Digging Up The Bones of Strummer and Jones!

Product Description from Amazon

Cost £13.99

The Clash Hits Back features 33 of the band’s iconic tracks, across a two-CD set. The tracklisting is sequenced from the band’s legendary Brixton Fairdeal show in 1982 and contains the best studio recordings of the full set, plus eight additional iconic tracks. It comes with the original setlist, handwritten by Joe Strummer which he would tape to the back of his Telecaster before each gig. 

My Thoughts:
So, when I first saw this I got excited because I thought it was the first "official bootleg" release of a the final London shows of Mick Jones with The Clash. But, it's not that at all! Basically it's the studio versions of the setlist. Not wanting to sound like a total cynic here but it's almost like someone at the record company sat and put together a playlist on his iPod and then decided that they could make a few bucks by releasing it as an actual album!

I don't know what Joe would have thought of this but he did mention one time in one of his songs those immortal lines about 'Turning Rebellion Into Money' (White Man in Hammersmith Palais) and it seems that this is exactly what the release of this album is! 

There's also another release:

Price: £111.81

Product Description
The Clash's Sound System is the band’s re-mastered recorded works collected together for the first time. Contained within classic boombox packaging designed by Paul Simonon, this boxset contains the band’s five seminal studio albums in their original eight-disc format, newly re-mastered by The Clash; a further three discs featuring demos, non-album singles, rarities and B-sides; a DVD with previously unseen footage by both Don Letts and Julien Temple, original promo videos and live footage; an owner’s manual booklet; reprints of the band’s original Armagideon Times fanzine as well as a brand new edition curated and designed by Paul Simonon; and merchandise including dog tags, badges, stickers and an exclusive Clash poster.
Conceived and compiled by The Clash, Sound System is a significant and unique collection of the complete recorded works by the 20th century’s most influential British band. Greatly enhanced by the careful re-mastering rendering the original recordings more vital and crisp, it's all contained in Paul Simonon’s iconic design, with a selection of bonus material. 

 Tracklist: The Clash, Sound System box set

CD 1 The Clash

CD 2 Give ‘Em Enough Rope

CDs 3-4 London Calling

CDs 5-7 Sandinista!

CD 8 Combat Rock

CD 9 Sound System Extras 1
1. White Riot (Single version)
2. 1977 (B-side)
3. Listen (Capital Radio EP) / Interviews (Capital Radio EP)
4. Capital Radio (Capital Radio EP)
5. London’s Burning (Live B-side Remote Control)
6. Complete Control (Single version)
7. City Of The Dead (B-side)
8. Clash City Rockers (Original single version)
9. Jail Guitar Doors (B-side)
10. White Man In Hammersmith Palais (A-side)
11. The Prisoner (B-side)
12. 1-2 Crush On You (B-side Tommy Gun)
13. Time Is Tight (Black Market Clash)
14. Pressure Drop (B-side English Civil War)
15. I Fought The Law (Cost Of Living EP)
16. Groovy Times (Cost Of Living EP)
17. Gates Of The West (Cost Of Living EP)
18. Capital Radio (Cost Of Living EP)
19. Armagideon Time
20. Bank Robber (A-side)
21. Rockers Galore On A UK Tour (B-side)

CD 10 Sound System Extras 2
1. Magnificent Dance (12”) 5:36 (available on Singles box set)
2. Midnight To Stevens (Outtake)
3. Radio One (B-side Hitsville UK)
4. Stop The World (B-side The Call Up)
5. The Cool Out (US 12” B-side of The Call Up)
6. This Is Radio Clash (A-side)
7. This Is Radio Clash (B-side 7” – different lyrics)
8. First Night Back In London (B-side Know Your Rights)
9. Rock The Casbah (Bob Clearmountain 12” mix)
10. Long Time Jerk (B-side Rock The Casbah)
11. The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too (Outtake)
12. Idle In Kangaroo Court (Outtake listed as Kill Time)
13. Ghetto Defendant (Extended version – unedited)
14. Cool Confusion (B-side Should I Stay Or Should I Go 7”)
15. Sean Flynn (Extended ‘Marcus Music’ version)
16. Straight To Hell (Extended unedited version from Clash On Broadway)

CD 11 Sound System Extras 3 Extracts from The Clash’s first ever recording session at Beaconsfield Film School 1976. Recorded by Julien Temple
1. I’m So Bored With The USA
2. London’s Burning
3. White Riot
4. 1977 Polydor Demos – The Clash’s second recording session January 1977
Produced by Guy Stevens
5. Janie Jones
6. Career Opportunities
7. London’s Burning
8. 1977
9. White Riot Live at The Lyceum, London 28th December 1979
10. City Of The Dead
11. Jail Guitar Doors
12. English Civil War
13. Stay Free
14. Cheapstakes
15. I Fought The Law

Bonus DVD
Julien Temple Archive – 6:20
White Riot Interview – 7:10 Promo and interviews with Tony Parsons
1977 1:87
White Riot 1:48
London’s Burning 2:05 Sussex University 1977
I’m So Bored With The USA 2:14
Hate & War 1:94
Career Opportunities 1:42
Remote Control 2:73 Don Letts Super 8 Medley 11:40
White Riot 1:52
Janie Jones 1:73
City of the Dead 2:04
Clash City Rockers 2:15
White Man in Hammersmith Palais 2:53
1977 1:41
Clash On Broadway – 19:50
London Calling
This Is Radio Clash
The Magnificent Seven
Guns Of Brixton
Safe European Home Promo Videos
Tommy Gun 3:00
London Calling 3:20
Bankrobber 4:00
Clampdown (Live) 5:00
Train In Vain (Live) 2:10
The Call Up 3:10
Rock The Casbah 3:20
Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Live at Shea Stadium) 2:50
Career Opportunities (Live at Shea Stadium) 3:00

My Thoughts:

Well, in some ways this of course is better than the 'Hits Back' album above. But, (yes I know, I have too many "but's") there's still a lot of material that has already been released previously. The singles, A and B-sides came out in the excellent 'The Singles Box' in 2006. CD11and the DVD actually look like the ones to have. A few things have been available on bootlegs for awhile like The Polydor Sessions ('If Music Could Talk -Volume 1') and The Lyceum Show (Soundboard Bootleg) and so it's probably good seeing them finally on an official release. The live footage on the DVD sounds most interesting especially the 'Sussex University' and 'Don Letts' footage.
It's still a lot of money though, even with the little goodies of Poster, magazines thrown in.

This has to be the final word in repackaging The Clash though (somethings tells me that the remastered albums might end up being released individually!).