Super Black Market Clash
Encyclopedia
Super Black Market Clash is a compilation album
released by The Clash
in 1993 that contains B-sides
and rare tracks not available on their other album
s. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP
, containing only 9 songs. The man in the foreground of the front cover art is Don Letts
, who worked with the Clash on several projects and later was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite
.
and Sandinista!
It compiled recordings which were then unavailable in the US except as imports. It was one of series of ten-inch records that Epic released in the U.S. by various artists, including Gary Glitter
and New Musik, under the name Epic "Nu-Disk".
"The Prisoner," the cover of "Pressure Drop
" by Toots and the Maytals, "City of the Dead," and "Armagideon Time" had all been UK b-sides
from the period 1977-79, respectively of "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," "English Civil War
," "Complete Control
," and "London Calling
." "Pressure Drop" is presented here in a remix by Bill Price.
At the time of release, this was the only record that featured the cover of the "Time Is Tight" instrumental by Booker T & the MGs. "Capital Radio
" was extremely rare in the UK, so much so that the group had recorded a new version, which was originally released on The Cost of Living as "Capital Radio Two." "Cheat" is from their UK debut album
and had been left off the US version.
"Bankrobber" had been a UK A-side, and appears here in a mix unique to this record with its dub music
version "Robber Dub," which was originally intended for the b-side of an unreleased "Bankrobber" 12" dance club single. A dub version of the "Armagideon Time" also appears, "Justice Tonight/Kick It Over." This track was previously available only as the B-side to the 12-inch "London Calling" club single. The full length track is 8:54, and this 7:00 edited version is also unique to this compilation.
Black Market Clash was reissued in the 1980s on 12" vinyl and cassette, with the same track listing as the 10". It was re-released on compact disc
in 1991, but was discontinued when Super Black Market Clash replaced it. It was available again for a short period of time in 2006 in certain countries. It was reissued on 10inch vinyl again in 2011.
and Mick Jones
except where noted otherwise.
Side one
Side two
Guest musicians
released by The Clash
in 1993 that contains B-sides
and rare tracks not available on their other album
s. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP
, containing only 9 songs. The man in the foreground of the front cover art is Don Letts
, who worked with the Clash on several projects and later was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite
.
Super Black Market Clash album does not contain the tracks "Capital Radio One", "Cheat", "Bankrobber/Robber Dub" or "Armagideon Time" found on the original Black Market Clash. At the time of re-release "Capital Radio One", "Bankrobber" and "Armagideon Time" had recently been compiled on the compilations The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
, Clash on Broadway
, and The Singles, and removing them did not affect the availability of the recordings. The album also replaces the version of "Pressure Drop" that appeared on the original Black Market Clash with the b-side mix, and "Justice Tonight/Kick It Over" appears in a longer version than that which appeared on Black Market Clash.
Super Black Market Clash does not fully compile the Clash's b-sides or even attempt to collect all their rarities. It does however contain important songs, such as three from The Cost of Living EP and several b-sides that were previously unavailable on CD including "The Cool Out" (a remix of "The Call Up) and "Long Time Jerk" (although in a shorter version than appeared as the b-side to "Rock the Casbah").
In January 2000 this album, along with the rest of The Clash's catalog was remastered and re-released. The artwork for the remaster corrects an error in the tracklisting on the original ("Pressure Drop" was listed as track 5 and "The Prisoner" as track 6 when they actually play in the opposite sequence). The original version of the revised artwork also introduced a new error by listing "Radio Clash" as "This Is Radio Clash" (the former song, which appears on the album, is the b-side to the latter song which does not), but this was corrected on later pressings.
Guest musicians
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
in 1993 that contains B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and rare tracks not available on their other album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, containing only 9 songs. The man in the foreground of the front cover art is Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
, who worked with the Clash on several projects and later was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite are a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of the Clash, Mick Jones. The group are noted for their effective mixture of varied musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk...
.
