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Cut the Crap

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For the Jackyl album, see Cut the Crap (Jackyl album).
Untitled

Cut the Crap is the sixth and final album by the English punk rock band The Clash, released on 4 November 1985 by Epic Records.

Following the ejection of founding member Mick Jones from the group, The Clash hired guitarists Nick Sheppard and Vince White to replace him. The album was not mentioned in the Clash documentary Westway to the World and was not featured on the compilation album The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 or in the box set Clash on Broadway.

Background and recording

Following a break after The Clash's performance at the 1983 US Festival, the band reconvened that June for rehearsals in London, England.[2] About a week into rehearsals, tensions present within the group throughout the year re-emerged, reportedly due to a musical difference of opinion brought about by guitarist Mick Jones's use of a synthesizer he had recently acquired. Another point of contention was Jones's frequent tardiness and absences. By that point Jones and his songwriting partner Joe Strummer had difficulty communicating with one another; drummer Pete Howard said, "It got to the point where Joe was posting lyrics through Mick's door. He thought the music that Mick was putting to them was a pile of shit." At the same time Jones refused to sign a new contract presented by manager Bernie Rhodes without consulting a lawyer; one Clash associate commented that Rhodes was angered by Jones's position, and "twisted Joe up about it", asking Strummer if he really wanted to be in the band with the guitarist. The rehearsals eventually ceased.[3]

In August 1983, The Clash arranged to reconvene to discuss plans for their follow-up to Combat Rock. Speaking of the tension by that point between Strummer and himself, Jones said, "By then, our relationship was . . . bad. We weren't really communicating. The group was dissipating."[4] Not long into the new set of rehearsals, some time in late August or early September, Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon fired Jones from The Clash.[5] A week prior to the official statement of Jones's ejection, Strummer, Simonon, and Rhodes met Howard in a pub, where Strummer aggressively told the drummer, "I've just fucking sacked Mick Jones, he's a fucking cunt. You have to make a decision: are you with us or him?"[6] Howard elected to stay with the group, and in October the band began posting anonymous advertisements in Melody Maker seeking a new guitarist. After auditions (during which the identity of the band remained a secret), The Clash selected two guitarists, Nick Sheppard and Greg White, with the latter taking the name Vince White due to Simonon's refusal to play in a band with someone named "Greg".[7]

The intention behind the new Clash line-up was to take the music back to basics. With Strummer playing little guitar in the new line-up and Sheppard taking over rhythm guitarist duties, the band practised early Clash songs and new three and four-chord songs, and eschewed reggae.[8] The band then booked a brief tour of the American West Coast, which prompted Mick Jones to inform concert promoter Bill Graham that he was planning to tour the country with former Clash drummer Topper Headon as "the real Clash". Jones's lawyer had earnings frozen from the US Festival as well as the band's previous album Combat Rock, which resulted in Strummer writing the song "We Are the Clash". The tour set out in January 1984, lasting until the end of the month. The shows featured the premiere of new songs "We Are the Clash", "Three Card Trick", "Sex Mad War", and "This Is England".[9]

Music

Biographer Chris Salewicz noted that the "fundamental flaw" in firing Mick Jones from The Clash was that he wrote virtually all of the music. Clash associate Kosmo Vinyl commented, "We didn't think [. . .] 'Anyone can write a punk song!' That was our mistake."[10] Unknown to the band at the time, Bernie Rhodes's solution to the problem was to take control of the music writing himself.[11]

"This Is England", much like the rest of the album that came out later that year, had been drastically re-engineered by Rhodes, with synths and football-style chants added to Strummer's incomplete recordings. Although Howard was an adept drummer, drum machines were used for virtually all of the percussion tracks. For the remainder of his life, Strummer largely disowned the album, although he did profess that "I really like 'This Is England' [and album track] 'North and South' is a vibe."[12] Other songs played on the tour remain unreleased to this day, including "Jericho" and "Glue Zombie".

