Something About England: Strummer/Jones (The Clash) song-by-song

Junco is the first serious example of why this album has a reputation as an over indulgent mess. Me, I like a few albums where this allegation is attached to it. The indulgence gives us a fleshed our version of a band that producers, managers and record labels would edit down when they are holding the upper hand.

Junco is not something I would prefer not to exist, it’s got a sloppy end of a long session vibe. I don’t just mean a recording session either! It’s very very loose. Is everything good n tune? Is that fiddle in tune? I doubt it, but for me this song has enough charm to warrant a decent 3/5

 

Junco Partner
Initially it seemed "overproduced" to me with all that instrumentation, violins, harmonica, keyboards... however I ended up liking it with time and some listening. I like the sound of Mick's rhythm guitar and Mike Gallagher's keyboard accompaniment although I don't feel comfortable with that violin there. Still sounds like The Clash for sure
The old version by 101'ers doesn't really seem memorable to me, unlike the one recently recorded by Joe Strummer, which is magnificent (which really deserved to be on the Strummer 001 compilation)
It's not bad after all...
4/5

 

Excellent, although I have my doubts if this is an acoustic guitar or the telecaster on the clean channel...

 

Junco Partner 4/5 Introduced me to more musical genres. Great tune.

 

It's been so long since I heard Junco Partner that I only realised through this thread that it will have been the first time I heard the Roots Radics. I have quite a lot of music with them on now.

 

Magnificent 7- 5/5. Great tune, one of my favorites from this album.

Hitsville UK- 4/5. Had no idea what the lyrics truly meant until reading some posts here! Always thought this was a strange but good song.

Junco Partner- 3/5. I never enjoyed this one much. I won’t skip it, though.

 

Junco Partner - 4

Another really good reggae cover, just not at the heights of most of the others they've done. Bonkers production is a big plus. As I indicated earlier only that simple drum pattern really lets it down. Compare with the complexity and feel Topper added to Armagideon Time. I had thought this was Topper and this was the centre of my theory that he was down on his game on this LP. I'll have to revisit that over the rest of the album but my notes from last week's full listen mention it a few times. I have zero issues with Joe's vocal here. Again the LP is marked with some passionless vocal performances so to have him sounding committed is just fine.

 

A bit late, I know, but I always thought they'd been listening to this when they played those opening guitars on London Calling.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Walk On The Water

 

Also weeks late but...
Disappointed in the general dislike for Wrong 'Em Boyo.
I love it.
It's a great mash-up of The Rulers, Stagger Lee and Sea Cruise, a classic of New Orleans R&B.
Huey Piano Smith recorded it first, tho Frankie Ford had the bigger hit using the same backing track with added sound effects.
Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise

 

Got busy with the holiday and missed a few days.

Junco Partner: 4/5
I like this one. I like the weird, loose feel and the probably out-of-tune violin. This will become a theme, but I like a lot of the stuff that people will want to cut off the album. I had no idea the Roots Radics were on this. Not that I knew who they were when I first heard this, but I certainly know who they are now. I'm also a big fan of Style Scott's work with Dub Syndicate.

(Magnificent Seven: 5/5
The only song on this album that I can honestly say I liked from the first. It's got a great groove and Joe's rap is pretty competent.

Hitsville UK: 3.5/5
I didn't know what to think of this the first time I heard the album. I didn't care for it initially, but it's grown on me and it's quite catchy. )

 

I believe Joe was a Fogerty fan.

 

Junco Partner - 4/5 - This is a fun cover and the burbling electronics make it sound like an authentic 80s reggae record.

 

Our votes for "Junco Partner"
1-3
2-3
3-7
4-16
5-2
Average: 3.28871

 

Today's song is "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe", written by Topper Headon (Music) and Joe Strummer (Lyrics) and credited to The Clash. Produced by The Clash with an uncredited Mikey Dread. Engineered by Bill Price.

