This song has been floating round as a demo bootleg for god knows how long. It landed on a compilation called Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg in the early 2000s (that was the original title for Combat Rock when it was gonna be a double LP monster). Probably started out as a bootleg cassette in the late 80s or 90s, pre-internet. I found a copy in the mid 2000s during the MP3 blog era. Who's nostalgic for that time?
There's a Youtube clip of it that someone had a go at remastering, and Ranking Roger found it 12 years ago and commented on it with some background:
"Nice to see this cut up here. I recorded this for the Clash in London around 82-3 when The Clash and the Beat toured quite a bit in the U.S.A. together.
"I also did a toast/rap over Red Angel Dragnet which I have not heard since. I did it as a one take in the studio. The Clash split up shortly afterwards so it was never released. What you guys are hearing here was just a rough mix for us to go away and listen to. It was never finished.
"I was invited as a guest just to freestyle and see what happened. A lot of it came from the top of my head and I think you can sort of hear it in the track. It was just a guide vocal so I could get more ideas. Then The Clash broke up but we still kept in touch.
"We used a studio I think in Notting Hill. Mick Jones was with me and a couple of engineers. We took the original 24 track and took the lead vox out. Anyway, it was not allowed to be let out to anyone, although I gave the late John Peel a copy of it (R.I.P.) but......yes, I guess you could say it was a demo waiting approval I guess. Thanks for letting people hear what could have been a remix, if it was finished. Better some than none! Respect! RR :)"
There's clips of Ranking Roger joining The Clash onstage in Paris during a 7 night run they did there at the Mogodor theatre with The Beat opening, in September 1981. You can hear him on Police and Thieves, and Armagideon Time. Plus there's some similar live clips from the USA in 1982.
The Clash have just released a 40th anniversary edition of Combat Rock over 5 sides of vinyl with bonus tracks recorded round the same time (mostly previously released on other Clash reissues), and left this song out and one side of the vinyl blank.
Instead, they released it on digital in April, and as a 7" single on May 20, the same day as Combat Rock reissue. The flip is the version of Red Angel Dragnet that Roger mentions. Yes I did rush out and buy it.
Here's an interview from 2014 with Ranking Roger where he mentions he got given a tape to take home after the sessions, and he gave that to John Peel and he must have played it at some point and that's the version that's been going round the internet. He also talks about recording an EP called Rock The Casbah to benefit Strummerville Foundation.
Bonus - Ranking Roger and Pato Banton cover Rock the casbah:
Cover photo for the 7" single taken by Paul Slattery, full image below:
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