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The Clash: 'English Civil War' (Johnny Comes Marching Home). CBS
Sounds Single of the Week Review
CLASH SINGLE OF THE WEEK
CLASH: 'English Civil War/Pressure Drop' (CBS) With the Stones it was drugs and knives; with The Clash it's guns and guerillas. All Rock Bands For Boys pick the paraphenalia of image with care and The Clash do it so monstrously well, cover their bases with such cunning, take upon themselves the lustre of an irresistible force to such an extent that even mildly pointing out that this would be a better record if you could actually hear what Strummer is singing about without consulting the lyrics on the sleeve somehow sounds almost fascist. B sides you get some razorback rhythm guitar fighting it out with a dozy lead on the Maytals classic. What it proves is that Toots Hibbert could sing the army surplus off Joe Strummer any time he chose, but will never be as important or central as him should he live to be a hundred. Anyway, nobody reviews The Clash anymore; you just observe them. But, what happened to 'Capital Radio'?
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The Clash: 'English Civil War'
The Clash Official | Facebook
The Clash - 23 February 1979 English Civil War released | Facebook
This week in 1978, THE CLASH released the single ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
This week in 1978, THE CLASH released the single ENGLISH CIVIL WAR THE CLASH - PRESSURE DROP
Original by TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS
This week in 1978, THE CLASH released the single ENGLISH CIVIL WAR (JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME) / PRESSURE DROP, (February 1978).
One of the most popular reggae songs around, The Maytals' "Pressure Drop" has been covered by a number of bands, most popularly by The Clash as a follow-up to their cover of Junior Murvin's "Police And Thieves."
It started as a live cover on The Clash's White Riot tour in 1977, and a few attempts at recording it in studio were unsuccessful before finally the finished cover was completed at Marquee Studios in March 1978, in the same sessions that would produce fellow B-Sides "1-2 Crush on You" and "The Prisoner."
First recorded in 1969 with producer Leslie Kong, this song was included on The Maytals' 1970 Monkey Man album (brought to the UK by the famous Trojan Records label) and became popular around the world when it was included on the soundtrack to the popular 1972 movie The Harder They Come.
The group's frontman, the late Toots Hibbert felt that his home country of Jamaica, and especially Jamaican musicians, were under a lot of pressure, as it was very hard for them to make a decent living.
"Pressure Drop" is a phrase that Toots used to say, meaning if you do bad things to innocent people, then bad things will happen to you.
"Somebody was supposed to pay us our first £1,000 or £2,000 but we never get it," said Toots.
"I wrote this song which, instead of trying to fight this person or do him any harm, it said, pressure going to drop on you. But he knew I was talking to him."
This became a very popular song to cover amongst ska bands - The Selector and The Specials both recorded versions.
"He's coming by bus or underground, hurrah" English Civil War
1. https://www.facebook.com - The Clash | Facebook
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"He's coming by bus or underground, hurrah,
A woman's eye will shed a tear,
To see his face so beaten in fear,
An it was just around the corner in the English Civil War"
The Clash - English Civil War [Remastered] (Official Audio)
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Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the UK and European dates on the Pearl Harbour Tour of the US, February 1979
Archive - Tour dates - Adverts - Comments - Posters - UK Articles - US Articles - International Articles - Passes, tickets, programmes - Snippets - Tour Photos - Memorabilia - Video and audio