Joe Strummer in The Pogues

[GuestFromFinland]

-Afro-Cuban Bebop and another track done under the name Joe Strummer and the Astrophysicians. I think it might have been Burning Lights, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Strummer wrote them, and the Pogues backed him. It was round Hell's Ditch, though not when he was frontman.

Can anyone tell if there really does exist a Pogues-backed version of Burning Lights? In the film (I Hired A Contract Killer) Strummer performs it solo (while Afro-Cuban Bebop, with The Pogues, plays during the end credits). Great song anyway. You've probably all seen this but here's a clip of Strummer performing Burning Lights in the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9KXRr3VhI
(The creepy sunglass-salesman in the beginning of the clip is the director, Kaurismäki.. awesome filmmaker, makes one proud to be from Finland.)

[philipchevron]

-Afro-Cuban Bebop and another track done under the name Joe Strummer and the Astrophysicians. I think it might have been Burning Lights, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Strummer wrote them, and the Pogues backed him. It was round Hell's Ditch, though not when he was frontman.

Can anyone tell if there really does exist a Pogues-backed version of Burning Lights? In the film (I Hired A Contract Killer) Strummer performs it solo (while Afro-Cuban Bebop, with The Pogues, plays during the end credits). Great song anyway. You've probably all seen this but here's a clip of Strummer performing Burning Lights in the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9KXRr3VhI
(The creepy sunglass-salesman in the beginning of the clip is the director, Kaurismäki.. awesome filmmaker, makes one proud to be from Finland.)

The Pogues/Astro-Physicians participated only in "Afro-Cuban Be Bop", not "Burning Lights"

[Smokey]

I saw a Joe Strummer/Clash book by Kris Needs the other day. Is it any good?

Not really.

How so?

[Jon]

Joe's 'Fall From Grace' is the best Pogues cover I've ever heard.

With the Latino Rockabilly War, or someone else?

The Pogues gigs that I saw with Joe filling in for Shane on vocals was probably one of the best gigs I'd ever been to, it's probably a naff to say that the rest of the band had turned themselves upto 11 for that tour, but they seemed to pick up something a bit extra.

I miss Joe somedays.

[RICHB]

Lad i work with was telling me the other week he had a pogues album that he bought for about three quid but he couldnt remeber what it was called (not a big fan obviously). Anyway he reckonded the cover of it was all different colours which really didnt help. Anyway I asked him to tell me next time I saw him. The next time I saw him he said that he had forgoten the name again but it wasnt just the pouges it was 'Joe Strummer and The Pogues'. I presumed it was Hells Ditch and he was getting mixed up with Joe as the producer but he now claims that it is definately an album of Joe Strummer and Pouges numbers ha ha ha. He keeps saying he'll bring it in and im sure that its just Hells Ditch but he has dug himself his own 'Hells Ditch' which is why he wont bring it in ha ha. There is a little bit of me that hopes that one day he'll turn up with this mythical album that quite clearly has never existed.

[Low D]

Lad i work with was telling me the other week he had a pogues album that he bought for about three quid but he couldnt remeber what it was called (not a big fan obviously). Anyway he reckonded the cover of it was all different colours which really didnt help. Anyway I asked him to tell me next time I saw him. The next time I saw him he said that he had forgoten the name again but it wasnt just the pouges it was 'Joe Strummer and The Pogues'. I presumed it was Hells Ditch and he was getting mixed up with Joe as the producer but he now claims that it is definately an album of Joe Strummer and Pouges numbers ha ha ha. He keeps saying he'll bring it in and im sure that its just Hells Ditch but he has dug himself his own 'Hells Ditch' which is why he wont bring it in ha ha. There is a little bit of me that hopes that one day he'll turn up with this mythical album that quite clearly has never existed.

... unless it's a bootleg. I've one from the earlier tour with Joe from Boston that has some bright yellow on the cover.

[James]

Joe's 'Fall From Grace' is the best Pogues cover I've ever heard.

With the Latino Rockabilly War, or someone else?

Yeah, LRW. The early gigs for that band had a fascinating group of setlists. 'Love of the Common People', 'If I Should Fall...', a few tantalising Big Audio Dynamite covers...

I saw a Joe Strummer/Clash book by Kris Needs the other day. Is it any good?

Not really.

How so?

I just find it a bit of a lame duck. The research mostly came from Marcus Grey's book, then he made digs throughout at Grey. No new ground, just shamelessly hitting the old Clashaganda points. To me, it feels like a cash in. I'd describe it as inessential, but if you've never gotten heavily into Strummer/Jones' history it'll do. There's better places to go.

For such a reputable writer, the only book of Need's I've really ever enjoyed is his autobiography, and that's mostly due to his 'right place-right time' good luck. Jumping from Mott the Hoople glam school days, to the ground zero of punk, to 80s New York hip hop, to an interesting heroin habit, to aciiieed days. If Needs Must wasn't such a blast to read, I'd describe him as a hack, to be honest.