City Rockers - A Tribute to the Clash

Here's a good and diverse (band wise and with the direction some of the covers take) compilation for your sunny and windy weekend.

I picked this CD up quite some time ago in a used bin at the local shop and its been worth every penny and then some. Many of you may have heard some of these tracks if you're a fan of the respective bands, but more than a few of these tracks have also slipped past recognition for far too long.

To say this track or that track are stand out tracks would almost literally take up the entire cd as each band either does a good traditional take on the song or adapts the song to their style and does it nicely. Whether it is the first track with Dave Smalley playing "Death or Glory" and channeling Billy Bragg with just his voice and guitar or Kid Dynamite's fairly traditional send up with hand claps and all- just with a snottier snarl to it (the same could be said for Saves the Day's cover of Clash City Rockers); the whole CD is strong throughout.

I will say that, of all the tracks here, my favorites are One King Down doing "London Calling" and playing it in its fairly intact original form, but as OKD (meaning as a metallic hardcore song), Demon Speed giving "Rock the Casbah" a psycho/rockabilly treatment (really, any treatment other than stripped out synth new wave punk of the original is probably a great treatment- NOTE: the live version Joe Strummer did with the Mescaleros is exceptional as it showcases the true strength of that song), and Lady Luck's introspective feeling "Lost in the Supermarket" shines with the soft female vocals. **I would say that I love the Dropkick Murphys cover of "Guns of Brixton", but the live track loses some of the energy and punch of the studio version they did which is included on their Singles Collection Volume One.

One King Down "London Calling":


The inclusion of some very good ska bands doing very good ska versions of songs is a huge plus for me, both as a fan of ska and a fan of the Clash. The Stubborn All-Stars do an almost ska-country version of "Lose This Skin" while Skinnerbox ends the CD with "Straight to Hell." As is always the case with these kinds of things, there are tracks any and all of us would have liked to hear which did not end up on the CD, but it is a good mix of some of the best known songs and songs that are a bit more secondary.

DOWNLOAD" V/A "City Rockers"

Lady Luck "Lost in the Supermarket":

Wayne Kramer - the Hard Stuff

Wayne Kramer is nothing short of a living rock/punk legend. Having made his early mark as 1/5th of the proto-punk pioneers the MC5 in the late 60's/early 70's, spending the 70's in & out of music & jail. The late 70's/early 80's brought activity in post-MC5 projects including Gang War, formed with former New York Dolls guitarist, Johnny Thunders. Following Gang War, Kramer spent some time in fusion band Was (Not Was) as well as producing and playing with various bands & musicians.

In the early 90's he resurfaced under his own name after a reunited MC5 had played in honor of their deceased singer, Rob Tyner. Kramer's first solo-record is "The Hard Stuff." Having heard the lead track on the very first Punk-O-Rama (when it was actually a compilation and not a series of samplers) which I had actually, brace yourself, pre-ordered on cassette tape; I was very curious to hear more of Kramer's stuff. As fortune would have it, I would find a copy of the LP at local record shop, Cheap Guy Music.

A real shock to my still fairly young and abrasively inclined punk ears. The album towed the line between the music I was listening to and the music my mother had played throughout much of my youth. Still fairly unfamiliar with the MC5 beyond their place in punk history, the Hard Stuff threw open the door and provided an updated look into punk's past.

For the recording of the Hard Stuff, Kramer assembled a wide array of musicians to help him bring the record to life. Many songs featured Claw Hammer backing him, but the current line-up of the Melvins appear on one track, while label head honcho and Bad Religion guitarist Brett G. appears along with Matt & Brett from Rancid on another track. Spread throughout are members of many other bands, from Pennywise to former band mate in Was (Not Was) singer Sweet Pea Atkinson and drummer-for-hire, Josh Freese. Overall, the record doesn't miss a beat and shows no suffering from a rotation of different musicians that can sometimes plague solo albums of that nature. Punk roots, rock fury, and even some spoken word mixed in, along with the re-recording of an MC5 classic, "Poison."

Favorite tracks include rockers "Poison", "Realm of Pirate Kings", & "Edge of the Switchblade" along side the slower rock n roll love-tragedy "Junkie Romance." There's even some spoken word thrown in, giving a little for everyone. Don't miss an underrated punk/rock gem that is sadly out of print.

DOWNLOAD: Wayne Kramer - "The Hard Stuff"