Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Clash Concert Document Yet, 14 Oct 2008
"I don't think there's any need for another Clash product on the market. Joe Strummer would be turning in his grave if he'd seen what the band have become today. You know what the Clash originally stood for and we don't stand for that anymore. The Clash were 30 years ago. None of us are really that bothered anymore and so people are moving in and making money out of it." - Topper Headon.
It was with a heavy heart that I approached the release of The Clash At Shea Stadium. After a multitude of endlessly repackaged selections, box sets, half-bothered concert releases, comes what Clash fans have actually wanted all along : a live document that captures a whole evening of The Clash. Aside from the potentially exploitative nature of the beast, "Live At The Shea" is a sumptiously packaged document that is musically precise, clear, and a superior - and worthy - live recording.
Still, it must be odd to see one of the years larger releases come into existence through the most haphazard of fashions : Joe Strummer looking in a box during a house move seven years ago, and suddenly and voila, finding this concert on an old tape, and hey presto! Another Clash live album!
And up until the very day this was released, 25 years after Mick Jones was fired and The Clash floundered, there has been no adequate and official Clash live document : "From Here To Eternity" was a compilation that lacked any narrative flow, "Rude Boy" a forgettable piece of hokum populated by stunning live footage, and "Revolution Rock" a live jukebox that feels like a trailer instead of the main course itself.
But Live At The Shea? This is IT. The definitive Clash live document. Now, purists will declaim Terry Chimes on drums (and the drums are lacking the flair of Topper Headon), but Chimes is a competent, capable, human drum machine that locks down the rhythm with a rigid precision and effortlessly gels with Paul Simoneon's bass to create a fiercely effective unit. On top of this powerful juggernaut of rhythm, Mick Jones and Strummer add a creative monster. The band meanwhile, are a tight, invincible army : the songs turn on a head, the opening numbers are presented as a machine gun assualt with barely a seconds breath or punctuation, and the Clash truly are All Guns Blazing. No second is wasted. And the band are still inventive, still taking risks, presenting fluid, thrilling and fresh medleys that reveal a previously unhinted thematic link between material brand new and ancient. It's over in a short 50 minutes, a brief, thrilling time capsule to a time long gone, a testament to a dream that was beautiful, brief, and right. Live At The Shea is THE Clash live album : accept no imitations, and do not be fooled by the glut of pointless "The Very Best of The Essential Clash In The West End" compilations. If you like The Clash, this should join your record collection now. You've waited long enough for it.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust, 3 Oct 2008
OK..So Kosmo delivers his intro then they kick off into London Calling..phoney beatlemania...at the Shea Stadium...???!!!...did Joe know they would end up here?
There is a good sound ...some boomy distorted bass on LC and some fluffed chords on Clampdown...which is great..because that's what playing live should be...anything can happen...
Some nice Mick guitar lines especially on Spanish Bombs and some ROCKSTEADY bass playing by Joe on Guns Of Brixton...amazing!
What you shouldn't do is put the album on random play or shuffle it on your ipod...coz it messes big style with the set list order and continuity of the show..so whack it on...and listen to it from start to end...like you were there!
I think this stands as a historical "document", and an important one if like me you are an obsessive collector/fan..who has recordings ranging from earliest gigs to the Festival and stadium shows.
The special edition pack has some nice Bob Gruen b/w stills ..most from his Clash photo book..but at last..we get a couple of new ones!!
Paul Simonon checking his bootlaces and another live shot I've not seen.
It would have been nice to have had more previously unpublished shots maybe....the standard cd also has most of these shots in the booklet ....but not all..!
Yes ...Get it!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not so bored with the U.S.A., 7 Oct 2008
Although I'm a huge fan of The Clash, I wasn't 100% convinced about this release but, thanks to the previous reviews, decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did. As already mentioned, the audio quality and musicianship are superb. This is the sound of the band at the top of their game. My only gripes are the, somewhat annoying, intro by Kosmo Vinyl and the absense of Topper Headon on drums. Terry Chimes is a solid enough player but they really miss someone with Topper's power and versatility. However, don't let this put you off buying as what's on offer here is well worth your money and attention. It also makes you wonder where the band would have gone musically had they not imploded shortly afterwards!
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