The Clash

Super Black Market Clash

only the clash could have b-side like this

Review Score:

(8/10)
Oh my goodness! I hesitated to buy this CD for a long time because I am generally skeptical about rare and unreleased tracks. As someone else said here, there's usually a reason why they're rare. After hearing this, though, I am quite shocked at the lukewarm reviews here so far. While the album admittedly becomes a little odd and boring toward the end, it opens with some of the best Clash rockers out there.

Some of my favorite Clash tunes ever are here. Gates of the West ranks up there with tracks off London Calling for its sheer perfection. A lot of this stuff blows away the tracks they actually did include on Give 'Em Enough Rope. City of the Dead, 1977, the moving Groovy Times, and Capital Radio Two are also superb blasts of rock n' roll. Though your patience may start to wear out as you wade through the extended instrumentals and dance versions of other Clash songs on the second half of the CD, don't miss the very different but poignant Stop the World - a gem of an oddity about nuclear destruction.

So if you're avoiding this CD because you don't want endless dub tracks and experimental nonsense like the last couple of tracks on Sandinista, avoid it no more. The first 10 tracks are straight-ahead rockers in the spirit of the first three Clash albums. Complete your Clash collection now!

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