Customer Reviews

Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited

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For those who don't know, the 101'ers was the band that Joe Strummer led before he formed the Clash with Mick Jones, Paul Simonen and Terry Chimes.

I used to have the "Keys To Your Heart" single many years ago and I remember loving it. Little did I know that there were this many recorded tracks of the 101'ers, and I, for one, am ecstatic.

It's not as "punk" as the Clash, but it's still rough, driving rock with great hooks and Joe Strummer's signature vocals on top. If you are a Clash fan, you really owe it to yourself to get this great collection.

This album is so good I almost want to refer to it as the finding of the Punk Rock Holy Grail.

As a fan of the late, great Joe Strummer -- not just as singer-guitarist of the legendary punk band the Clash (1976-1985), but also as frontman of the world-beat combo the Mescaleros (1998-2002) -- I was ecstatic to learn that this compilation of studio and live recordings by his mid-1970s pre-Clash pub-rock outfit, the 101'ers, would be released Stateside. I knew the disc would be worth getting for the historical value alone -- but what about entertainment value?

Not to worry -- this thing *rocks*. Although Strummer and company didn't have the musical chops of their pub-rock peers (Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, etc.), the band's overall sound amply illustrates Strummer's affection for early rock 'n' roll and R&B -- not only in covers of classics by Chuck Berry ("Maybelline") and Bo Diddley ("Don't Let It Go"), but also in self-penned tunes like "Surf City" and "Silent Telephone." The first song Joe ever wrote, the giddy "Keys to Your Heart," is included here in both the raw 1976 single version and a poppier BBC re-recording. Clash lovers will most certainly recognize "Junco Partner" (an R&B cover that Joe later reworked into a pair of dub-reggae numbers on the 1980 epic Sandinista!) and "Lonely Mother's Son" (later rewritten as the "Clash City Rockers" B-side "Jail Guitar Doors"). "Lonely Mother's Son," by the way, is one of the first overtly political songs by Strummer; I must also mention "Rabies (From the Dogs of Love)," a wry comment on sexually transmitted diseases, and "Sweety of the Saint Moritz," an early demonstration of Joe's punk anger (about having to contend with a lousy club and its shady owner).

Okay, so the sound quality on EAB (Revisited) varies noticeably between the studio and live cuts. And as Joe sings, he often rushes his words together, rendering them unintelligible (but then, I could also say the same for many of his performances on the first two Clash albums and his 1988 solo record Earthquake Weather). These flaws aside, however, this disc holds up as a fascinating and often fun document of rock 'n' roll history.

This is a great release. Too bad it wasn't released when Joe was alive. This a great archive for not only Joe Strummer/Clash fans but for those interested in the history of underground music. It is very interesting to hear echo's and threads of the 101'ers in Streetcore. Many of these 30 year old 101'ers songs have more energy and vitality than much of what is released today. Letsagetabitarockin'....

The chances are good that most people who will look to get this CD are Clash fans or Joe Strummer fans and as such, they will be pleased to know that this CD has some highlights that make it worth owning. The first cut on the CD, "letsgeatabitofrockin'" is a righteous rocking cut that has Joe channeling early Lennon and McCartney though instantly recognizable as the future voice of The Clash.

Included is an early version of "Junco Partner" and the keen ear will recognize bits of songs that ended up being used on other Clash tunes (vocal line to "Julie's in The Drug Squad" and "Jail Guitar Doors").

There are a number of live cuts here - A Van Morrison cover - It's little wonder that most punkers chose to cover "Gloria". It's a simple song to play but Strummer's band is more than capable of moving beyond the three cord formula which they prove on their fast and rollicking version of Maybellene and their version of The Stones' "Out Of time".

The CD is an interesting footnote to Strummer's career and I'm glad to have found it but it's not as good as the first 4 Clash CDs are (not much out there is) and Joe became much, much better after forming the Clash. Perhaps that's why very few of these songs were ever cannibalized for the Clash catalogue.

Bottom line is this: Worth owning for all Clash, Strummer and diehard punk and rock 'n roll fans. Everyone else should move on to something else (like the first 4 Clash, first 4 Ramones, first 10 Rolling Stones, etc).

If you're a Strummer fan who is an historical completist then you'll want this disc. Also, there are some really good tunes on here for anyone, particularly Joe's "Keys to Your Heart". Some of the live material here is high quality and some is not. This is likely not a CD you will listen to over and over again as you would artists who are fresh. But, I'm just glad this finally appeared on disc as I've always wanted to hear it and as a Joe fanatic, I had to have it. There's moments here that sound like a rough draft of JS and the Mescaleros, but also moments of pure rock 'n roll circa mid 70's with some great guitar solos. If Joe had not been where UK punk started after this band there's no telling what he would have done but you can be sure he'd have kept playing in a band. I'm a huge Clash and Strummer fan, but I rate this 4 stars more for its historical significance than for the actual quality and uniqueness of the content.

great pub rock and general rock from this pre clash outfit from the mid 70s, this does not sound at all like th clash did but im sure this band played alongside all the london pub rock greats of the time with the likes of dr feelgood, kilboun and the high roads, eddie and the hot rods, and ducks deluxe as well as tyla gang, then again tyla gang did not start until 76 when the clash did,

During the brief existence in the 1970s, the group released one single - Keys to Your Heart b/w 5-Star Rock & Roll Petrol - before Joe Strummer left for The Clash.

The album is a re-release of the 1981 version, with additional tracks to chronicle everything the band recorded (21 total from the studio and live). The high-octane R&B gave the group a solid following on the pub scene, with a dozen total musicians making appearances in the ever-changing lineup.

Additional interest in the band was generated once Strummer achieved fame with The Clash, but the music shows the continuing roots of the British scene through R&B and the pre-punk work of a musician who became a standard-bearer for the new style that swept through the music industry.

Yep, hard to believe ANYTHING could be better than the Clash, but w/this release, the truth is in the hearing. First off, the production is great; Joe is in excellent form, and you can tell what a future leader in the punk movement he is even in the 101er's. Songs fit the classic British Pub Movement style; garage driven short tunes w/ear candy melodies that act like a consant cassette in your brain and cannot be ejected. More than some of their classmates in the pre-punk daze, Joe & Co. inject feeling, emotion, and energy that is captured on disk and blasted through your speakers. The hit Keys to Your Heart is here with many other classic sounding songs. Excellent

This record feels like a resurrection not only of the sound of original punk but of the man, Joe Strummer himself. The sound of the 101ers is every bit as fresh as his later work with The Mescaleros yet takes its place with the music of its time. Letsagetabitarockin, the first on the album, is a brilliant start to the collection. Overall this record is one that should be added to any avid Clash, punk, or in general rock 'n roll fan.

This is the first review of an album I've done on Amazon. I'm listening to it right now, and I'm just driven to tell everyone.... this is awesome! I love it. It is a must for fans of Joe Strummer. Don't expect The Clash. This is nothing like any Clash album. This is very Beatles-esque for the most part. It shows a lot of early, leather-clad rock influence.

BTW, I bought the club version, which is manufactured for BMG. I was worried about that a bit, but no longer. Sounds awesome, and the packaging is excellent, with liner notes and lyrics. I was also worried about the anti-piracy notes on the back which are not present on the non-club version. I burn backup copies of my cds not to pirate, but to use in my car. I have successfully burned a backup copy of this and other club cds.