The Clash “Gates of the West” / “Groovy Times”

I have absolutely no idea how this oddball Clash 45 came into my possession—it says: “Demonstration Not for Sale” on it—the date, 1979. I’m pretty sure both of these songs were on albums, though I’m not sure which ones. I was such a huge Clash fan—at the time of their first four LPs—that I would buy both the US and UK versions, since there were different songs on them. At some point, though, I just lost interest in The Clash, and for whatever reason, I still haven’t been able to go back to them, not even for nostalgia. I wrote about the first four LPs on the DJ Farraginous blog way back in 2006—so you can see what I said then—if you’re so inclined—probably amusing. (That’s the year that blog started, and for a while, I was going through my records alphabetically.) I feel kind of bad about not being a big fan, anymore, since I know they were a great band—and it is weird to me how I sometimes go against what I once loved with all my heart (like the M*A*S*H TV show, energetic rock music, the harmonica, some sports, driving, movies, and beer). I feel like I know these songs in my sleep—I know exactly how they go. But I’m going to play them, anyway, because you never know—fresh ears and all. “Gates of the West” is a super high energy Mick Jones vocals pop number—very catchy—he’s also, I’m guessing, singing the backup vocals and playing his signature lead guitar parts. The lyrics are no doubt political, but I’m not going to dwell on them at this point. “Groovy Times” is also high energy and poppy, this time with Joe Strummer singing—I liked both of those guys as singers, but particularly JS, because MJ backup vocals work well with JS’s raspy voice. I’m also not dwelling on the lyrics—though I’m sure they’re saying something. The worst thing about both of these songs is the drums sound crappy—they were recorded crappily, I suspect, because I know that guy was a great drummer—unless for this studio date they enlisted a hack with a cardboard box. Who knows. Anyway, both of these songs sound exactly like I remember them—but more so, actually. Is that even possible?

9.22.23