The Clash – Combat Rock – First Wave On Mondays
Welcome back to the new weekly feature at Lyriquediscorde – FIRST WAVE ON MONDAYS. First Wave includes New Wave, Punk, Goth, and other Alternative Music from the late 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s. On First Wave On Mondays, you will find a “First Wave” Song, Playlist, or Album Feature every Monday. We will also include a bit of History about the Songs, Albums, Bands, Artists, and the Genre. And, of course, there will also be a bit of waxing nostalgic along the way
Please feel free to recommend a First Wave Song, Band, Artist, or Story for consideration. Email your recommendations and ideas to lyriquediscordesubmissions@gmail.com
This week we are taking a look at The Clash’s 1982 Release, Combat Rock. It is the fifth Studio Album of The Clash that was Released in May of 1982 on CBS Records. In the UK, the Album charted at #2, spending 23-weeks in the UK Charts. It peaked at #7 in the U.S., spending 61-weeks on the U.S. Charts. (from Wikipedia)
The Clash – Combat Rock (1982)
First Wave on Mondays
The Album starts off with a “Public Service Announcement” that acts as the beginning of Track 1, “Know Your Rights”. Surprisingly even the 8-Track Tape starts out with “Know Your Rights”, though the Track Lists alter after that.
My earliest memories of The Clash was via MTV. I remember Videos for both “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” playing in heavy rotation. I’d heard The Clash before that, too, coming out of the bedroom of one of my best friend’s bedrooms, or out of their garage when his “band” was getting ready to practice. He was a few years older than we were and into “Punk”.
My friends and I were more into New Wave in 1982 and 1983, but there was something about “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” that I loved. I slipped it into a few Mix Tapes I made even.
It would be much later that I would seriously get into The Clash. I’d have a few encounters with their Songs, all from friends, or siblings of friends, who were more into Punk than New Wave. But, I wouldn’t get into them completely until 1987, when I started working at my first Record Store job. A coworker and I would play this Album – LOUD – after we’d closed the store, singing-a-long – LOUD – as we restocked the Music and counted down the drawers.
My co-worker/friend used to have some of the Lyrics of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” as her answering machine message. I remember hearing “Don’t you know which clothes even fit me?” every time I’d call her when she wasn’t home.
My first copy of The Clash’s Combat Rock was on cassette. I listened to it obsessively in my car as the 80’s wound down, and played it in my Sony Walkman when I was on campus at my first college. I remember listening to “Straight to Hell” while sitting in a Math Lab. I’d successfully switched out the Math Lab step-by-step cassette and replaced it with Combat Rock.
My cassette disappeared eventually. It was either “borrowed” and never returned, or lost on one of the impulsive road trips that my friends and I would take, throwing all our cassettes and mix tapes into the car to bring along for the ride. I’d get a copy of Combat Rock on CD next, right around the time I lived in my first apartment. It would echo through that small one-bedroom that I loved so much. I’d get a copy of it on vinyl while living in that apartment, too, bringing it back from a trip to San Francisco.
The latest listen of Combat Rock has come from the 8-Track Tape my boyfriend and I acquired as part of our 8-Track Paradise. The Track listing may be different, but the Sound is just as good, and in some ways even better. 8-Tracks, when restored well, have tremendous sound. And yay! The Tape has no split tracks!
The Clash is definitely one of our Favorites, and they are a Band we are seriously collecting on 8-Track.
What memories do you have of The Clash’s Combat Rock Album? What are some of your Favorite Tracks on Combat Rock? Here are my Top 5 Favorites:
Top 5 Songs from The Clash’s Combat Rock
1. “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”
2. “Straight To Hell”
3. “Rock the Casbah”
4. “Inoculated City”
5. “Death Is a Star”
Avalanches and Album Covers – The Letter A
Avalanches and Album Covers – The Letter A
A Monday Playlist
“Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” by David Bowie
“Aim High” by Paul Weller
“Arc of Time (Time Code)” by Bright Eyes
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers
“All At Once” by Pete Yorn
“Avalanche” by Ryan Adams
“Amber Waves” by Tori Amos
“Amoreena” by Elton John
“America” by Simon And Garfunkel
“Acrobat” by Tanya Donelly
“Anna Begins” by Counting Crows
“All Night Long” by Peter Murphy
“Anyone Out There” by Duran Duran
“All In My Mind” by Love And Rockets
“Alive and Kicking” by Simple Minds
“Angie” by The Rolling Stones
“Angeles” by Elliott Smith
“Angel Mine” by Cowboy Junkies
“Achin’ To Be” by The Replacements
“All Around the World” by Oasis
“All the Young Dudes” by Mott The Hoople
“Amazing Journey” by The Who
“And Your Bird Can Sing” by The Beatles
“After Hours” by The Velvet Underground
“Amateur” by Aimee Mann
“Awful” by Hole
“All Apologies” by Nirvana
“Always the Sun” by The Stranglers
“Asleep” by The Smiths
Avalanches and Album Covers – The Letter A
Top 5 Music Obsessions featuring Elvis Costello
Monday is back again. Back with its early morning wake-up alarms, coffee pot brewing to help wake me up, and a staggering to-do list. I’m all about the fresh start of the week and the tall cup of Sumatra coffee, but I could really have used one more day this weekend. The ocean was a delight, the sunrise on Sunday morning gorgeous, and time spent with my boyfriend exquisite. We spent a lot of time with Music this weekend, restoring 8-Track Tapes, and working on writing/producing a Song of our own. I will take the memories of all of it with me to get through Monday. Kind of like a postcard of my own, wishing I was still there, but knowing that there is always next time to look forward to.
