Joe Strummer caused a furore in the late 1970s as co-leader of the English punk band The Clash. The Clash distinguished itself from the other, mostly nihilistic punk bands of the time because of its political militancy. Musically, The Clash was one of the few bands open to influences from reggae, rap and rockabilly. After the band split in 1986, Strummer remained active in music - he even played in
… Bob Dylan's band for a while - but rarely came to the fore. After eleven years of silence, he surprises friend and foe with this album on Epitaph, the punk label that already proved with the contracting of Tom Waits that it has a good nose for not faded glory. The title Global A Go-go beautifully sums up Strummer's musical philosophy. Together with a couple of passionate musicians from the London scene, he is inspired to his heart's content by all the music he knows - from folk to reggae and from world music to rock - and in his lyrics he shows himself to be a passionate advocate for the multicultural society. The album evokes pleasant memories of The Clash but does not sound outdated for a moment. On the contrary, there are currently few young groups around with as much passion and infectious fun as these Mescalero's. The strong songwriting hand and the recognizable performance of Joe Strummer ensure that the album retains a certain consistency despite its versatile character. (MS) there are currently few young groups around with as much passion and infectious fun as these Mescalero's. Joe Strummer's strong songwriting hand and the recognizable performance of Joe Strummer ensure that the album retains a certain consistency despite its versatile character. (MS) there are currently few young groups around with as much passion and infectious fun as these Mescalero's. Joe Strummer's strong songwriting hand and the recognizable performance of Joe Strummer ensure that the album retains a certain consistency despite its versatile character. (MS)more
