Clash on Parole Tour
Supported by The Specials & Suicide

updated 1 Aug 2011 - ves2 recording / complete with Slits
updated Dec 2013 - possible master may exist

Music Machine - The Clash

Audio 1 - Sound 3.0 - 41min/edited - unknown - 14 tracks
misses Cheapskates, Jail Guitar Doors, Capital Radio, White Man, Stay Free - Whats My Name is edited

Audio 2 - Sound 3.0 - 41min/edited - unknown - 14 tracks
misses Cheapskates, Jail Guitar Doors, Capital Radio, White Man, Stay Free - Whats My Name is edited

Audio 2 - Safe European Home

Audio 3 - Sound 3.5 - 65min - unknown - 19 tracks
slightly clearer/more distant/complete/includes slits

Audio 3 - Safe European Home

A decent quality recording, quite low generation. As usual the taper is toward the back, the it is reasonable clear with good range and balence of sound. Joes vocals are reasonably clear and Pauls bass rumbles along.

Overall a decent enough audience recording, without distortion, but similarly without exceptional clarity.

However this is an edited version likely missing 20 minutes and 3 or 4 tracks.

Master soundboard tapes?

Another version may well exist (possibly the original) as well as a whole bunch of other Clash master recordngs .. Link here or here.

Box:5 - Media: ID: 213.0252 (Media)

The Clash with Steve Jones July 25, Music Machine/ SLITSGeneral note

Content:

Side A: Complete Control, Tommy Gun, Cheapskates, Jail Guitar Door, Drug Stabbing Time, Clash City Rockers, Capital Radio, White Man, Stay Free, Police & Thieves--> Blitzkrieg Bop

Side B: English Civil War, Safe Euro, Whatís My Name?, London's Burning, Garageland, Bored USA *, Janie Jones*, White Riot*, SLITS demos?

Container Annotation: *w/ Steve Jones
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
Format: 1/4 in. Audiocassette
Tape Length: 90 minutes

The Music Machine

The Music Machine (later renamed the Camden Palace) began in the 60’s and became famous for punk gigs, still in use today as a dance nightclub, it has staged gigs in recent years by Blur and the Oasis.

The Music Machine was a perfect type of Clash venue; sweaty, intimate, seat less, restrained security and within the part of London they lived and loved best. Enjoying greater critical acclaim and increasing commercial success, few other bands (if any) either then or now, would have opted to play four nights here rather than they take the money and play one or two nights at the larger Hammersmith Odeon or similar.

New heights of popularity within the UK music press, the Music Machine residency resulted in some ecstatic reviews (see link).

Londons Music Machine, Tuesday night, the second of a four consequetive night residency at this smaller, much sweatier, London venue. The Clash now installed at the apex of punk and music media darlings are fully charged, guitars at the ready, a drummer fully loaded.

Primed to play, Tuesday nights Clash gig is a turbo charged affair of missed guitar licks, absent vocals as the band try to keep pace with Toppers turbo paced back beats.

The recordings starts with the cheers and some mic fumbling, "Alright" says Joe, "this is an Eric Clapton number here" and the band ease into a laidback Complete Control.

"Alright Tommy Gun" says Joe, as the band pick up some speed performing a prescriptive version of the plastic release.

Some minor guitar tuning follows before Joe asks for "an A chord", introducing the song; "This one is entitled get off my back" and the band launch into Drug Stabbing Time.

"We wanna move this towwwnnnn." Joe drawls sarcastically before Clash City Rockers. The band are beginning to kick out at this point, joe stretching his vocal chords to the limit, mick coming in to help with some big backing vocals, which he does all night, Toppers constant engine drumming driving them on.

A cut is heard at the end of Clash City Rockers and before Police & Thieves begins, probably losing; White Man in Ham Palais, Capital Radio, Stay Free from the recording.

Police and Thieves jams in after the cut, Mick hitting some bum notes before dropping out, only to return with a slightly wayward guitar solo.

