25. April 2019 By Walter Price 0

Esta indecisión Three-Way: The Clash (w/ Joe Ely) – “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”

The Clash – ‘Combat Rock’ is available @ iTunes.

I’m as guilty as you, allegedly, when it comes to the albums we rocked back in the fabled year of 1982. You remember as well as I do the albums by Simple Minds, Bruce Springsteen, Dexys Midnight Runners, and XTC. All fantastic albums to this day, but there was an album that year that everyone was talking about. An album that would take you another 5 or years to understand. That album is ‘Combat Rock’ by a band whose mythos at the time was as legendary as the sounds they were laying down. The Clash would change the world of rock n’ roll, in part to this unapologetically unique masterpiece.

And, a Texas connection?

Yes, the song that had you at that opening guitar and then had you scratching your head at the Spanish backing vocals. About the mirrored Spanish lyrics, Joe Ely explains, “I came into the studio while they were working out the parts. They’d been working on the song for a few hours already, they had it sketched out pretty good. But I think it was Strummer’s idea, because he just immediately, when it came to that part, he immediately went, ‘You know Spanish, help me translate these things. My Spanish was pretty much Tex-Mex, so it was not an accurate translation. But I guess it was meant to be sort of whimsical because we didn’t really translate verbatim.”

A legendary Texas artist with a historic and permanent connection to one of the greatest bands and songs of all-time…Doesn’t get much better than that. Well, what about the love for this album and this track that is a neverending source for artists of nearly all genres to try their talents at capturing the powers in a cover version or thousands?

Not only is “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” one of The Clash’s most covered songs, but its also been sampled a bit here and there. With so many kickass choices to choose from and o avoid any indecisions, I picked three versions that have made my day at one point or another.

Esta indecisión no me molesta…

Split…