Customer Reviews

Burning London: Clash Tribute

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

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.

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 !

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.

I wish I would of read these reviews before I wasted my money on this CD. Someone may enjoy this, but it won't be a true Clash fan. Please, do yourself a favor, and pass this one by.

Please, don't buy this cd. It will make you regret the day you were born. When I first this compact disc, it made me want to cut my wrists. Fortunatly for me, I was in a music store, so I could go to the REAL clash section, get their first cd, and listen to it. It saved my life. As far as this cd goes...if the clash were jesus, then this is satan/aka mephistapheles, or maybe the anti christ. This is kryptonite to superman, it is a shower to a gutter punk. This cd should be banned, so it doesn't hurt anyone else. It really makes me wish that the united states didn't have freedom of speech, so it could be legally taken from the market by the government, and kept from polluting the minds of the children of america.

I've always found tribute albums to be somewhat strange but this one is awful. These cover songs do neither the Clash nor the artists covering the songs justice. Most of the artists on this album are fine in their own right and these cover songs are not their finest work. Third Eye Blind's "train in vain" and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Rudie Can't Fail" don't change the songs much and aren't as inspired as the original. It makes me wonder why they took the time to re-record them rather than just make a new clash compilation. 311's "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" is one of the few high points on the album and manages to rise above the soggy mess of the rest of the album. Ice Cube's "should I stay or should I go?" is also not quite so bad as the rest of the album for the mere reason that it is not attempting to sound like the original. However Cracker's hideous "White Riot" cancels these out. You may be able to understand the lyrics for the first time ever in this country cover but you'll wish you never had after hearing this version. If you want to hear the clash check out "london calling" "the clash" or " Combat Rock" and don't waste your time on "burning london"

THIS ALBUM IS HORRID. There are a few redeeming moments, such as The Urge's faithful cover of "Radio Clash" and the Indigo Girls acoustic punk "Clampdown", but Moby and Mack 10 are so bloody awful that I'm afraid to put this disc near my stereo. I still like the Bosstones after listening to this, but it made me hate the Afghan Whigs. Silverchair? Don't get me started....

Remakes are almost always a bad idea, whether it's in songs or films. There are exceptions (including coincidentally "I Fought The Law" remade by the Clash) but you won't find any on this tribute album.

The performers that try to stay close to the original end up watering it down in quality, and the ones who try to make the songs their own aren't as talented as the Clash and also end up with an inferior version. This whole CD puts me to sleep, except for the Ice Cube and Mack 10 version of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" which I confess I can't listen all the way through due to my intense dislike for rap.

Like all bad remakes, the only reason this one was put out was for money -- not to honor a great band! If you want to honor the Clash, buy one of their original albums and avoid from this tribute.

This album is so bad, words can't descirbe how terrible it is. If you want a true tribute in the spirit of The Clash, buy the Backlash CD instead.

1. There are A LOT of great artists who are significantly influenced by the Clash.

2. Few of them appear on this record.

3. If, after pouring their hearts and souls into five great records (and another two records' worth of loose ends), the end result of all the Clash's hard work is that we now have marginally talented artists like No Doubt, Silverchair, 311 and Third Eye Blind in their place, we are in VERY sad shape.

4. I enjoy the music of Rancid, hearing them cover a Clash song is kind of like listening to karaoke.

5. Moby, the Afghan Whigs, Cracker, and the Indigo Girls are accomplished artists who, in the true spirit of the Clash, chose to bring something new to the table. While few of their contributions to this record are essential (I would apply that label to the Afghan Whigs' "Lost In The Supermarket" exclusively), they are all sincere, heartfelt, and worth a listen.

6. There are many talented and creative people in the world, but few divinely inspired geniuses. Furthermore, it is quite rare that you can have four or five divinely inspired geniuses all conspiring on the same idea. Hence, it is VERY hard to cover a Clash song and not have it sound inferior to the original.

7. I see that you can get this used quite cheaply. While I would say this record [is not that good] big time if I were to apply the same criteria that I would judge a Clash record by, if I got it [inexpensive], I wouldn't complain.