Fuck it Up.' I thought they were shit.

I'll toss the Manics out there. I got into them for many of the same reasons I got into the Clash. The image, the mixing of big messages with catchy melodies. They've definitely lost the provocative spark they had early on during the Richey years...but they're still making some excellent music. They have never been as stylistically "interesting" as the Clash, however.

BitterTom wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2019, 11:14am

WestwayKid wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2019, 11:00am

Has there ever been a band (in your opinion) that could be considered a "spiritual heir" to the Clash?

Slightly off topic as it's not my opinion but I'm sure I remember reading The Towers of London claiming they were the new Clash/Clash reborn when they released their inspirationally named first single 'Fuck it Up.' I thought they were shit.

Ugh. I had forgotten about them. They came across as trying a bit too hard...