course ,” he ’ s quick to add . Strummer requests a fever pitch from the crowd following the full-tilt psych-rocker “ Cool ‘ n ’ Out .” “ Lettin ’ it rip a little is good for your lungs . Try and spit the blood bits on the floor , not on your girlfriends ,” he advises before launching into Eddy Grant ’ s “ Police on My Back ” ( as recorded on the Clash ’ s Sandinista !). Strummer introduces the acoustic protest-folk song “ Johnny Appleseed ” from Global a Go-Go as “ a toe-tapper .” The sprightly song bounces with Dogg ’ s plucked violin . “ If you ’ re after getting the honey , then you don ’ t go killing all the bees ,” sings Strummer . The main set closes with a ripping “ I Fought the Law ” led by Luke Bullen ’ s thundering drums . The Mescaleros soon return for an encore of Clash favorites with Jones in tow . The Acton Town Hall performance is significant as the final reunion between Strummer and his Clash partner , and also as their first performance together in nearly 20 years . Jones ’ guitar solo for reggae song “ Bankrobber ” gradually finds its way into the mix , revealing Live at Acton Town Hall ’ s origin as a board mix . The band brings the house down with “ White Riot .” Strummer announces that the final song is performed at the request of Andy Gilchrist , the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union . The Mescaleros then finish with a very appropriate “ London ’ s Burning .” “ Good luck with everything , everybody ,” says Strummer as a parting blessing . Gilchrist offers his memories in new liner notes .
It was a mightily unfortunate loss to music that Strummer ’ s own luck didn ’ t hold out for much longer following this concert . This recording testifies to the fact that he remained a passionate artist and agitator until the very end . It also suggests that the Mescaleros mattered plenty , too .
– Jeff Elbel
8
fifth studio album Atom Heart Mother , was originally released in 1970 and was its first to top the charts at home in the UK . Several of the album ’ s musical ideas germinated as the band was recording the soundtrack for Michelangelo Antonioni ’ s counterculture film Zabriskie Point . The album opens with its title suite in six movements , which took up the first side of the original vinyl LP format . The piece had been named after a newspaper story about a woman with a plutonium-powered pacemaker . Due to the use of unproven new equipment at Abbey Road Studios , bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason were required to perform the nearly 24- minute piece in a single pass . “ Father ’ s Shout ” is led by Ron Geesin ’ s stately brass arrangement and underscored by the band and sounds of battle . During “ Breast Milky ,” Richard Wright ’ s organ solo yields to a lonely violin and David Gilmour ’ s lap steel . “ Mother Fore ” is marked by mournful organ , the subdued pulse of Roger Waters ’ bass , and the 16 voices of the John Alldis choir . “ Funky Dung ” rides a mellow groove and is highlighted by Gilmour ’ s bluesy guitar solo . The song is punctuated by unison riffs between Wright and drummer Mason , until the choir returns with inscrutable vocals . “ Mind Your Throats Please ” is unsettled and cacophonic . The side resolves with the main brass theme during “ Remergence ,” this time accompanied by further bombast from Mason . Wright ’ s undulating organ figure accompanies another violin solo , followed by a tangle of layered Gilmour solos . Gilmour allegedly referred to the principal melody as “ Theme from an Imaginary Western ,” with possible nods to spaghetti western composer Ennio Morricone . In the end , “ Atom Heart Mother ” exits with a symphonic blast of brass and choir . The album ’ s second side focuses on the individual personalities within the band . Waters ’ “ If ” has been kept alive via performances by Nick Mason ’ s Saucerful of Secrets . “ If ” is folksy and introspective but includes traces of Waters ’ trademark paranoia . Following a series of comparably pastoral images , he sings , “ If I go insane , please don ’ t put your wires in my brain .” Wright ’ s jaunty “ Summer ‘ 68 ” is driven by sparkling piano and features a trumpet solo , shots of sharp brass , and a Beach Boys-inspired “ ba-ba-ba ” vocal bridge . The song expresses angst following an impersonal tryst with a groupie . Gilmour offers more midtempo folk with the languid “ Fat Old Sun ,” the album ’ s bestremembered and most-performed piece . The song praises peaceful and bucolic surroundings . Mason developed the 13- minute suite “ Alan ’ s Psychedelic Breakfast ” with his bandmates . The piece
PINK FLOYD Atom Heart Mother Special Edition
( Pink Floyd / Sony )
This reissue package doesn ’ t carry the shock-and-awe overload of last year ’ s 50th anniversary set for Pink Floyd ’ s landmark album Dark Side of the Moon , but it does include a big surprise while honoring one of the band ’ s cult favorites . The Atom Heart Mother Special Edition marks the North American release of a package that was a Japanese exclusive in 2021 . Pink Floyd ’ s february 2024 illinoisentertainer . com 15