Blisstortion

You know, back in 1980/81, in the full violent raging of my attempts at collegiate re-invention,  The Clash were a touchstone.  Now we are all creatures of our time, and claiming the “only band that matters” as yours is as much a “past expiration” stamp as Be Bop a Lula, or Shake it Sugaree, or Ice Ice Baby. I’m old, and while I’m still constantly looking for new music, what I seek still falls in the narrow confines of late century rockism.  I could prattle on on how most modern pop sounds video game inspired, with even the urgency of classic hip hop (classic: meaning the earlier stuff that I like) diluted to focus group targeted, autotuned, mallpaper audio. Anyhow I gave Sandinista a fair enough thrashing through when it first came out; I’m sure that most of my friends were sick of hearing me spin it from my dorm room. Quantifiably? Well it was 3 lp discs so it HAD to be their best-right?  Listening to it now I’m impressed by the heavy dub, stoned-in-the studio, undercurrent.  And the airy, whisperiness to Mick Jones vocals on his alotted tracks (like “Somebody got Murdered” posted here)  None of the barked sloganeering of Joe Strummer; more like the McCartney to Strummers’ Lennon circa the White Album.  I used to agree with those who said that “theres one great album out of the three discs of material”  but today I’m totally sucked in by the production, the brightness of the music coming though the Lee Perry/Ganja dub echo.  Smart music that you can feel rather than think about.  Thanks again boyos.