updated 12 August 2004
updated 12 June 2007
cdr - average - Sound 3 - time 87min – unknown gen.- tracks 26
The second recording from the Impossible Mission Tour reveals a much tighter more consistent performance than at Barcelona at the start of the tour. With 3 concerts played, the new songs that sounded under rehearsed at Barcelona are now taking shape live and benefiting from repeated performances.
This is a fine performance with the band enjoying themselves, especially Joe. His pleasure in playing on Spanish soil is clear and he takes every opportunity to display his knowledge (albeit limited!) of Spanish gained in his pre-Clash days. At the beginning of the concert he gives a short speech in Spanish, its exact meaning not clear even too a native Spanish speaker! Joe says very carefully to cheers from the audience, “We are dedicating this concert in solidarity with our countrymen who died in Ireland and Andalusia” The rest is not clear but includes a reference to independence then he breaks mid sentence back to English, “music not played on the radio here”. A piece of pipe or flute music is then played which gets louder cheers. As San Sebastian is a major city in the Basque region it could well be a Basque anthem but it could also be an old Spanish Civil War Republican song. Anyone know?
Venue
This large cycle stadium provides the setting still today for San Sebastian’s high profile concerts. See photo. Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack have all played there in the past. It was hardly though the best setting for a Clash concert but typical of the large capacity venues played on the Impossible Mission tour. Making a profit now over ruled other considerations due to the band’s perilous financial state.
A good quality audience recording was made of the concert but the best source circulating is several generations off the master. It suffers therefore from a degree of flatness and loss of clarity making it one of the lesser quality recordings from an excellent tour. It is nevertheless an enjoyable listen, capturing the whole concert with little distortion, reasonable detail and good vocals, bass and drums.
The recorder was not close to the stage so there are some distance problems with guitars a little too far back in the mix, but the master recording was obviously a very decent one. An upgrade to the master would be very welcome especially as the performance is so strong.
The recording starts with the first hearing of the band’s new dramatic intro music, Ennio Morricone’s ‘60 Seconds To What’, evidently suggested by Topper. Joe then says “Buenos Diaz” and gives his speech referred to earlier, and then it’s into the twin familiar attack of London Calling and Safe European Home.
Joe shouts “Vamos, vamos” before The Leader to get the band fired up further. “Presentar Senor Mick Jones” as Jonesy begins the intro to a powerful Somebody Got Murdered. White Man in Hammersmith Palais is fine but with no adlibs in contrast to Guns of Brixton next where a few bars of Willie and the Hand Jive is added to the intro, as at Barcelona.
The most interesting aspect of this recording is hearing the development live of the Sandinista songs. Lightning Strikes is tighter than Barcelona with Joe adlibbing but retains the same abrupt ending. Joe calls for the audience to shout louder to stir things up. Corner Soul and Radio Clash are very good and then an edit leads into Ivan Meets GI Joe (a much better performance than the lame Barcelona one). Continuing with the Sandinista heavy set on this tour, Charlie Don’t Surf is followed by a strong Magnificent Seven, which now gets an extended instrumental ending.
It’s the first chance next to hear Junco Partner live and the band are clearly enjoying themselves with Joe adlibbing over Mick’s solo. “El Train in Vain!” is followed by Career Opportunities not performed for nearly two years (last time in San Francisco on the Take The Fifth Tour.)
Wrong Em Boyo is followed by a great Bankrobber played slower and looser in 1981. Mick precedes Clampdown with “This is for all those .?. in the Spanish army”. Again a better performance than the lacklustre Barcelona one and then the set ends with an extended One More Time.
The first encore begins with Armagideon Time followed by a fine performance of Spanish Bombs, essential to the occasion. Brand New Cadillac is excellent, the song really catching fire and then the pace drops again for The Street Parade. I Fought the Law ends the encore with the audience shouting for more.
The final encore returns to the frenetic passion of 1977 with fired up performances of London’s Burning and White Riot.
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1 |
London Calling |
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Any further info / reviews
appreciated
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Barcelona, Spain |
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Madrid, Real Madrid basketball stadium | |
| Gig reviewed in Record Mirror 9 May 81. Gig played in front of 7,000 | ||
| Apr 30 | |
Cascais, Portugal |
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Lisbon? | |
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Velodromo de Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain |
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Bordeaux, France | |
| Joe IDs this date and gig the following night in Lyon before the first track | ||
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Palais des Sports, Lyon, France |
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Palais de Beaulieu, Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| May 7 | |
Zurich [venue unknown] |
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Hippodrome de Pantin, Paris, France |
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Palais St. Sauveur, Lille, France |
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| In 1981 the gigs at Lille and Amsterdam were supported by the Belle Stars (they were travelling on the tour coach which we bummed a ride on!), I think they did most of those European dates. J Heath | ||
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Japp Edenhall, Amsterdam, Holland |
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| In 1981 the gigs at Lille and Amsterdam were supported by the Belle Stars (they were travelling on the tour coach which we bummed a ride on!), I think they did most of those European dates. J Heath | ||
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Forest National, Brussels. |
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| Support act included The Belle Stars and Vic Goddard & Subway Sect. Thx for info. Entry 300 BEF (£5.00) |
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Musikhalle, Hamburg, West Germany |
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Idrottshuset, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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The Scandinavium, Gothenburgh, Sweden |
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Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden |
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Eissporthalle, (West) Berlin |
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Circus Krone, Munich, West Germany |
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Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy |
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| May 22 | |
San Remo |
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Stadio Comunale, Florence, Italy |
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| May | Rome - cancelled | |
| the proposed Rome concert never came together- problems with Bernie | ||
| The Bullring, Milan?? |
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| Usually Londonderry boot LP. Probably did not take place. | ||
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