The 101'ers
"Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited"
Astralwerks

Who would have thunk it. A label notorious for it's ground breaking electronica bands would dig up, remaster, and supersize Joe Strummer's legendary pre-Clash band. Astralwerks, we bow down before you.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, what exactly does the CD comprise of? Basically, it's the original 101'ers bootleg CD bolstered with a ton of original and cover tunes as well as a few live ditties. The quality is surprisingly good, but fans of the Clash might be a taken aback by the style of music.

This is not punk rock. This is more stripped down roots rock, reminiscent of what Strummer was trying to turn the Clash into minus the rasta crap. Think Mescaleros without the world beat. It rocks, but it is not punk.

What it is, is a snapshot in time of an artist that can create a mind boggling amount of music in so many different styles. This makes you wonder what made Strummer so angst ridden that he had to go fuel a White Riot with the Clash. Maybe he wasn't the punk in the band. Either way, this is a must for Clash fans or lovers of pub rock. Now if we can just get a label to properly release "Earthquake Weather." Any takers? I'm looking at you Epitaph and Astralwerk.


Reviewed by: George Koroneos
Reviewed on: September 8, 2005