Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 278 - The Clash

With any artist or band that you like you can guarantee at some point in their catalogue that a live album is going to appear. With The Clash it never happened during their time together. I can recall having quite a number of cassettes of live performances from some of the shows that I had seen like the Lyceum Ballroom and the Music Machine but there was nothing official.

17 years after Combat Rock (or 14 if you count Cut The Crap) Epic Records released the first live album from The Clash!

In 1999, Strummer, Jones and Simonon cooperated in compiling of the live album From Here to Eternity and video documentary Westway to the World. From eight live concert performances they chose 17 (or 19 if you bought in on iTunes) songs to form a setlist that covered all spheres of their career from the Debut album to Combat Rock. It sounded like all the hallmarks of what could be a great album but what they ended up doing instead was rip various songs from those shows and edit them altogether into one set yet it all sounded a bit messy in places because at the different periods of time the band were shall we say "more musically polished" than earlier periods.

Their editing went a bit like this track by track: 

Complete Control - 1981(Bonds New York 13th June)

 London's Burning - 1978 (Victoria Park 30th April)

 What's My Name - 1978 (Music Machine 27th July)

 Clash City Rockers - 1982 (Boston 7th September)

 Career Opportunities - 1982 (Shea Stadium NY 13th October)

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais -

 1982 (Boston 7th September)

Capital Radio - 1980 (Lewisham Odeon 18th February)

City of the Dead - 1978 (Lyceum Ballroom 28th December), 

I Fought The Law - 1978 (Lyceum Ballroom 28th December)

London Calling - 1982 (Boston 7th September)

Armagideon Time - 1980 (Lewisham Odeon 18th February)

Train In Vain - 1981 (Bonds New York 13th June)

The Guns of Brixton - 1981 (Bonds New York 13th June) 

The Magnificent Seven - 1982 (Boston 7th September)

Know Your Rights - 1982 (Boston 7th September)

Should I Stay or Should I Go - 1982 (Boston 8th September) 

Straight To Hell - 1982 (Boston 8th September) 

iTunes Bonus

Drug Stabbing Time - 1978 (Lyceum Ballroom 28th December)

Janie Jones - 1982 (Boston 7th September)    

That's a lot skipping around. Some of the recordings featured also appear in the film Rude Boy. "London's Burning", "What's My Name" and "I Fought the Law" were instrumentally overdubbed to repair some technical deficiencies of the original live recording.

The other thing about this set is that it's played by two different line-ups with Terry Chimes taking over drums on all the tracks from Boston and the one at Shea Stadium. Topper Headon plays on the rest of the tracks.

Maybe I am just nit picking about all of this because overall it's actually not too bad and it sounded a lot better than the cassettes I used to have (I have loads in digital formats now of many shows including many of the ones represented on this album). 

I was glad that many years after this they finally released the Live at Shea Stadium set as an album in its own right as it gave a better picture of a live set from the band. 

Who knows maybe by the time the 40th anniversary of the release of say Give 'em Enough Rope comes around in 2018 that they might decide to release one of the three Lyceum Ballroom shows in full! They did release a few more live tracks from the Lyceum Ballroom on their mammoth Sound System Box Set in 2013:

Jail Guitar Doors (28th December)

English Civil War (28th December)

Stay Free (28th December)

Cheapskates (28th December) 

So obviously they do have a working copy of the full show. It's just a case of if Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon ever get around to bringing it altogether as an album in its own right!

 From Here To Eternity - The Clash

Epic

Produced by The Clash

Released 4th October 1999

UK Chart #13

US Chart #193

Personnel
The Clash
    Mick Jones - guitar, vocals
    Paul Simonon - bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals and rhythm guitar on "The Guns of Brixton"
    Joe Strummer - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar on "The Guns of Brixton"
    Topper Headon - drums
    Terry Chimes - drums on tracks "Clash City Rockers", "Career Opportunities", "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais", "London Calling", "The Magnificent Seven", "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay or Should I Go?", "Straight to Hell" and "Janie Jones".

Additional performers
    Micky Gallagher - organ on "Armagideon Time"
    Mikey Dread - additional vocals on "Armagideon Time"

Full Shows that tracks are taken from

Live at Music Machine, Camden

27th July 1978

What's My Name

Live at The Lyceum Ballroom, London

28th December 1978

City of the Dead, I Fought the Law, and iTunes bonus track Drug Stabbing Time.

Live at Lewisham Odeon

18th February 1980

Captial Radio and Armagideon Time

Bonds Casino New York

13th June 1981

Complete Control, Train in Vain and Guns of Brixton

Live at The Orpheum, Boston

7th September 1982

Clash City Rockers, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, London Calling, The Magnificent Seven, Know Your Rights and iTunes bonus track Janie Jones

Live at The Orpheum, Boston

8th September 1982
Should I Stay or Should I Go and Straight To Hell

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!