The Clash
Super Black Market Clash

THE REVIEW

Hello everyone, I am thefutureisnow and this is my first review. I have decided to talk to you about one of my favorite albums: "Super Black Market Clash" by the British band "The Clash". I'm not here to tell you the story of this great group, because if you're reading this, it means you know this band.

Released in 1993, when the group had already disbanded for several years, it is a collection of rarities, b-sides, and alternative versions of already published tracks; in reality, it's a sort of "reissue" of the EP "Black Market Clash" which came out in 1980 for the American market, with some extra tracks. Listening to this album, from the very first listen, you can sense the change, the musical evolution that The Clash embarked on during their career: from the punk of "1977" and the instrumental "Listen", which was used to open the first concerts of Joe Strummer & company, to the dub of "Justice Tonight (Kick it Over)" instrumental version of "Armagideon Time" their cover of a reggae piece, to the Caribbean sounds of "Time is Tight", another fantastic instrumental piece. The b-sides present show, as if it were necessary, that The Clash were an extraordinarily prolific group, so much so that many of these b-sides would have deserved a place on the albums from which they were cut: "Pressure Drop", "City of the Dead" and "The Prisoner" all date back to the period 1977-1978: "Pressure Drop" is a cover of "Toots & The Maytals" from 1969, reinterpreted in a more rock key; "City of the Dead" and "The Prisoner" are instead 2 little gems: the first takes The Clash towards more classic rock, also thanks to the use of the sax, while "The Prisoner" wins thanks to its melodic approach and its energy. Another key track is "1-2 Crush on you", one of The Clash's very first pieces, a seminal rock and roll featuring saxophone and piano, a real burst of energy! Then we have "First Night back in London", "Cool Confusion" and "Long Time Jerk" which come from the sessions for "Combat Rock", the last album of the band with the historic lineup (Joe Strummer, vocals and rhythm guitar, Mick Jones, lead guitar and vocals, Paul Simonon, bass, and Topper Headon, drums); they are experimental tracks, but they engage. especially "Long Time Jerk", which has an irresistible rhythm. Then we have "Robber Dub", "The Magnificent Dance", "The Cool Out", "Mustapha Dance", "Capital Radio Two" which are nothing more than alternative versions (mostly instrumental) of already published tracks, which make us understand how much The Clash loved to experiment, "play" with effects in the studio. "Gates of the West", "Jail Guitar Doors" were instead published in the EP "The Cost of Living" of, 1979: the first is a masterpiece, a rock ballad sung by Mick Jones, truly moving, while the second was an old piece by the "101'ers" the first band of Joe Strummer.

In conclusion, I recommend this album not to those who still don't know The Clash (to these people I recommend going to purchase "London Calling" and "The Clash" immediately) but for those who want to know them better: you will discover beautiful, experimental, captivating and reflective songs, but most of all you will feel a deep love for music among the grooves of this album. What The Clash had.