Cover for the new Joe Strummer album 'Joe Strummer 001'. Image: Joestrummer.com / Ignition Records
He's renowned for his work with The Clash, but the work the band’s singer wrote and performed outside of the legendary group is to be released on an upcoming new Joe Strummer album. The 32-track compilation, called Joe Strummer 001, was created with the help of Strummer’s widow Lucinda Tait. Along with artist/producer Robert Gordon McHarg III (who’d previously worked on the Clash’s Sound System box set with Paul Simonon) and Grammy-winning producer Peter J Moore.
It will be the first album to encompass Strummer’s music career outside of the seminal punk rock band he left the 101’ers to join. It will feature solo material, along with music by Strummer’s pre and post-Clash bands the 101’ers and the Mescaleros, and 12 previously unreleased songs.
Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon at a rehearsal studio in Camden, London in 1976. © Sheila Rock
Tracks will include an early demo of “This is England” which was called a different name, “Czechoslovak Song/Where Is England”. There’s also a demo featuring just Strummer of “Letsagetabitarockin” recorded in 1975 in Elgin Avenue, a place that was a melting pot for squatters and rebel punks back in the 1970s. Strummer was famously part of the Elgin Avenue squatting campaign back then too.
The Clash giving it all onstage at The Music Machine (Camden Palace), London in 1978. © Max Browne
Other tracks include an outtake from the Sid and Nancy soundtrack called “Crying on the 23rd” where Strummer worked with former Clash bandmate Mick Jones. And also track “U.S. North Basement Demo” which Jones and Strummer worked on in 1986. There’s also the song “London is Burning” which was one of Strummer’s last recordings before his death in 2002. And there are his collaborations with Jimmy Cliff and Johnny Cash.
Joe Strummer (lying on floor) & Mick Jones performing live onstage on their 'Sort It Out' Tour at the Paradiso, Amsterdam in October, 1978. © Lex Van Rossen
The album will be released on 28 September 2018 on Ignition Records. It comes as a 2 CD set, a deluxe 2 CD package with a 64-page book, a 4 LP vinyl set, digital download, and a super deluxe box set with CDs LPs, the book, a bonus 7-inch vinyl single, a cassette and more.
Much of the album has been informed by the Joe Strummer archives, with the album cover itself being the musician’s driving license photo.
Talking about how Moore helped turn some of the unreleased material found in the archive into individual tracks, Joestrummer.com notes:
“All tracks were restored and mastered by Grammy Award winner Peter J. Moore at the E. Room in Toronto Canada. On-going through cassettes and recording tapes it was discovered that Joe was rather frugal and keen on hiding tracks. On cassettes he would leave 20 minutes between songs. On the 1” 8 track recordings it was discovered there were hidden tracks superimposed onto each other. For example, tracks 1-4 were taken by one song and tracks 5-8 by two other songs which were thought when played back to be caused by tape denigration until the tapes went to Peter J Moore who was able to separate one song from another.”
![Upstairs at 'Rehearsal Rehearsals' in Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London. Photographer Shelia Rock recalls, "I photographed them quite a lot around 1976/77 and then a few times later on in 1982, when the cool punk band had become a cool rock band." © Sheila Rock](/media/3001/joe-strummer-album-06.jpg?width=1200&height=0&upscale=false&slimmage=true¢er=0.5,0.5&mode=crop "Upstairs at 'Rehearsal Rehearsals' in Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London. Photographer Shelia Rock recalls, "I photographed them quite a lot around 1976/77 and then a few times later on in 1982, when the cool punk band had become a cool rock band." © Sheila Rock")
Upstairs at 'Rehearsal Rehearsals' in Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London. Photographer Shelia Rock recalls, "I photographed them quite a lot around 1976/77 and then a few times later on in 1982, when the cool punk band had become a cool rock band." © Sheila Rock
You can preorder the album here. Find out more about it on the Joe Strummer official website here.
Check out the full track list below.
![The Clash (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky 'Topper' Headon) back stage before their famous gig at the Rainbow Theatre in May 1977. The band were supported on the night by some of the most notorious punk/new wave bands of the time, The Jam, The Buzzcocks, Subway Sect and The Prefects. Joe Strummer said of the performance: "We were in the right place doing the right thing at the right time." © Allan Ballard](/media/2998/joe-strummer-album-03.jpg?width=1200&height=0&upscale=false&slimmage=true¢er=0.5,0.5&mode=crop "The Clash (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky 'Topper' Headon) back stage before their famous gig at the Rainbow Theatre in May 1977. The band were supported on the night by some of the most notorious punk/new wave bands of the time, The Jam, The Buzzcocks, Subway Sect and The Prefects. Joe Strummer said of the performance: "We were in the right place doing the right thing at the right time." © Allan Ballard")
The Clash (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky 'Topper' Headon) back stage before their famous gig at the Rainbow Theatre in May 1977. The band were supported on the night by some of the most notorious punk/new wave bands of the time, The Jam, The Buzzcocks, Subway Sect and The Prefects. Joe Strummer said of the performance: "We were in the right place doing the right thing at the right time." © Allan Ballard
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer many iconic Clash images as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk.
'White riot, I wanna riot, white riot, a riot of my own!' There was a riot at this gig when the audience smashed up a load of seats.
The Clash, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Topper Headon & Paul Simonon, photographed by Sheila Rock in Camden in 1976.
Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Topper Headon & Paul Simonon of the Clash backstage at the Concert for Kampuchea, Hammersmith Apollo, 1979
The Clash on stage at the the first large scale Rock Against Racism/Anti Nazi League carnival at Victoria Park, April 1978.
Limited edition of Morgan Howell's original painting of the cover of The Clash '(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais vinyl single
The Clash outside the Roundhouse, Camden , London 1976 taking a break from their busy rehearsal schedule.
"I photographed them quite a lot around 1976/77 and then a few times later on in 1982, when the cool punk band had become a cool rock band."
Mick Jones & Paul Simonon backstage in London, 1977. “This was taken at a gig in London but I can’t remember the venue, nor can Mick Jones."
Joe Strummer (lying on floor) & Mick Jones performing live onstage on their 'Sort It Out' Tour at the Paradiso, Amsterdam.
Paul Simonon of The Clash at their rehearsal rooms in 1980, just inside the gates of the British Rail Yard in Chalk Farm Road, Camden.
The Clash giving it all onstage at The Music Machine (Camden Palace), London in 1978
The Clash back stage before their most famous gig at the Rainbow Theatre in May 1977.
In her music career Shelia Rock was known for photographing leading entertainment and music industry artists in both Classical and Pop/Rock.
Max Browne started photographing top bands when he was a school boy. His work went on to be featured in Melody Maker, NME & Sounds magazines
In 1987 Lex Van Rossen caused a sensation by a taking an iconic photo of Bono from U2, kneeling & singing at a concert in Rotterdam.
