Paris Residency
Supported by Wah! & The Beat

last updated 14 Apr 2002
last updated 27 Jan 2007

Audio 2 - from 2nd gen

Sound 3.5 - time 2hrs 6mins - tracks 33

Train in Vain

Audio 3 - flawed soundboard

Sound 3 - high gen - time 1 hr 4mins - tracks 17
First 10 tracks are ok but after that they quality drops off badly.

Train in Vain

Broadcast on WRTL

Two recordings circulate, the first is a very good audience recording presumably by the same taper as the other Mogador shows in circulation. The other is a high generation soundboard source possibly from FM radio.

Audience recording

As well as this being the best performance of the residency it’s also thankfully the best recording. The taper by this his fourth attempt has found his best position with the result that this is the least distant recording, capturing all the instrumentation and especially the vocals the best. Bass is again low in the mix but if boosted is well defined.  For those who do not like too much audience atmosphere this one has probably the least but  it still manages to preserve very well what it must have been like to have been in the audience on this special night.

Although a second generation source it has a better sound than the first generation recording the night before because vocals especially are less distant and more enjoyable.  Edits lose the last third of Train In Vain and curiously Bankrobber/Rockers Galore is repeated twice, the second one being a few seconds longer.

Soundboard source

In 2006 a soundboard source was brought into circulation thanks to Seb (Bazarboy) in Paris. It is sadly a distant relation to the original master having been copied too many times with a resulting high level of hiss and a “foggy” flat sound. There is talking at the start (and at other times) which suggests a radio voiceover but probably the talking is tape bleed. The mono tape contains 17 songs (unedited) from the night  however from Safe European Home onwards the sound dips significantly further. 

If you ignore the sound limitations and crank up the volume (particularly on the first 12 songs) then the tape captures the power and the glory of The Clash live at the Mogador!

Seb is contacting Marc Zermati about obtaining a lower generation copy of this recording and other French Clash recordings. TV journalist Marc was a friend of the band and is seen interviewing The Clash on the French TV Antennae clip at the Mogador (which includes great live footage of Safe European Home).

Also check the Boot LP Up and At Em!

which contains a compilation from 24-30 September 81

Video - Antennae 2 with Freddy Hauser

Safe European Home partly & interview - date not known

Broadcast 4 octobre 1981 Freddy HAUSSER a suivi les CLASH lors de leur tournée parisienne. Des extraits du concert des CLASH donné sur la scène du théâtre Mogador viennent illustrer une interview des membres du groupe: Installés au comptoir d'un café, Mick JONES, Paul SIMOMON, Joe STRUMMER et Topper HEADON se présentent bièvement et évoquent la fin de leur tournée française. Images d'archive INA Institut National de l'Audiovisuel http://www.ina.fr Abonnez-vous

best Mogador performance

Review for slackers - best Mogador performance, and best recording, get it!

Both Robin Banks (Zig Zag) and Francois Ducroy (Big) saw almost all of the seven shows and both concluded the 30th was the best. Banks (Crocker) description; “a show that transcends the realms of rock’n’roll and becomes an unforgettable experience” Ducroy writes that this night The Clash delivered “everything you could want” they were the “horsemen of the apocalypse!”

The end of tour type party atmosphere was fuelled by the arrival of Mikey Dread and the continuing presence of other friends; Pearl Harbor, Ranking Roger and Futura 2000 who were all brought on as guest vocalists in the first encore. For whatever combination of  reasons that special chemistry needed to produce the very best Clash performances came together on the last night  and the two recordings in circulation confirm a show of pumped up energy combined with super-tight musicianship and invention. Joe is fired up throughout and Mick’s playing (and singing) is both committed and powerfully inventive. The band were clearly enjoying themselves and there is no evidence of the very real growing tensions in the band.      

The Up and At Em! LP has been attributed to this show but only Hit The Road Jack on the LP is actually from the 30^th. The other performances on the LP are not from the other circulating nights and so must be from either the 23^rd, 25^th or 28^th shows or a combination of these.  

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“Radio, Radio, Set your Francais radio station!”

The audience recording starts immediately into the first bars of Broadway; the now usual low key start. Joe is in top form throughout tonight and he sings his lyrics with real care in his best singing voice! The band improvise around the ending effectively.

With the crashing opening chords of One More Time, the concert really kicks off; a pumped up and inventive performance that  brings out and expands on every dramatic element of the song. Mick’s terrific guitar intro sounds particularly effective on the soundboard source which starts with this song. Joe’s enjoying himself  dovetailing a “Mickey Dread is here tonight” into the lyrics. “Just play music” shouts Joe repeatedly and how!

