Perhaps the best part of a good cover song is hearing the switching, mixing and molding of different genres of one song, perhaps genres that normally aren’t seen together all too often. If you’re looking for your fix of celtic punk, ska, and proto-punk, look no further.
Here’s a cool video of Irish punk pioneers The Pogues covering The Clash’s song “London Calling” with iconic Clash member Joe Strummer on vocals and guitar. This recording was taken on St. Patrick’s Day 1988, when Strummer was acting as a fill-in touring guitarist for the ill Philip Chevron. After the 1987/1988 tour was complete Strummer and The Pogues had a strong relationship, playing together often until Strummer’s death in 2002.
You can find the original and the accordion/violin/bouzouki-infested version here, as well as another related rarity: In case The Pogues covering The Clash wasn’t weird enough for you, here’s a video of The Pogues covering two-tone ska legends The Specials, featuring Joe Strummer and many of the day’s top ska artists, including, yes, The Specials themselves. Enjoy.