The Clash-London Calling

    有人說龐克不是具體的「樹」或「車」，龐克是一面旗幟，一個公開的符號，是讓很多人感到熱情的一個東西，大多數人談到龐克會立即聯想到音樂、衣服、髮型…。

       龐克要如何簡單定義呢   ?   早期倫敦的樂團如the Sex Pistols「性手槍」，Damned「詛咒」，Slits「裂縫」，Clash「衝突」，X Ray Spex「X光機」 或Raincoats「雨衣」有何相同之處呢 ? 正確地說他們都很獨特，例如the Sex Pistols「性手槍」樂團的" Anarchy in the UK"「英國的無政府主義」，像一首傳統搖滾樂，Clash「衝突」樂團的"(White Man)In Hammersmith Palais"「在翰墨史密斯派賴斯的白人」有一些很強烈的雷鬼音樂氣氛，the Slits「裂縫」樂團的"Instant Hits"「瞬間暢銷曲」則是雷鬼+爵士的感覺超過搖滾樂。龐克以西方搖滾樂為核心加入雷鬼、民歌、藍調、巴西莎莎舞曲、電子舞曲、工業音樂…，就如同每一個你想像中的音樂型態與類別。

說到英國的龐克，學者專家都注意倫敦，其實北愛爾蘭Belfast貝爾法斯特才是典範。70年代的政治動亂也引致經濟蕭條，在這種社會背景下，1977年10月the Clash樂團取消了一場演唱會而使失望的歌迷決定暴動抗議，那就是媒體報導的" The Riot of Belfast Street"「貝爾法斯特街頭暴動」，貝爾法斯特的龐克迷們發現在那一夜找到彼此，個別人士也融合成一片，很多樂團後來冒出來，想去追尋發生在那活動中的啟示，幾個月後，the Clash樂團也回來唱他們承諾過的那一場演唱會。

The Clash組成於倫敦，主唱John “Joe Strummer”Mellor (Strummer 2002年12月22日因心臟衰竭去世，享年50歲)，他們是一個政治活躍團體，寫了一些抗議種族歧視和被壓迫的歌，是正宗的龐克搖滾樂團之一，代表性歌曲是滾石雜誌500大歌曲榜第15名的名曲London Calling(龐克搖滾不能以排行榜名次定高低，the Clash的London Calling根本沒有推出過單曲) ， Clash一共有五首歌進流行音樂界專業人士票選出的滾石雜誌500大歌曲榜，代表他們因此與Bob Dylan、The Rolling Stones、John Lennon、Marvin Gaye、Aretha Franklin、The Beach Boys、The Beatles…這些歌壇巨星屬於同一層級的超級樂團。

*本文摘錄自WAVES生活潮藝文誌第十一期我所寫的從龐克的認識介紹「艾薇兒」

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c

 

London Calling

The Clash

Songwriters: Joe Strummer / Mick Jones / Paul Simonon / Topper Headon

 

London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
Except for the ring of the truncheon thing

The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I live by the river

London calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holding out and draw another breath
London calling and I don't want to shout
But while we were talking, I saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain't got no high
Except for that one with the yellowy eye

The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I, I live by the river

The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I, I live by the river

Now get this

London calling, yes, I was there, too
And you know what they said? Well, some of it was true
London calling at the top of the dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?

I never felt so much alike, alike, alike, alike