The Clash Discography in covers

Clash clash clash. ¡VIVAN LOS NORTEAMERICANOS DEL IMCT Y LAS BRIGADAS DEL CADILLAC NUEVO!
Heston
User avatar
God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
Posts: 38356
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: North of Watford Junction

The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Heston »

I'd like to start from the beginning with this crazy shit from 1993...

[youtube][/youtube]
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

dave202
Graffiti Bandit Pioneer
Posts: 1964
Joined: 07 Jul 2008, 7:56am
Location: Dundee Scotland

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by dave202 »

Heston wrote:I'd like to start from the beginning with this crazy shit from 1993...

[youtube][/youtube]
Thank heavens you didn't start with Jimmy Pusey! How about Edwyn Collins' '1977' for the b-side?

Heston
User avatar
God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
Posts: 38356
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: North of Watford Junction

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Heston »

dave202 wrote:Thank heavens you didn't start with Jimmy Pusey! How about Edwyn Collins' '1977' for the b-side?
There is an absolutely awful version by Sham 69 that I very nearly posted.

Ok, here's Edwyn...

[youtube][/youtube]

ps. any contributions to the thread are welcome but keep it chronological. ;)
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Toppers Boppers
User avatar
Long Time Jerk
Posts: 824
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 5:52am
Location: Gates Of The West (country)

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Toppers Boppers »

I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by matedog »

Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Heston
User avatar
God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
Posts: 38356
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: North of Watford Junction

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Heston »

matedog wrote:
Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by matedog »

Heston wrote:
matedog wrote:
Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
Just seemed really spirited and fun. Which are good components for any song for me. (Note I am referring to the & Friends version).
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

biopunk
User avatar
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 2666
Joined: 23 Aug 2009, 3:04am
Location: The Mountainous End of Canada

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by biopunk »

[youtube][/youtube]
Chewing oot a rhythm on my bubblegum

101Walterton
User avatar
The Best
Posts: 21973
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 5:36pm
Location: Volcanic Rock In The Pacific

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by 101Walterton »

Heston wrote:
matedog wrote:
Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
Really? I'm not sure what version is the 'with friends' version but the Babyshambles cover is great. If anything it is too true to the original.

Heston
User avatar
God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
Posts: 38356
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: North of Watford Junction

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Heston »

101Walterton wrote:
Heston wrote:
matedog wrote:
Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
Really? I'm not sure what version is the 'with friends' version but the Babyshambles cover is great. If anything it is too true to the original.
I'll re-listen later but I remember being unimpressed at the time.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

101Walterton
User avatar
The Best
Posts: 21973
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 5:36pm
Location: Volcanic Rock In The Pacific

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by 101Walterton »

Heston wrote:
101Walterton wrote:
Heston wrote:
matedog wrote:
Toppers Boppers wrote:I suppose Babyshambles & Friends is an obvious choice for Janie Jones.
That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
Really? I'm not sure what version is the 'with friends' version but the Babyshambles cover is great. If anything it is too true to the original.
I'll re-listen later but I remember being unimpressed at the time.
Better check we are talking same version. Very true to the original and with a fresh sound, Pete's vocals suit the song.

Rat Patrol
User avatar
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 15431
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 9:23pm
Location: A flat burning junkheap for twenty square miles

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Rat Patrol »

Just parse the non-bigoted and non-whiny posts from nsc's long-disused account to filter out the 400 worst Clash covers of all-time and trim this list to just the ones that aren't the absolute antithesis of life-affirming. :shifty:


Really, it kind of baffles me how few artists are able to pull off a competent Clash cover. Or make anything out of one in their own style. It's not like it's particularly sophisticated arranging, and The Clash always telegraphed their lifts from a mile away so it's all built on a foundation everyone's played before. I get that Joe's vocal style can be really hard to do do justice to, but this catalogue by all logic should serve up some great cover opportunities. After all the original band contributed a veritable murder's row of all-time great covers themselves done within in their playing range, so the original numbers ought to be similarly reworkable.


And yet, the results across-the-board skew so severely towards absolute blood vomit like Burning London. :yuck:

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by matedog »

101Walterton wrote:
Heston wrote:
101Walterton wrote:
Heston wrote:
matedog wrote: That's one of the few Clash covers I've heard that's actually quite good.
I thought it was pretty bad myself. No Hoyston on this one.
Really? I'm not sure what version is the 'with friends' version but the Babyshambles cover is great. If anything it is too true to the original.
I'll re-listen later but I remember being unimpressed at the time.
Better check we are talking same version. Very true to the original and with a fresh sound, Pete's vocals suit the song.
I have the actual single and there is a version that's just Pete that is good, but not quite as rambunctious as the & Friends version. This is the version I was referring to:
[youtube][/youtube]
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Heston
User avatar
God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
Posts: 38356
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: North of Watford Junction

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Heston »

matedog wrote:I have the actual single and there is a version that's just Pete that is good, but not quite as rambunctious as the & Friends version. This is the version I was referring to:
[youtube][/youtube]
Musically it's fine, I just don't like the vocals. Pete sounds like a simpleton at times, and a little bit German in places.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Dirty Harry
User avatar
Junco Partner
Posts: 493
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 7:44am
Location: Scotland

Re: The Clash Discography in covers

Post by Dirty Harry »

[youtube][/youtube]

Lost in the Supermarket with the Train in Vain drumbeat probably my favourite clash cover.
Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don't have any surface noise. I said, "Listen, mate, "life" has surface noise."


Post Reply