Today’s Top 5 Music Obsessions will help, too. Every Monday there’s a little extra push of Music. The Top 5, the Song of the Day, a Northern Soul Song, a New Wave Song, and a Monday Playlist. We all know Mondays need all the help they can get. But, it all starts with the Music I’m Obsessing over. It starts here and bleeds into all the other Monday Music delights. I’d love to hear what you are Obsessing over, too. Care to share?
Song 1 is from Elvis Costello (see above), Today’s Top 5 Featured Artist. “Watching The Detectives” is my absolute, all-time Favorite Elvis Costello Song. There’s something about it that harkens Film Noir Stories, and also a dream I had once about a female detective in a green dress and red hair. She was part femme fatale, and part jaded detective. It was awesome.
Next up is “Old Habits” from Hot Bodies In Motion. This is a new discovery for me. I found it randomly via Spotify while searching for Playlists from TV Series. I love the heavy sound this Song has. It feels like Rock meets Bluegrass meets the Blues. Hot Bodies In Motion remind me of Welshly Arms, Royal Blood, The Dead Weather, The Heavy, and The Veils, who are up next.
“Low Lays the Devil” is one of my Favorite Song by The Veils. It makes me want to take a road trip, stop in a small town and have a drink at a local dive bar with a good jukebox. Then have a burger and slice of pie at the 24-hour diner that’s right off the off-ramp. Maybe I’d drive until I was in the South. Maybe Louisianna. Because the more I listen to this Track the more I think of “True Blood”, and the Sookie Stackhouse books. I feel like The Veils would play live at Fangtasia.
The 4th Song is from Juliana Hatfield’s Cover Album of Olivia Newton-John Songs. This Week’s Song of the Day’s are dedicated to JH and ONJ, but I’m so into it that I had to add one to Today’s list of Obsessive Music. “A Little More Love” is the first Song I heard from the Cover Album. It was a pre-release Single that was put up online when the Album was announced. I love it so much!
Last, but not least, is another Cover Song. This one from Meshell Ndegeocello who Covers Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer”. I forgot how much I like this Song. The original was released in 1984 and got quite a lot of MTV coverage for the Video. The Track was written by Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits fame. Meshell’s version is so raw and vulnerable and heartbreakingly beautiful.
If you’d like to Follow along on this Week’s Top 5 Songs check out Playlists at Spotify and YouTube.
Top 5 Music Obsessions of the Day – April 16, 2018
1. “Watching the Detectives” by Elvis Costello
2. “Old Habits” by Hot Bodies In Motion
3. “Low Lay the Devil” by The Veils
4. “A Little More Love” by Juliana Hatfield
5. “Private Dancer” by Meshell Ndegeocello
(not available on YouTube)
I hope your Monday is filled with good coffee and Songs you are Obsessing over, and all the other things that make your Monday better. Hope you enjoyed Today’s Top 5 Music Obsessions featuring Elvis Costello, Hot Bodies In Motion, The Veils, Juliana Hatfield, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Got something you’d like to see featured in a Top 5? Share the Song Title and Artist/Band in the Comments, or email lyriquediscordesubmissions@gmail.com.
Top 5 Music Obsessions for the Week of 4/16/18
Northern Soul Monday with Big Maybelle
Here we are, back again with another edition of Northern Soul Monday – where we open up the dancefloor and share the best Stompers with you. We encourage you to Turn Up the Volume while you take some time to learn about the Song, the Artist, and a little Northern Soul History. Are you ready set go? I know we are.
This Week’s Northern Soul Monday’s Featured Track is “Quittin’ Time” by Big Maybelle. It was originally released in 1968 on Rojac Records.
“Quittin’ Time” by Big Maybelle
Northern Soul Monday
Big Maybelle, born Mabel Louise Smith, was born in May of 1924, in Jackson, Tennessee. Her first hit was in 1956, with the Single “Candy”. “Candy” received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
Mabel (or Maybelle) began her career with Dave Clark’s Memphis Band in 1936. She also toured with the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm. After, she joined Christine Chatman’s Orchestra and made her first recordings with Christine in 1944, before recording with Tiny Bradshaw’s Orchestra from 1947-1950.
Her first Debut Solo Recordings were under Mabel Smith. They were for King Records, in 1947. She had limited initial success.
