The Clash: Live at Shea Stadium
Legendary Concert Recording Finally sees the official Light of Day
Dec 20, 2008
On paper, The Clash looked in fine shape as the high-profile support on the American leg of The Who's 'Farewell Tour'. Their Combat Rock album was performing well and the video for their catchy, oil-crisis single Rock The Casbah was a heavy-rotation hit on the fledgling MTV.
Behind the scenes, though, things were far from rosy. Inspirational drummer Topper Headon had been sacked due to his drug dependency and original sticksman Terry Chimes had been drafted in to fulfil The Who tour, including a massive show at New York's Shea Stadium. Within a further twelve months, the band's co-founder and guitarist Mick Jones would also be gone, taking The Clash's credibility with him.
The Clash Supporting The Who
All of which suggests this live album, recorded in the face of driving rain and jeering from The Who's faithful fanbase, would document the sound of a defeated band on their last legs. But not so. From their 'cultural advisor' Kosmo Vinyl's rabble-rousing introduction through to the bedlam a go-go finale of I Fought The Law, Live at Shea Stadium captures The Clash on fire, tearing through a strategic greatest hits set as if their lives depend on it.
London Calling to a Stadium Rock audience
It's a vivid, all-guns-blazing set. London Calling supplies a suitably dramatic call to arms; a roughed-up Magnificent Seven taps into the early '80s New York funk vibe and a scabrous Guns Of Brixton showcases The Clash's militant reggae-rock interface. The sound is tough and vibrant and frontman Joe Strummer is wired and chatty, even telling the crowd to “stop yakking” during a terse version of Police On My Back.
Combat Rock
There are some imperfections. Combat Rock's more experimental edge is all but ignored, save for the straight-ahead rock'n'roll kicks of Should I Stay Or Should I Go? and an anthemic Rock The Casbah, while Chimes can't always rival Topper's skill, ensuring Spanish Bombs and the dub reggae of Armagideon Time sound rather leaden. These are minor gripes, however: especially when you consider that songs like Clampdown and Career Opportunities have lost none of their fury and accuracy three decades on.
Live at Shea Stadium
Having done the rounds for years as a bootleg, Live at Shea Stadium (www.theclashonline.com) is a revelation as an official release. The previous live album From Here To Eternity was a disappointment, but The Clash's righteous passion rages full on here. It's a timely reminder that we probably won't hear their like again.
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