- Audio CD (6 Sep 1994)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Sony
- ASIN: B000002ART
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Dictator |
| 2. Dirty Punk |
| 3. We Are The Clash |
| 4. Are You Red..Y |
| 5. Cool Under Heat |
| 6. Movers And Shakers |
| 7. This Is England |
| 8. Three Card Trick |
| 9. Play To Win |
| 10. Fingerpoppin' |
| 11. North And South |
| 12. Life Is Wild |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I've been listening to this album for about 19 years since I got a cheap cassette version from the bargain bin in HMV. And it's not bad. It's not a great album - not a great Clash album anyway - but it's still listen-able, and gets better the more attention you pay to it.
What's good about it?
Joe Strummer's lyrics, of course. It's just about the only thing that tries to describe England in the mid- to late-80s and paints a picture of it as the real horror that it was. Greed, Thatcher-Reagan, Cold War, Miners' Strike, acted out to a soundtrack of awful soulless pap and Gary Davies. Listen to North and South or Three-Card Trick, if you can make out the words, or the song that should have been the title track: This is England. Joe Strummer slipped off the edge of the world in the previous album with Straight to Hell, and here he is in the Underworld. The album conjours up the dreary, suburban, concrete ennui of the film Meantime. Not a lot of fun, but something real, at least. Strummer doing what he did best - struggling, and trying to put the struggle into words.
What's bad about it?
The music, of course. Not that underneath the heavy-handed production there aren't some hummable tunes, but with the loss of Mick Jones, the Clash (or Strummer and Bernie Rhodes at least) lost confidence in the band's ability to 'do' music. Get a hold of the live versions of these songs and you'll hear this could have been the most consistent, rooted album that the band had done since their debut a decade earlier.
Or think of it as the first album of Strummer's solo career.
What's good about it?
Joe Strummer's lyrics, of course. It's just about the only thing that tries to describe England in the mid- to late-80s and paints a picture of it as the real horror that it was. Greed, Thatcher-Reagan, Cold War, Miners' Strike, acted out to a soundtrack of awful soulless pap and Gary Davies. Listen to North and South or Three-Card Trick, if you can make out the words, or the song that should have been the title track: This is England. Joe Strummer slipped off the edge of the world in the previous album with Straight to Hell, and here he is in the Underworld. The album conjours up the dreary, suburban, concrete ennui of the film Meantime. Not a lot of fun, but something real, at least. Strummer doing what he did best - struggling, and trying to put the struggle into words.
What's bad about it?
The music, of course. Not that underneath the heavy-handed production there aren't some hummable tunes, but with the loss of Mick Jones, the Clash (or Strummer and Bernie Rhodes at least) lost confidence in the band's ability to 'do' music. Get a hold of the live versions of these songs and you'll hear this could have been the most consistent, rooted album that the band had done since their debut a decade earlier.
Or think of it as the first album of Strummer's solo career.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This isn't underrated at all. It really IS that poor!!!
The Clash would never EVER work without Jones and Headon, and this proves it. Bernie Rhodes got involved with making it, making it even worse....
There is genuinely only one song worth having on this album. That is "This is England". That is available on "The Essential Clash" (It hasn't appeared on any other Clash compilations because Mick was involved inmaking them for one, and for two, because the Clash that realeased this weren't considered to be THE Clash as such) The rest should have followed the albums title and been removed.
Looking back, Joe said that he hated this album, and sacking Topper was the beginning of the end. By the time this came out, the clash were long dead.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Three long years after the Clash's last appearance, an album that could be perceived as a worst case scenario Clash album was released. It pretty much is a worst case scenario, anyone who's taken any interest in the group would have realised that Mick Jones' song writing and Topper Headon's drumming made everything possible, sure Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon had tastes and ideas as diverse, but with 'Cut the Crap' as evidence they couldn't put them into practice.
First, the worst things. It's one of the most horribly produced albums I've ever heard. The tuneless guitars squeak and squeal, the slap funk bass seems to be from totally different take. The drums are awful, utilising a cheap drum machine in the nastiest sense. The Clash's forays into to dance were always fun because of the Topper's soulful funky drumming. Drum machines just don't sit right, especially ones that are programmed to be as moronic as these - even Carter USM applied them better. Joe, as ever sings it and tells it well, but the backing vocals/chants drown him out, add to that some terrible keyboards which are lame when compared to 'Overpowered By Funk' from 'Combat Rock'. But what's worst of all is that this is the Clash. On Cut the Crap they seem to set out that they can't do punk ('Dirty Punk', 'Life is Wild'), rock ('Cool under Heat', 'Fingerpoppin''), or experiment ('Dictator', 'Play to Win'). It's sad when the 'same band' gave us so many memorable songs across so many genres.
