SUPER BLACK MARKET contains 21 tracks including the entire LP BLACK MARKET CLASH (1980), B-sides, remixes & one previously unreleased song.
The Clash: Mick Jones, Joe Strummer (vocals, guitar); Paul Simonon (vocals, bass); Topper Headon (drums, percussion).
Producers include: Micky Foote, The Clash, Bill Price, Mikey Dread, Mick Jones.
Compilation producer: Kosmo Vinyl.
Engineers includes: Bill Price, Mikey Dread, Jeremy Green.
Digitally remastered by Ray Staff & Bob Whitney (Whitfield Street Studios).
Originally released as a 10-inch EP, BLACK MARKET CLASH effectively bridged the gap between LONDON CALLING and SANDINISTA, both literally and figuratively. While most collections of b-sides and outtakes are of interest only to hardcore fans, this one turned out to be an artistic statement nearly equal to the two classic album that sandwiched it. Halfway between the punk fervor of LONDON CALLING (as on the raging "Cheat") and the reggae/funk experimentation of SANDINISTA (see "Bankrobber" and "Armagideon Time,") the EP stood up as a singular, worthwhile entry in the band's canon.
Years later, supplemented by a bounty of bonus cuts, the album was reissued as SUPER BLACK MARKET CLASH. With the added cuts, this recording provides a real insight into the workings of the band, including everything from their first dub workouts to romantic pop dabblings. It's a bit like reading between the lines of LONDON CALLING and SANDINISTA and discovering an entire world of musical subtext. Essential not only to Clash completists, but anyone interesting in the evolution of punk into something deeper and grander.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (12/10/93, 78) - "...Sifting through noodling to get to songs this good [like '1977,' 'Robber Dub'] is worth it..." - Rating: B+
Q (11/93, p.142) - 3 Stars - Good - "...there's little that dispels The Clash's awesome aura..."
Alternative Press (3/00, pp.74-5) - 4 out of 5 - "...contains the flipsides of nearly every Clash single...for non-completists..."
Melody Maker (12/18/93, p.31) - "...compiles many of The Clash's flips and obscurities and it's awesome...."
