Burning London: The Clash Tribute

Burning London: Clash Tribute

One doesn't necessarily associate punk firebrands the Clash with the radio-ready likes of Third Eye Blind and No Doubt. But in the years since the demise of the Clash, their impact, once localized to the punk underground, has seeped up from the gutter they once championed. ("The truth," rasped Joe Strummer in one of his more memorable couplets, "is known only by guttersnipes.") Burning London affords a dozen-plus popular late-'90s performers the opportunity to tip their hats to the erstwhile scourges of the mainstream. The results, as is common with such tributes, are wildly mixed. The highlights here exhibit a less-than-reverent perspective on this timeworn material. Moby and Heather Nova turn "Straight to Hell" into a haunting echo of the Combat Rock prototype, while Cracker's cowpunk trashing of "White Riot" would've sounded at home on an album by frontman David Lowery's great old band, Camper Van Beethoven. On the downside, Indigo Girls' "Clampdown" is an artless revision of one of the Clash's least artful songs, and the likes of Third Eye Blind and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones bring nothing new to "Train in Vain" and "Rudie Can't Fail," respectively. If the featured bands are the draw here, help yourself. But if you're curious about the Clash, the group's bursting-at-the-se ams debut and watershed London Calling will serve as superior introductions to a mighty band. --Steven Stolder