14 illinoisentertainer . com february 2024
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Matto guests on “ I Don ’ t Know .” Rapper Biz Markie joins “ The Grasshopper Unit ( Keep Movin ’),” and dub music legend Lee “ Scratch ” Perry arrives to receive his honorary doctorate on the reggae-infused “ Dr . Lee , Ph . D .” The album is augmented with 21 additional tracks . They ’ re not essential , but they mesh well with the Beasties ’ loony mindset and allow fans to hear the band at play . There ’ s at least one on-mic belch , to give you an idea of how seriously to take the expanded set . The title “ Description of a Strange Man ” is truth in advertising , with the Beasties in the recording booth describing a weird guy regularly seen on surrounding streets .
The most interesting tracks are the offthe-cuff instrumental experiments . “ Dirt Dog ” is a brief shot at an R & B instrumental of the kind that would eventually be refined for 2007 ’ s The Mix-Up . Other instrumentals include “ Piano Jam ” and the wonky keyboard-and-drum track “ Switched On .” “ Auntie Jackie Poom Poom Delicious ” is a studio ramble with dub organ and Polynesian rhythm . “ Stink Bug ” layers a Latin groove and echoed hand percussion . “ 20 Questions Version ” is a close cousin , featuring MCA ’ s double bass , rattle-trap acoustic guitar , and someone going to town with a squeaky Brazilian cuica . “ Peanut Butter & Jelly ” is an all-skate instrumental with Money Mark , featuring overdubbed vocals by Mike D ’ s young niece , who sings about her favorite snack . “ Hail Sagan ( Special K )” sounds like a C-movie sci-fi score , complete with mimicked animal noises and amateurish space creature sound effects by the Beasties . Several remixes put different spins on familiar tracks , including “ Intergalactic ,” “ Putting Shame in Your Game ,” and “ The Negotiation Limerick File .” Remixers include Colleone Webb , Prunes , and more . Fatboy Slim remixes “ Body Movin ’” in the style of that year ’ s breakthrough album , You ’ ve Come a Long Way , Baby . The collection arrives in a book-style sleeve with album and single art , liner notes and a complete but very tiny set of lyrics , and a five-inch embroidered patch . The set is bound in a hardback slipcase .
– Jeff Elbel
9 JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS Live at Acton Town Hall
( Dark Horse )
Joe Strummer ’ s legend is well established as one of the essential godfathers of punk rock from his time with “ The Only Band That Matters ,” the Clash . His worthy work with the Mescaleros was also full of fire and sharp political content . This live set from Acton Town Hall in London was recorded on November 15 , 2002 , a little more than a month before Strummer ’ s unexpected passing at age 50 due to an undiagnosed heart condition . Still committed to fighting for just causes affecting working-class people , Strummer staged the show for the benefit of striking British firefighters . The album was previously released in limited numbers as a Record Store Day exclusive in 2012 . Live at Acton
Town Hall now arrives remastered on heavyweight clear vinyl and CD . The Mescaleros filled the night west of downtown London with spirited songs of defiance , solidarity , freedom , truth , and fairness . The Live at Acton Town Hall set list draws most heavily from the albums that bookended Strummer ’ s career at the time , namely the Clash ’ s 1977 self-titled debut and the Mescaleros ’ 2001 album Global a Go-Go . The quality of material is high at both ends of that span . The band also plays fresh songs , including the reggaefied rock of the stormy “ Go Down Moses ” (“ first time in London ,” says Strummer ) with its bristling organ . The chugging punk of the restless “ Coma Girl ” is also new to the crowd . Both songs would appear on 2003 ’ s posthumous release Streetcore . Tymon Dogg ’ s exotic violin
dances through the wary emigration tale “ Shaktar Donetsk .” “ If you really wanna go , you ’ ll get there in the end ,” sings Strummer with gravel and power in his voice . The song reveals equal shades of promise and warning . Martin Slattery ’ s lively flute skitters through “ Bhindi Bhagee ” while bassist Simon Stafford anchors an upbeat dance groove . Strummer narrates the song ’ s multicultural message through the exotic and enticing ethnic cuisine available in one storefront after another . “ Welcome , stranger , to the humble neighborhood ,” offer the song ’ s local denizens . Strummer calls out old Clash bandmate Mick Jones in the audience and dedicates the Clash ’ s debut album track “ Rudie Can ’ t Fail ” with its “ Hand Jive ” rhythm to Jones ’ new daughter Stella , just born earlier in the week . Slide guitar careens drunkenly through the rock-steady “ Tony Adams ” while Strummer plays a staccato ska rhythm . The song was named for the Arsenal football club ’ s formidable defender and team captain in the ‘ 90s . Multi-instrumentalist Martin Slattery ’ s cool saxophone lines soothe a song dedicated to Adams as an everyday hero with real struggles who didn ’ t receive due credit for his service and example . “ This is coming to you from a borough not un-adjacent to here ,” says Strummer when introducing the Clash ’ s reggae fable “( White Man ) In Hammersmith Palais .” The wry song ’ s catch-all mixture of protest has messages against violence and punk posturing while calling for racial unity and rebellion for genuine change . Strummer dedicates the Mescalero ’ s cover of the Clash ’ s cover of Junior Murvin ’ s “ Police and Thieves ” to “ those other two c ** ts in the Clash ,” naming bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon . “ That ’ s affection , of