John Graham Mellor, known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash's second studio album, Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Soon after, they achieved success in the US, starting with London Calling (1979) and peaking with Combat Rock (1982), which reached No. 7 on the US charts and was certified 2× platinum there. The Clash's explosive political lyrics, musical experimentation, and rebellious attitude greatly influenced rock music in general, especially alternative rock. Their music incorporated punk with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, and rockabilly.
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, and rap. For the first time, the band's songs were credited to the Clash as a group, rather than to Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.
The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s playing mostly in a rockabilly style, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton, under the name 'El Huaso and the 101 All Stars'. The name would later be shortened to the '101 All Stars' and finally just the '101ers'. The group played at free festivals such as Stonehenge, and established themselves on the London pub rock circuit prior to the advent of punk.
The Mescaleros were the British backing band for British singer, musician and songwriter Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which issued three albums prior to Strummer's death in 2002.
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and the same year was named one of the 500 "Songs that Shaped Rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cut the Crap is the sixth and final studio album by the English punk band the Clash, released on 4 November 1985 by CBS Records. It was recorded in early 1985 at Weryton Studios, Munich, following a turbulent period: co-founder, lead guitarist and co-principal songwriter Mick Jones and drummer Topper Headon had been dismissed by lead vocalist Joe Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon. Jones and Headon were replaced by three unknowns: guitarists Vince White and Nick Sheppard and drummer Pete Howard. During the tense recording sessions, Clash manager Bernie Rhodes and Strummer fought each other for control over the band's songwriting and musical direction.
"Redemption Song" is a song by Jamaican singer Bob Marley. It is the final track on Bob Marley and the Wailers' twelfth album, Uprising, produced by Chris Blackwell and released by Island Records. The song is considered one of Marley's greatest works. Some key lyrics derived from a speech given by the Pan-Africanist orator Marcus Garvey titled "The Work That Has Been Done", which Marley publicly recited as early as July 1979 during his appearance at the Amandla Festival.
From Here to Eternity: Live is a live album by English punk rock band The Clash, released on 4 October 1999 through Epic Records. The album's songs were selected from various Clash concerts recorded between 1977 and 1982. Some of the recordings featured also appear in the film Rude Boy (1980). "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.
Earthquake Weather is the first non-soundtrack solo album by former frontman of The Clash, Joe Strummer, released on 20 September 1989. The album was well received by critics, but was not a commercial success. The majority of the album was recorded in Los Angeles, California in 1988 and 1989, as evident from the cover photography and design by Josh Cheuse.
Global a Go-Go is the second album by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros, released on 24 July 2001. As the title suggests, there are world music influences on the album, mostly on the title track and "Bhindi Bhagee", a celebration of the "humble" but diverse and exciting ethnic and multi-cultural areas of London and other major cities. The album is heavy on acoustic instruments, especially in the instrumental "Minstrel Boy", a nearly 18-minute-long arrangement of a traditional Irish song. Other topics covered include Strummer's radio show, which was broadcast on the BBC World Service and left-wing political issues Strummer was well known for expounding as a member of The Clash. The album was well received by critics and fans, making much more of an impact than the group's previous effort Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. The title track, "Global A Go-Go", features backing vocals from longtime friend of Strummer, Roger Daltrey. Pete Townshend is also rumoured to be buried in the mix of "Minstrel Boy", but this has never been positively confirmed. The cover-art for the album was designed by Josh Shoes and Strummer.
Hell's Ditch is the fifth studio album by the Pogues, released on 1 October 1990, and the last to feature frontman Shane MacGowan as a member.
Tymon Dogg is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Dogg's career started early with shows at the Cavern and Peppermint Lounge in Liverpool when he was 15. As well as pursuing a solo career, he collaborated with many bands and musicians including The Clash, and was a member of Joe Strummer's last band, The Mescaleros.
Rock Art and the X-Ray Style is the debut album by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, released on 18 October 1999. This album featured the band in its first incarnation: Joe Strummer and Antony Genn on guitar and vocals, Martin Slattery playing keyboards and guitar, Steve "Smiley" Barnard on drums, Pablo Cook on other percussion instruments, and Scott Shields on bass. Richard Flack also did engineering on the album.
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.
Scott Shields is a Scottish film composer, musician and record producer, best known as a member of Joe Strummer's band The Mescaleros.
"Death or Glory" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash featured on their 1979 album London Calling. The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones and features Strummer on lead vocals. The song was written about the previous generation of rock stars who swore that they would die before growing old. French rock critic Philippe Manoeuvre called it a "parody of Thin Lizzy".
Distractions is the third EP and latest record by American punk rock band The Loved Ones. It is an EP that consists of three original songs and three covers. The covers are "Johnny 99" by Bruce Springsteen from his 1982 album Nebraska, "Lovers Town Revisited" from Billy Bragg's 1983 album Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy, and "Coma Girl" by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros from their 2003 album Streetcore. "Spy Diddley" and "Lovers Town Revisited" are taken from the band's Keep Your Heart album sessions.
Live at Acton Town Hall is a live recording of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros in performance at Acton Town Hall in London in 2002. It was first released in 2012 as a Record Store Day exclusive – a vinyl double LP in a limited number of 2,200 copies. The show was recorded directly off the mixing desk by fans who, with foreknowledge of Mick Jones' plans to attend, anticipated some kind of onstage reunion of the former Clash songwriting partners. The recording circulated for many years just amongst a small group of fans who knew of its existence before surfacing a decade later at Hellcat Records.
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: The Hellcat Years is a MP3 digital download album consisting of the entire remastered catalog of music that was recorded by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros during their tenure with Hellcat Records from 1999 to 2003.
Joe Strummer 001 is a career-spanning compilation album by the English musician Joe Strummer. The 32 song album was released on 28 September 2018 by Ignition Records and features 12 previously unreleased songs, as well as known favourites from his recordings with the 101ers, the Mescaleros and his extensive soundtrack work along with alternate versions of previously released songs. The album was preceded by the singles "London Is Burning", one of the last songs Strummer recorded before his death in 2002, and "Rose of Erin", an unreleased song used in the 1993 film When Pigs Fly.
