If and only if i wonder what you would think

[Sparky]

Couldn't see it happening and I doubt I'd buy a ticket if it did. IMO Paul was probably the least musically talented of the group and has a pretty limited vocal range, so I can't imagine him trying to pull off Clash covers. But like Kory said, I'd still like to meet the guy someday, same goes for Mick & Topper.

[amj241]

Probably a pass for me unless it was local and cheap. I’d probably go out of curiosity at that point but wouldn’t leave my city or spend more than like $40.

If Mick did it, I’d be all-in though. I wouldn’t count it as The Clash obviously but would probably put effort into seeing it (mostly to get to see Mick perform because I never have).

[Flex]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

[Kory]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

I'd go see this just for the spectacle.

Re: Paul though, I'd MUCH rather see GBQ live. Never happen without Tony now, but that would have been the show for me.

[Dr. Medulla]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

And all they play is Side 6.

[matedog]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

And all they play is Side 6.

I was thinking exclusively those forgettable pre-ST songs: "Oh shit! They are actually playing 'How Can I Understand the Flies?'"

[Flex]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

And all they play is Side 6.

I was thinking exclusively those forgettable pre-ST songs: "Oh shit! They are actually playing 'How Can I Understand the Flies?'"

I think I would genuinely lose my mind if I saw any faux-clash configuration play those songs in real life

[matedog]

Here's a super dumb thought that lodged into my brain: have Keith levene, rob harper and Paul to reform the clash with a hologram of Joe. Keith and Paul with double up on the Mick vocal parts.

And all they play is Side 6.

I was thinking exclusively those forgettable pre-ST songs: "Oh shit! They are actually playing 'How Can I Understand the Flies?'"

I think I would genuinely lose my mind if I saw any faux-clash configuration play those songs in real life

I would too though I wouldn’t realize it at the time because I have no idea what those songs sound like.

[Marky Dread]

I was chatting to Heston on another thread and this scenario came to my mind and was really interested what the forum thought

No right or wrong answer to this

If Paul reformed the clash today on his own and employed 3 very competent singers and musicians that were all unknown how do you think you would take that news?
Do you think you would feel excited and think its better than nothing or think i am right up for this.

I am really interested what an opinion would be.

The thing is Hugh you are talking about putting a band back together when that band hasn't been around for 37 years.

The Stranglers on the other hand have continued and evolved with new members. With Baz Warne being a Strangler longer than Hugh Cornwell being part of the live set-up since 2001. The recent Stranglers album is excellent. So for me I'm more than happy if new members come in and are making great new music in the tradition of the original group.

With The Clash if Cut the Crap had been a solid rock n roll record then things would be viewed much differently. But it wasn't it was a failed attempt at being modern. You can argue about Bernie's input and drum machines, sequencers and so on. But If I had been in The Clash at that point and I'm really talking about Joe here then I would have said fuck off Bernie I'm not putting that out under The Clash name.

[Marky Dread]

I was chatting to Heston on another thread and this scenario came to my mind and was really interested what the forum thought

No right or wrong answer to this

If Paul reformed the clash today on his own and employed 3 very competent singers and musicians that were all unknown how do you think you would take that news?
Do you think you would feel excited and think its better than nothing or think i am right up for this.

I am really interested what an opinion would be.

Didn't he call that band Havana 3 AM.

[NoMoreHugh]

I was chatting to Heston on another thread and this scenario came to my mind and was really interested what the forum thought

No right or wrong answer to this

If Paul reformed the clash today on his own and employed 3 very competent singers and musicians that were all unknown how do you think you would take that news?
Do you think you would feel excited and think its better than nothing or think i am right up for this.

I am really interested what an opinion would be.

The thing is Hugh you are talking about putting a band back together when that band hasn't been around for 37 years.

The Stranglers on the other hand have continued and evolved with new members. With Baz Warne being a Strangler longer than Hugh Cornwell being part of the live set-up since 2001. The recent Stranglers album is excellent. So for me I'm more than happy if new members come in and are making great new music in the tradition of the original group.

With The Clash if Cut the Crap had been a solid rock n roll record then things would be viewed much differently. But it wasn't it was a failed attempt at being modern. You can argue about Bernie's input and drum machines, sequencers and so on. But If I had been in The Clash at that point and I'm really talking about Joe here then I would have said fuck off Bernie I'm not putting that out under The Clash name.

Lets forget about the stranglers (maybe another day on another thread :) ) but I am pretty sure this is all about how attached and how close you are to the band. I asked this question specifically here as I wanted an expert ideas and opinions and you cant get better than this website over the topic of the clash and that’s compared to any band website I would say.

I have no doubt at all and make no mistake that if Paul had carried the clash on himself and had competent song writers for a new album and used those Havana 3am gigs to fill up the track listings with the very best and popular clash songs he would have become successful or at least created longevity for his band. Thank god he didn’t is all I can say and you can tip your hat and salute him for that. I know he did GOB live but he had every right to do that he wrote and sung it.


