This brilliant band called The Clash that I had just heard of had sacked Mick Jones, I had timed that well.
He had a new band. Second bands are rubbish I had heard Wings with Mull of Kintyre.
Friday night The Tube played BAD’s first single The Bottom Line. A great riff opens the song and Mick looked cool and determined.
I bought the single on twelve inch and bought the album the day it came out, my one criticism is they put an edited Bottom Line on the album.
The opener Medicine Show mixes dialogue from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with a great tune and lyric and showed Mick had moved far beyond White Riot. Enjoy the video on YouTube with Strummer, Simonon and Lydon. E=MC2 got the band on TOTP’s, it should have been a number one.
The album is only eight tracks long but six of the eight are a great start for a new band and only Sony and A Party are average although the later became a live favourite.
Jones had made the transition to front man look easy, what idiot said second bands were rubbish.
Strummer told Mick it was a pile of shit as he was desperate to get Mick back in The Clash, Joe was wrong
8/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: The Bottom Line 12 Inch Remix (off the legacy edition album)
Love this band and saw them at the Mayfair in Newcastle. Great album as was the next 10 Upping Street.
I'm somewhat similar in your discovery of both The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite. I had bought the 12 inch of E=Mc2 and then bought The Bottom Line off a friend. I have been a fan since. I've always believed that Mick Jones is a really underappreciated song writer. (Stay Free, V Thirteen, Battle of All Saints Road)
Keep up the great work.