Google's 5-part documentary about The Clash

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Not available in Canada.

Damn near nothing is, ever. It’s like the CRTC wants us to become avid Pirate Bay members.

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Like a lot of the Punk and pseudo-Punk of my youth, I find it near-impossible to listen to the first two Clash albums (and various myriad singles) - the misguided politics haven’t worn well through the decades (“white riot? I wanna riot?” - yeah, of course they were being ironic!) It’s only when the group morphed into a meandering pop band (with tons of guest stars) that the boys became listenable.

I wonder if the discussion of the band’s “classic albums” will include “Cut the Crap” which is basically the “Plan 9 from Outer Space” of albums. Glad to hear that yet another “BEST OF” Clash album will be available…I think there have been at least two box sets and numerous compilations released. One more will surely feed the fires of revolution (make that “fires of bloated Capitalism”) - Strummer is always deemed the de-facto leader of the Clash, yet Mick Jones truly shaped the band’s sound and rounded off the edges pop-wise to create a more palatable soundscape in the face of the Clash’s scurvy polemics and strange politics.

Jones’ Big Audio Dynamite conglomeration also did some fun and innovative things. It’s a shame that the best Clash song - “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” - is the song I’m most likely to switch off if I hear it on the radio (usually right after “Billie Jean” or “Stairway to Heaven”) - the Clash tend to be pigeon-holed as a musical entity of change and action. In reality, they became just another FM Classic Rock band

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Off topic, really, but I am so very glad that I got to see The Gorillaz live tour a couple years back that had both Paul and Mick on stage (along with a lot of other great talent). Such a good time. Expensive show and worth every penny.

(A side note about a touching moment from that show: Damon Albarn expressed clear and sincere delight when a girl maybe 11 or 12 years old in the front row handed him a bouquet of roses. Ok, done being off topic now…)

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In Hong Kong not available either. Seriously, Google (of ALL companies) knows better than to geo-block. My best guess: they haven’t cleared the performance rights for the music they feature in the film so that it can be played in every country. As I understand it, there isn’t a one-stop-shop where they can go to get these rights cleared for the whole world. That means that country by country, they need to sign a bilateral agreement with the local PRO before they can remove the geo-block. Good luck with that.

Personally, I’m still quite bored with the USA.

I was lucky to see Joe Strummer front The Pogues in Vancouver before he passed, but I never got to see The Clash. Sadly, the people watching to Pogues show had no idea how awesome it was to see this.

Oh man…I was so looking forward to this. But I live in Canada and the f**king CRTC doesn’t want me to see it.

Not available in Japan either. <sigh>

@carlosdanger “Give em Enough Rope” gave us “Death or Glory” which still counts in my greatest songs list. “Safe European Home” and “Tommy Gun” aint bad tunes either. As for the first album, “White Riot” may not have aged all that well in some ways but “Career Opportunities” and the cover of “Police and Thieves” sure did.

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