All the band know of the importance and total respect for the clash legacy, the clash songs, the clash fans and the other band members. If you bring in other elements into the band you change what that band represents and in to something different and you dilute that amazing legacy and history by adding inferior work.
The guys today would know if they reformed with out obviously Joe it would be worth millions to them all, but they don’t, not just in respect for Joe but for respect to the whole clash legacy. I am sure if they didn’t have that respect the reformation would have happened by now.

I asked the forum as I know the people here would care about the clash music and how it would be represented and its something that clash fans have not experienced so I was interested in the opinions

In these current times there is a vast amount of people that would go to clash gigs think of themselves as fans that wouldn’t even be able to tell you the name of the drummer. They may even get the names of Joe and Mick mixed up because they have seen Mick sing SISOSIG
What I am saying they love those songs and even if they would be aware that Joe is no longer the lead singer their attitude would be meh so what they did a fantastic version of Rock the casbah.

For me the clash music goes well beyond being just music and something that another singer could replace their legacy is a masterpiece of the highest order. With all the original members the songs can lift the hairs on the back of my neck and make me well up with emotion.

So the importance of people being that close is the same as this analogy. A great photogragher can take a masterpiece painting take a HD photo of it blow it up. Clean the blemishes and faults and make that picture look better than ever. Gold frame it with glass and put it on the wall of an art museum. He might then claim it to be better or at least as good as the original and someone like me wouldn’t care if it’s the real thing or not and enjoy it for the painting that it isn’t. But an expert Art collector would be horrified to see people enjoy it and claim it be as good.

At the end of the day the clash were always the real deal and there music should be left that way as well. What is really great is what they said - is what they did with no bull shit

The reason that this is mentioned is because it’s a very real possibility that it could have happened so many bands have and are doing this just as Inder mentioned its why its an interesting topic because we are all so lucky it didn’t happen that way for the clash. The great money spinner that this creates is the motivation for other bands don’t believe otherwise so its really a great feeling to see the clash camp stand separate from all that.

My thoughts on my own question is this. I could accept Mick and Joe as the banner of the clash and Joe on his own at a stretch but a definate no for Mick , Paul or topper on their own.


What Joe did with his solo projects regarding the clash songs was fine and respectful with integrity intact imo.
That’s just my opinion and I know shit compared to you Marky and the majority of this site.

But thank you to everyone for replying and especially to all the humour that made me laugh.

[NoMoreHugh]

I was chatting to Heston on another thread and this scenario came to my mind and was really interested what the forum thought

No right or wrong answer to this

If Paul reformed the clash today on his own and employed 3 very competent singers and musicians that were all unknown how do you think you would take that news?
Do you think you would feel excited and think its better than nothing or think i am right up for this.

I am really interested what an opinion would be.

The thing is Hugh you are talking about putting a band back together when that band hasn't been around for 37 years.

The Stranglers on the other hand have continued and evolved with new members. With Baz Warne being a Strangler longer than Hugh Cornwell being part of the live set-up since 2001. The recent Stranglers album is excellent. So for me I'm more than happy if new members come in and are making great new music in the tradition of the original group.

With The Clash if Cut the Crap had been a solid rock n roll record then things would be viewed much differently. But it wasn't it was a failed attempt at being modern. You can argue about Bernie's input and drum machines, sequencers and so on. But If I had been in The Clash at that point and I'm really talking about Joe here then I would have said fuck off Bernie I'm not putting that out under The Clash name.

Yeah it seems unbelievable. And the opening song was dictator with out of tune horns wtf were they hell bent for the album to fail? i just cant see how those things happen if it was me at work i would be going what the fuck have you done to all my good work.

[gkbill]

Hello,

Okay, I'm going to promote a speaking tour - Mick, Paul, Topper, and even Terry (between appointments). It will be those guys sitting around telling stories, sharing some reflections, and then some ideas about "Who's the closest to the Clash sound (and/or stance) today?", "What would the Clash sound like today?", "What has been the Clash's impact?", and other questions. Who wants tickets?

[Marky Dread]

I was chatting to Heston on another thread and this scenario came to my mind and was really interested what the forum thought

No right or wrong answer to this

If Paul reformed the clash today on his own and employed 3 very competent singers and musicians that were all unknown how do you think you would take that news?
Do you think you would feel excited and think its better than nothing or think i am right up for this.

I am really interested what an opinion would be.

The thing is Hugh you are talking about putting a band back together when that band hasn't been around for 37 years.

The Stranglers on the other hand have continued and evolved with new members. With Baz Warne being a Strangler longer than Hugh Cornwell being part of the live set-up since 2001. The recent Stranglers album is excellent. So for me I'm more than happy if new members come in and are making great new music in the tradition of the original group.

