2023/4 Albums Thing 369 - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros “Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years”
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An absolutely superb box set containing 7 LP’s that cover Joe and the Mescalero’s 3 studio albums and a double LP of demo’s, outtakes and rarities. There’s also a book explaining everything which includes unseen lyrics and art from Joe’s archive. It’s a beautiful and lavish collection.
I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing and how hard it hit me on 22nd December 2002 when I found out Joe had left us. The holy trinity in 1977 was the Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash. The Pistols were gone in the blink of an eye, my route led me to follow The Jam but of course The Clash were important, some said the only band that mattered. I never got to see The Clash but I did see Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, at The Fleadh in Finsbury Park in the summer of 2002. They were fantastic, they played “London’s Burning” and after the gig had finished my brother dragged me across the backstage area, shoved me into another dressing room and into the presence of Joe Strummer. After a brief exchange with him both our souls were filled with what I can only describe as joy. Miles and me were seen later that night skipping down the street to the off-license shouting “We met Joe Strummer”.
Miles was also responsible for my first hearing Joe & The Mescalero’s 2nd album “Global A Go-Go”. I was staying at his flat in Stoke Newington and he put a CD on and left the room. I was only halfway through what I now know is “Johnny Appleseed” before I was shouting “What the hell is this ? It’s fantastic!”. It’s my favourite of Joe’s three albums with the Mescalero’s and includes the stunning “Bhindi Bhajee” wherein Joe explains to a freshly arrived in London New Zealander, out looking for mushy peas, about all the fantastic culinary options available on the High Road (“Balti, bhindi, strictly Hindi, Dall, halal and I'm walking down the road, We got rock sole, okra, Bombay duck ra, Shrimp beansprout, comes with it or without…”) and then about his band and all the different musical styles they incorporate into their playing (“Ragga, bhangra, two step tanga, Mini-cab radio, music on the go…We got, Brit pop, hip-hop, rockabilly, lindy hop, Gaelic heavy metal fans, fighting in the road”). And that’s how the brilliant Joe Strummer tells us about the joys of the diverse communities and cultures we have on our little island and the great things they’ve bought to us, an anti racist song about food and music…it’s also a killer dance tune.
The Mescaleros first record “Rock, Art & The X-Ray Style” is quite dense, with influences from all the music from around the world Joe had introduced us to in his World Service radio show “London Calling”, something I still listen to every few months…and some snippets of which are woven into the groove laden “Midnight Jam” on his final album “Streetcore”. “…X-Ray Style” weaves dance music, reggae, Bhangra, cumbia, rock and roll and a myriad other styles into a coherent whole.
Joe’s final album “Streetcore” was unfinished when Joe passed away but the Mescalero’s completed it and we got to hear great songs like the beautiful “Ramshackle Day Parade”, “Arms Aloft”, “Burning Streets” and the Punk as hell “Coma Girl” (with which Bruce Springsteen opened his 2009 Glastonbury set as a tribute to Joe but the BBC have never shown).
The final 2 records make up “Vibes Compass (B-sides & Rarities)” mostly demo’s of tracks we’ve heard on the albums. I don’t really like collections like this as a rule. Demo’s rarely reach the heights that the final recorded versions do (that’s what demo’s are for after all) and unreleased songs are usually unreleased for a reason. The most interesting thing within is a cover of Johnny Rivers “Secret Agent Man” recorded for a film score in 2002 but never used.
We lost one of the true greats when we lost Joe Strummer, I still feel blessed to have had my very short time talking to him. This is a lavishly constructed, beautiful box set containing some incredible music and is a pleasure to own (I have one for sale in the shop if anyone is in need BTW).
Bhindi Bhajee - https://youtu.be/AYMPz0MEKco?si=M7iMUFNovXNOjzhH