The Call Up Promo Video

[Heston]

Also must mention the image of the "dead man's shadow" on the rear of the 7" was very unnerving. It was a well thought out package if not hit single material.

Absolutely. I know Stop the World takes a lot of criticism but I thought the two tracks together plus the cover were, as you said, a well thought out package.

This is interesting. I think most agree that TCU sounds better when not listened to as part of the album. Should have been left off Sandinista and only released at the 7” or maybe an EP.

I massively disagree. The Call Up was never single material. Its natural place was on Sandinsta.

[white man]

Were any Clash promo's filmed in widescreen + Hi def

[FarawayTowns]

Jeez I don't envy you and those that fought against this bureaucratic bullshit. Thanks for the link so much to go through there. Some amazing anti-draft posters/art to start with.

This really got me thinking. Although we as everyday men and women would fight to protect our families and friends etc it's funny how your country only really needs you when it needs you to fight.

Yes. The whole public aspect -- going to the post office -- made the signup requirement that much more traumatic, but i suppose they weren't expecting anybody to return a form by mail, which would have eased that, if only slightly.

Which is why they did it that way, I imagine. I was in college at the time they renewed the pressure, and we were relying on financial aid to get through, so what was I going to do? The familiar plight of the young -- stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But I suppose I was drawing on those experiences when I put this line into my own songs, Nothing Works Anymore: "Ask not what your country can do/It's not really yours till they find a use for you."

Or, as the Xcerts state in Queen & Country: "Uncle Sam needs you, he wants your eyes to see him through/Uncle Sam needs you, he wants your body for a sandbag, too."

And these lines from Little Boy Soldiers come to mind too: "You've gone and got yourself in trouble/Now you want me to help you out/These days I find that I can't be bothered/These days I find that its all too much/To pick up a gun and shoot a stranger,/But I've got no choice so here I come - war games."

And of course, these: "These days I find that I can't be bothered/To argue with them well what's the point/Better to take your shots and drop down dead/then they send you home in a pine overcoat/With a letter to your mum/Saying find enclosed one son - one medal and a note -- to say he won!"

Very interesting to read about your perspective on TCU. It put the song in a whole new context for me. I recall at the time in the UK it was given a bit of a slating as it played into the narrative of the Clash becoming too Americanised. It resonated more with me almost 18 months after its UK release when the Falklands war kicked off.
Amazed to see you quoting The X-Certs lyrics in your post. Used to really like them and they were one of the first bands I ever saw.

[Chairman Ralph]

Very interesting to read about your perspective on TCU. It put the song in a whole new context for me. I recall at the time in the UK it was given a bit of a slating as it played into the narrative of the Clash becoming too Americanised. It resonated more with me almost 18 months after its UK release when the Falklands war kicked off.

Thanks. As I've already stated, to me, TCU meant a hell of a lot more than the moanings from the critical fraternity at the time -- I thought, "OK, you guys missed your war, but I'm not so sure if I'll get to miss mine." But I can see how it got slated in the UK, as you say, because of the dominant narrative of the time. I'd say, in hindsight, not only were they saying, "Too Americanised," but also, "Too dance-oriented, not rockin' enough for us, thank you very much." I do remember some comments along that line, too.

Amazed to see you quoting The X-Certs lyrics in your post. Used to really like them and they were one of the first bands I ever saw.

Hey, at Chairman Ralph HQ, we go deep...way deep. All kidding aside, though, what it was like seeing them? Where did that happen?

The Xcerts are a great, overlooked band of that era. I discovered them about a decade ago, I think, which makes me a latecomer to the party, but their stuff stands up.

Here's a chat that I did with Clive Arnold, on my website:

http://www.chairmanralph.com/bandinterv ... ?id=1;fa=1

[FarawayTowns]

Very interesting to read about your perspective on TCU. It put the song in a whole new context for me. I recall at the time in the UK it was given a bit of a slating as it played into the narrative of the Clash becoming too Americanised. It resonated more with me almost 18 months after its UK release when the Falklands war kicked off.

Thanks. As I've already stated, to me, TCU meant a hell of a lot more than the moanings from the critical fraternity at the time -- I thought, "OK, you guys missed your war, but I'm not so sure if I'll get to miss mine." But I can see how it got slated in the UK, as you say, because of the dominant narrative of the time. I'd say, in hindsight, not only were they saying, "Too Americanised," but also, "Too dance-oriented, not rockin' enough for us, thank you very much." I do remember some comments along that line, too.

Amazed to see you quoting The X-Certs lyrics in your post. Used to really like them and they were one of the first bands I ever saw.

Hey, at Chairman Ralph HQ, we go deep...way deep. All kidding aside, though, what it was like seeing them? Where did that happen?

The Xcerts are a great, overlooked band of that era. I discovered them about a decade ago, I think, which makes me a latecomer to the party, but their stuff stands up.

Here's a chat that I did with Clive Arnold, on my website:

http://www.chairmanralph.com/bandinterv ... ?id=1;fa=1

Thanks for the link. Really enjoyed reading the article I think it's the most in depth interview with them I've read. As Bristol is my home town I saw them play live twice first time was on the back of a lorry at an anti cuts demonstration. The second time was in a pub. They were good I always liked them due to the reggae influence they were like Bristols Clash. It was so obvious that they were influenced by them and it didn't surprise me that they supported the Clash.
I still have my copy of the Together single in my collection that I bought upon release.
After leaving the X-Certs the original bassist Phil'Taff' Lovering played in a band called The Review (who were more Jam than Clash influenced) They only released one single called 'England's Glory' that is worth a listen if you are interested in obscure stuff.

[Chairman Ralph]

Thanks for the link. Really enjoyed reading the article I think it's the most in depth interview with them I've read. As Bristol is my home town I saw them play live twice first time was on the back of a lorry at an anti cuts demonstration. The second time was in a pub. They were good I always liked them due to the reggae influence they were like Bristols Clash. It was so obvious that they were influenced by them and it didn't surprise me that they supported the Clash.
I still have my copy of the Together single in my collection that I bought upon release.
After leaving the X-Certs the original bassist Phil'Taff' Lovering played in a band called The Review (who were more Jam than Clash influenced) They only released one single called 'England's Glory' that is worth a listen if you are interested in obscure stuff.

Thanks. Part of my thinking with those interviews that I do is not only give everyone involved their day in the sun, whether they're well-known or not, but to dig a little deeper, behind the obvious.

For me, talking about what went into the writing of Queen & Country seemed like an obvious starting point. One other aspect of that song that I like is it uses tempo changes pretty effectively -- instead of doing what so many bands of that era did, just rama-lama-lama all the way through the track. Which works, too, but can be deadly in the wrong hands, as I like to say.

Thanks for posting for the Review EP. I'm digging it -- I'm actually hearing echoes of both the Clash and the Jam in there, though I don't think either of them would have written a number with quite so many tempo changes, as they do on the second song, Greatest Show On Earth.

But it works, in a strange way -- the choppy, declamatory intro and outro actually reminds me of London Calling, so there you go. More evidence, if you needed it, of how much influence the Clash exerted on the "faraway towns" that the song celebrates.

[muppet hi fi]

Just a general shout-out (and a thank you) to Ralph. Always a pleasure reading you, man. As Prince would say - "Peace, love & hairspray"!