THE CLASH: Live at Shea Stadium

With Shea Stadium being torn down, it's opportune that THE CLASH: LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM was released last month, and I can't believe that I missed this at the time.

As some of you know, I'm a big fan of The Clash, and one of the reasons is that at their peak, at their very best, in terms of musical talent and diversity...they were the best live rock act of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yes, even better than Pink Floyd, which is saying something. Director Martin Scorsese, from the great Joe Strummer documentary THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN, put it best about The Clash:



They had such incredible energy, such attitude of throwing everything including the kitchen sink on the stage, their concerts are legendary....and at a 1982 show at Shea Stadium recorded live, they were booed off the stage.

WHAT THE FUCK?

The Who were having their falsely-labeled "retirement tour" for front-man Peter Townsend, and unofficially it seems that he wanted to give street cred and legitimacy to what he saw as the band's heir apparent in the British Rock music industry, by having The Clash open for The Who at several tour dates.

The Clash were just off their latest album COMBAT ROCK (their biggest-seller in fact), and were a haircut away from breaking wide open as megastars. But who knew that these were the last days of The Only Band That Mattered? Drummer Topper Headon was fired for his heroin addiction, lead guitarist Mick Jones wanted to venture the band into more experimental "funky" music, and fellow vocalist Joe Strummer wasn't down for that. Within a year, Jones was fired and by 1985 The Clash was as dead as fried chicken.

But that was the future, and with Shea being their first concert at a large arena-stadium and not a nightclub or theatre, they wanted to expand to convert The Who fans to their fanatical cult-base. Despite the inner-turmoil, The Clash (with Headon replaced by Terry Chimes, who had worked the band's first album) in 40 minutes delivered a KICK ASS rock n roll show featuring mostly their most adrenaline-pumping tunes and chart hits, like a "Best Of" infomercial or something.

I respect The Who and all for their placement in rock history, but there is no FUCKING way that they came anyway close in 2-3 hours to being as rockin as The Clash were that night in under a hour.

Consider bassist Paul Simonon's "The Guns of Brixton," a pretty good entry on the classic LONDON CALLING album, but the sterile studio does no justice to that song that an live engagement can do. Just listen for yourself:



Then you have their then-biggest chart hit in "Rock The Casbah," in a live punk-version that isn't better or worse than the terrific studio cut, but it's a fist-pumper on its own merit.

My favorite moment though is when The Clash went into their funk-rap tune "The Magnificent Seven," (again better in light-years compared to the album version) and then segued-way into their cover of the reggae song "Armagideon Time," and then a triumphant return to "Seven." You have to listen to that whole performance just to appreciate how FUCKING AWESOME it is.

My only complaint at LIVE is that the band for some reason was just off when they string up "Spanish Bombs." I can't explain it really. I mean it's still good and all, but the vibe seems deflated to the rest of the album.

With LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM, you'll notice that during "Police on My Back" and "Clampdown," Joe Strummer just pisses on the unruly fans who were shitting on gold, and you ponder that perhaps if they hadn't self-imploded, The Clash may not have survived the football stadium experience if they had stayed around and assumingly become #1 as they were so near to be until the end.

My point is, if you were a Who fan that was there that night in Shea and booed The Clash...FUCK YOU ASSHOLE.

Anyway, if you dig The Clash, I think this is a must buy. Go buy it at a record store near you or order from Amazon.com or download from iTunes, whatever.....It's pretty damn good.

Setlist - THE CLASH: LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM

"Kosmo Vinyl Introduction" - 1:10
"London Calling" (Strummer/Jones) - 3:29
"Police On My Back" (E Grant) - 3:28
"The Guns of Brixton" (P Simonon) - 4:07
"Tommy Gun" (Strummer/Jones) - 3:19
"The Magnificent Seven" (The Clash) - 2:33
"Armagideon Time" (Willi Williams/J Mitoo) - 2:55
"The Magnificent Seven (Return)" (The Clash) - 2:23
"Rock the Casbah"(The Clash) - 3:21
"Train in Vain" (Strummer/Jones) - 3:45
"Career Opportunities" (Strummer/Jones) - 2:05
"Spanish Bombs" (Strummer/Jones) - 3:18
"Clampdown" (Strummer/Jones) - 4:26
"English Civil War" (trad: arranged by Strummer/Jones) - 2:39
"Should I Stay Or Should I Go" (The Clash) - 2:44
"I Fought the Law" (Sonny Curtis) - 3:22

I used to be into The Clash, but haven't listened to them in awhile. I was actually a bigger fan of Mick Jones' Big Audio Dynamite.

