Get Out Of Control Tour
Supported by Richard Hell & The Voidoids & The Lous

Last updated 7 July 2008 - poster added

cdr - Sheffield– from unknown source – sound 4+ – 26min –8 tracks

The taper for some reason only recorded the first half of the gig.

To prove that some of the best recordings are still only now coming into circulation to match the silver jubilee of 1977, here is a phenomenal performance, and an excellent audience recorded sound. It has sadly only half the concert but the 26 minutes here represent not only the best bootleg of this tour but one of the most exciting, energised and exhilarating Clash recordings ever.

Joe Elliot from Def Leppard

An unlikely witness to the gig was Joe Elliot from Def Leppard who wrote this in a recent condolence message;

"I remember seeing The Clash at Sheffield Top Rank in 1977 & thinking ... Wow!!! ...compared to what was usually on at the Top Rank they couldn’t really play (in the sense of what was the norm back then) but the excitement that came off the stage was phenomenal!!! ...

excellent audience recording in glorious mono

The recording is sourced direct from the master which is an excellent audience recording in glorious mono.

The sound of the 1977 vintage Clash attack (on the senses) is captured brilliantly here. Mick’s raw magnificent punk guitar sound dominates but Joe’s guitar is heard well too, creating the classic Clash twin guitar attack. Vocals are very clear and suffer little distance problems; bass is good too but a touch low in the mix, nothing that a bass tone control cannot handle.

There is some distortion, most no doubt a result of the Clash high volume and primitive PA rather than the recording equipment, but it only adds to the atmosphere of being at the gig, the pure energy and excitement captured for posterity.

The Top Rank’s were chosen by the agency for this tour. This time Sheffield.

The recording begins in classic fashion; Mick’s quiet friendly greeting “Alright, how you doing” followed by an angry loud Joe “Alright cut down on the fuckin’ gobbing, listen when I want to gob, I gob on the floor, right!” No audience bullshit here!”

Joe then screams a blood curdling “London’s Burning” and The Clash explode into a magnificent searing performance. With hardly a gap Mick’s plays the intro to Complete Control before Joe spits out the lyrics. The “I don’t trust you etc” lyrics not sung even though the song was released back in September. Mick’s guitar playing is terrific and inventive driving the song throughout.

1977, which like all the 8 songs, is fast, raw punk rock at its best. The energy is amazing throughout. “This is a new one, gonna start by Topper” is Joe’s intro to Jail Guitar Doors, which suffers the worse distortion but like all the other performances is hugely enjoyable.

Clash City Rockers is next “This is our next single for what it’s worth” with Joe screaming out “Rock, Rock, Clash City Rockers repeatedly over the ending”

Next it’s the highlight amongst highlights; “This is a song collected for collectors entitled Capital Radio” The song demonstrates how The Clash by this tour were beginning to extend out songs, using reggae style dropouts to drop the ferocious pace down to drum and bass and then explode again into the climactic ending. As the song drops midway Joe begins a great improv “One night I was alone, I’m feeling bad, feeling sad, all over town, no music going down…got no drugs got no booze, so I turned on the radio you know, I got nothing at all, there was nothing on the radio”. Joe repeats the line over and over getting more and more manic and intense as the guitars roar back and bring it to a breathless end.

Protex Blue, not the greatest Clash song but it sounds excellent here, fast and driven, great raw rock’n’roll. It was though we discover here the first song performed live by The Clash as Mick introduces it “This is the first one we did last time..we were here at the Black Swan”.

The bootleg ends in magnificent style with a stunning Police & Thieves. Joe’s introduction is classic; “Alright, if you don’t mind here’s your joke reggae half hour, OK Mon!” The performance just builds and builds, with the interplay between Mick and Joe’s guitar perfectly captured. Joe adds a line “You buy your ticket, you always pay”.

Then for the first time they drop down the pace and Mick solo’s brilliantly before Joe comes in with screams and cries, veins bulging as he works himself up into a contorted frenzy as the music builds and builds. Suddenly the pace drops back to bass and drums and Joe improvises lyrics as the music builds again “started out on a dirty old road…what am I doing here..look at old Mick Jones and Paul Simonon”

Huge thanks to whoever brought this recording into circulation. It’s a magnificent document and ample evidence if any further were needed that The Clash were the most exciting rock’n’roll experience to hit any stage ever.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8	London’s Burning Complete Control 1977 Jail Guitar Doors Clash City Rockers Capital Radio Protex Blue Police & Thieves

to follow

any info / reviews appreciated

ZigZag December 1977
Cover - Index - Editorial -
...Strummer attacked at the Marquee
Derby & Cardiff reviews Kris Needs 1 2
Tour review Robin Banks
The Lous 1 2

Oct 77 - Unknown Fanzine
page 1 page 2 page 3

Who's In Love With Janie Jones?
Interview by Caroline Coon,
Sounds, October 1977
DURING THE hot summer of 1976, a No. 31 bus jolts through Notting Hill Gate. On the top deck is Mick Jones, humming a riff. He ...

Greatness from Garageland
Peter Silverton, Trouser Press, February 1978
UNANNOUNCED, TO SAY the least, a kid in boots, suspenders and short-cropped hair clambers through the photographers' pit and up onto the stage of London's Rainbow Theatre. Benignly ignored by band, stage crew and security alike...

