I launched Spotify this morning to find some of the latest additions included some BBC Live Sessions. I’m currently listening to The Specials at the Paris Theatre on 15 December 1979, and as I discovered with The Clash’s Concert Vault recording from earlier this week, the best bits of these recordings is the lecturing from the bands between songs.
In the case of The Clash it was Joe Strummer berating journalists over their constant questioning behind the meaning of The Clash’s music (to which his reply was a rendition of Police and Thieves).
“You know, we get asked, we have to talk to a lot of journalists, and they always ask us ‘Excuse me, sir! But does your music have a message?’ and if you say ‘Yeah’, then you let yourself in for ‘What is this message?’ So for all of those trainee journalists in the audience, THIS is the message!”
The Specials are equally scolding of unprotected sex (Too Much Too Young) and students (Rat Race):
“If any of you under 16s are planning to make love later on, get hold of your dads dictionary and look under the word contraception and under the word fun, and under these two words you’ll fund four words: Too Much Too Young.”
"If all you students are listening and thinking about your mum and dad at christmas, just stop revising for a moment, and prick back your ears, this is for you, its called Rat Race."
So enjoy a few live sessions courtesy of the Beeb and our favourite streaming music services:
The Stranglers – BBC In Concert (23rd April 1977) We7
Buzzcocks – John Peel Session (10th April 1978)
The Specials – BBC In Concert (15th December 1979, In Concert Paris Theatre recorded: 15/12/79) We7
The Selecter – BBC In Concert (15th December 1979, In Concert Paris Theatre recorded: 15/12/79) We7
What Microsoft will do to try and be cool these days…
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