December is a down month for rock music fans. On Dec. 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot to death. On Dec. 22, 2002, Joe Strummer, the punk genius behind The Clash, died quietly of a heart attack. Today is a somber anniversary for anyone who loved The Clash growing up or discovered Strummer’s later, excellent work with his new band The Mescaleros.
With The Clash, Strummer brought punk rock away from its nihilistic sensibilities (so well embraced by bands like The Sex Pistols) and proved it could be meaningful. “London Calling” expanded the style’s reach into other genres like rockabilly and reggae. It shows up frequently in “best of …” album lists because it is one of the best rock albums ever made.
After The Clash, Strummer continued indulging his appetite as a musical gourmand. He embraced everything and when he returned to recording albums in 1999 with his new band, The Mescaleros, Strummer threw it all into the recording mix.
He was that rare aging musician, one who had less interest in resting on his early triumphs and more in finding new ways to grow. As such, songs like “Johnny Appleseed” and “Bhindi Bhagee” sound nothing like his work with The Clash decades earlier.
Strummer saved some of his best work for last. 2003’s “Streetcore” has songs that revert to his punk days (“Coma Girl,” “Arms Aloft,” “All in a Day”) but it’s the album’s quieter moments that stand out: “Long Shadow,” a song written for Johnny Cash; the acoustic “Redemption Song”; and the album’s closer, “Silver and Gold,” where Strummer sings that “I’ve got to hurry up before I grow too old.”
It’s a painful reminder that Strummer, like Lennon, still had much to do.
If you get a chance, read Chris Salewicz’ biography of Joe Strummer, “Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer.” It’s a detailed look at the man, in all his complicated (and not always sympathetic) glory. In the meantime, enjoy this video of “Redemption Song”:
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