Joe Strummer Mescaleros - Global a GoGo (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

The Best Work from One of the Great Ones

Juan Mobili | Valley Cottage, NY USA | 05/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My father, a poet and an artist on his own right, used to say that there was a "first row "and a "second row" for artists of any discipline. His theory was that, whether it's literature, sculpture or music, people will emerge who will redefine their medium, push their artistic form beyond its present atmosphere, and then there man, many more, extremely capable writers or composers whose work was important but not seminal, not worthy of the first row. I guess my dad was speaking of what B.H. Fairchild called "the difference between talent and genius." Well I think my father's notion certainly has applied, for a long time, to contemporary popular music. I grew up touched -shaped, really- by people like Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Caetano Veloso, Ellington, Joni Mitchell. This is the work of the first row, to be a lifelong catalyst for your times. Joe Strummer belongs in the same first row too. In some way, I feel that this album materializes Joe's lifelong vision bringing forth punk and world, accordions and electric guitars, politics and art, social justice and killer grooves. "Mondo Bongo" is a Strummer ballad, heartfelt, slow, perfect for Joe's mature voice. "At The Border, Guy" should be called "at the edge" with its Rock-n-Reggae. "Gamma Ray" and "Mega Bottle Ride" are precious stones, etched off Latin and Punk, like a working class Jimmy Buffet with something important to say. Global A Go-Go is immense fun but not a Disney ride, his politics just as radical but maturing into a sharper artistic edge."

This album is absolutely astounding.

Gary S. Fenstermacher | bethlehem, pa USA | 03/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wanna be a Joe Strummer fan? Buy this record. I never cared really for the Clash or Joe Strummer. Sure, I liked the token Clash songs, but that's about it.Until a friend played this for me one night. The first half of this record is simply amazing. Every song is a winner. The second half isn't quite as good, but is still great. From "Global A Go-Go" I found myself purchasing the rest of the Joe Strummer catalogue. Repeated listening pushes me to start looking into some of the bands mentioned in the actual song "Global A Go-Go," and from there I've since discovered an entire world of quality, classic, Jamaican rocksteady, ska, and roots.This record changed my life. No, really. Well, alright, just my record-buying life. What, you've never heard of hyperbole?It really is that good, though."

A logical extension of X-Ray Style

punkviper | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you bought Rock Art & The X-Ray Style in 1999 (or even 1989's Earthquake Weather) you should know what you're getting with this CD. Take the world-music component of Strummer's recent work and diversify it a bit, with much emphasis on Middle-Eastern and Far-Eastern flavors. This time around, the songs are a little more sedate, a little more mature, with some very lush arrangements replacing the sometimes sterile sound of the previous album. More acoustic work is heard on this one, less dance-oriented material, more everything-and-the-kitchen-sink type approaches to the music. And it works like magic.Just a warning: this is NOT the Clash. I still think that there are people who will pick this up expecting to hear Clampdown II, well you won't find it. But if you are forsaking Strummer for staking out his own territory, and continuing to push his own musical boundaries, well... I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on some of his best work.This is powerful stuff and further solidifies the theory that Joe is simply not capable of disappointing us. He seems to really be into the songs on this album."

The light has dimmed, but the legacy will shine..........

Gary S. Fenstermacher | 10/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Awaiting the release of Streetcore and as a regular listener to Rock Art etc, I thought that I should investigate Global a Go Go....Amazing, exciting, provocative and downright melodic this will prove to be one of my Playlist favourites. There's still plenty of north London wit on display as well as the global eclecticism that was setting Joe up as a valuable contributor to all that is accessible in new World Music.....the balance of street hardened sneer in Joe's voice offset by the pleading yell for a better world makes this package an inspirational sound collage. So cruel that Streetcore will be an epitaph to a voice that has been dimmed by the Creator......the musical legacy will surely attract, entertain and inspire for decades to come. A must for anybody who appreciates intelligent, beautifully crafted music"

A chapter in one of the great unwritten stories in music

Raymond Robinson | Columbia, MD United States | 08/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the US at least, the spectre of the 1960's still prevails as the last important era in music. Yet many of these artists dried up creatively by the mid-1970's, and have since made do with nostalgia tours and mediocre albums. Across the pond, by contrast, the punk and post-punk generation is still making quality music, all while ignored by the American music establishment. Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, Joe Strummer, Lloyd Cole, Elvis Costello, and the like are still full of ideas and great tunes. This album is indicative of this. The cd lives up to its name - it pulls in influences as discrete as reggae, Celtic, and even Hindi (in Bhindi Bhagee). But it's not a parody of world music (like, say, John Tesh's One World cd - wait a minute, why am I mentioning Joe Strummer and John Tesh in the same paragraph?); it's still Joe, with his cigarette-molded raspy voice, and his knack for great music. The Mescaleros are in fine form, and from the first song (Johnny Appleseed - great straight-ahead rock song) to the almost-18-minute long Minstrel Boy (which doesn't bore you - it mesmerizes you) you'll enjoy this album. ..."

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