Black Market Clash
Black Market Clash was released only in the US and Canada as a ten-inch record between the releases of London CallingLondon Calling
London Calling is the third studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 through CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 through Epic Records...
and Sandinista!
Sandinista!
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
It compiled recordings which were then unavailable in the US except as imports. It was one of series of ten-inch records that Epic released in the U.S. by various artists, including Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
and New Musik, under the name Epic "Nu-Disk".
"The Prisoner," the cover of "Pressure Drop
Pressure Drop (song)
"Pressure Drop" is a song recorded in 1969 by The Maytals for producer Leslie Kong. The song appears on their 1970 album Monkey Man and From the Roots...
" by Toots and the Maytals, "City of the Dead," and "Armagideon Time" had all been UK b-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
from the period 1977-79, respectively of "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," "English Civil War
English Civil War (song)
"English Civil War" is a song by British punk rock band The Clash, featured on their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, and released as a single on 23 February 1979...
," "Complete Control
Complete Control
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.The song is often cited as one of punk's greatest singles, and is a fiery polemic on record companies, managers and the state of punk music itself, the motivation for the song...
," and "London Calling
London Calling (song)
"London Calling" is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash. It was released as a single from the band's 1979 double album London Calling...
." "Pressure Drop" is presented here in a remix by Bill Price.
At the time of release, this was the only record that featured the cover of the "Time Is Tight" instrumental by Booker T & the MGs. "Capital Radio
Capital Radio One
Capital Radio is a song and an EP by The Clash.The original 2:07-2:09 song has been included as "Capital Radio" or "Capital Radio One" on Capital Radio E.P...
" was extremely rare in the UK, so much so that the group had recorded a new version, which was originally released on The Cost of Living as "Capital Radio Two." "Cheat" is from their UK debut album
The Clash (album)
The album received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number 12 in the UK charts. In December 1979, critic Robert Christgau named it his favorite album of the 1970s....
and had been left off the US version.
"Bankrobber" had been a UK A-side, and appears here in a mix unique to this record with its dub music
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
version "Robber Dub," which was originally intended for the b-side of an unreleased "Bankrobber" 12" dance club single. A dub version of the "Armagideon Time" also appears, "Justice Tonight/Kick It Over." This track was previously available only as the B-side to the 12-inch "London Calling" club single. The full length track is 8:54, and this 7:00 edited version is also unique to this compilation.
Black Market Clash was reissued in the 1980s on 12" vinyl and cassette, with the same track listing as the 10". It was re-released on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1991, but was discontinued when Super Black Market Clash replaced it. It was available again for a short period of time in 2006 in certain countries. It was reissued on 10inch vinyl again in 2011.
Track listing
All songs written by Joe StrummerJoe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
and Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
except where noted otherwise.
Side one
- "Capital Radio OneCapital Radio OneCapital Radio is a song and an EP by The Clash.The original 2:07-2:09 song has been included as "Capital Radio" or "Capital Radio One" on Capital Radio E.P...
" – 2:09 - "The Prisoner" – 3:00
- "Pressure DropPressure Drop (song)"Pressure Drop" is a song recorded in 1969 by The Maytals for producer Leslie Kong. The song appears on their 1970 album Monkey Man and From the Roots...
" (Toots HibbertToots HibbertFrederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.-Biography:...
) – 3:30 - "Cheat" – 2:06
- "The City of the Dead" – 2:26
- "Time Is Tight" (Booker T. JonesBooker T. JonesBooker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
, Steve CropperSteve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson) – 4:05
Side two
- "BankrobberBankrobber"Bankrobber" is a song, and single by The Clash. The song was not released on any of their studio albums, instead appearing on their compilation Black Market Clash...
/Robber Dub" (Strummer, Jones, Mikey DreadMikey DreadMichael George Campbell , better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music...