Joe introduces an equally fine Radio Clash with “Radio, Radio, Set your Francais radio station!” The volume on the audience source rises near the end and the clarity improves too. It’s classic Strummer tonight (the previous night was a rare subdued Joe performance) the band are super-tight improvising around the rhythm with  Paul and Topper working off each other. 

“Bonjour allez or bonjour restez!” continues Joe’s dodgy French intro’s at the Mogador! Mick’s guitar is clear and upfront, his Should I Stay or Should I Go sounding fresh and vital. Mick plays a great lead break and the band rip it up over the ending. The audience again at the Mogador are very enthusiastic throughout, applauding the many new songs with almost equal approval.

“Mesdames et Monsieur’s the Guns of Brixton” with a great alternative extended intro orchestrated by Mick. Another exceptional performance; all the Mogador performances were strong but tonight they are at their best. The audience recording is especially clear now capturing Mick’s inventive guitar fills and a great instrumental section. 

“Everybody awake Yeah? Ring Ring those bells!” Topper continues with his double drum roll intro and the band slam into Magnificent Seven. It’s great to have the choice of recordings both capturing another great performance; Mick screams out “you lot!” and Joe adlibs before the bridge “I want to go to guitar village, all stations to guitar village, have you got your ticket ready?” The band drop it down to drum and bass only then into the bridge, ripping it up - manifique! The band improvise a great ending demonstrating how The Clash in 81 were still  experimenting, adlibbing, and improvising  - pushing the musical barriers not standing still. 

Mick screams “1-2-3-4” and the band crash into White Man In Hammersmith Palais. On the audience source the volume suddenly drops mid song. It’s another exceptional performance; Mick’s playing tonight is a delight and as well as playing great guitar fills he knows also when not too play to let the rhythm section shine and then when to come in again to best effect. Mick and Joe trade vocals above just the drum and bass then the band build it up again magnificently into the Adolf Hitler climax. Joe adlibs over the ending as Mick plays terrific guitar over the top.

The volume drops down on a fine Train In Vain on the audience source but soon comes back up again, however an edit loses the last third of the song. It’s complete on the soundboard source which includes an intro from Joe of  “Mr Topper Headon” before the audience recording restarts straight into start of Ivan meets GI Joe. One of the best performances of this slight song; what structure and drama there is in the song is exploited well  and as a singer Topper again proves what a great drummer he is! 

“Hey, Hey” shouts Joe “Play the key” and Mick picks out the power chords intro of a terrific Clash City Rockers.  Again the band improvise around the familiar songs to keep them fresh and exciting to play. Mick and Joe bark out the “Rock Rock Clash City Rockers”; a band united at least on this night. “Wooooah!” cries Joe in response to Mick’s great guitar work over the ending. Next its straight into a fast intense Koka Kola, even this they manage to add extra drama too tonight,  teasing out  brilliantly a slow midsection before hitting the accelerator hard again.

Junco Partner is a good performance the bass coming through well on the audience recording and its “friends in French prisons” tonight rather than Angola.

An edit leads into The Leader followed by Washington Bullets with again  excellent lead breaks from Mick. The song gets toughened up live but the performance doesn’t lose its subtleties. Paul’s harmonica on the intro to Ghetto Defendant adds a plaintive note to Joe’s urban lament. Differences to the later album lyrics include “the ghetto prince of gutter poets was bounced out of the room to light up flame throwers in an undisturbed tomb, too hard to fear him with a ghetto in your chest ? and he was laid to rest” “Fight it, death defy it”  shouts Joe.

Complete Control  does not quite catch fire despite Mick’s efforts, the sound a little flatter now and Joe sounds a little hoarse. The soundboard restarts with the long intro to a fine Somebody Got Murdered. The audience source has some tape problems losing a few seconds but by mid song the sound is back to its best again. Joe’s part includes an adlibbed  “excuse those shouts, killing down below” A short  pause and the band slam into Clampdown. Some tape sound problems cannot detract from the powerful performance, with Joe adlibbing “Three Mile Island, power atomique, letter in the post” Joe rants & wails effectively but its not an exceptional performance. London Calling is though;a hard, tight, passionate performance to end the main set.  Joe wails in classic Strummer style over Mick’s terrific guitar playing. Again the band let even the fast rock’n’roll songs drop down then building right back up and go for the jugular! It’s more effective in many ways than the full on  constant attack of the past.

It’s party time on the first encore with the band bringing out guest vocalists one after the other. Armagideon Time first with Joe wailing solo before the band comes in; the very enthusiastic audience clapping along. Great clear sound capturing a very fine performance. Mid song Joe welcomes Ranking Roger (from support act The Beat)  with “guest star come on, put the pressure on Rooooooger!” Roger greets the audience with “how are you feeling” and toasts very effectively as the band jam on dance hall stylee! 