The Clash – Ivan Meets G.I. Joe Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
Background:
A comic Cold War tale in which the US and Soviet Union's "Ivan" is framed as a dance-off.
This is the only Clash song to feature lead vocals by Topper Headon, who wrote the music. Mick had once said in an interview that people would rather dance than make war, and that may have inspired the lyric.
Line Up:
Topper Headon: lead vocals, drums percussion...keyboards/synths/sound effects?
Mick Jones: guitar, synths, sound effects?
Joe Strummer: backing vocal
with
Mickey Gallagher: keyboards
Davey Payne, Gary Barnacle: saxophone
Rick Gascoigne: trombone
Arthur Edward "Bill Barnacle: trumpet
Norman Watt Roy, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and/or J.P. Nicholson: bass guitar

"Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" was included on

• The Essential Clash (2003)

"Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" was featured in The Clash's live sets up into 1982, while Topper remained with the band.

 

Ivan Meets GI Joe - 1

1 for the sound effects, for which I'll use the word bonkers for the second song in a row. I'll prosecute the case against all the genre hopping. Here's one of the best rock bands ever, and a pretty damn good reggae band - why would I want to listen to second or third or fourth rate ventures into other genres. It's dilettantish, and I don't feel invited in. If I want disco I'll listen to something sublime like Lost In Music. Not that this song is even disco. Topper should have shut his trap and stuck to his traps. And that chorus is really, really bad.

 

I think that the video game effects and general chaos of the song is one of those songs that I think kind of capture the bustling energy of New York, where when they recorded the basic track, that's how I see it. They also do serve to clutter up the song in a way that makes it harder to appreciate...and it's not that great a song anyway, truth be told, though it's OK. The lyrics are mildly amusing and certainly intelligent, Topper's voice is character-free but good enough, and the track is just kind of nuts.

This, again, was one of the 12 tracks on the promo sampler, so I can imagine in an alternate reality in which Sandinista! is pared down, to one or two albums, it makes the cut, which seems incredible to me because it, like "Junco Partner" is as B-sidey as B-sides get.

Another song I hated for years but gradually came around to and now I enjoy it.

This does not sound like disco to me at all, just art rock, New Wave style. Maybe Topper's original vision was more disco-ish, or with the piano (which he may have played) maybe it was some Calypso or vaguely Latin thing or something. Hard to tell with all the explosions and laser guns. I know that that many of the Sandinista! multi-tracks are damaged or destroyed, but it sure would be nice to hear an alternate mix without any sound effects.

3.5/5

 

Ivan is a track I would have relegated to a b-side. Don't mind the space invaders effects but the chorus is very weak and Topper's singing does it no favours.

2/5

 

Ivan - I don't have any issue with this in the context of Sandinista's radio-like procession of tracks. 3.5/5

It probably isn't a track I would play in isolation but I enjoy it on the album.

 

Interestingly, or not lol, Mick would soon start producing Theatre of Hate, a band I loved at the time. The Westworld album has real touches of Mick in the production as do some of the 'dub' versions on their 12" singles.

Anyway, their big hit was 'Do You Believe In The Westworld' which lyrically covers the same theme as Ivan, this time the USA Russia conflict framed as a cowboy vs a bear.

 

Grrrrr.
He should have stuck to drumming.
It would have been better with (GI) Joe singing.
Could do with the Game Over sound effect at around the 21 second mark.
Even better if the multi track was damaged beyond salvation before the LP was pressed.
1.

 

3.5/5

 

Remember this?

I loved it.

 

Good Call Lance , There was this label called Ze Records in NYC at that time , just releasing bands doing that kind of sound , maybe Topper got influenced ?
But Ivan gets a 2/5 for me , never warmed up to the song

 

This stuff reminds me of the beatles playing stuff like Maxwell Silver Hammer and ****. I just kind of think... why

 

Ivan Meets GI Joe - 2/5

(The Magnificent Seven - 5/5)
(Hitsville UK - 2.5/5)
(Junco Partner - 4/5)