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Joe
Strummer (21.08.1952-22.12.2002)
The Sex Pistols may have been the first British
punk rock band, but
The
Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where The Pistols were
nihlistic, The Clash were fiery and idealistic, charged with righteousness
and a leftist political ideology. From the outset, the band was more
musically adventurous, expanding their hard rock & roll with reggae, dub,
and rap rockabilly among other roots musics. Furthermore, they were blessed
with two exceptional songwriters in
Joe Strummer and
Mick Jones, each with a
distinctive voice and style. The Clash copped heavily from classic outlaw
imagery, positioning themselves as rebels with a cause. As a result, they
won a passionately devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. While
they became rock & roll heroes in the UK, second only to
The Jam in terms of
popularity, it took The Clash several years to break into the American
market and when they finally did in 1982, they imploded several months
later. Though The Clash never became the superstars they always threatened
to become, they restored passion and protest to rock & roll. For a while,
they really did seem like «the only band that mattered»...
Source:
All Music Guide
- Bono, U2: «The Clash were the greatest rock band. They wrote the rule
book for U2.»
- Pete Townshend: «He was
a joy always. Even when he was depressed he was a joy. That heart of his always worked too hard. He's been
making great music lately. I will really miss him.»
- Moby: «Strummer had such a big heart and was without question one of
the most important musicians of the last 50 years. Can you even imagine a
world in which the Clash hadn't existed?»
- Pat Gilbert, MOJO
Magazine:
«On-stage, he was electrifying: spitting out his lyrics and jerking at his
beloved Telecaster as if a high voltage current was passing through him;
off-stage he was warm, funny and impassioned, always fascinated to meet
fans, talk politics, and share around his cigarettes and booze. It was a
way of communicating with his public that he kept up to the very end...»
Concert photography: © Helge Øverås. Must not be used without permission.
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