If Music Could Talk

I don't know if if was ever unclear if any London SS material was recorded. At least Tony recorded some of it it seems. Now that's something I would love to hear.

From Tony's 21st Feb blog post:

"I made a tape on a little cassette recorder.. (actually probably the same one I used to record the SS 5 years earlier....)"

http://www.carbonsiliconinc.com/blogs.aspx

Mick seems to have recorded everything since day one, he's a self confessed hoarder, hence the "Exhibition". Whether he chooses to share, is entirely up to him. I'm not holding my breath though.

I think Teddy (?) said Mick was pretty adamant that wouldn't see light of day.

yeah, that doesn't suprise me :)

here's an interview with Matt Dangerfield (later The Boys)

http://www.theboys.co.uk/fintmattph.htm

About London SS

"Did you record anything?
Yeah, we recorded all the time in the studio. We used to rehearse there, which we recorded. A lot of the time we were jamming, trying out things. I think we used to do a couple of Flamin’ Groovies numbers. Also Mick had started writing songs, so we were trying out a few of them, and there were songs that I’d written. There are tapes, but I don’t know where they are to be honest. They just seemed to have disappeared."

Maybe Mick stole the tapes to ensure that they would never surface :)

As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

Flex wrote:As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

this definitely makes sense. but I would still love to hear it :)

x3em wrote:

Flex wrote:As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

this definitely makes sense. but I would still love to hear it :)

I doubt they have the pre punk bollocks we all imagine and hope for.

101Walterton wrote:

x3em wrote:

Flex wrote:As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

this definitely makes sense. but I would still love to hear it :)

I doubt they have the pre punk bollocks we all imagine and hope for.

Precisely.

Flex wrote:

101Walterton wrote:

x3em wrote:

Flex wrote:As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

this definitely makes sense. but I would still love to hear it :)

I doubt they have the pre punk bollocks we all imagine and hope for.

Precisely.

frankly I listen to all sorts of crap already so that does not bather me at all :)

snip of John Plain interview 8-23-2000:

Prior to joining the Boys I believe you were in London SS for a while and played drums?

"Yeah I did for about one gig I think. I wasn’t a drummer but I played with London SS and I also played drums in the first ever Generation X line up, well in the rehearsals at least. At that time nobody knew where they were going but it was great fun. I was also in a band with Mick Jones where he was writing all these pre-Clash songs and I played drums on those demos as well. I remember one day Mick turned up and instead of having his MC5 stripy trousers and hair down to his waist he had a ripped up suit with safety pins in it and short hair. I asked him what had happened and he said "It’s punk init"."

You mentioned that you played a gig with London SS?

"I don’t know whether it was actually as London SS but it was certainly the same line up. There was Mick Jones, Kelvin Blacklock, Matt, Tony James and I was on the drums. We played near Turnham Green station at an Art College and it was the first big stage I’d ever been on. I’m pretty sure it was London SS but you’d need to check that with Matt. It wasn’t punk; we were very glam and very New York Dolls-ish."

Were you involved in recording any demos with London SS?

"I’m not sure whether it was with London SS but I definitely played some guitar and some drums on Mick Jones’ first ever recordings. Mick Jones was really camping it up at that time in his pre-Clash days and we recorded some good stuff which was really interesting. I’m sure Matt must have them somewhere and they must be worth a fortune now."

Fuck Yeah,

"we were very glam and very New York Dolls-ish."

Jet Boys fly
Jet Boys gone
Jet Boy stole my baby

.
.

I did not know that London SS (or the same lineup with another name) actually played gigs. That was new to me. Cool.

Flex wrote:As thrilling as the recent TRAC demos are - and it part it's because I think they exceeded all expectations - I gotta say I think the London SS recordings are best left as a mystery. They have aura and mystique right now, and I'm not sure in the end we'd find the tradeoff worth it if we actually got some x-gen version of the recordings.

Glam punk sure it would be great even if it's lo-fi and The Derelics and The Delinquents, Little Queenie...... I think Mick taped over them all in the 80's with Grand Master Flash, The Furious Five etc.....Wack Attack!.

Mick and Tony have both got some tapes. I've never heard them and don't expect to.

TeddyB Not Logged In wrote:Mick and Tony have both got some tapes. I've never heard them and don't expect to.

I think they should get it out there. It deserves to be more than just myth and legend it's how UK punk started it's vital and important to the story of many bands forming. Some numbers like Fish made it to the first Damned album. COME ON LET'S HEAR IT.

Is it definite that "Ooh Baby Ooh" is actually The Clash? I always thought it might have been a London SS, or some kind of Mick Jones demo that got labeled as The Clash on bootlegs just because they re-used the music for Gates Of The West.