Clash Landing
Search and Destroy Fanzine
Clash Interviewed by Annette Weatherman and Vermilion Sands
A lengthy interview with Joe, Mick & Paul in 1977. It was published in Search & Destroy mag out of San Francisco. It was the first word of the Clash in print in the U.S. Birmingham Rag Marktt & Sweden gigs referenced.

Oct 20		Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
		cancelled, see A Riot of Our Own p20
Oct 21		Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
		support The Count Bishops. Small review of Dublin at the foot of the Belfast review: The Clash in Belfast, Caroline Coon, Sounds, October 1977
Oct 22		Eric’s, Liverpool
		with the Toilets
Oct 24		Kinema, Dumfermline
Oct 25		Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland
Oct 26		Clouds, Edinburgh, Scotland
		Clouds was the upstairs part of Coasters (now called the Cavendish) where strummer played again with the clash busking in 1985 and with LRW in 1988 - Coasters itself is pretty small and both the upstairs rooms are tiny.
Oct 27		University, Leeds
Oct 28		Polytechnic, Newcastle
Oct 29		Apollo, Manchester
Oct 30		Victoria, Stoke
		'77 was with Richard Hell & the Voidoids and the Lous, and was manic, pure 'punk', backstage after the gig Mick was all over the place taking photos, Joe was very ill, white, exhausted, but still gave time to us kids for photos. Mick Jones took my address to send me some prints but apparently they never came out ( no flash or some other such problem). They really were the friendliest band I met at the time and invited everybody back to their hotel after. I couldn't go (my mum was waiting in the car to take me home - no, really! I didn't tell them that though). I was 15 at the time. Changed my life (that old cliché). The concert was on a par with The Ramones two months later for excitement, energy. (redian2) ticket reverse with autographs another ticket
Nov 1		Top Rank, Sheffield
Nov 2		University, Bradford
Nov 3		Kings Hall, Derby
Nov 4		University, Cardiff, Wales
		Follow Derby link for Kris Needs review of Derby and Cardiff.
Nov 5		Exhibition Centre, Bristol
		This is listed as the 10th in most cases, but we are told it was in fact the 5th which makes sense near Cardiff. Bath University gig was cancelled. The November 5 gig at the Bristol Exibition Centre, (now the Watershed arts centre) with The Void-oids, was a strange affair with the staff, selling left over sarnies, from an event that afternoon. I think the band could cope with spit & warm beer, but cheese bap missiles were unheard of during the time. I recall the French band, The Lou's - appearing first, then poor old Richard Hell, (who, I recall, hated the gobbing) didn't know that Marky Ramone, played drums on this tour. Later on, chatted to Jonesy, who recanted the story of being chased by Ted's, when last in Bristol. These "Teds" turned out to be jealous punks, (Mick had stolen one of the disgruntled punks girlfriend)Anyway, I had a lot of fun travelling around the UK, meeting some great people.
Nov 6		Market Hall, Carlisle
Nov 7		Top Rank, Birmingham
Nov 8		Tiffany's Coventry
		Original schedule listed Coverntry gig on the 8th as Locarno
Nov 9		Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
		the clash gig at the bournemouth winter gardens november 9th 1977 , stole the headlines locally as it was the first time a punk band had played at the winter gardens and a full scale riot took place between two gangs in the audience that night . When jonathan ross interviewed joe strummer in july 2001, an e mail asking if joe he rememberd the gig was read it out to him, he did remember the gig and talked about it on air . Bournemouth council almost banned punk bands from playing the winter gardens after that night , but the buzzcocks and the undertones managed to play gigs there in 1979 .
Nov 10		Exhibition Centre, Bristol - moved to 5th
		This date is listed on posters as 10th but over written in pen as Saturday 5th November.
Nov 11		Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Nov 12		Pavilion, Hastings
		Strange stormy night. Other piers had been blown down that night!
Nov 13		Top Rank, Southampton
Nov 15		Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, Manchester
		often circulated as Elizabthan Suite, it is in fact a full gig which was filmed by and for Granada TV and included Souisie and the Banshees as support. Snippets were screened twice on the So It Goes TV show (Dec 77 and Nov 78) (and repeated again in 1990) and circulate on video and audio. Other than the So It Goes source, no other source exists. It is thought Granada don't know where it is either and that the Dec 78 footage may have come from Tony Wilsons own collection.? Also see A Riot of Own p31.
Dec 11		Apollo, Glasgow
Dec 13		Rainbow, London
		Supported by the Zones and Sham 69, suported by Rat Scabies 2 of the nights
Dec 14		Rainbow, London
		supported by Sham 69??, suported by Rat Scabies 2 of the nights
Dec 15		Rainbow, London
		support Lovers of Outrage, suported by Rat Scabies 2 of the nights
Dec 19		Belfast McMordie Hall, Queens University Students Union
		first night cancelled due to transport problems (Dec 19th??)
Dec 20		Belfast McMordie Hall Queens University Students Union
		the story goes that 2 shows were to be done on the one night to make up for the cancelled Ulster Hall fiasco back in October. Only one show went ahead. the venue was changed on campus. Support The Lous. (Dec 20th??)