Release

According to guitarist Vince White, the original title of the album was Out of Control. Bernie Rhodes changed the title to Cut the Crap shortly before the album's release without consulting the band. Rhodes also produced the record, using the alias of "Jose Unidos".

In mid-2000, the album was remastered and re-released in Europe with a bonus track "Do It Now". The reissue was unannounced and not promoted. It came after the rest of the band's catalogue had been reissued in December 1999 -January 2000 in the US.

Apparently, Strummer happened upon it in a record store around the time it was released, surprised it was already released and remarked later "one listen and I knew we were finished."[citation needed]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
Blender[14]
Robert ChristgauB+[15]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[16]

Critical and commercial reception to the record was poor aside from the single "This Is England". The absence of Jones and former drummer Topper Headon (who had been kicked out earlier due to his ongoing heroin addiction) led many to regard Cut the Crap as a Joe Strummer solo album, despite the fact that Paul Simonon appeared on it as well. Reasons for the album's shortcomings included Joe Strummer's disillusionment with the group by this point, as well as his grieving over the deaths of his parents.[17] When the album was re-released in 2000, Q Magazine noted "you wouldn't get into too many fights if you went around saying this was the Clash's worst album."

"This Is England", was released to mostly negative reviews. "CBS had paid an advance for it so they had to put it out", Strummer later explained. "I just went, 'Well fuck this', and fucked off to the mountains of Spain to sit sobbing under a palm tree, while Bernie had to deliver a record." However, critic Dave Marsh later championed "This Is England" as one of the top 1001 rock singles of all time.[18] The single has also received retroactive praise from Q magazine and others.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joe Strummer and Bernard Rhodes.

  1. "Dictator" – 3:00
  2. "Dirty Punk" – 3:11
  3. "We Are the Clash" – 3:02
  4. "Are You Red..Y" – 3:01
  5. "Cool Under Heat" – 3:21
  6. "Movers and Shakers" – 3:01
  7. "This Is England" – 3:49
  8. "Three Card Trick" – 3:09
  9. "Play to Win" – 3:06
  10. "Fingerpoppin'" – 3:25
  11. "North and South" – 3:32
  12. "Life Is Wild" – 2:39

Personnel

The following people contributed to Cut the Crap (Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon were the only original Clash members that actually appeared on the album):[19]

Additional musicians

Production

  • Bernie Rhodes - producer (credited as "Jose Unidos")

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1985 Billboard 200[20] 88
1985 Swedish Albums Chart[21] 30
1985 UK Albums Chart[22] 16
1986 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[23] 59

References

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/cut-the-crap-mw0000691234
  2. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 336-37.
  3. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 338-39.
  4. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 339.
  5. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 340-41.
  6. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 344.
  7. ^ Gilbert, Pat 2004, p. 345.
  8. ^ Salewicz, Chris 2007, p. 363.
  9. ^ Salewicz, Chris 2007, p. 364-65.
  10. ^ Salewicz, Chris 2007, p. 359.
  11. ^ Salewicz, Chris 2007, p. 360.
  12. ^ "Interview". Record Collector. Joe Strummer Resource. 2000. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  13. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Cut the Crap - The Clash". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  14. ^ Wolk, DDouglas. "Cut the Crap". Blender. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Clash". Consumer Guide. Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  16. ^ Fricke, David (1 March 2008). "Cut the Crap by The Clash". Music Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  17. ^ Parker, Alan G. Rebel Truce - The History of the Clash (Documentary)Mentioned during part 6, 5min 20seconds. Sky Arts.
  18. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Penguin. pp. 77–80. ISBN 0-14-012108-0.
  19. ^ Clash, The. (4 November 1985). Cut the Crap (Album liner notes). Epic Records.
  20. ^ "The Clash > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  21. ^ "Discography The Clash". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 26 OCtober 2008.
  22. ^ "UK Chart Archive". everyHit.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  23. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 43, No. 18, January 25 1986". RPM. Retrieved 17 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Bibliography

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