Strummer, Adamson, Weller

[Charles Jannuzi <b_rieux@xxxxxxxxx>]

Joe Strummer was most definitely a hero. He
helped prove that the alternative music that
emerged in the mid 70s to early 80s was as good
as anything ever done in the rock tradition. Was
anyone else trying for a mass audience brave
enough to stand up for the Sandinistas with a
three disc album? Not many. Certainly not the No
Nukes crowd, and certainly not Bruce Springsteen.

Stuart Adamson moved from the Skids (with such
songs as 'Working for the Yankee Dollar') on to
Big Country, and it was amazing what he got away
with. While getting major corporate rock backing
(and BC went on to sell tens of millions
worldwide), he wrote song after song from a
working class, totally left perspective (see the
album 'Steeltown', look at the cover of the
follow-up, 'The Seer').  As interest in the band
started to wane, he led BC on the first ever
privately sponsored tour of the Soviet Union by a
western rock band.

Paul Weller went from the hard mod rock sound of
the Jam (fairly cryptic politics, though always
against the elite) to the jazz-pop and chanson of
the Style Council. The music never sounded
sweeter as he lyrically poured out nothing but
acid and scorn for the conservatives. Weller is
perhaps best known to today's rock audiences as
the guy who came up with the geewhiz guitar parts
for the best song Oasis ever did ('Champagne
Supernova', if I remember the title from hearing
it on the radio).

Last year we said good-bye to Stuart Adamson, and
little more than one year later, farewell to Joe
Strummer. RIP Joe Strummer and Stuart Adamson,
and thanks for the great music.

Charles Jannuzi

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