This time, the label - CBS - decided to "force" to work with a known and recognized producer. This will SANDY Perlmann producer, among others, BOC and DICTATORS worse according to some, the best according to others (including myself). Subsequently, the gentlemen of the staff expected a return on investment with particular, they hoped, good sales in the US market ... Alas, although qu'applaudi by the music press, it sold less well than the first, only Available import, the Americans clearly have not enjoyed the title "I'm so bored with the USA" ...
However, the result is a sound enough work, nothing to do with the self-titled album. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the personality of the group has been affected in any way, or even truncated. The tone that emerges is brutal, powerful and accurate which is a kind of improbable dichotomy between finesse and strength. And it works.
Never Sets of CLASH not have been as aggressive and violent in the hollow grooves. The sound has thickened, better worked out the guitar parts were dubbed, ended the obsolete and hungry texture present on the first effort. Here we hear here and there piano notes, sometimes the rhythm slows to better start then. The musicians have made enormous progress, which had the gift to irritate the first punk faction accused the group now know play. Needless to say, the supply of Topper HEADON is for many. Sandy PEARLMAN said of him that he was a DRUM MACHINE MAN épatait as his talent. Indeed, his performance is simply stunning, both on the pieces a tad watered as those disheveled. His strike force vies with finesse, so the removed tracks sound haloed a certain elegance, nor ever wheezy or nags. Paul Simonon, bassist, completed his side progress staggering if one considers that 18 months ago he could not play or very little. Listening at work on LAST GANG IN TOWN reveals him as a bassist (almost) accomplished. He will not cease to grow at the mercy of future productions of the gang.
As for the compositions, it is, for most of them, pearls housed in a sumptuous setting. The trilogy starting the album alone is worth the purchase of the disc! SAFE HOME EUREPEAN is the embodiment of the confluence of rock, punk and pop. Extraordinary piece whose single in the non publication remains a mystery, even heresy. Besides, it is the favorite title SPRINGSTEEN inherent in CLASH directory. The guitars are stretched to the extreme, the battering Topper HEADON incredible ... we imagine STRUMMER, foaming at the mouth corners, belching the text as if his life depended on it. At the end of the song, while the CLASH "weakening", it seems to move towards a peaceful tempo TOPPER remember the good memories of his new acolytes, casually, by making them understand that it is unique drummer's snare drum sounds in a glare of incredible sounds suitable for causing a racket that leaves the listener breathless and KO. English Civil War ensues, and identifiable melody of a thousand, and its low flipped and finally TOMMY GUN, morsel, that CLASH expedient to 1000 on time ... with a topper always master of his instrument, deploying a cheeky talent in his snare to sound like the final assault of an impregnable mountain!
Other titles are also commendable, including the famous STAY FREE and rhythmic illuminated choir that gives the piece a melody marking so pregnant auditory memory of the listener. JULIE's BEEN WORKING FOR THE DRUG SQUAD also deserves special attention because of its musical structure. The CLASH oscillate between SKA PUNK and energy for a convincing result. Societal themes are not forgotten either: racism, violence, exploitation, unemployment, youth friendship upset I tell you: this disc is fiery and alacrity remains probably what characterizes the best in that it is a great adjunct to the dubbed passion unfeigned pleasure. It is the anti room LONDON CALLING and marks a move away (just music) with PUNK to become what he has then ceased to be, namely a large ROCK group. The songs that I have not mentioned are also of excellent quality, with the exception of GUNS OF THE ROOF which is certainly not bad, but in my opinion suffers from too close to that of rhythmic CLASH CITY ROCKERS to be impeccable.
My rating: 4.8 / 5, note that I prefer the vinyl version, for the beauty of the object and the sound quality, unsurpassable in my opinion!