Mid song Joe's ad libs; "this is the holy town". There's obviously some stage activity at this point and the crowd respond with a loud spontaneous applause. The songs end, as usual, is a segue into a sluggish version of the Ramones Blitzkreig Bop.

"Now turn to page 29 and sing a long" joe repeats to audience before English Civil War. Micks still fiddling with his notes on guitar and there's some bum notes. Joes clearly exhausted, the vocals are stretched and patchy as Topper relentlessly keeps up the frenetic pace.

"Now we're all sitting here in our Safe European Home". Its a tired performance at this point with the band giving everything and some desperate backing vocals to fill out Joe's fatigue. It ends with an extended finish.

Whats My Name has Joe's usual introduction with the cynister voice; "you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine". Unfortunately there's an abrupt cut after 40 seconds and the tape resumes immediately with Joes shouting intro into Londons Burning as the band kick-in in sync. It is an ensemble of chaotic vocals, absent at times, all to the rythem of Toppers endless fast back beat.

Londons Burning ends and it is straight into Garageland. Joe fired up and with something to add now; "...making offers for my life..yes you... and no-one's going to fuck it up.." in a sing-a-long-a-rant. Fired up, the adlibs are flowing.

"...i don't want to go to where the rich are going ... down the embassy.. they think they're [something muddled and completely different!]" in a last throw of joe vocal energy.

Mick comes in and sings Joes vocals temporarily at this point to try an keep some semblence of song, before a tired Joe comes back in and finishes the vocals. The band are clearly knackered and loud cheers greet the end of the set.

Back towelled down and seemingly a bit refreshed for the encores, Joe welcomes on stage Steve Jones. "Its very important, anyone got a safety pin?" he asks, as Steve Jones crunches his unique guitar sound, the one famously trade-marked on Bollocks.

From here on in Steve's guitar dwarfs the Clash sound somewhat. Bored with the USA a much heavier pounding guitar sound as expected with Steve involved. Topper accelerates into Janie Jones as Steve's excellent guitar playing adds to weight of the Clash sound. They're 'all in' for the chorus at the end, and the crowd respond enthusiastically at the end of it.

"Right one more song". Micks guitar on White Riot subdued by Steve's wall of sound. Topper playing even faster, Joes desperate vocals trying to keep time.

Its a manic gig in what are 4 manic nights. The Clash are not at their best musically and Joes tired vocals don't make distract, however it is certainly the Clash in full flow.

Photo - not sure which night this was taken

The Clash giving it all onstage at The Music Machine (Camden Palace), London in 1978

Max Browne recalls, "This was the first time I'd seen the band and it was on their home ground at The Camden Palace in 1978. Their power was shattering - visually, aurally and socially of course. White lightning flashed on musical crescendos that seemed to singe the hair, crowd surfing, fans jumping up singing with the band until they were whisked offstage, only to be instantly replaced - all part of The Clash at their peak. Mick Jones glanced at me in the box and I pressed the shutter."

Did you go? What do you remember?
Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash

I saw all the clash gigs (4) there. Brilliant. I followed them a lot back then. We were punks from the neighbourhood and someone from the band..usually Joe or Baker or JG would let us in through the back door. Once we had to scale 30 feet up a drain pipe to the dressingroom window. The MM bouncers were animals and there were always a lot of fights in there.

backstage pass for all 4 nights at the Music Machine -
this one given away to a fan by Johnney Green

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19	Complete Control Tommy Gun Cheap Skates Jail Guitar Doors Drug Stabbing Time Clash City Rockers Capital Radio White Man in Hammersmith Palais Stay Free Police and Thieves Blitzkrieg Bop English Civil War Safe European Home Whats My Name - edited London's Burning Garageland I'm So Bored with the USA* Janie Jones* White Riot* + Slits support 10mins * w/ Steve Jones

If you know of any articles or references for this particular gig, anything that is missing, please do let us know.

Backstage pass, the 24th

If you know any please let us know