3rd video down is no longer availible. I don't know that muh about the Clash outside of their hits.

I liked the Clash a lot. I owned "London Calling," and "Death or Glory" is one of my all-time favorites. Their "I Fought the Law" has that nasty snarl that the original missed--and that fit the lyrics perfectly.
But I'm a bigger Who fan...

London Calling was great. Somewhere I still have that on vinyl, hidden away in storage.

Well, some new links:

"London Calling"



"The Guns of Brixton"



"Police On My Back" (underrated tune from their SANDINISTA! Album)



"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (Not the album cut, but came from the same Shea performance that was taped for the music video)



Also, the Scorsese stuff from THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN:

thanks for the music ronnie. The Clash is so good, so good, I can't say anything.

the only band that matters!

since you're a big fan ronnie, let's get deeper into it.

I'm almost sure that my favorite album is their first one, that out of tune bomb! do you think I'm crazy? 'cause I absolutely love London Calling too.

My favorite is probably LONDON CALLING overall, though there is good work on all their albums (except for CUT THE CRAP, done after Headon and Mick Jones were fired...and wow it blows)

THE CLASH, especially the US version, was a kickass debut album, pretty damn among the best of that "punk" movement in UK in its peak. Yeah its not universally loved like LONDON CALLING, but its still a must-listen for rock fans.

GIVE'EM ENOUGH ROPE isn't as good, but its still better than most rock acts' "best" album. Yet its an example of what was wrong with Punk at that point in 1978, which was that bleak nilhistic anti-authoritative screaming and ranting with a limited # of guitar riffs was exhausting itself rather quickly. My favorite from this album, "Guns on The Roof."

So LONDON CALLING basically was Clash growing up, if that makes any sense, or at least trying to expand their abilities, and thus became I think one of the few punk acts...perhaps the only one...to actually shake,rattle, & roll that genre by 180 degrees, and an ultimatum: Mature with us, or be left Irrelevant.

They continued even further, too far perhaps, with the triple-disc SANDINISTA! To quote a friend of mine, "It's a great album unfortunately taped together with two inferior records: one decent, and the other pointless filler album." Still there is great tunes on it that you all should try to dig up on YouTube.

Examples from SANDINISTA! I would recommend include:

"Police On My Back"
"Somebody Got Murdered" (KICK-ASS)
"The Magnificent Seven" (Live version is superior to Album Cut)
"The Street Parade"
"The Leader"
"Something About England"
"One More Time"
"Ivan Meets GI Joe" (A Disco Tune!)
"The Call-Up"
"Rebel Waltz"
"Hitsville UK"
"Charlie Don't Surf"
"Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" (another rap-funk experiment)
"Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)"
"Midnight Log"

Hell, here is "Somebody Got Murdered"...and tell me that it doesn't rock:



Then their last album with the classical line-up, COMBAT ROCK...I think its pretty good. Maybe too conservative because the Clash wanted to go back to the center after people were baffled by SANDINISTA!, but still you get good shit from hits like "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and "Rock The Casbah."

"Straight To Hell" is terrific as well.

A single-release that never was placed on an album that also kicks ass is "This is Radio Clash":

to be honest with you I can't compare these crazy music they made from Sandinista! on with those of their first 3 albums. I must be more straight minded into punk rock than you. I have Combat Rock but I haven't played it in a long time. they must be in my top 3 or at the very least top 5 favorite bands only for those 3 first albums alone.

I belive Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, specially, were so talented that when they decided to expand their music, they achieved such a unique, magic sound in London Calling, that they spoiled everything else they could do.

