Some people call this "the worst album ever made". But then again, they've said the same for Dylan's Self Portrait, and it's not that bad - it's just not genious, like most of his work up to that point was. It makes sense now, even if it didn't at the time. Could Cut The Crap be a similar case? I had some songs on cassette at the time; later I also bought the CD for completeness' shake, but hardly ever listened to it, so my memories of that album are more from hearing it on cassette in the late 80's. I remember I liked some of the choruses; the synth-heavy production didn't alienate me that much, since I was used to it from mainstream pop and rock of the time. But as I got deeper into garage rock and classic punk, it started to annoy me so much that I didn't listen to it again. Until now. But before reviewing the music, one first needs some background information: in 1982, The Clash had their biggest hit with Combat Rock. It contained such classics as "Rock The Casbah" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and was their first to get into the Top 10 in the US (as well as No.2 in UK). But it wasn't the album the band had in mind; Mick Jones had initially delivered a double album with longer, dancier mixes. Strummer wasn't happy with it, and neither were their management and record company, so they hired experienced producer Glyn Johns to remix it. He edited some of the songs and left others out, coming up with a leaner, better, version. The commercial appeal of the finished product proved him right, but it drove a wedge between the two principal songwriters, while drummer Topper Headon 's dismissal dut to his uncontrolled heroin habbit further unbalanced the band. Instead of enjoying their success, they started bickering with each other, leading to Strummer and manager Bernie Rhodes taking control of the band. Jones left, as did Topper's replacement, Terry Chimes. Strummer co-wrote a new bunch of songs with Rhodes, and went into the studio to record them with the new band, which included bassist Paul Simonon and three new members on guitars and drums. Rhodes then took over the production and mixing process, which is where -according to general opinion- everything went horribly wrong: he removed the bass and drums, replacing them with drum machines, and added layer over layer of synthesizers, fake horns, and all kinds of effects. Opener "Dictator", for example, is full of samples of people speaking unintelligibly in Spanish. Many years later, Manu Chao would use the same trick with success - but sparingly, not throughout the whole song! It's this excess that completely destoys Cut The Crap; less synths, and it'd just sound dated, now tracks like "Dictator" are rendered almost unlistenable. "Dirty Punk" is an improvement, a classic punk song with loud guitars and a nice chorus. "We Are The Clash" ("No you aren't" said most fans and critics) is a passable song with a big chorus which is reminiscent of football chants. The album is full of those; they are in fact -along with the synths and drum machines- one of its defining characteristics. People object to those, too, but I certainly don't mind. I think that these football chant-style choruses are part of Strummer's vision rather than Rhodes'. I've seen his interviews of the time, and all he talked about was about how bad the political situation in Britain was (remember, it was the height of Thatcher's dismantling of the welfare state, and of the great miners' strike) and how much the original fighting spirit of punk was needed. So yes, Strummer's mohawk hairstyle and Oi! - style choruses were a stylistical and musical regression for The Clash, but there was a reasoning behind it. On live bootleg recordings "Are You Red...Y" sounds like one of the funkier tracks on Sandinista! The proto-techno production doesn't do it any favors, but neither does ruin it completely. If it lost the chorus and electronic effects "Cool Under Heat" would fit well in one of Strummer's later albums with the Mescaleros. "North And South" is another Mescaleros-like song, a Latin-tinged semi-ballad. "Movers And Shakers" benefits from a great chorus (even if it's repeated a bit too often), but is ruined by this atrocious Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass-emulating synth part. Thankfully we now come to the good part: "This Is England" is, according to Strummer, the last great Clash song. His vocal is upfront instead of buried under a cacophony of electronic sounds, the chorus is anthemic, and the lyrics paint an insightful and eloquent picture of Thatcher-era Britain. It's followed by the second-best song of the collection, the ska-punk "Three Card Trick". With better production, it'd fit perfectly in London Calling. "Play To Win" and "Fingerpoppin'" unsuccessfully try to experiment with Latin and hip hop elements, while "Life Is Wild" starts off promising but quickly gets drowned in a cacophony of samples, electronic effects, and backing vocals all playing simultaneously. Normally the album ends here, but my CD adds the B-side of "This Is England", "Do It Now". It's quite mediocre, but thankfully not messed up too badly by Rhodes. Why did Joe Strummer allow him complete controle over the mix of this album is a mystery. Or why Rhodes decided to take it to the polar opposite of the band's declared intention to return to the simplicity and energy of original punk. It may have something to do with Strummer being distracted due to family problems (his father died suddenly, and mother was simultaneously diagnosed with terminal cancer), Rhodes' famous stubborness, or the record company's insistence to deliver the album (for which they had already paid in advance) as soon as possible. But, then again, couldn't they see it was crap? Couldn't they get someone like Glyn Johns to save it? More importantly, might it still be saved? Many fans, myself included, think there are some good songs here. Given a sympathetic production, it would still be The Clash's weakest album, but not the embarassment it is now. For some mysterious reason, noone has gone back to the master tapes to make a radical remix that might salvage it. Some fans have tried; a German musician under the pseudonym Mohawk Revenge tried to isolate the vocals and re-create the instrumental part playing all the instruments himself. The result has been released under the title Cut The Crap Rebooted, and it's already better than the official version. Imagine how much further it could be improved if someone like e.g. Tim Armstrong from Rancid had access to the master tapes, was able to remove all the synths and other added-on crap, reinstate the bass and drums, and play some judicious overdubs where needed. I believe that we'd have a solid punk rock album in our hands, instead of a failed experiment.
**** for This Is England, Three Card Trick
*** for Dirty Punk, We Are The Clash, Are You Red...Y, Cool Under Heat, Movers And Shakers
** for Dictator, Play To Win, Fingerpoppin', North And South, Life Is Wild, Do It Now
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