Global A Go-Go presents:
John Graham Mellor was born in Ankara, Turkey on August 21, 1952. Who’s that, you say? Well, you might know him better by his stage name: Joe Strummer.
Strummer was, of course, the co-founder, front man and principal lyricist for the Clash, a band that, when I was younger, some people called “the only band that matters.” After the Clash disbanded in 1986, he spent the next 13 years being whatever the opposite of a rock star is: he worked on projects that appealed to him as a musician, songwriter, producer and actor, but mostly stayed out of the limelight until he founded the second great rock band of his career, the Mescaleros.
One of those projects was an radio show that Joe occasionally hosted for the BBC World Service called London Calling, where he got to explore all of the wide variety of music that inspired him: early rock ‘n’ roll, reggae, blues and jazz, music from Africa and Latin America, anything that pushed his buttons.
Joe and London Calling are among the primary inspirations for this radio program (which is named after one of the Mescaleros’ songs; that song has kicked off this program every week for 18 years). So it’s only appropriate that Global A Go-Go celebrates Joe Strummer’s 70th birthday today (Sunday August 21, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) with a 2-hour tribute.
P.S. You can listen to all 7 hours of Joe Strummer’s London Calling BBC radio shows here: exchange.prx.org/series/27024-joe-strummer-s-london-calling
And here’s a Spotify playlist that includes almost all the songs that Joe played on that radio show: open.spotify.com/playlist/0PWMzSdWNHNOESR912xQmg?go=1&sp_cid=33ef6cb3fc38155b67d61a8333e5df54
One more thing — a complete tracklisting for each episode of Joe Strummer’s London Calling: rateyourmusic.com/list/Zed/joe_strummers_london_calling_from_bbc_world_service
Podcast: radio4all.net/program/113295
All the podcasts: radio4all.net/series/Global%20A%20Go-Go
Joe Strummer & Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Global a Go-Go”
from Global a Go-Go
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2001
England UK
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Redemption Song”
from Streetcore
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2003
England UK
The Clash, “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”
from The Singles
Sony BMG Music Entertainment - 2007
England UK, 1978
Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Punky Reggae Party”
from Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Deluxe Edition)
Island Records - 1984
Jamaica, 1977
The English Beat, “Mirror In the Bathroom”
from I Just Can't Stop It (Remastered)
Shout! Factory Records - 2012
England UK, 1980
Eddie Cochran, “Nervous Breakdown”
from 12 Of His Biggest Hits / Never to Be Forgotten
Parlophone Catalogue - 1961
USA
Joe Strummer & The Astro-Physicians, “Afro-Cuban Bebop (Alt. Mix)”
from Just Look Them Straight In The Eye And Say … Poguemahone!! - The Pogues Box Set
Rhino - 1990
England UK
The Pogues, “The Sunnyside Of The Street”
from Hell's Ditch (Expanded Edition)
WM UK - 2006
England UK, 1990
Gogol Bordello, “Trans-Continental Hustle”
American Recordings Catalog P&D - 2010
USA-Ukraine-Russia-China-Scotland UK-Ethiopia-Ecuador-Belarus
Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra, “Unza Unza Time”
from The Best Of Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra
Universal Music Division Capitol Music France - 2009
Ex-Yugoslavia, 2000
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Shaktar Donetsk”
from Global a Go-Go
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2001
England UK
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Get Down Moses”
from Streetcore
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2003
England UK
Bill Lupoletti Global A Go-Go August 21st, 2022
Posted In: Music Shows