The Clash - Théatre Le Palace 1980

Band: The Clash
Album: Théatre Le Palace (Chorus TV)
Country: UK
Release Date: 1980

Un excellent concert de l'époque London Calling des Clash. Le groupe s'y trouve enthousiaste et énergique et a droit à une excellente réponse du public parisien.

Blackmarketclash review:
The TV programme begins at Jimmy Jazz presumably because it took 3 songs to recover from the initial surge of the audience. The Clash appear to have played a normal set, the TV Director deciding which songs to edit out of the 40 minute programme. The Paris audience are very lively and enthusiastic and The Clash, now rejuvenated respond with a terrific performance.

Jimmy Jazz kicks off the programme in superb style with Joe prowling the stage, dropping to his knees and then singing on his back lying on the stage at one point. Mick chokes back the guitar, only coming in a jamming funky way giving it a real laid back feel. You can hear Mickey Gallagher's keyboards carry the tune along. Joe’s pigeon French intros and ad-libs are a delight here and throughout often switching back amusingly into English when it gets too hard.

London Calling next followed by the usually lightweight Protex Blue but which here really rocks. An edit into another Mick vocal on Train In Vain featuring some great lead guitar. It cuts off immediately after the last chord with Koka Kola edited in with the opening chords. Joe puts in another energetic vocal and then the song segues into I Fought the Law.

Joe gets carried away with his linguistics and starts talking in French introducing Spanish Bombs. Its quite funny when he continues his pigeon French at the next break, but in a linguistic rut, he pauses, and in rough cockney bleats out, "“Very good, tres bien mes amis, fuckin’ tres bien! Maintenant, it’s the wrong ‘em boyo mate!”

The sound fluctuates near the end of an excellent Wrong ‘Em Boyo and the band are obviously enjoying themselves. Joe clearly is knackered at this stage. Mick comes in on the vocals to rescue Joe and carry the song forward. Mick performs a strong Stay Free explaining mid song “its Brixton, a penal colony”

There is little or no chatter here on as the gig really cranks up into Janie Jones, Paul and Mick joining Joe on the vocals. Then Topper’s bass drum and drum rolls sound out before Mick’s guitar crashes into a superb Complete Control. Mick was getting lots of stick in the press at the time for being a detached guitar hero but his playing here is terrific building the tension to the song as Joe rants his adlibs over an extended ending.

There is a probable edit next before Joe calls for Tommy Gun but Topper proceeds into a passionate Garageland and then the band finish with a rousing finale of Tommy Gun with Joe really fired up “Don’t wanna go to war”.

1. Jimmy Jazz
2. London Calling
3. Protex Blue
4. Train In Vain
5. Koka Kola
6. I Fought the Law
7. Spanish Bombs
8. Wrong `Em Boyo
9. StayFree
10. Jane Jones
11. Complete Control
12. Garageland
13. Tommy Gun

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