Formerly Known as The Rights of Fans
The Clash attacked the establishment with Remote Control, only to discover their own record company was controlling them. Their furious response, Complete Control, exposed the music industry's hypocrisy. The ultimate punk irony? CBS happily released the song condemning itself.
Nearly fifty years after The Clash recorded Cheat, its cynical message about inequality, dishonesty and getting ahead remains remarkably relevant. As young Europeans protest over housing, education and opportunities, this forgotten punk classic raises an uncomfortable question: has society really progressed, or are we still fighting the same battles?
Part two of my reinvention of every song on the iconic The Clash by The Clash classic album. Protex Blue.
How a gentlemen’s toilet in a West London pub may have inspired one of punk rock’s most famous songs, Protex Blue
A personal appreciation of The Ruts' classic Staring at the Rude Boys, the connections between punk, reggae and ska, and why The Crack remains one of the greatest punk albums ever recorded. by Chris Harris etc There are certain records that seem to encapsulate an entire period of British music within a few short minutes, … Continue reading Staring at the Rude Boys: The Ruts, Punk, Ska and One of the Greatest Singles Ever Recorded
by Chris Harris Few bands in modern music have had the cultural impact of The Ramones. In barely two and a half minutes at a time they changed the direction of rock music, stripping it back to its essentials and creating the blueprint for punk as we know it today. Their branding and underrated songs … Continue reading The Ramones: Punk’s Founding Fathers Who Couldn’t Stand Each Other
by Chris Harris In 1996 the Sex Pistols reformed and the reaction from large parts of the music press was swift and sniffy. Sell outs and hypocrites. A nostalgia act cashing in. The very name of the tour, Filthy Lucre, was treated as an open confession and therefore an open invitation for moralising by a … Continue reading The Night the Sex Pistols Blew Everyone and the Moralists Else Off the Stage. The 1996 Filthy Lucre Tour.
by Chris Harris There is a link to 5 other blogs I have written about The Clash at the bottom of the blog. When I was 18, two of my top five albums were London Calling by The Clash and Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned. More than 40 years on, both albums still sit … Continue reading How Wessex Studios Captured Punk’s Finest Moment: The Clash and The Damned (1979) at The Same Time.
by Chris Harris There is a link to 5 other blogs I have written about The Clash at the bottom of the blog. The Clash didn’t just make the bet music since the Beatles. They made rules. Rules about what a band could be, what it could refuse, and what it didn’t have to do … Continue reading Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Clash, Levi’s Ad, and the Day the Aura Cracked?
By Chris Harris There is a link to 5 other blogs I have written about The Clash at the bottom of the blog. There’s a reason The Clash feel different to almost every band that gets filed under punk, new wave, rock etc. Yes, they had politics by the bucketful. Yes, they had swagger, they … Continue reading The Clash’s Unwritten Rule: Every Great Song Has a Villain
The Stranglers played the Brighton Centre on the Feline Tour on the 17th of March, 1983. It was a day that, if there’s any justice, should be carved on my headstone. It was my first gig. At the time, I was in the first year at Haywards Heath Sixth Form College. My brother was in … Continue reading The Stranglers & Eight Idiots in a Mini Metro: My First Gig and a Near Death Experience.
https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.3542247602.9440/fposter,small,wall_texture,product,750x1000.u2.jpg Finsbury Park, London – Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th July, 1986. Seems a bit odd to write about a gig I went to 39 years ago. I can’t remember much about the performances—it’s all a bit of a blur, except Captain Sensible performing some of the set naked, but the events surrounding it are … Continue reading The Damned’s 10th Anniversary Tea Party: When Fate, Karma and Alcohol Collide. The Big D.
