Buy this book with "Redemption Song": The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz today!

Buy Together Today: £23.48

"Redemption Song": The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz  (9)  £12.99

Joe Strummer - The Future Is Unwritten [2007] DVD ~ Julien Temple  (8)  £11.98

Joe Strummer - Let's Rock Again [2006] DVD ~ Joe Strummer  (2)  £5.97

Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the "Clash" by Pat Gilbert  (7)  £6.99

Joe Strummer - Viva Joe DVD ~ Joe Strummer  (5)  £15.99

› Explore similar items : DVD (8) Books (7) Music (6)

Book Description
Combining his own anecdotal and press material from the era with a wealth of biographical detail, Needs breathes life into the legend of The Clash. As a fan, a journalist and a close friend of the band, Needs illuminates the Clash story and provides a special insight into the life and times of The Clash’s lead singer Joe Strummer. Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash conveys the white-hot excitement of their gigs and the intense emotions their music caused, while providing an account of the life and times of a true punk pioneer.

Synopsis
Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash provides a personal insight into the life of Joe Strummer, lead singer of pivotal punk band The Clash. Since his untimely death in 2002 Joe Strummer has been mourned as a rock'n'roll icon. The enormous sense of loss felt at his death reinforced the importance of The Clash. As time goes by the band just seem to grow in terms of influence and impact; they changed the shape of music and established a benchmark for how exciting a rock band can be. In Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash, author and journalist Kris Needs tells the story of The Clash with a special focus on Joe Strummer - his life history, his personal passions and his politics. Kris Needs combines his own anecdotes and press reports, plus exclusive interviews with Joe's closest friends, who include Mick Jones, his songwriting partner in The Clash and Don Letts the punk filmmaker, to breathe life into the legend that was Joe Strummer and The Clash. As a young journalist on tour with all of punk's biggest names, Kris forged life-long friendships with all the scene's key figures, while witnessing their unbelievable exploits first-hand.

One of the first journalists to see The Clash live, Kris championed the band from the start, becoming close friends with Joe Strummer and the rest of the group, accompanying them on many major tours, and being present at pivotal moments in their career. Weaving in his own material from the era, with a wealth of biographical detail, Needs illuminates Joe's story with accounts of life-changing gigs, on-the-road antics and the recording sessions that produced classic music. Needs looks at Joe's motivations and passions, by drawing on his own experiences with him throughout their friendship, providing an insight into the beliefs and ideals that resonate in The Clash's music. Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash conveys the white-hot excitement of their gigs and the intense emotions their music caused, while providing an account of the life and times of Joe Srummer, a true punk pioneer. Kris Needs wrote for NME and Sounds in the mid '70s and was editor of alternative rock zine Zig Zag, He also works as a DJ and musician in his own right. His autobiography Needs Must was published in 1999.

He is also the author of The Scream: The Music, Myths and Misbehaviour of Primal Scream, and the forthcoming Keith Richards: Before They Make Me Run.

See all Product Description

2 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: The best book about The Clash you'll ever read!, 27 Jan 2005 By  R. Moriarty "Roisin" (Ireland) - See all my reviews    Kris Needs first met the Clash shortly after they had started out on the long, often arduous, frequently funny but rarely dull road to success. He was part of the inner circle, liked and respected by the members of the band who considered him more of a friend than just another journalist. He personally charted their progress in the magazine ZigZag and championed their cause from first to last (last being when Mick Jones departed). However, this is far from being a subjective, rose-tinted view of "the only band that matters" from a man who was both friend and fan. Needs doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the mistakes that were made, the tempers that frayed and the events that led to the eventual implosion of The Clash. But along the way, he gives us a rare insight (even more so than Johnny Green's excellent "A Riot of Our Own") into the day-to-day life of a now legendary band, recounting many of the dodgy and often hilarious situations that the lads and their cohorts found themselves in, as well as detailing the technical side of the various ways they set about writing, recording and playing live. While going into great depth, Needs never fails to keep the reader's interest and there's something new to discover or remember on virtually every page. What's more, he doesn't stop when the Clash ceased to be. Charting the highs and lows of post-Clash Strummer and Jones in particular (while touching on the fortunes or otherwise of Simonon and Headon) he brings us up to the present day, with a plethora of comments from the surviving members, recorded in 2004, peppered throughout the book. This is an absolute gem of a book, written with humour, insight and a great deal of affection. It's essential reading for anyone interested in the ins and outs of the world of Rock 'n' Roll. As for all the Clash fans out there; your bookshelves will be bereft without it.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: How the Clash were ... a true and funny reflection, 11 April 2005 By  "lepagedesign" - See all my reviews Kris Needs, or "Needsy" as the group called him has put together a book which gives both a musical and personal insight into the four group members plus their entourage. Not only is it easy to read, but you also find out extra mad pieces of info, such as where the wilderbeest impressions come from on London Calling, or how the author listened to the album decked out in gaffer tape! Loads of useless but funny tales on the antics of everyone. Very balanced too, he definately hasn't written nostalgically, stories about the band and their mates come over as a fair of the good times and the bad ones. Excellent read for any Clash fan who has read all the other books. Even though he was a journalist the author was trusted by Joe Strummer et al giving the book even more credence. Highly recommended.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews