Mark's Pick of the Week: Streetcore by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

I am a HUGE Clash fan, as anyone who is within shouting distance of me could gather. I think the Strummer-Jones song writing force was one of the most powerful in music history. Even after the Clash broke up (I still haven’t got over that) individually these two put out fantastic stuff. One the best things about their stuff was they were both putting out music they truly loved. Mick Jones was into post-punk, hip-hop and alternative dance, and was able to go on to be a huge influence on the genre.

Joe Strummer, on the other hand, was more interested in reggae, country, folk, punk and of course rock and roll. He was able to take all these and more and fuse them into some of the most commanding music ever. In his posthumous album “Streetcore” this healthy mix shines through with the musical gumbo, from covers of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and Bobby Charles’ “Silver and Gold” to “Long Shadow” a song he wrote for Johnny Cash, one of his idols. These songs stand along songs like “Arms Aloft” and the track I added “Coma Girl” which are equal parts music and lyrics.

It’s easy for me to say Joe Strummer left us way to early, leaving a lot of unsung songs on the table, but this album is a fantastic testament to Joe Strummer as a musical…idol, force, legend, I’m not exactly sure what to call him. It shows both his impulsive nature, as some of these songs contain first takes, and incomplete parts, and his worship of all things music, all walks, genres, and volumes.

Rest in Peace My Friend.