The Clash: Live - Revolution Rock

Revolution Rock is a nice though incomplete introduction to the band that at one time many fans considered was the only band that mattered. They got their start in the UK punk rock scene but were so much bigger than the genre and stood out from their peers by experimenting with different genres like R&B, rockabilly, rap, and reggae, and having political attitudes that rose above anarchy and nihilism. Kurt Loder described them as “unabashed idealists, proponents of a radical left-wing social critique of a sort that reached back at least to...Woody Guthrie in the 1940s.”

The DVD collects Clash performances of the band playing concert halls in the late ‘70s, two television appearances from the early ‘80s, and in front of large audiences like opening up for The Who in 1982 at Shea Stadium and the US Festival in 1983, which was Jones’ last appearance with the band. It has already appeared on PBS and runs a little over an hour. Four of the songs appeared previously in the film Rude Boy: “I Fought the Law,” “London’s Burning,” “Safe European Home,” and “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais,” although the latter song is cut short for no apparent reason.

The remainder of this review can be read at Blogcritics.