In 1952 Mabel was signed by Okeh Records, whose record producer Fred Mendelsohn gave her the stage name ‘Big Maybelle’ because of her loud yet well-toned voice. Her first recording for Okeh, “Gabbin’ Blues”, was a #3 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and was followed up by both “Way Back Home” and “My Country Man” in 1953.
In 1955 she recorded the song “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, produced by up-and-coming producer Quincy Jones, a full two years before Jerry Lee Lewis’ Version.
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Big Maybelle
In 1967, she covered ? And The Mysterians Hit, “96 Tears”. This ended up being her final Chart appearance. Marybelle’s struggle with drug addiction ended her life at the young age of 47.
“96 Tears” by Big Maybelle
A little Northern Soul History:
It was Northern Soul DJ’s that introduced Northern Soul Music to the “masses”. Every week they would add new 45″ to their collection, keeping them secret until they spun them at one of the Clubs or Casinos. Sometimes they even changed a single’s name to hide the identity of a Song/Songs (called “white labeling, where a DJ would cover up the label with the name and Song title on it). This was done to keep a Song/Songs as unique to the DJ, part of his/her arsenal, and be theirs alone to play.
Northern Soul DJ’s have been cited as inspiring DJ’s of now. Let’s take a look at how.
The Northern soul movement is said to have been a significant step towards the creation of contemporary club culture and of the superstar DJ culture of the 2000s. Two of the most notable DJs from the original Northern soul era are Russ Winstanley and Ian Levine.
Russ Winstanley
Ian Levine
Many say that Northern Soul was instrumental in creating a network of clubs, DJs, record collectors and dealers in the UK, and was the first music scene to provide the British charts with records that sold entirely on the strength of club play.
One commonality of Modern DJ’s and Northern Soul DJ’s of the past is the sequencing of Records to create euphoric highs and lows for the crowd. Many of the DJ personalities and their followers involved in original Northern Soul movement would go on to become significant people in the House and Dance Music scenes.
Graeme Park and Mike Pickering at the Haçienda in 1989
Notable among these are Mike Pickering, who introduced house music to the Haçienda in Manchester in the 1980s, the influential DJ Colin Curtis, Neil Rushton the A&R manager of the House music record label Kool Kat Music and the dance record producers Pete Waterman, Johnathan Woodliffe, Ian Dewhirst and Ian Levine (see above).
Northern Soul was the birth of the crate-digger, the start of modern clubbing as well know it and a fully-formed drug subculture some 20 years before ecstasy arrived in the UK. Sometime in the mid-60s, there was a sharp divergence between soul lovers in the North and South. (from Mix Mag)
Thanks for joining us for another edition of Northern Soul Mondays. Be sure to check back here next week to see who we will be spinning, and take another step back into Northern Soul History with us. Until then, Keep the Faith.
“I Honestly Love You” by Juliana Hatfield
“I Honestly Love You” is the first Track off of Juliana Hatfield’s fantastic Cover Album of Olivia Newton-John Songs. I’ve had the Album for a little over a week, and can “Honestly” say I Love It. Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John officially came out this past Friday, so “Honestly” go now go and get yourself a copy. You can grab it at American Laundromat Records. They have some keen packages, too. They even have it available on Cassette!
“I Honestly Love You” was one of my Top 5 Favorites of Olivia’s when I was a young girl. Juliana’s version has both edge and vulnerability. The guitar works so well, giving it that edge I mentioned. But, her voice, and the layered harmonic vocals make this Song raw, genuine, vulnerable, and beautiful. It makes me love this Song even more than I did when I was a kid.
“I Honestly Love You” by Juliana Hatfield
from the Album, Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John (2018)
“You don’t have to answer,
I see it in your eyes.
Maybe it was better left unsaid.”
To celebrate this Cover Album that I have been so excited about, I’m going to feature a Song a Day for this Week’s Song of the Day feature. I hope you all enjoy it as I know I will. My childhood Music Favorite, ONJ, covered by my 90’s Music Favorite, JH, is a dream come true.
“I Honestly Love You”, originally released as “I Love You, I Honestly Love You” (in Australia), was a worldwide Pop Hit for Olivia Newton-John, in 1974. It was Olivia’s first #1 Single in both the U.S. and Canada. (from Wikipedia)
The Song was written by Jeff Berry, who also penned the Hit Songs “Be My Baby” and “Sugar Sugar”, along with Peter Allen who was in the middle of working on his Album, Continental American. Berry and Allen co-wrote the Song for Allen’s Album, but the Demo got into the hands of Olivia’s Producer John Farrar, who played it for her.
She loved the Song, but Allen wanted to keep it. Barry convinced him that letting Olivia Record it was a good idea since she was one of the most popular Singers in the world and more likely to have a Hit with it. He finally agreed, which was lucrative, as the Song was a big Hit and helped launch Allen’s career as a songwriter. (from Songfacts)
