I always felt Earthquake Weather got unfairly shrifted at the time, because Joe hadn't been out too long from under the shadow of the Clash...and the mood seemed punitive towards him, for the way the group had broken up. . . I've always liked the more straightforward songs --"Gangsterville," "King Of The Bayou," and "Shouting Street." On the more obscure tracks (such as "Highway One Zero Street"), I think he felt like he was "giving the people what they want," so to speak. However, "Leopardskin Limousines" and "Sleepwalk". . . are two of Joe's finest ballads.
So today we have- Havana 3am, Paul Simonon's post-Clash project. Product description has the album as the "1991 debut for rootsy alternative rock act formed by ex-Clash bass player Paul Simonon, conjuring up a blend of Latino flavoring built on a solid base of rockabilly."
The self-titled effort by Paul Simonon's band is not much like the Clash, and also not nearly as memorable as the Clash. Actually, Simonon is just one of the team, the material written in collaboration with Gary Myrick and Nigel Dixon, with the lead vocals taken by Dixon. As the title might lead you to believe, they do integrate a good amount of Latin influences, though it's not dominant. The guitars often have a rockabilly twang, and the vocals have a muted sense of anthemic urgency. The Clash influence does become obvious when they get into their occasional, slightly reggae-ish beats. There's a lot going on here in terms of rockabilly, Latin, spaghetti Western, and straightforward new wave rock influences mingling (Unterberger allmusic).I think good listening will mean forgetting the Clash (you can get your fill of them with the 3 disc Clash on Broadway at tHe SkY iS sO bLuE) and enjoying the show. Though if you want to see criminally good looking Paul, you can find some live Havana 3am at Youtube :p Band info can be found here.
Havana 3am - Havana 3am
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"Not as memorable as the Clash," eh? This is gonna be a bit extensive, so bear with me... Well, I don't recall anybody asking for their money back, on the five times that I saw 'em!
Yes, the crowds varied (the worst was a snooker hall -- of all places -- in London's Fulham area, in April 1990), but I don't recall anyone sitting on their hands, and frowning...quite the opposite!
I like the album, but my Havana 3am memories are focused more on the times of meeting and seeing them (something you can't necessarily capture on a record per se, obviously). The best nights occurred at the Borderline (11/21/89; 1/23-24/90)...a small club off central London's Charing Cross Road (where REM did their famous one-off gigs as Bingo Hand Job.)
As I recall, the November '89 gig was a one-off affair, so it was a little tentative...but the collective talent certainly did shine through, starting with those clattering electronic drums of Travis Williams (which you can hear on that Youtube video of "Guns of Brixton").
I also remember being impressed by Gary Myrick's deft touch as a guitar player...always the right notes at the right time, never more than necessary (and, when you think about it, is an essential cornerstone of Paul's style, too). If you scanned album credits, you'd have already recognized the late Nigel Dixon, who made for an engaging frontman.
Those two nights in January '90 rank among my top shows, not only for the performances...but for the atmosphere. The crowd ranged from the usual twentysomethings plugging into the Clash connection, to the standard issue record company "suits" (and yes, some had ponytails...just like in a music biz B-movie!)
Paul wore a shining blue matador-style vest, which he got at a Mexican market in L.A. (so he said, backstage). Once I'd got past asking him the standard stuff ("When ya comin' to the States, Paul, 'cause we really need ya there?" "When we can afford it!"), I moved to bigger game (in the spirit of one bass player to another): "Paul, what are the chords to 'Red Angel Dragnet?'"
Paul scratched his head, and laughed: "Oh, God, I dunno...I forgot." Pause. "If I sat down, I could probably work it out..."
OK: now my night was complete, and that was before Paul signed my copy of THE CLASH: A NWE VISUAL DOCUMENTARY (complete with a clock in the "3am" position). It certainly made for an interesting conversation piece at work the next day (at the University of London)...for five minutes, anyway!
Looking back now, it seems that some writers had trouble getting past what I call the "resume" aspect of the band (y'know, "ex-this, ex-that")...but I don't remember the audiences having a problem with it (which is what counts, when you're up there playing).
That said, at the time, Paul fared a bit better than Joe in the Post-Clash Sweepstakes. Paul's profile wasn't as high, so he got cut a bit more slack (but only a bit...this is the UK we're talking about, after all).
Next time...the lost Havana 3am songs, and more anecdotes!
since I know you like the clash, I suggest you take a look at
http://serialslingshot.blogspot.com/
maybe you will find something you haven't got!
A lot of stuff overthere, have fun
cheers
Thanks, will do when I get a minute (I got a civil service exam coming up yet today!). For my last post, I wanted to touch on one factor that often gets lost today...namely, that of music as a live experience.
I saw Havana 3am four times before I even got my hands on their album (plus one time afterwards), and those are the memories that stick strongest with me now, after all this time...if you only judged the band based on a few listens to that record (which was to have been 16 tracks: more on that next time), as good as it is...you missed something. If you saw it...you got it right away.
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If you like John Frusciante, check out my blog. Maybe something you may find interesting
OK, since I promised this about two or three posts ago, let me wrap it up now ...as I learned from my interview with Nigel in '91, the album was suppposed to be 16 tracks, but the boys ran out of time -- so there's four songs that didn't make the original cut.
Two of them ("Blue Gene Vincent," "The Hunger") appeared on TEXAS GLITTER AND TOMBSTONE TALES (1996), credited to Gary Myrick & Havana 3am...basically, it's a Myrick solo album, but also a terrific showcase for his playing, and the songs are nifty, too (one of my faves being, "Tex Pawnshop And The Tremoloes," the type of storytelling song that few people do anymore).
"Blue Gene Vincent" is a high-octane tribute to the '50s rockabilly icon, while "The Hunger" seemed to take its lyrical drift from the December '89 fall of the late Romanian dicator, Nicolae Ceaucescu ("Well, the day will come when your blood stains the pavement/Then it's too late").
OK, that leaves two more: "You Can Win," a straight-up rockabilly anthem that didn't make it to record, but was played live regularly (the chorus starts with "Wash your face, grease your hair," what other instructions do you need?)...and a hard-charging pop number, which I always call, "Don't Give It Away," from the chorus. Here are some of the lyrics:
"I was never tempted to slave for any man
"Unlike everybody, I had a different plan
"When I wake up to the working week, and cry
"My dreams are real in the future, that's where they lie...
"You've got to/Make all your dreams come true
"You've got no...time to lose...don't give it away!"
This song opened the shows that I saw in November 1989, and January 1990 -- words to live by, and they still kick around in my brain. Sometimes, that's all you need!
Here are some links that I believe will be interested
I say briefly: Best! Useful information. Good job guys.
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What can I say...archiving is my middle name, anecdotes are the name of my game -- all to uphold the shadow government of rock 'n' roll!
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