With The Clash if Cut the Crap had been a solid rock n roll record then things would be viewed much differently. But it wasn't it was a failed attempt at being modern. You can argue about Bernie's input and drum machines, sequencers and so on. But If I had been in The Clash at that point and I'm really talking about Joe here then I would have said fuck off Bernie I'm not putting that out under The Clash name.

Lets forget about the stranglers (maybe another day on another thread :) ) but I am pretty sure this is all about how attached and how close you are to the band. I asked this question specifically here as I wanted an expert ideas and opinions and you cant get better than this website over the topic of the clash and that’s compared to any band website I would say.

I have no doubt at all and make no mistake that if Paul had carried the clash on himself and had competent song writers for a new album and used those Havana 3am gigs to fill up the track listings with the very best and popular clash songs he would have become successful or at least created longevity for his band. Thank god he didn’t is all I can say and you can tip your hat and salute him for that. I know he did GOB live but he had every right to do that he wrote and sung it.


All the band know of the importance and total respect for the clash legacy, the clash songs, the clash fans and the other band members. If you bring in other elements into the band you change what that band represents and in to something different and you dilute that amazing legacy and history by adding inferior work.
The guys today would know if they reformed with out obviously Joe it would be worth millions to them all, but they don’t, not just in respect for Joe but for respect to the whole clash legacy. I am sure if they didn’t have that respect the reformation would have happened by now.

I asked the forum as I know the people here would care about the clash music and how it would be represented and its something that clash fans have not experienced so I was interested in the opinions

In these current times there is a vast amount of people that would go to clash gigs think of themselves as fans that wouldn’t even be able to tell you the name of the drummer. They may even get the names of Joe and Mick mixed up because they have seen Mick sing SISOSIG
What I am saying they love those songs and even if they would be aware that Joe is no longer the lead singer their attitude would be meh so what they did a fantastic version of Rock the casbah.

For me the clash music goes well beyond being just music and something that another singer could replace their legacy is a masterpiece of the highest order. With all the original members the songs can lift the hairs on the back of my neck and make me well up with emotion.

So the importance of people being that close is the same as this analogy. A great photogragher can take a masterpiece painting take a HD photo of it blow it up. Clean the blemishes and faults and make that picture look better than ever. Gold frame it with glass and put it on the wall of an art museum. He might then claim it to be better or at least as good as the original and someone like me wouldn’t care if it’s the real thing or not and enjoy it for the painting that it isn’t. But an expert Art collector would be horrified to see people enjoy it and claim it be as good.

At the end of the day the clash were always the real deal and there music should be left that way as well. What is really great is what they said - is what they did with no bull shit

The reason that this is mentioned is because it’s a very real possibility that it could have happened so many bands have and are doing this just as Inder mentioned its why its an interesting topic because we are all so lucky it didn’t happen that way for the clash. The great money spinner that this creates is the motivation for other bands don’t believe otherwise so its really a great feeling to see the clash camp stand separate from all that.

My thoughts on my own question is this. I could accept Mick and Joe as the banner of the clash and Joe on his own at a stretch but a definate no for Mick , Paul or topper on their own.


What Joe did with his solo projects regarding the clash songs was fine and respectful with integrity intact imo.
That’s just my opinion and I know shit compared to you Marky and the majority of this site.

But thank you to everyone for replying and especially to all the humour that made me laugh.

I won't argue with any of your views on this subject as it's personal to how you feel.

But I will say that unlike many other bands where members left (Hugh as example) or died (Pete Shelley). Mick Jones was fired and had he not been kicked out of his own band I could see The Clash continuing in the same way as The Who. They were definitely heading in the direction of bands like U2.

Without Mick they just didn't have the same spark that made The Clash so great. It's no put down on the new members as they were big shoes to fill. Not necessarily musically as such because lots of musicians are very good/competent at playing stuff but as an arranger Mick was on another level. Which is proven when you listen to CtC that despite the rubbish production and Bernie's input some tracks were decent. However Mick would made those songs great.

As to one existing band member carrying on with "The Clash" in name with three new members starting today then no that would be stupid.

But if CtC had been better produced then there is no reason to see why The Clash couldn't of continued producing further records.

Part of me hates Joe and Paul for dumping Mick but the same could be said for Topper. Maybe Topper could've cleaned up and the band taken a break.

But on the other hand we got a great new band in Big Audio Dynamite and The Clash didn't turn into The Who.

[Silent Majority]

Hello,

Okay, I'm going to promote a speaking tour - Mick, Paul, Topper, and even Terry (between appointments). It will be those guys sitting around telling stories, sharing some reflections, and then some ideas about "Who's the closest to the Clash sound (and/or stance) today?", "What would the Clash sound like today?", "What has been the Clash's impact?", and other questions. Who wants tickets?

No, thank you. Doesn't sound at all like a laugh.