Clash Take the Fifth Tour
Supported by Joe Ely Band

updated 12 Feb 2012 - added photos
updated Feb 2024 added photo and articles
updated April 2024 - added poster

Audio 1

Sound 2.5 - 67mins - 2gen - 22 tracks

Safe European Home

Sound qualilty

The best recording in circulation is a good audience recording spoilt by over amplification/distortion, the taper presumably beaten by the legendary Clash sound levels.

The more the decibels rise, the greater the distortion. Despite this all the instrumentation comes through and vocals are quite clear. There is reasonable range and clarity from what appears to be a low generation copy.

With bass controls turned down the recording is enjoyable to listen to, and the performance very strong. There is plenty of crowd atmosphere which adds not detracts from the enjoyment.

The Clash in Texas

On October 4th The Clash enter Texas and pick up the Joe Ely Band who will be support for the Texas dates and Los Angeles. Ponty Bone, accordion player for Joe Ely lists the dates and has photos from the low key Lubbock show on his website pontybone.com. Joe Ely remembers his dates with the Clash in Texas fondly.

Joe in particular was inspired by being in Texas and in Dallas certainly, The Clash deliver one of the best performances of the Tour.

The Fort Worth Star and Telegram confirms the date as the 6th.

Ray Lowry ‘The Clash came out and shredded the second nights audience .. with their magnificent rock'n'roll'

Poster from the support band

"

"Please can I get on the radio, I say forget it,"

A clearly charged up Joe launches into Safe European Home and into a new set list for the tour. London Calling is a highlight amongst all strong performances with Joe now adding the screams and cries heard on the album version. On Jail Guitar Doors Joe sings an impromptu verse about Hank Williams.

Wrong ‘Em Boyo and Mickey Gallagher appear early in the set and get the following introduction "this man here in the lame jacket is Mr Mickey Gallagher from the Blockheads, look at the shape of his head if you want proof! Ok this is something designed to confuse you, like you can say to each other is this love or confusion" The latter comment showing Joe's unease if not for himself but for the audience of The Clash's embracing of new musical and cultural influences as would soon be evidenced on London Calling.

Guns of Brixton has a shorter arrangement and drops Topper's intro played in Atlanta. The consistently excellent Whiteman is introduced out of the London A-Z. "We'd like to continue in a groove down Hammersmith Broadway, turn left up the Shepherds Bush Road and draw alongside Hammersmith Palais".

"Now we'd like to flex the big muscle one time, we're gonna Clampdown, let's flex the big muscle". Joe then adds mid song "Voices in my head they say Joe Strummer high time you made a run over the top..." Next its guitar swop time as Mick straps on the acoustic and Joe intro's it as "Time to get the genuine instruments, this is called dining at the atomic holocaust"

"We get tired of people coming to see us and expect us to do things in certain ways, we get tired of this so we'd like to have a break from our commercial sponsor" as Koka Kola crashes in segueing into the audience favourite, I Fought The Law. The audience is loud and enthusiastic, Texans clearly having no problem relating to The Clash.

There's an edit before Police & Thieves which is being extended now as on the Pearl Harbour Tour with Joe launching into a different improvised rant over the ending on each performance. "You've got to sing now you Texans, Sing you Texans sing, Scream you Texans scream"

Mick's guitar effects are still in evidence cutting some of the balls out of the songs as they do here but its still a great performance. Joe's rant encompasses the Kingston Ten, Hill Street Blues and "working on a Maggie's [Thatcher] Farm, 20 dollars on Tuesday, it's a long time to pay day, what I borrow last week I gotta pay back this week, so you see now I can't find no way out… We were just listening to the music one fine day when along comes a ….Police car"

Its then a great frenetic first album charge to the encore with Career Opportunities, Janie Jones and Garageland.

Armagideon Time begins the encore in assured form before a shouted 1-2-3-4 launches straight into Capital Radio and Armageddon descends on the audience.

It's Capital Radio's first encore appearance losing its musical and spoken intro as previously on the tour but making up for it through its power and change of pace after Armagideon Time. Joe comes up with another new lyrical section " Please can I get on the radio, I say forget it, you got a supply of 12 year olds, you got a supply of the world's best cocaine & you gotta roll of dollar bills that big, you're gonna need them all if you wanna get a record on the radio!"

"We've really got something special for you tonight" is Joe's introduction of Joe Ely who sings vocals on his tune "I keep my fingernails long so they click when I play the piano".

A suitably wild White Riot closes a fine performance and enjoyable recording.

The Clash Fires Up

The Clash played the old Palladium on Northwest Highway. And they brought Joe Ely

Link

Lubbock Calling

Joe Ely Remembers the Clash

Clash plays hard, loud - and in one dimension

Fort Worth Star Telegram - 
Tue Oct 9, 1979

'Clash' no smash iin Dallas concert

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Tue Oct 9, 1979

A Riot of Our Own p205

Bryan White - I was in the front row of their show in Dallas on that tour. My head rang for days.

Kelly Wyant - Saw them in Dallas on their 1st US tour with Joe Ely backing....I was standing smack dab in front of Joe Strummer's foot.......

Photos

the Joe Ely band the follwing night [7th] at their hometown
Rox Club. picture courtesy of pontybone.com

I brought my 33mm and snapped a few shots

Thanks to Thomas Routson for sharing this photo. Here's what he had to say: "I took this pic as a student at the University of Houston (1978-82). The Clash played in Cullen Auditorium at the U.of Houston in 1979 or so. I brought my 33mm and snapped a few shots. Loved the show and most remember a rocking "I Fought The Law." Years later I was able to catch Joe Strummer twice at the Troubadour in Los Angeles his final shows here. He rocked" Link

Did you go? Comments, info welcome...

Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
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Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22	Safe European Home I'm So Bored with the USA London Calling Jail Guitar Doors Wrong 'Em Boyo The Guns Of Brixton White Man In Ham Palais Clampdown English Civil War Koka Kola I Fought the Law Clash City Rockers Stay Free Complete Control Police and Thieves Career Opportunities Janie Jones Garageland Armagideon Time Capital Radio Fingernails White Riot