The Clash - English Civil War
I've just realised that I never got around to blogging yesterday. Unforgiveable, I'm sure you will agree. Someone should have me shot. To make up the numbers, here's the second track of the day.

I was never a huge fan of The Clash. It seems almost heretical to admit such a thing today. They are a band who have been uncomfortably deified over the years, however awkward or clumsy some of their music and polemic may have been. Some of it hasn't aged well, and some of it was just plain embarrassing to begin with. Rock The Casbah, I'm looking at you.

A snatch of incidental music half heard on the television today reminded me of what a neat song English Civil War was. It's not their best known track by any means, and frankly it's not their best, either. That would probably be the mighty London Calling. However, a punk version of When Johnny Comes Marching Home is always going to be a thing worth noting, and on today's (second) track it's done rather well.

This is a small-scale song. The conflicts it describes are local, passionate and frankly irrelevant. All that matters here is that neighbour is fighting neighbour; petty ideologies are causing misery and death. It's a believable view of local conflicts, and it's as relevant now as it ever was. It's taken from their second album, the 1978 release Give 'Em Enough Rope. Enjoy, but don't take too seriously. It's only The Clash, ferchrissakes.

The Clash - English Civil War