Clash Tribute Overdue But Welcome

It's about damned time someone produced a Clash tribute album! I always wondered what the hold up was. Unfortunately this disc is not as powerful as I'd hoped it would be. The result is hit or miss. Ice Cube & Mac 10's rap update of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is creative (I'd call it genius were it not for the misogynist parts... someday Ice & Co. should look up the word "misogynist"). The Urge turns in a faster paced, heavier "This Is Radio Clash". My favorite track on this release is "Clampdown" as reworked by the Indigo Girls. I couldn't understand what Joe Strummer was singing on the original version (not until I tracked down a lyric sheet). The lyrics are quite audible in this I Girls version and, as a result, much more powerful. 311's "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" & The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' "Rudie Can't Fail" are very faithful to the originals, really only adding modern production values to the tracks. Moby & Heather Nova turn in a stirring rendition of "Straight to Hell". The rest of the package is average fare , with the exception of a couple total duds: Third Eye Blind (a band nowhere near as cool as its name) turns "Train in Vain" into yet another bland, soulless 3EB song; and Silverchair, a band light years away from Clash level talent and inspiration, has no business mucking up "London's Burning" the way it does.

Buy this one used or borrow it from a friend.

–Mattro

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