) – 6:16 - "Armagideon Time" (Willie Williams, Jackie MittooJackie MittooJackie Mittoo was a Jamaican keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a founding member of The Skatalites and was a mentor to many younger performers, primarily through his work as musical director for the Studio One record label.-Biography:He was born Donat Roy Mittoo in Browns Town,...
) – 3:50 - "Justice Tonight/Kick It Over" (Williams, Mittoo) – 7:00
Personnel
- Joe StrummerJoe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
- vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Mick JonesMick Jones (The Clash)Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
- guitar, vocals, piano - Paul SimononPaul SimononPaul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Terry ChimesTerry ChimesTerry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983. He was the drummer for Hanoi Rocks in 1985, before the band broke-up that same year...
- drums on "Capital Radio" and "Cheat" - Topper HeadonTopper HeadonHeadon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
- drums, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on "The Prisoner", "Pressure Drop", "The City of the Dead", "Time Is Tight", "Bankrobber"/"Robber Dub," "Armagideon Time", and "Justice Tonight"/"Kick It Over"
Guest musicians
- Gary BarnacleGary BarnacleGary Barnacle is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work Gary Barnacle (born 1959, Dover, England) is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "Time Is Tight"
Super Black Market Clash
Super Black Market Clash is a compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
in 1993 that contains B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and rare tracks not available on their other album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, containing only 9 songs. The man in the foreground of the front cover art is Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
, who worked with the Clash on several projects and later was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite are a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of the Clash, Mick Jones. The group are noted for their effective mixture of varied musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk...
.
Super Black Market Clash album does not contain the tracks "Capital Radio One", "Cheat", "Bankrobber/Robber Dub" or "Armagideon Time" found on the original Black Market Clash. At the time of re-release "Capital Radio One", "Bankrobber" and "Armagideon Time" had recently been compiled on the compilations The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1 is a double-disc compilation album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released with 28 tracks on 29 February 1988 through Epic Records. The compilation presents a relatively thorough overview of their career . An anticipated second volume was to have...
, Clash on Broadway
Clash on Broadway
-Track listing:All songs written by Mick Jones and Joe Strummer except where noted otherwise.-Disc one:# "Janie Jones" — 2:11# "Career Opportunities" — 1:58#* early demo versions produced by Guy Stevens# "White Riot" — 1:59# "1977" — 1:41...
, and The Singles, and removing them did not affect the availability of the recordings. The album also replaces the version of "Pressure Drop" that appeared on the original Black Market Clash with the b-side mix, and "Justice Tonight/Kick It Over" appears in a longer version than that which appeared on Black Market Clash.
Super Black Market Clash does not fully compile the Clash's b-sides or even attempt to collect all their rarities. It does however contain important songs, such as three from The Cost of Living EP and several b-sides that were previously unavailable on CD including "The Cool Out" (a remix of "The Call Up) and "Long Time Jerk" (although in a shorter version than appeared as the b-side to "Rock the Casbah").
In January 2000 this album, along with the rest of The Clash's catalog was remastered and re-released. The artwork for the remaster corrects an error in the tracklisting on the original ("Pressure Drop" was listed as track 5 and "The Prisoner" as track 6 when they actually play in the opposite sequence). The original version of the revised artwork also introduced a new error by listing "Radio Clash" as "This Is Radio Clash" (the former song, which appears on the album, is the b-side to the latter song which does not), but this was corrected on later pressings.
Track listing
Personnel
- Joe StrummerJoe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, piano - Mick JonesMick Jones (The Clash)Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Paul SimononPaul SimononPaul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Terry ChimesTerry ChimesTerry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983. He was the drummer for Hanoi Rocks in 1985, before the band broke-up that same year...
- drums on "1977" and "Listen" - Topper HeadonTopper HeadonHeadon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
- drums, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on all other tracks
Guest musicians
- Gary BarnacleGary BarnacleGary Barnacle is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work Gary Barnacle (born 1959, Dover, England) is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "1-2 Crush on You" and "Time Is Tight"