updated xmas 2013 with tape/gig review
updated July 2022 added poster
updated June 2024 photo, review

Audio 1

Sound 3 - 1hr 27mins - gen? - tracks 24

Includes for few a dollars more intro. Complete Guns of Brixton & Garageland - both superior to teh old lesder fuller recordings tacked on the end of the Audio 2 'The Right Profile'. Omits Safe European Home. Not quite as crisp as Audio 2 'The Right Profile'.

Brand New Cadilac

Audio 2 - The Right Profile

Sound 3.5 - 1hr 30mins - low?- tracks 25

Misses the intro... Includes on the end full versions of Guns of Brixton and Garageland (Right Profile - both ghhave a small cut) sfrom an older, poorer source but complete - running in total at 1hr 37mins (and these lesser/poorer versions are poorer than the full versions on Audio 1!)

Brand New Cadilac

Source, quality

Enormous credit and thanks are due to the taper (who are you so you can be properly credited and any more info you can provide?) both for the superb sound achieved from an audience recording (clearly equipment that was state of the art in 1982) and for 25 odd years later circulating the master tape on Dime. 

The master recording captures all the instrumentation extremely well including unusually for audience sources the bass too. Vocals are very clear but not being a soundboard source it does not have that ‘in your face’ quality but suffers little from distance from taper to stage. It is stereo miked but has little stereo separation. The recording captures the atmosphere too placing you upfront in the Civic Auditorium on the 22nd June 1982.     

Earlier recordings

Released on cdr as In the Heart of the Hippie Beast, and the Right Profile, both are from the same source, however Hippie Beast is a split mono recording, though I dont think it started off as one, so I would avoid this one unless sure. It swops around Mag 7 and Car Jam. as well and sounds like it could have been an mp3 source at one time. 

The Right Profile has no such glitches and sounds a touch better. It also runs 2 minutes longer than Hippie Beast, both omit the intro though.

The Right Profile has a pretty good range and good clarity are spoiled by some slight hiss. The vocals lead and drums are clear and the bass reasonable.

Both these suffer from 3 minor edits. Affected are Guns of Brixton and Garageland which are added as full bonus tracks tacked on the end but from a full but poor audience source. 

A second and better recording circulates with a full Guns of Brixton and Garageland. It is nearly comparable in clarity and width with the semi-bootleg releases In the Heart of the Hippie Beast, and the Right Profile. Besides  full unedited versions of Guns of Brixton and Garageland, it also includes the intro music. However it still runs more than 2 minutes less than the Right Profile.

It too is a bit toward the top end, but not as bad as the Right Profile/Hippie Beast and whilst not quite having the clarity of the other two is probably the more enjoyable balanced listen, though flatter. Right Profile has the clearest sound and is the longest overall

The circulation though of the master via Dime makes these other circulating sources redundant.

Full tape

A second and much much better recording circulates with a full Guns of Brixton and Garageland. It is nearly comparable in clarity and width with the the semi-bootleg releases In the Heart of the Hippie Beast, and the Right Profile. Besides a full version unedited versions of Guns of Brixton and Garageland, it also includes the intro music. However it still runs more than 2 minutes less than the Right Profile.

It too is a bit toward the top end, but not as bad as the Right Profile/Hippie Beast and whilst not quite having the clarity of the other two is probably the more enjoyable balenced listen, though flatter. Right Profile has the clearest sound and is the longest overall.

Best recording of the tour

If you want just one recording from this tour this is the one; an excellent audience recording (as good as it gets) and a strong and very enjoyable performance. With no soundboard or pro recordings from this tour, thanks to the taper making his master tape available via Dime (thereby making redundant the variety of lesser quality copies of his tape circulating) this is the best sound recording to check out The Clash live at the end of the first US 82 tour with Terry Chimes now bedded in.        

After two nights in San Francisco the band swung north finishing the tour with three dates in Canada (of which no recordings circulate). San Francisco had long been a “Clash city” as Joe put it, and despite the “barn” like (as Joe quips onstage) nature of the big league Civic Auditorium, the band feed off the energy of their fans delivering performances as good as any on the tour (with the possible exception of the last Asbury Park show).

A number of live photos of the gig have been posted on Flickr.

Poster

Concert Poster 1982 San Francisco Civic Auditorium

Signed

Passes, tickets

“Lights Jacko - hey who’s barn is this?"

This excellent recording is probably the best place to judge the effectiveness of this tour’s performances and arrangements. There’s a great deal to enjoy here -further proof that the The Clash post Topper could still deliver live. Terry could not match Topper's musicality for sure, losing in effect much of the roll from the band's rock'n'roll, delivering a reliable if limited mainstream rock sound but if Mick was up for it guitar wise, Joe was on form and the audience/venue were contributing their energy, all as here at SF Civic Auditorium then The Clash were still a potent, exciting and hugely enjoyable live experience. 

The quality of the recording is immediately apparent as the tape begins with the Ennio Morricone 60 Seconds to What intro sounding really clear. Then with a “Good afternoon” (it was afternoon in Clash time!) and a little feedback Mick's guitar chords ring out around the Auditorium, then Paul’s bass line (very good indeed for an audience recording) then Joe's rhythm, punch, punch punch before Terry’s drums sledgehammer down and Joe sings out London Calling to the faraway towns.." The detail and the full rich sound of the recording is very impressive, Mick's guitar in the solo is a little too far back in the mix for maximum impact but this was not due to the recording but the live mix on this tour.

Second up Joe's Spanish Bombs lacks some of the edge of the best shows but Mick’s lead guitar work is clear and effective and Mick and Joe almost sing joint leads. Career Opportunities again has plenty of energy and attack unlike some of the 2nd US 82 tour performances. "Mr Paul Simonon please" and he and Joe swop instruments for a very strong Guns of Brixton not extended but Mick’s playing effective and inventive.

Mick’s playing over an extended ending to his Train In Vain is also strong; a fine performance of the staple main set crowd pleaser. “Lights Jacko - hey who’s barn is this? Is this my barn or your barn?!" shouts Joe on seeing the now illuminated vast auditorium. Joe is in good voice on his Bankrobber again not extended but tight concise and effective. There is a loss of spontaneity, virtuosity, and improvisation on this tour which has been replaced by a tight professional show reflecting their top line act status now in the US at least. 

“Wooooooah” screams Joe drenched in echo “The Outer Limits - don’t you ever stop..." and the band slam into Magnificent Seven, one of the highlights tonight. The recording captures Paul's bass lines central to the song, and Mick's guitar licks which have a funkier intent than the 81 performances although his use of the latest cutting edge guitar effects surely don't stand the test of time. The quality of the recording allows for Mick's approach to the bridge on this tour to be heard clearly. It’s a very strong performance nevertheless and with more improvisation than usual on this tour. Mid song the band drops down effectively and Joe adlibs “in what language do you call this Magnifico, well hablo Espanol magnifico, mes amis parlez en Francais les magnifique, talking in good old cock-cock-cockney we say its magnificent, [Mick adds the studio effects heard on Sean Flynn in the studio] meanwhile in what they call here the south banks(?) hey man its magnificent, all over the world and in China they’re going mom mo mo mum [repeat] magnificent!"

“Spotlight on the drummer Mr Terry Chimes" shouts Joe before Car Jamming; the quality recording one of the best places to judge the live interpretation of this song which struggles without some of the studio effects. Terry's thud thud better here though but a shame there's no Topper live comparison. Live it needs more light and shade, it’s too drum and guitar heavy but with the excellent sound and Joe's strong vocals it's very enjoyable. Wrong Em Boyo swings particularly after the “brakes start all over again please sir”. Mick belts out Police On My Back effectively. Know Your Rights sounds particularly impressive the detail in the sound clear; Mick’s guitar attack and effects clear and Joe’s rhythm scratching away underneath. 

The second side of the tape begins with Safe European Home, energetic hard, tight with no improvisation or extended as normal by now; fine if unexceptional. The songs are bashed out fast now in a similar vein one after the other with little gap; Rock The Casbah with Mick’s lead work clear and effective could do with more roll to go with Terry’s rock beat but very enjoyable, Brand New Cadillac rarely disappointed live and doesn’t here either, Should I Stay or Should I Go fine if unexceptional and I Fought The Law, Terry's drum crescendo opening now a big improvement over his early woeful efforts. Joe not Mick now shouting out the 1-2-3-4 cue to Clampdown; an impressive start with the twin guitar work impressive but its not extended and there's little Joe adlibbing. Joe is concerned as the band leave the stage for fans crushed at the front,”Everybody standing up there, look around your feet. Make sure no ones under your feet"

The first encore begins with a strong Ghetto Defendant segueing into Armagideon Time with inventive lead guitar fills on both. Joe in good voice introduces Ranking Roger from support band the (English) Beat “To sing for you RRRRRRRRRRRRoger RRRRRRRRRRoger!” who's toasting is not especially 

effective and was repeated apparently verbatim on his by now customary appearance during Armagideon Time. Somebody Got Murdered next is very fine but the stand out performance is the relatively rare for 82 outing for  English Civil War performed with light and shade and great commitment and focus from the band. "Muchos gracias adios” shouts Joe but the band soon return for the second, final encore and a very fine Straight To Hell, although again the effects Mick was drenching parts of his guitar work in must have appeared to him to have been a good idea at the time. After a pause the band kick it up with Janie Jones concluding with the by now standard tour finale of Garageland. The band working very hard, Joe sounds hoarse and whilst it’s not a night it “burned” as Joe put it is still a very fine performance captured by an excellent audience recording.

Clash fans get social message

82 06 24 Oakland Tribune Thu (SanFran)

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Dave Reznicek - SF Civic on Combat Rock Tour with the English Beat was freaking INSANE!

Photos

HQ

Also check out photos from Neil Fitzpatrick and Vincent Anton

Courtey of Mike Murphy / Flickr

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 25

London Calling Spanish Bombs Career Opportunities The Guns Of Brixton Train In Vain Bankrobber The Magnificent Seven Car Jamming Wrong ‘Em Boyo Police On My Back Know Your Rights Safe European Home Rock the Casbah Brand New Cadillac Should I Stay or Should I Go? I Fought the Law Clampdown Ghetto Defendent Armagideon Time Somebody Got Murdered English Civil War Straight to Hell Janie Jones Clash City Rockers Garageland