Snob's Music: The Clash: Live At Shea Stadium- Album Review

Some concerts become the stuff of legends. And that is truly the case when punk rock icons The Clash stepped into Shea Stadium in 1982 in front of 72,000 people to open for The Who.

26 years later, those of us who couldn't be there (cut me some slack I was 6!) finally have the document of that historic event in our hands in the form of The Clash Live At Shea Stadium.

The concert is a picture of a band at its artistic and popular zenith. It is 15 tracks of history. Just thinking about the importance as you listen is enough to give one goosebumps.

The Clash's performance is fantastic. It's raw and full of energy and passion. Plus the set selection reads almost like a greatest hits collection.

The opening rendition of "London Calling" is a bit choppy with the guitars, but an incredibly rocking version of "Police On My Back" really kickstarts the proceedings.

What's interesting here is that we get versions of songs that can be significantly different than the album versions. "Magnificent Seven" is surprisingly high octane. "Guns Of Brixton" is extra funky. "Rock The Casbah" gets a much harder, punk rock edge to it.

We also get the famous performance of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" which provided the video for that hit song.

There are some misses. For example "Spanish Bombs" and "Clampdown" are a tad pedestrian.

The quality of the recording does leave a bit to be desired. It is echoey and has a tendency to sound tinny, but that's wholly understandable, and very forgivable considering the overall quality of the performance itself.

At the end of the day, The Clash Live At Shea Stadium is a memento of an incredible moment in music history, and one that I am very glad to finally have in my grubby mitts.

Best tracks: "Rock The Casbah", "Guns Of Brixton"

You can watch the band talking about the performance here: