Sort it Out Tour Supported by The Slits
updated 7 Aug 2014 - added new tracks form 28th on Sony official SoundSystem release
Updated Dec 2014 with full shakedown of audio sources.
Updated Octopber 2020 - added posters
Updated 22 January 2022 - added flyers and photos
Lyceum 28th and 29th December 1978
This is one of the best sounding Clash boots available and comes from a great live period. It is a superb audience recording (individual voices near the microphones can be heard) using professional quality equipment.
Of the instrumentation Topper's magnificently powerful drumming comes through best, guitar's are excellent too although a touch too far back in the mix, and Paul's bass is very good but somewhat lacking in depth and focus. Vocals too are excellent but not quite as in your face as a soundboard recording. Overall there is a slightly harsh sound but these are minor criticisms of an excellent recording of a magnificent performance.
Lot of confusion over the recordings over three nights; There is a lot of confusion over the recordings over three nights; which belongs to which so we have unusualy listed all three with a breakdown of the official and unofficial recordings and which night we believe they originate from.
Our view There has been confusion over which of the 3 Lyceum dates are the source for the Sort It Out /Buy or Die CD and which for this “Rude Boy” filmed/recorded concert. The pro-recorded gig used in the film IS the 3rd January and NOT the 28th as previously thought. The boots, Sort it Out and Buy or Die are from the 29th, and maybe as stated the 28th as well. The recording from the 3rd is much superior to the boots from the 28th and 29th and nearly as good as they appear on FHTE. FHTE dates the “Rude Boy” gig as 28th December from where 'I Fought the Law' and 'City of the Dead' came and the Clash On Broadway booklet has English Civil War from this concert as recorded January 79. However all three tracks come from the pro-recorded gig of the 3rd January and FHTE has most likely got it wrong. FHTE used the Rude Boy dates which have proven wrong previously; eg. the Music Machine July 78 songs are not from the 27th July as stated. An audience recording would be VERY helpful
Thursday 28th December
sbd but from copies - 2 tracks (Sort it Out / Buy or Die bootlegs) - Sound 4.0 White Riot (28th) There is no way of knowing if the Bootlegs Sort it Out/Buy or Die/USA 79 are from the 28th and the 29th. Sort it Out says it from the 29th with the last two tracks from the 28th. We are going to accept that. Buy or Die is a reissue but with a full Garageland.
Friday 29th December
Tommy Gun (29th) There is no way of knowing if the Bootlegs Sort it Out/Buy or Die/USA 79 are from the 28th and the 29th. Sort it Out says it from the 29th with the last two tracks from the 28th. We are going to accept that. Buy or Die is a reissue but with a full Garageland.
Wednesday 3rd January
Sbd - sound 4.0 - full - 19 tracks Complete Control (3rd) We can assume this is the correct date as Joe apologises to ticket holders from the Music Machine gig and Mick says this is the last gig for 6 months. This is one of the best sounding Clash boots (3rd) available and comes from a great live period. It is a superb audience recording (individual voices near the microphones can be heard) using professional quality equipment. Of the instrumentation Topper’s magnificently powerful drumming comes through best, guitar’s are excellent too although a touch too far back in the mix, and Paul’s bass is very good but somewhat lacking in depth and focus. Vocals too are excellent but not quite as in your face as a soundboard recording. Overall there is a slightly harsh sound but these are minor criticisms of an excellent recording of a magnificent performance. The only defects in this recording are some patches of distortion, a few drop outs and the fact that this source has not been mixed by the likes of Bill Price for FHTE to pick out the instrumentation and improve the stereo separation.
16 track mobile studio for Rude Boy For Rude Boy (and CBS) this gig (3rd) was recorded professionally on a 16 track mobile studio like the previous gigs on the 28th and 29th December. More recently Sony have released more tracks through Sound System box set. (See above)
Bootlegs Sort it Out CD - Sound 4 - 68min - USA 79 CD - Sound 4 - 64min - cd/m - 18 tracks Buy or Die CD - Sound 4 - 68min - cd/m - 21 tracks
Offical Releases We have listened over and again to these tracks and in our best efforts we believe these tracks correspond to the above gigs. The official releases have been remixed (16 track originals?). We have concentrated on the intro and outro's of each song and Joes lyrics where there tends to be particulalr differences. We have photos the 28th and these do not match the video 'I Fought the Law' which comes from the 3rd January which places multiple photos from the middle date, the 29th.
Audio Clash on Broadway box set
Rude Boy Cassette (official) A very limited promo tape issued by Atlantic Publishing Nov 16 1980.
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity sampler
From Here to Eternity II (unofficial)
Sony Sound System box set
Rude Boy Video -
Rude Boy DVD - with bonus track
Rude Boy Promo cassette more info Sound 5 - 6min - 1gen - 2 tracks
Clash on Broadway Box Set Sound 5 - 6min - 2 tracks
From Here To Eternity Sound 5 - 6min - 2 tracks
full gig from 16 track mobile studio
Rude Boy Video Sound 5 - 3min - mast - 1 track
Rude Boy DVD - with bonus track Sound 5 - 6min - mast - 2 tracks
Visit the Clash on Stage website for a comprehensive catalogue of unofficially released CD's and Vinyl. |
The Lyceum dates
The Sort It Out Tour London dates were added late due to difficulty finding a suitable larger sized venue. And partly to accomodate the finishing of the Rude Boy film.
The Lyceum Ballroom, just off The Strand was chosen not just for its larger capacity but because the stalls area was seat less. The fans could dance whilst those who wanted it could sit in the Circle and Upper Circle. In the late 70's / early 80's the Lyceum was a faded theatre used as a disco (with its large mirror ball hanging from the ceiling) and concert venue.
Nowadays its grandeur has been restored and it hosts bland West End Musicals. But at the close of 78 (and again in October 81) the Lyceum rocked (and how) to the Clash City Rockers.
The music press had covered the Sort It Out Tour in some depth earlier and only the Record Mirror reviewed these gigs. Sheila Prophet wrote, "Possibly the best gig I've ever seen Clash do. I can't think of a nicer way of ending `78."
Adverts
Extra Show
Poster
Important Notice from the venue
Melody Maker: Extra Clash
23 Dec 1978
Tickets
The Lyceum, London ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Lyceum 28th December 1978
The Clash are really fired up throughout, producing brilliantly intense performances on almost every song. What other band could maintain this intensity of performance throughout the whole gig? Here are some of the best sounding versions of tracks off the Give Em Enough Rope Album including some that did last long in the set.
An inspired Safe European Home, leads straight into an intense I Fought The Law immediately followed by Jail Guitar Doors (so much better live than on record) with Mick singing a different third verse seemingly about himself! "See about me…it really wasn't my fault". Before a charged up Drug Stabbing Time Joe tries to whip up the intensity of the audience to match the band's; "let's hear some vocals from the back, sounds like the crowd watching Bournemouth.
Don't know what the song is but lets get on with it!" Joe introduces Cheapskates with a side swipe at Bernie Rhodes "this song was written by a used car salesmen who lives up the Camden Road, well he gave us the idea for it, he goes, why do you always sell yourselves too cheap, the answer, because it's the only price we can get"
Intense performances follow with every song, Guns On The Roof with heavy echo being perhaps the best live recording anywhere. Police & Thieves is maybe the least inspired performance tonight. But Capital Radio is superb, Joe introducing it with a roll call of radio DJ's he jokes are in the Lyceum, then ad libbing with Mick including "you have the power of life and death!" before Topper's thunderous drum rolls brings the song to its climax. There's no let up in intensity for the final first album songs and encore, with London's Burning being especially brilliant here with Joe screaming adlibs over the ending.
An excellent recording and magnificent performance, an essential Clash bootleg.
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Awesome and only 16 at the time
Tex Sayer - I was lucky enough to be there
Mark Carter - (3rd Jan) Remember well because it was the last night of the tour and I'd been to a lot of gigs on the sort it out tour, I also remember it seemed more packed than the 2 nights the week before and was hot as hell.
Mark Embury - I was fortunate enough to see them at the Lyceum in December 1978 , still the best after all these years, a couple of the tracks on ‘From here to Eternity ‘ were recorded that night. Awesome and only 16 at the time.
Simon Foster - I also saw them at the Lyceum, just turned 17...those were the days
Arthur Williams - Lyceum was first time I saw The Clash live, 15 years old
Dream Deferred | The Clash a riot of our own
By Hassan Mahamdallie |
8 January 2018
Added to BMC July 2024
Punk and New Wave exploded onto the musical stage in 1976-77. The new music brought the bloated rock scene that came before it crashing down - and punk has shaped much of the music that has come since. Two years ago Hassan Mahamdallie began his occasional series on this blog - a personal, musical and political journey. He ends the series looking at one of the most important - if not the most important - punk bands of all time, the Clash.
Retrospective review of
White Riot 7"
Police and Thieves
Clash City Rockers 7"
Compleet Control 7"
Armagideon Time (LC12)
Live at Lyceum December, 1978
The Clash Official | Facebook
The Clash Official
Photos
Open photos in full in new window
Link to photos by Michael Osborne
Getty Lyceum dates - different nights
29th December
3 January 1979
Also check out here
Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the Sort it Out Tour October- December 1978
Archive - Bernie-Rhodes-Split - Tour-dates - Posters-Adverts - Passes-tickets - Snippets - UK-Articles - US-Articles - International-Articles - Comments - Video and Audio
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We think only tracks have been released from the 28th and they are on the Sort it Out/Buy or Die CD's.
1. London's Burning
2. White Riot
We think the bulk of the tracks that have been released are from the 29th and they are on the Sort it Out/Buy or Die CD's.
1. Safe European Home
2 I Fought The Law
3 Jail Guitar Doors
4 Drug Stabbing Time
5 Cheapskates
6 The City Of The Dead
7 Clash City Rockers
8 Tommy Gun
9 White Man In Hammersmith Palais
10 English Civil War
11 Stay Free
12 Guns On The Roof
13 Police And Thieves
14 Julie's In The Drug Squad
15 Capital Radio
16 Janie Jones
17 Garageland
18 Complete Control
Sort it Out CD
We believe Sort it Out tracklisting is correct and that the bulk comes form the 29th and the last two tracks form the 28th. We may be wrong!
1 Safe European Home (29th)
2 I Fought The Law (29th)
3 Jail Guitar Doors (29th)
4 Drug Stabbing Time (29th)
5 Cheapskates (29th)
6 The City Of The Dead (29th)
7 Clash City Rockers (29th)
8 Tommy Gun (29th)
9 White Man In Hammersmith Palais (29th)
10 English Civil War (29th)
11 Stay Free (29th)
12 Guns On The Roof (29th)
13 Police And Thieves (29th)
14 Julie's In The Drug Squad (29th)
15 Capital Radio (29th)
16 Janie Jones (29th)
17 Garageland (29th)
18 Complete Control (29th)
19 London's Burning (28th)
20 White Riot (28th)
Buy or Die CD (Reissue of Sort it Out CD)
1 Safe European Home
2 Fought The Law
3 Jail Guitar Doors
4 Drug Stabbin' Time
5 Cheapskates
6 The City Of The Dead
7 Clash City Rockers
8 Tommy Gun
9 (White Man( In Hammersmith Palais
10 English Civil War
11 Stay Free
12 Guns On The Roof (Of The World)
13 Police And Thieves
14 Julie's In The Drug Squad
15 Capital Radio
16 Janie Jones
17 Garage Land
18 Complete Control
19 London's Burning
20 White Riot
21 Rockers Galore (not from gig)
USA 79 CD
This is the same gig as Buy or Die! and Sort it Out but does not have the last two tracks from the 28th
1 Safe European Home (29th)
2 I Fought The Law (29th)
3 Jail Guitar Doors (29th)
4 Drug Stabbing Time (29th)
5 Cheapskates (29th)
6 The City Of The Dead (29th)
7 Clash City Rockers (29th)
8 Tommy Gun (29th)
9 White Man In Hammersmith Palais (29th)
10 English Civil War (29th)
11 Stay Free (29th)
12 Guns On The Roof (29th)
13 Police And Thieves (29th)
14 Julie's In The Drug Squad (29th)
15 Capital Radio (29th)
16 Janie Jones (29th)
17 Garageland (29th)
18 Complete Control (29th)
Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the Sort it Out Tour October- December 1978
There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking.
from Setlist FM (cannot be relied on)
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SORT IT OUT TOUR Autumn 1978
ARTICLES, POSTERS, CLIPPINGS ... A collection of Numerous articles, interviews, reviews, posters, tour dates from The Sort it Out Tour Tour, October, November 1978
VIDEO AND AUDIO Video and audio footage from the tour including radio interviews.
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Hundreds of fans comments about the gigs they went to...
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