I love the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Who doesn't? but Joe Strummer followed up that reckless chapter of his life with something much more refined. He explored his interest in world music and African percussion through the three albums he made with the Mescaleros, most of whom were multi-instrumentalists. "Global a Go-go" (Hellcat 2001) is my favorite of the three. The first time I heard Johnny Appleseed, I was totally blown away and then I gave the lyrics a good listen and I realized that he was talking about the bees, as in honey bees. I wonder how he knew back then that the bees were in trouble (www.helpthehoneybees.com)?
The title track includes vocals by Joe's long-time friend Roger Daltrey and it's rumored that Pete Townsend plays on it but no one's confirming that. Bhindi Bhagee is a ton of fun too, meant to reflect the ethnic diversity of London. Joe was always speaking out for the little guy, the working class, the invisible poor. He died in 2002. The music world and the world misses him. This album is medium easy to find on vinyl. If you don't own it, put it on your wish list. I got mine at the Ashby Flea market in Berkeley.
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