'' is the debut album by and
Antony Genn on guitar and vocals,
Martin Slattery playing Keyboards and guitar, Smiley on drums,
Pablo Cook on other percussion instruments, and
Scott Shields on bass.
Richard Flack also did engineering on the album.
The record marked Strummer's reemergence from a long absence in the music scene, his last record being 1989's Earthquake Weather. The album begins with the stellar "Tony Adams," a track which sounds not unlike Strummer's previous work with
The Clash . Saxophone riffs are juxtaposed with reggae inspired guitar, as Strummer recites lyrics detailing a catastrophe hitting New York City. Listeners expecting a revisit to The Clash will however, be sorely disappointed. The rest of the record takes a winding journey, with songs that capture Strummer's genre mixing. "Sandpaper Blues" features hand drums and African chanting, "Techno D-Day" dabbles in electronic instruments, while "Road to Rock and Roll," another song written by Joe for
Johnny Cash combines acoustic guitar with turntables and electronic drums. The highlight of the album is "Yalla Yalla," which Joe himself once described as "an ancient British folk song....written in the year 1999." The song is rich in layers, which includes keyboards, synths, bass, drums, and a guitar with endless sustain (likely provided via an
E-bow ). Although it doesn't show all the same elements of experimentation as would be found on 2001's
Global A Go-Go it is a strong album in its own right.
#"Tony Adams"
#"Sandpaper Blues"
#"X-Ray Style"
#"Techno D-Day"
#"The Road To Rock 'N' Roll"
#"Diggin' The New"
#"Nitcomb"
#"Forbidden City"
#"Yalla Yalla"
#"Willesden To Cricklewood"
