The US Festivals, in the fall of 1982 and spring of 1983 were music concerts sponsored by Apple, and rather than devoted to charity like other huge music festivals at the time, they were focussed on promoting breakthroughs in technology. They were the first concerts to feature video screens for fans in far away seats.
Anyway, The Clash appeared in the second of these festivals, but had refused to play unless some donations were made to charities. They were fully in their camouflage army outfit phase and at the peak of their popularity.
In front of 150,000 music fans, Joe Strummer delivered the following from the stage, "You make, you buy, you die! That's the motto of America--you get born to buy it. And if there's anything gonna be in the future, it's gonna be from all parts of anything, not just one white way down the middle of the road!" The Clash then launched into a blistering version of "Know Your Rights."
Afterwards, his sneering apology to the largely indifferent crowd: "I suppose, you don't want to hear me going about this and that and what's up my ass, huh? Try this on for size: 'Well hi everybody, ain't it groovy? Ain't you sick of hearin' that for the last 150 years?'"
Amen! Uh, after this sermon my mix rolls into "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & Papas. It is, after all, very cold in NYC this time of year. Usually. I have two other versions, one by Parliament guitarist Eddie Hazel and another by The Baby Huey Story.
Bookending this mix with The Clash is a song often associated with them, "Pressure Drop", that is actually a cover of Toots & The Maytals. Here is a quiet acoustic version by David Kitt that sounds nothing like reggae or rock.
In between: spooky Lee Perry production on "Black Panta" by The Upsetters, a nice remix of Nina Simone's Bee Gee's cover "I Can't See Nobody", Patti Page's huge hit version of "The The Tennessee Waltz" and the witty "Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man" by Public Enemy. I like how Flavor Fav ask the listener to seek out the Shell Answer Man.
I have two versions of "Planet Queen" by the great T. Rex, one acoustic and one the album version. Dudley Perkins is an out-there hip hop vocalist, not rapper, whose charming amateurism sounds great with Madlib's production. This mix has his surprisingly moving "Lil' Black Boy". Madlib teamed up with MF Doom to make the legendary Madvillain. From their (so far) only album, Madvillainy, is the goofy "Curls". Along those lines, in an unreleased single Slick Rick imagines himself as a "Sleazy Gynecologist", which is followed by a group improbably named The Blow Jobbers, with "Mondo Porno". Turn this one down if you have kids. I got it from a compilation of 70s adult movie music.
Nothing more 70s, musically, than Steely Dan. I've always loved "Deacon Blues". Billy Preston was known as the "Black Beatle" for his heavy involvement with albums like Abbey Road. Speaking of The Beatles, I have a great collection of Cuban musicians covering them called Beatles Cubanos Here Comes El Son. From that here is LT Vocal doing a wonderful version of "Because". Back to Billy Preston: he was also nearly invited to join The Rolling Stones. He did just fine on his own, "Nothing From Nothing" is one the happiest songs from the entire "Me" decade. Hard to understand what being a "soldier on the war of poverty" means in this context of circus-like music. But it's fun. Completing the 70s vibe is a jazz cover of the Sanford & Son theme, "Sanford & Sons", by Bobby Forrester. The original version used on the show is by Quincy Jones.
Oh, one more song from the 70s, "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie. I have a cute cover by Nouvelle Vague and a 12'' version of the original that I imagine must've played often in Studio 54 back in the day. This is my favorite of their songs, reminding me so much of my childhood, particularly one summer spent at my mother's family's compond on the Jersey shore. Debbie Harry's icy sensuality was potent to this 10 year old boy.
Many years later for a brief time I was, outside my day job, a mediocre d-jay at a terrible bar. Actually, out of the stable of d-jays there I was clearly the best. By my own estimation and the opinion of the bartenders. But no matter--usually it was not crowded and I would convince at least a few friends to come meet me. The sheer novelty of it all was amusing for all of us--it's fun to take up hobbies for awhile and then leave them, moving onto other pursuits.
One night the bar was reserved for a party celebrating some mediocre television show on a national cable network. It was very, very crowded and I doubted people could hear what I was playing anyway. But at one point, I put on Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" and soon my friend the bartender turned to me and said, "you do know Debbie Harry just walked in."
I was immediately mortified. Did she think I put that on to herald her arrival? How corny that must seem! As I strained to see her in the crowd, my mind raced as to how to rectify what might be seen as a faux pas of obviousness.
I dug out the original and fairly obscure (I'm sure to this crowd of television celebrity wannabes) of "The Tide Is High" by 60s rocksteady group The Paragons.
I am pretty sure Debbie Harry winked at me.
Know Your Rights (Live from US Festival May '83) The Clash
