Monday, August 22, 2011

More Proof, If Any Was Needed, That the Only Real Sin, in Commercial Terms, is Being Ahead of Your Time

Okay, if this one doesn't blow your mind, nothing will.

First of all, take a listen to the unidentified mp3 below. All I will say about it is that it's the work of a fairly significant figure in rock history, and that it's a mostly dismissed-at-the-time cut on what is generally considered to be his best solo album.



Sounds like The Clash, right? I mean, EXACTLY like The Clash...specifically The Clash circa "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" in 1982.

Well, it's not. And, in fact, at the time it was recorded, in early 1976, The Clash hadn't even played their first gig as a band, let alone begun work on their debut album.

Trust me -- when you finally Google it and figure out who it is, your jaw is going to drop around the vicinity of your ankles.

[h/t Willard's Wormholes]

20 comments:

Sal Nunziato said...

Think Mick Ronson had something to do with this?

Faze said...

Caught this on Willard's. It's kind of like finding a cell phone in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Not his best solo album, though. The best has is the later one with the great Elvis Costello song.

dave™© said...

OK, I looked it up.

Wow!!!

steve simels said...

Did you catch the writing credits yet?

Unbelievable.....

steve simels said...

Faze -- I disagree about "Back From Rio."

The Costello song is great, and one or two others, but it has that slick faceless 80s production, and it should have been a much better album.

DB said...

First of all, that's amazing. Clash before The Clash.

Second, I hate you (nothing personal, of course) for introducing me to Willard's Wormholes. I am about to lose an entire day to going through that amazing website and downloading all kinds of musty stuff. What a cool project he's got going.

steve simels said...

The Intertube Police have taken him down at least three times since I've been hanging there.

It's worth losing a day to download what you want -- there's no guarantee how long he'll be around.

geor3ge said...

. . . the Only Real Sin, in Commercial Terms, is Being Ahead of Your Time . . .

Or Paul Krugman, in economic terms . . .

joe p said...

nick lowe?

Sal Nunziato said...

Yes, "Back From Rio" has that "slick, faceless" production BUT...there's so much good music on there. The Jules Shear cover, McGuinn's "Suddenly Blue" and "The Trees Are All Gone," the Petty cover. Go back in.

joe p said...

johnny cougar?

steve simels said...

Okay, if you haven't already figured it out, it's Roger McGuinn, from the 1976 Cardiff Rose album. Produced by Mick Ronsons. "Rock and Roll Time" written by Roger, Kris Kristofferson and Dylan pal Bobby Neuwirth.

Words fail me.

allen vella said...

that is just beautiful..thank you

Anonymous said...

Steve, how do you explain this time-bending reverse anachronism? Did McGuinn set the Universal Mind Decoder on "1982?" Do you have a theory about this?

AP

billy b said...

Oh, Mick Ronson. The first thing I thought of when I started the tune was Ian Hunter.

Karatist Preacher said...

I thought Ian Hunter as well.

Dave said...

I thought Ian Hunter, too. No way I would have guessed McGuinn.

Mike said...

Just to put a cap on the conversation, Kris recorded it in 1974:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYRG0mArtbI

Bryk said...

It sounds like the Clash, except without much to say. And without pop hooks. Which is how I still feel about "Give 'em enough rope" after all these years.

pete said...

Ronson's got to be the key here. Whenever I wanted to rile punksters back in the day I'd point out the similarities between the Clash and Moot the Hoople.