Review Summary: Cut the Crap is the ” Black- Sheep “ of Clash Albums. It has been demonized by critics and fans alike but is it really that bad?
Cut the Crap is the ” Black- Sheep “ of Clash Albums. It has been demonized by critics and fans alike but is it really that bad?
In 1982 Drummer Topper Headon was booted for excessive drug use. Then the following year guitarist Mick Jones was sacked due to a horrible falling out with Joe Strummer. All that remained of the original clash was Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon. in 1985 they enlisted Nick Sheppard and Vince White on guitar and Pete Howard on drums. With Strummer in the lead Cut the crap came to be. Sadly the title pretty much sums up the album. This is definitely the Weakest Clash album in existence by far. There are basically three contributing factors to the failure of this album.
They are......
1. Mick Jones wrote virtually all of the bands melodies and was out of the band.
2. Joe Strummer was deeply affected by the death of his parents and disillusioned by the
band
3. Manager Bernie Rhodes went all out dictator and took control of the production and
Songwriting.
With this formula the album was destined to fail.
While Simonon and new band members played this was primarily a “Joe Strummer” solo album. sadly this album was even a disappointment to him. He disowned the album and who could blame him?
I just went, well *** this’, and ***ed off to the mountains of Spain to sit sobbing under a palm tree, While Bernie had to deliver a record” ~ Joe Strummer
The majority of the album consists of …. Well, crap basically.
Crap that could only be described with firing squad of cynical one liners
Let the fire begin!
“Life is wild” reeks of *** and the arrogance of a once great Band.
“Dirty Punk” is anything but punk, it's crap.
“Fingerpoppin” was absolutely horrific
“Are you read....y” - avoid like the ***ing plague
“Play to Win “ does anything but win
“ Movers and Shakers” should have never been written
...And as if that wasn't enough crap that brings us to “We are the clash”
The name is as deceiving as hell because that is far from the Clash. It’s more like Joe Strummer reassuring himself that he did not sell-out and that the band is just as great as it ever was.
cynicism aside, two songs save the album from being total crock of *** and Joe Strummer seemed to agree.
“I really liked “this is England” and “North and South” is a vibe” ~ Joe Stummer
THIS IS ENGLAND:
This was the only single of the album and the only song fitting of being a single. The song is of a serious subject matter that is the state of England at the time. It discusses the problems of Thatcher era England. Problems like urban alienation, unemployment, the dying motorcycle industry, nationalism, racism and police corruption.
The lyrics are heartfelt and glorious. while it was far from a Mick Jones melody, it was still fitting for the raw emotion of the song.
In the 2003 issue of the U.K. magazine "Uncut" this song is listed as one of the top 30 Clash tracks ever.
North and South
This song is a prime example of Strummer’s song-writing ability and my personal favorite of the album. The lyrics are heartbreaking but hopeful. It contains a melancholic and nearly folly melody. It far from the expectation of what a Typical Clash song sound like but it works.
“ Now I know ,that time can march
with it’s charging feet
Now I know, words are only cheap
It’s gonna be a burnout
all around this town
The south is up
But north is down”
In conclusion "Cut the Crap" is by far the worse Clash album and to answer the question in the beginning of the review.
Yes, it is pretty bad but not any worse than an average album from a mediocre band. Only the most devoted fans would even slightly enjoy this and possibly not even them.
