Burning London: Clash Tribute

Indigo Girls | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 4, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000I925
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars doomed to failure, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Burning London: Clash Tribute (Audio CD)

The thing about the Clash was that they had such strong personalities that their songs transcended the notes on the page. A faithful rendering musically would lack that wonderful charisma that made them the greatest band in the world for the first 5 years of their career. (The last 2 years are best forgotten...) Almost none of these bands have got the charisma to pull off Clash songs. They wind up turning them into dull little jingles that sound as average as any of the slop most of these bands put out themselves. Just do yourself a favor and buy the genuine article. It doesn't get any better in rock than London Calling.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This CD makes me CRINGE, April 6, 2000

By 

EMILY (FLORIDA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning London: Clash Tribute (Audio CD)

This was absolute torture for me, being the huge Clash fan that I am. With each new song I actually cringed. I was so disgusted with this album. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" was completely butchered by Ice Cube and that other dude. What were these people thinking when they actually thought this album was good enough to release? It doesn't sound like a tribute album... it sounds like people trying to destroy the Clash !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only half of these bands do justice to the Clash, May 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning London: Clash Tribute (Audio CD)

Part of my disappointment with this album might be the fact that I had too high an expectation. I had high hopes for some great bands covering one of the greatest. But I don't think there is any way to cover the fact that most of the renditions are just plain boring. Here we have some of the most accomplished bands of the last few years, with modern technology and advanced musicianship, and they all come out flat. For Christ sakes, Paul couldn't even play bass and you couldn't make out 30% of what comes out of Joe's mouth, yet the original versions by the Clash really stand up well against these imposters. This isn't to say that the whole album is lousy: many of the songs, on their own, are listenable. But when you play them one after another, its a massacre. The Urge's version of "Radio Clash" is a stand-out gem, speeding up the original song and actually doing it with more energy than the original. The Indigo Girls slowed-down acoustic "Clampdown" and Moby's "Straight to Hell" take the original songs and make them their own, as opposed to doing them as the Clash would, which make them interesting and welcome additions. Rancid's "Cheat" and 311's "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" are brought on as the Clash would, making them the best of the rest. Now, the rest you can do without. The rest are poor, poor efforts, highlighted by Ice Cube and Mack 10 taking the opening guitar riff from "Should I stay or Should I go" and then treating us to yet another lovely soliloquey on doin', banging, and hangin' with "Ho's". I'm sure Mick and Joe are very pleased. Chuck Loparo and I did better version in a karaoke bar. Silverchair comes off as the one-hit wonders they were, making London's Burning unlistenable for the first time in history. Josh Bailey and I can do a better job with pots and pans from the kitchen. 3rd eye Blind, No Doubt, Afghan Whigs and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones all do a serviceable job, but the songs lack the vibrancy and earnestness of the originals. I hate to advise anyone against buying anything related to the Clash, but I'm afraid this album just isn't going to please many people. Do yourself a favor: if you don't have them, go get London Calling and Black Market Clash and listen to them for the next month to remember what a gem of a band the Clash were. And if you have them both, go pick up Cut the Crap or Earthquake Weather, Joe's post-Mick Clash efforts -- both are truer to the Clash than this tribute album.