I'll give Sandinista! another shot, because with all those tracks I feel like I'm not even giving it a fair chance. and hell, now I think I'll see what I can do with Combat Rock tonight!

that leaves only Cut the Crap, which the title says all. even Joe Strummer said it was terrible. I think I never heard a single track from it

All I'm saying is that SANDINISTA! has some awesome stuff, just you gotta pick and choose from the (pointless) dubs and just randomly weird experimental shit.

A tune from COMBAT ROCK I've liked lately was "Overpowered by Funk." For better or for worse, The Clash were years ahead of white rockers trying to hitch into hip-hop.

As for CUT THE CRAP, you know nobody involved likes it when on that two-disc best-of "Essentials" disc, only ONE song from that album is included ("This Is England.")

I am hoping to get Live at Shea Stadium for Xmas. There is also a big new glossy book out about the band that i have my beady eye on!

I love the Clash.

I was at the Shea concert, not the night of the recording because I remeber It was not raining. It was a well anticipated show, The Clash were the hottest band around and it happened overnight. Earlier that year in May I caught the Clash in Asbury Park. Scalpers could,nt give tickets away. I was with a group of 8-10 friends and we bought tickets a few blocks from the convention center for $10. As we got closer to the venue we noticed that supply far out weighted demand. The Clasn blew the roof off the convention center. A truly moving experience.

At the end of the Summer I tried to catch them at the Pier in NYC. It was such a hot ticket. No tickets to be found. One scalper attempted to sell tickets to a Kenny Rogers Show ( From the Previous Night) for $40 a ticket just to try and get in. Did not get into the show.

The Concert was a good show. David, post New York dolls pre Buster Poindexter, Johanson was also on the bill. They did,nt turn the lights down or give him volume for his set.

The Clash did a killer set, but they did,nt crank the volume.

It was all about the Who. When they came out it was bright lights and maximum volume which was unfortunate.

At the time you felt The Clash would be around for a while, but it turned out to be the last time I would see them live.

I did get to see Mick Jones with BAD a few years later in there golden era.

Live at Shea is a good CD. butI like from here to Eternity better. Even thought it is a compliation of live material over several years, it is a better representation of Live Clash

you don't know how jealous of you I am. I don't even mean in the "good way". I'm just really jealous.

in my opinion The Clash is not the kind of band very suited for live records. I personally don't like much "live albums" but some bands make you change your mind like Ramones, but as for The Clash, I really enjoy their full record works much much more. like I said, for me it's all about their first 3 records. of course I'd feel completely different if I could talk about the experience of actually being there and watch the show.

I also have Combat Rock and From Here to Eternity and haven't played them in a long while.

I've picked up Combat Rock and left in on my car so I'd listen to it sometime and the first song to stand out other than the obvious ones I already knew was "Overpowered by Funk". but the most fun I get from this record is listening to the 'Travis Bickle' song.

Speaking of SANDINISTA!, some more quality good shit from that album that nobody talks about. Really, there is a reason why The Clash probably were the most musically accomplished of that whole Punk Era, on either side of the Atlantic as far as I'm concerned.

"The Call Up"



"Midnight Log"



"The Street Parade" (KICK ASS)



"Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)"



"Somebody Got Murdered" (Live)



"Charlie Don't Surf" (Live)



"Magnificent Seven" (Live)



"Hitsville U.K."



"Police On My Back" (Live)



"One More Time"/"One More Dub"



"Something About England"

Great clips Ronnie. Somebody got Murdered is such agreat song and much more superior LIVE. The first time I heard it was live and it was filled with so much raw power and emotion that the moment sttayed with me for more then 25 years. Take nothing away from the studio version but live the energy was over the top. That clip captured a bit of that energy. Imagine felling the power chords vibrate through your mind.

Truly the only band that mattered.

Oh and another underrated, great song from SANDINISTA! that...will never leave you.

"Lose This Skin"

Scorsese's Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten is on tonight at 10PM ET on Sundance...

Scorsese didn't make that, Julien Temple did. Scorsese was only a participant.

But still, thanks for letting people know of a pretty good documentary.