The Vaults Have Been Raided Again

It seems Orange Juice's Postcard School Glasgow School isn't the only vintage release from a stalwart of the late '70s/early '80s punk/post-punk scene that's new to the CD racks. I was in the record store today and saw an augmented version of Elgin Avenue Breakdown by the 101'ers. A couple thousand copies of this album was pressed in 1981, but there's been no action on it ever since. You could find CD bootlegs of it on eBay every now and again, but that was about it. Why do we care? Because before he was in the Clash, Joe Strummer was a 101'er. Punk hadn't yet hit, so the 101'ers were part of London's pub rock scene. They played straight-ahead, hard rock'n'roll. During the Clash's heyday, the political influences of the 101'ers were often played up in the press. For instance, it was said that the band had taken its name from the room where Winston Smith was tortured in 1984. No, actually 101 was the address of the building in which the band was squatting and rehearsing. But just because Joe Strummer's conscience hadn't yet been fully raised when he played in this band is no reason to let the CD slip by. The original album has been expanded with a couple of unreleased songs and nine live tracks. Here's a chance to look at the formation of one of the most exciting and inspiring musicians in rock history before he'd actually attained superstardom. Buy it!

[UPDATE to correct the name of the Orange Juice CD.]