'White Men In Hammersmith Odeon'

Happy New Year!

I haven’t posted any live music in a while and it seems the new year would be a good time to get back into the habit. I had tried to plan this as a New Year’s Eve post, but other activities got in the way.

I picked this particular performance from the Clash because of its date. I was looking for an NYE performance and this December 27 show is the closest I could find. It’s actually from the 1979 Concerts for the People of Kampuchea benefit show. The Clash appeared along with Ian Dury and Matumbi on the second night. There is an official album from the four-day event, but only one Clash song, “Armagideon Time,” made its way onto that release. For the sake of my sanity, I’m not gonna post that here (although savvy readers may find a “bonus” track in the RapidShare DL).

A bit o’ background: The Clash had toured America in September and October of 1979, where they previewed some songs from the-then-unreleased London Calling LP. With that album fresh in the shops by the Kampuchea show, songs from it were much more prominent in the set list. Also of note is a revved-up ska-like version of “Bankrobber,” different from the soon-to-be-released single, which was more in the reggae style of its inspiration, Max Romeo’s “Public Enemy Number One.”

Clash City Rockers.mp3
Brand New Cadillac.mp3
Safe European Home.mp3
Jimmy Jazz.mp3
Clampdown.mp3
The Guns of Brixton.mp3
Train In Vain.mp3
Wrong ‘em Boyo.mp3
Koka Kola.mp3
White Man in Hammersmith Palais.mp3
Stay Free.mp3
Bankrobber.mp3
Janie Jones.mp3
Complete Control.mp3
Armagideon Time
London Calling.mp3

or – get it all in one shot here.

Labels: live music, punk, the Clash

posted by aikin @ 12:30 PM