Joe Strummer (from the album Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years

Joe Strummer (from the album Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years

Joe Strummer (from the album Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years available on Casbah Productions/Dark Horse Records/BMG)
Joe Strummer would have celebrated a 70th birthday on August 16, 2022. Joe’s spit and snarl said that Punk Rock was more than a fashion statement; the songs from the band he co-founded, The Clash, political headlines for a global community of disenfranchised Rock’n’Rollers. The Clash broadened the scope of Punk through a series of releases, adding a Roots, Rock, Reggae beat to the music of their 1977 self-titled debut. The Clash embraced every aspect of Rock’n’Roll over their 6 studio albums, five of which are classic releases for the music world of the period while their final release, Cut the Crap (1985), limped into the world in an attempt to keep the ship sailing. Between 1977 and 1982, The Clash produced five studio albums that changed possibilities for Rock music. For Joe Strummer, resting on his past accomplishments was out of the question, never even a remote consideration. Celebrity was never a good fit for Joe, though the benefits of fame allowing him creative control can be heard on Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years. For Joe, his motivation and catalyst were clear, he felt that ‘all that’s happening for me now is just a chancer’s bluff. I learned that fame is an illusion and everything about it is just a joke. I’m far more dangerous now, because I don’t care at all’.
 
Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years is the first comprehensive collection focusing on the post-Clash years for Joe Strummer. Four discs, three discs dedicated to studio time with The Mescaleros, disc number four collecting 15 never-heard studio takes that were shelved, such as the bands cover of “Secret Agent Man” and “Oceans of Rain” with Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) on guitar. For fans, a stripped-down recording of just Joe and acoustic guitars for a stunning demo of “The Road to Rock’n’Roll”, the take showcasing his connection to the music while a slightly caffeinated hyper-groove pumps up the “Get Down Moses” outtake. While not as widely known or even heard, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros continued the bite of Joe Strummer for a catalog of songs recorded between 1999 and 2002. Favorite tracks (“Tony Adams”, Coma Girl”, “Mondo Bondo”, “Johnny Appleseed”) from the period are included as well as a quietly reverent cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” are found within the finely curated compilation of Joe Strummer’s time as a Mescalero.
 
Listen and buy the music of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros from AMAZON
 
Please go to the Joe Strummer website for more purchase and artist information