Album Review

By the time The Clash released Combat Rock in 1982, the band was on the verge of total collapse. The group had let go of a phenomenal drummer, Topper Headon, due to his growing addiction to heroin. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the band were at war as well. Singer/guitarist Joe Strummer and bass player Paul Simonon were becoming increasingly annoyed with the antics of guitarist/singer Mick Jones. The punk rock band that had taken flight in 1977 was suddenly falling apart after a remarkable five year run. How many other bands can cram three single, one double and a triple LP into such a short lifespan? This group was truly amazing.

Like many Americans, the Combat Rock era of the band was my first taste of The Clash. I was a seven year old kid who had just received the golden key to the at-home version of the visual rock experience (in other words my household was now subscribing to basic cable and getting MTV). I saw the videos for “Rock The Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” and thought to my seven year old self, “Yeah, these guys are cool.”

Unbeknownst to my young cranium, the latter of the two videos was shot at Shea Stadium on a night when the band was opening for The Who, a group I am certain my seven year old self had never heard of. The one lead singer had a crazy haircut, and they were playing to a stadium full of people, so I figured thousands of peeps really dug Mohawks.

So now, 26 years later, The Clash Live At Shea Stadium finally sees the light of day as an official release. The album is without a doubt a remarkable document of a time and a sound, but it probably falls short of harnessing the same fiery energy that Live From Here To Eternity, the previous live Clash compilation, captured so well. But, of course, that album’s content was hand-picked from every Clash show ever put to tape – it even included the excellent version of “Career Opportunities” found on this disc. So, in a way, that compilation cheated. This single night showcase, October 13th, 1982, to be exact, is impressive because it shows how powerful this band could still be even while on life support.

The most glaring omission from the songs on this live set is the drumming of Topper Headon. When he was dismissed, the band re-enlisted original drummer Terry Chimes to keep the beat. It is not often in rock and roll when the return of an original member is greeted with a collective “Uhhhhhhhhh?” That must have been what thousands of fans were thinking when this swap took place. Any fan of the Clash know that the group grew by leaps and bounds once the multi-talented Headon came into the picture. His skilled drumming paved the way for the band tackling diverse styles such as reggae, rockabilly, and even early hip-hop. It’s tough to imagine the brilliant London Calling could have been birthed without Headon’s easy ability to bounce between styles.

So, in an almost fitting way, The Clash that opened for The Who on this night in 1982 was more of a muscular rock machine, and the band very much played to their strengths. The set opens with the one two punch of “London Calling” and “Police On My Back,” two rockers that succeed at churning out the riff-rock to the jaded Who crowd. Next up is Simonon’s signature song, “The Guns of Brixton,” which, even without the superior drumming of Headon, succeeds as well.

“Tommy Gun” is the first sign of the deficiency on the drum stool. The crisp snare rolls in this song are its greatest asset, and while Chimes is competent, he just doesn’t nail them like Headon did. The next song is the multi-ethnic fun-pack of early hip-hop groove, “The Magnificent Seven” with the reggae-tinged “Armagideon Time” sandwiched in the middle of it. Strummer gave it the proper introduction, “We’d like to take you to New York and Jamaica and back.” It does exactly that.

Perhaps the most jarring track on this collection is up next – “Rock The Casbah.” Minus the piano part (how could you do this song such injustice as to not play it with that hook!?) the song comes across as more of a typical rocker – good, but certainly not great. They were playing Shea, you’d figure the band could have sprung for a keyboardist to fill that void!

Besides the aforementioned “Career Opportunities,” the next four song block is comprised primarily of London Calling tracks. “Train In Vain” and “Spanish Bombs,” even though the latter is almost unrecognizable at first, both succeed, but, surprisingly, the all-out rocker “Clampdown” seems almost plodding at points. It just doesn’t have the juice and the breaks seem to suck too much energy out of the song. Plus, did the original really have this much cowbell? Does this song actually need this much cowbell? No more cowbell Terry!

The set’s true wildcard has to be the first of the trio of closers. “English Civil War” was a great choice for The Who’s crowd since it’s traditional structure is instantly recognizable, plus it’s a good fit for Chimes. Next up is the legendary performance of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” which, of course, is stellar. The disc is rounded out by the classic “I Fought The Law,” which, even back in 1982, The Clash were basically owning.

They may have fought the law and won, but the group didn’t fare so well when faced with their own version of an English civil war. It would be less than a year before The Clash would play their final show with Mick Jones and, basically, (sans the pathetic Cut The Crap) were done as a band. Live At Shea Stadium will serve as the definitive document of the live, late-era Clash, on the biggest tour of their career. Most of the world was just finding out about “the only band that matters” when they were in the process of falling apart. I’m glad I’m old enough to at least remember the videos.

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