Final Message from a Punk Icon

Joe Strummer is best known for his work with punk rock band the Clash. The Clash was known not only for its overt political slant in songwriting but also in its catchy punk riffs, making them one of the more popular punk bands of that era. Strummer wrote, sang, and played rhythm guitars on their records. Strummer also played solo as well as with other bands, including his most recent band, the Mescaleros.

Strummer died in December 2002 of an undiagnosed heart condition, but his legacy has continued on. The Clash were inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, and his tunes have been covered by many modern rock bands. At the time of his passing, he and the Mescaleros were putting together an album that was ultimately released under the name Streetcore.

# 175 – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Streetcore (Metascore = 85)

The album opens with “Coma Girl”, a quiet rocker that to me seems like his excursion with this girl that’s a part of the acid pack at a festival. “Get Down Moses” has a cool reggae beat to it and brings in religious elements to the story. The odd thing here for me is the timing biblically. Moses’ time was before Elijah, yet the song is titled “Get Down Moses”. The title sure rolls off the tongue better. Nevertheless, the song seems to survey the scene of sinners on the streets.

“Long Shadow” was written specifically for Johnny Cash; unfortunately, Mr. Cash passed away before Strummer could pass this along to him. But Strummer’s take here is a wonderful take that has the spirit of Johnny Cash and would be worthy of Cash’s song catalog. “Arms Aloft” is a call to a friend to pick his head up, that we still have that fire in us to live even when things are a drag. “Ramshackle Day Parade” is supposedly about the events on 9/11/2001, but I didn’t really get that at all (nor did I like the song all that much). “Redemption Song” is a cover of the Bob Marley tune and is Strummer by himself.

“All in a Day” is a cool rocker that has some cool guitar effects and good lyrics. “Burnin’ Streets” sounds like a Coldplay song that to me talks about struggling to survive with economic woes, civil problems, and political battles waging. “Midnight Jam” is a jam with different spoken words from Strummer during the song. The song has a cool groove to it. The album ends with “Silver and Gold”, an acoustic ballad with the narrator yearning to make the most of his life before his end. Listening to the lyrics, I really think this is an appropriate sendoff to a great songwriter and is somewhat uncharacteristic (in my opinion) in that it sounds more like a country tune than anything.

Overall, I did like this album, but a small part of me wonders if the critical response received was by Strummer’s reputation rather than the actual lyrics. Maybe the fact it was released posthumously was another factor. While I found some of the songs were strong, I felt a few of them were lacking the polish needed to make this a dynamite album.