“Maintenant de rap d’graffitti Futura 2000” is Joe’s intro to the next guest vocalist. “All right ssssh,ssssh” and Mick begins the Graffiti Rap with some loud electronic effects. The band are clearly enjoying themselves improvising around the drum and bass riff. The Clash were musically way ahead of other white rock bands in embracing all types of music; in Paris the audience were treated to rock’n’roll, reggae, funk and rap all in one concert!  

As Paul’s bass line fades Joe announces  “Now please welcome Miss Pearl Harbor” The Clash’s version of Ray Charles’ Hit The Road Jack, with great vocals from Pearl, is a definite highlight of the gig. Joe had sang a brief version previously but this is a clearly pre-rehearsed performance with terrific lead guitar.

“Daddy was…”shouts Joe and the band kick into Bankrobber with Mikey Dread soon joining as the final guest vocalist. Mikey had flown in  that day (no bad blood after the Sandinista credits). With Mikey toasting the song becomes  Rockers Galore with Mikey adding references to Paris & France. Joe hums the  melody over the top and Mikey name checks the band members. “Clash are the No.1 band” ; self evident on this performance. An edit merges into the start of a blistering Brand New Cadillac (tacked on the end of the soundboard source). The sound of the audience cheers end the first encore 

The band soon reappear (no edit) and  unannounced kick into Know Your Rights. Probably the best sounding version to date of this song in transition. “Hi ho Silver!” shouts Joe as Mick goes into his solo break. “Number three you have the right to free speech as long as it is not the truth, it has never been the truth, furthermore it has nothing whatsoever to do with the truth…get off the streets, don’t you have no homes to go to!” The band improvise over the ending.

After the great Spanish Bombs the night before this is almost as good. Mick knowing when to play and when not to maximises the musical drama in the song. With Mick’s last chord on sustain the band slam into Safe European Home. Unfortunately on the soundboard the sound quality now dips significantly here on in, its still listenable though. Mick and Joe are pumped up delivering an intense and committed blistering performance. The Mogador performances of this now three year old song are all excellent, the band injecting new changes and passion into it. The energy levels continue to peak on a pumped up Janie Jones with Joe’s intro to it a suitably rock’n’roll  “Whoh, woah, woah  aaaaaargh! 

“Oh hang on!” says Joe  before Street Parade (the sound dips a touch now on the audience source)  A great instrumental section and then the song ends without building back up again as in the earlier performances in 81.

After 2 minor edits on the audience source Mick’s electronic effects provide the rhythm at the start of Police and Thieves. Another excellent performance with Joe adlibbing “Police and Thieves on the streets of Paris, don’t push us around, you gotta guitar, play that guitar down the Champs Elysee…” Mick’s guitar playing is stunning and as Joe commands “bass and drum now” Mick adds great splintering guitar fills before the band build it back up again and into the ending.
An intense guitar heavy London's Burning ends the second encore.

The audience won’t let them go though and the band return for a fine (if unexceptional - no inspired adlibs from Joe) Jimmy Jazz. Mick plays some great guitar and there’s more dub type drop outs into drum & bass. A pause and then  cheers as Topper beats out the intro and Mick’s guitar explodes into White Riot.  Mick sings it all for all its worth again demonstrating that at least at the Mogador The Clash were as one, with none of the growing disunity that would later tear them apart. An intense performance heavy with distorting guitar was a fitting finale to an exceptional Clash concert and a hugely successful Paris residency. Paris was even more a “Clash city” after the residency but their fans would have to wait two and a half years for them to return, and then with a markedly different line up.

Did you go? What do you remember?

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Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Broadway One More Time This is Radio Clash Should I Stay The Guns Of Brixton Magnificent 7 White Man In Ham. Palais Train In Vain Ivan Meets GI Joe Clash City Rockers Koka Kola Junco Partner The Leader Washington Bullets Ghetto Defendent Complete Control Somebody Got Murdered Clampdown London Calling Armagideon Time Grafitti Rap Hit the Road Jack Bankrobber Brand New Cadillac Know Your Rights Spanish Bombs Safe European Home Janie Jones Street Parade Police and Thieves London's Burning Jimmy Jazz White Riot bold tracks also on soundboard source

Also check the Boot LP Up and At Em! which contains a compilation from 24-30 September 81

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11	Somebody Got Murdered This is Radio Clash Know Your Rights Grafitti Rap Should I Stay or Should I Go The Magnificent Seven Ghetto Defendent Lightning Strikes Instrumental Overpowered by Funk Innoculated City Hit the Road Jack