Second, the better moments. 'This is England' may be a second rate 'Straight to Hell', but its a gutsy, messy song that hits the mark, mainly down to its stripped production and a great Strummer lyric. 'We Are The Clash' has moments of greatness, a guitar part that sounds straight from off of 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' (until the hideous solo appears) and a ramshackle rock 'n' roll confidence to it. 'Are You Red..Y' isn't all bad, its totally over-cooked, but enjoyable. 'Three Card Trick' is the furthest the album goes from punk, and is a sort of mangled 'Rock the Casbah'. Its bouncy and funky, and the shame is that of all the songs it is the one I think could have been a classic had the original line recorded it, or at least Topper on drums.
Overall many of these songs have potential (maybe there are some demos out there for someone to dig up) but it is a poor second-rate album from a poor second-rate Clash. I love the Clash and its sad to see it end like this, but thankfully Joe redeemed himself with the Mescaleros, and Mick has given us some great stuff (admittedly not all of it) with Big Audio Dynamite. Big Audio Dynamite's second album 'No.10 Upping Street' makes for a better Clash swansong to try. Joe writes half of it co-produces it with Mick, while dated, its certainly competent, for starters.
First, the worst things. It's one of the most horribly produced albums I've ever heard. The tuneless guitars squeak and squeal, the slap funk bass seems to be from totally different take. The drums are awful, utilising a cheap drum machine in the nastiest sense. The Clash's forays into to dance were always fun because of the Topper's soulful funky drumming. Drum machines just don't sit right, especially ones that are programmed to be as moronic as these - even Carter USM applied them better. Joe, as ever sings it and tells it well, but the backing vocals/chants drown him out, add to that some terrible keyboards which are lame when compared to 'Overpowered By Funk' from 'Combat Rock'. But what's worst of all is that this is the Clash. On Cut the Crap they seem to set out that they can't do punk ('Dirty Punk', 'Life is Wild'), rock ('Cool under Heat', 'Fingerpoppin''), or experiment ('Dictator', 'Play to Win'). It's sad when the 'same band' gave us so many memorable songs across so many genres.
Second, the better moments. 'This is England' may be a second rate 'Straight to Hell', but its a gutsy, messy song that hits the mark, mainly down to its stripped production and a great Strummer lyric. 'We Are The Clash' has moments of greatness, a guitar part that sounds straight from off of 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' (until the hideous solo appears) and a ramshackle rock 'n' roll confidence to it. 'Are You Red..Y' isn't all bad, its totally over-cooked, but enjoyable. 'Three Card Trick' is the furthest the album goes from punk, and is a sort of mangled 'Rock the Casbah'. Its bouncy and funky, and the shame is that of all the songs it is the one I think could have been a classic had the original line recorded it, or at least Topper on drums.
Overall many of these songs have potential (maybe there are some demos out there for someone to dig up) but it is a poor second-rate album from a poor second-rate Clash. I love the Clash and its sad to see it end like this, but thankfully Joe redeemed himself with the Mescaleros, and Mick has given us some great stuff (admittedly not all of it) with Big Audio Dynamite. Big Audio Dynamite's second album 'No.10 Upping Street' makes for a better Clash swansong to try. Joe writes half of it co-produces it with Mick, while dated, its certainly competent, for starters.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
MALIGNED, UNLOVED AND HUGELY UNDER RATED
This album has had a rough life - Strummer all but disowned it, much out of guilt for sacking Jones. Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. McCarraher
"SUCH IS LIFE"........
......were the last words of Ned Kelly, the Australian folk legend outlaw as the noose was pulled around his neck on the gallows. Read more
Published 14 months ago by DOPPLEGANGER
this is not punk this is world punk
the Clash were 4/5 friend musicians who traveled the world with there eye s wide open
but this is joe s album half good half bad [big audio dynamite]
but this is joe s album half good half bad [big audio dynamite]
Published on 17 Dec 2008 by a Stockdale
One good song, cut the rest of the crap
This is England is an inspired song which taps into a lot of the social unrest that was still present in Thatcher's Britain - "Ive got my motorcycle jacket but I'm walking all the... Read more
Published on 16 April 2008 by Dmitri M. A. Hubbard
Underrated final elpee from London's finest
Perceived at the time as an ungodly mess, Cut The Crap renains an ungodly mess, albeit an interesting and ambitious one. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2005 by "janewalsh9"
Bernie,don't touch that dial!
Worth buying as a curio,this LP sees the late,great Joe Strummer losing direction and a batch of decent songs buried underneath a mess of synths,drum machines and terrace chanted... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2004 by grass staggers
A lot better than it appeared at first
In common with Sandinista, when this first appeared in the 80's, I (along with most other people) thought this was rubbish. Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2003 by Doug Futers
I was wrong
Well, what can i say, i have eaten my humble pie, and realised that this album is excellent. However not as good as the real clashs albums, but still good. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2001 by stewidd@hotmail.com
Erm... not the best clash album
Well, this album is 'crap' compared to the rest of the clash albums. But having said that there isnt any boring stuff that was on Sandinista! (one more dub etc. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2001 by stewidd@hotmail.com
excelent joe does it again
another top album this time without mick and topper but the new guys fit the part excelently. Yet again joe's songs are brilliantly sung with agression shown as statments on life... Read more
Published on 10 July 2000 by clash109@hotmail.com
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