Big Audio Dynamite: Megatop Phoenix (1989)

This album is something of a return to form, after Tighten Up Vol 88. In other words, I like this record more than its predecessor. There are so many good songs, I can't decide which one to post. James Brown has a car chase and an interesting sample from West Side Story, so it wins.

All of this BAD reminds me of Doug, another chap from my residence, who was a huge fan of The Clash and an early fan of BAD. I haven't seen him in ages.

Big Audio Dynamite: Tighten Up, Vol. 88 (1988)

The third BAD album cover features a painting by Paul Simonon, another former Clash band-mate. Of course, this leads me to reflect on all of those artists who are multi-talented. For example, Leonard Cohen also paints, Lou Reed was a photographer, Keanu Reeves has a band, etc. The list goes on. Incidentally, I have a compact disc copy of Paul Simonon's later project, The Good, The Bad, and the Queen, which is either the band name, the album title, or possibly both. It's unclear.

In any case, while possibly less successful than the previous two releases, this one is pretty good. By the way. all of the white pants and shorts in various BAD videos remind me that I used to own a pair of white jeans. There is no photographic evidence to support that statement.

Big Audio Dynamite: No. 10 Upping St. (1986)

It's really bizarre that Joe Strummer produced this album (and co-wrote some of the songs) after he had turfed Mick Jones from The Clash. But, then again, John Cale worked with the Velvet Underground a few times after being kicked out of the band by Lou Reed, so I guess it's not as unusual as it sounds.

I think that No. 10 Upping Street is not as good as first album, but I do like it. Big Audio Dynamite were the best non-Clash Clash band around, and it was clear that The Clash were dead, permanently.

Big Audio Dynamite: This is Big Audio Dynamite (1985)

 
"The horses are on the track."

Who would have imagined that from the ashes of The Clash, Mick Jones would come up with something like Big Audio Dynamite? I guess it's wrong to say "the ashes of The Clash" because he was fired and the band soldiered on with final and truly terrible album. Terrible, that is, apart from the track This is England, which is quite good. At the time, I thought that BAD defied belief, but this was the mid-1980s so that may explain the musical direction. Or, maybe Jones was giving the finger to The Clash. In any case, this is a really great album and much better than the Clash's swansong.