sound of the suburbs

I spent a few hours last week end behind the wheel of my car and as usual I had selected a couple of CDs to listen to, one of which was the Uncut Clash cover version CD from 2003. I was quite surprised at the quality of the cover versions which only go to reinforce the status of Jones and Strummer as a classic songwriting team . After much thought I have chosen three covers for today for today, though I could easily have gone for more.
1. Jeff Klein 'The Guns Of Brixton'. Really not much to say about this version, very different from the original totally losing the reggae beat, for something altogether more dirge like and downbeat, but it works for me.
2. Josh Rouse 'Straight To Hell'. A captivating acoustic take on this number complete with American accent.
3. Edwyn Collins '1977'. This one is my favorite with Edwyn completely reworking this B side to the very first Clash single, in its original form so full of rage and anger and turning into a great big slice of upbeat pop with a strong Bo Didley backbeat complete with slide guitar, I think Strummer would have approved. Enjoy!