Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

London Calling* Safe European Home* The Leader Somebody Got Murdered White Man In Hamm Palais The Guns Of Brixton Lightning Strikes Complete Control Corner Soul Ivan Meets GI Joe This Is Radio Clash Charlie Don’t Surf The Magnificent Seven* Bankrobber* Wrong ‘Em Boyo* Train In Vain Career Opportunities Clampdown Armagideon Time One More Time Brand New Cadillac Janie Jones The Call Up London’s Burning

Impossible Mission Tour

updated 14 December 2004
updated 8 July 2008 - added poster
updated 28 Dec 2008 - added Joe photo and ticket & info on venue
updated 5 Jan 2010 - added 2nd alternate audio source

Audio 1

master - Sound 3 - time 1hr 21mins - tracks 22
missses first two tracks. Very thin sounding and needs an EQ to improve it.

Lightning Strikes

Audio 2

alternative master - Sound 3 - time 1hr 23mins - tracks 21
misses middle 3 tracks Mag7, Bankrobber, Wrong Em Boyo.

Lightning Strikes

Review of new source to follow.. old review of previous master below.

A master audience recording circulates from this concert but it was recorded on some fairly primitive equipment and the sound quality is not good. As there are much better sounding recordings from this tour, this is not an essential bootleg.

It is worth having though for a good performance (Joe is in fine form) and for the first recorded live performance of The Call Up. Unusually The Clash played just one encore, albeit an extended one.

The master audience recording in circulation has a thin and very low volume sound. Some fairly basic recording equipment was obviously used, as there is little range of sound with bass there but only just. The sound is all in a narrow mid-top end band.

There is though decent clarity and little distortion. Vocals come through best, but drums and both guitars are also clearly heard. It is definitely not a poor recording; just an average one, and this tour is well represented by a number of good to very good recordings. If this were from the UK leg of the 16 Tons tour this would be one of the better recordings!

The recording tape is incomplete the taper not capturing the first three tracks - London Calling, Safe European Home and most of The Leader.

The taper confirmed that this was due to his error. John Shipley lists a 110 min version, so it's possible that tapes are trading from more than one source.

“You’re out of date, mate"

Even if the enjoyment of this concert is limited by the sound, there is much to enjoy in the performance, particularly from Joe who is in fine form throughout.

The recording begins with the Morricone intro music but an edit as a result of an admitted error by the paper then goes straight into the end of The Leader. “Murder, murder, murder!” shouts Joe in a suitably blood curdling cry before a fine Somebody Got Murdered. Joe adlibs over the ending of White Man in Hammersmith Palais and it’s the German army waiting outside weighing 15 hundred tons.

There is no apparent anger directed at the band as in Germany, the previous year although Joe before Lightning Strikes has a go at one heckler, “You’re out of date, mate. You’re behind the time Ryan. You’re out of line, Clive because it goes now…” Joe then makes a fairly miserable attempt at imitating the rhythm human boom box style!

Joe adds some “Woahs” over Mick’s gentle intro to Complete Control, which then kicks into a fine performance, which is not lacking in fire and intensity like some of the earlier performances of the song on this tour.

Before Ivan Meets GI Joe, Joe addresses some more hecklers “Please welcome Topper Headon..It’s not that bad!” An extended This Is Radio Clash is a highlight with Joe in great vocal form. Presumably directing himself at the hecklers he intros Charlie Don’t Surf with “I’ve heard it all before, and I’ve been to Stockholm and I’ve been to Gothenburg” He then with good recall lists most of the cities on the tour, Lille, Bordeaux, Lisbon, San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and then screams “but now I’m here in Berlin!” The crowd roar and Joe adlibs a plenty on Charlie Don’t Surf, ending it with “Where’s the surf board, Charlie”

Magnificent Seven is another highlight, getting an extended treatment partly because Joe sings over the bridge, so the band repeat a section. An edit near the end of Bankrobber cuts off and goes into Wrong ‘Em Boyo. Topper plays a little drum solo intro then the band blast into Career Opportunities and the energy levels continue at peak on a fine Clampdown with Joe apparently adlibbing about soldiers raping a woman.

The audience sound lively and appreciative so it’s a mystery why The Clash unusually play only one encore, albeit a 6 song one. Armagideon Time runs for the first time into One More Time and then they blast through Brand New Cadillac and Janie Jones. Joe then appears to say “Gute nacht” but Topper has other ideas and beats out an intro to The Call Up.

The first hearing live of their single which was presumably not played that often due to difficulty in translating it from studio to the stage. Its live performances though in 81 and 82 were always very enjoyable and tonight’s sounds polished and tight. A strum of Joe’s guitar and a blast of Berlin’s Burning brings the recording and presumably the concert to a close.

Did you go? Comments, info welcome...

Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash

thx for the great website

Hi there, due to the BBC4 docu about the Clash I came browsing your website.

I have some additions to make, I attached my ticket from the March 18th, 1981 gig at the Eissporthalle/Berlin. Also I can offer some b/w pictures I made during that concert (I att. one as an example). The concert on May 13th, 1980 was postponed same date but to the venue "Neue Welt" in the Hasenheide Park (Berlin).

I am shure about this, because I've been there, also made pictures, but not as good as the year later. Best wishes and thx for the great website Juergen

"Juergen Weykenat" <weykenat[a]diracc.de>

Photos

photo courtesy of Juergen Weykenat