‘Lovesongs (Joe Strummer Told Me)’ – The Members; Official Video
The Members release their new video for ‘Lovesongs (Joe Strummer Told Me)’ from the current album ‘Betsitland’.
JC Carroll and The Members today release the fantastic new video for ‘Lovesongs (Joe Strummer Told Me). The song is based on advice given to JC by Joe Strummer, the enigmatic singer of The Clash. Joe has his own chapter in JC’s brand new and critically acclaimed autobiography ‘(Still) Annoying the Neighbours’.
The Members brand new studio album, their 7th, ‘Bedsitland’ is also now available. ‘Bedsitland’ features three of the classic 1978 line up of The Members that recorded anthems and international hits for Stiff, Virgin and Arista in the 70s and 80s and is available on Vinyl, CD and all the usual Digital Formats and distributed by Cadiz Music. JC has also found time to compose a score for the Julien Temple’s Shane McGowan Biopic ‘A Crock of Gold’.
‘(Still) Annoying The Neighbours’ tells the story of JC’s journey from bank clerk to punk rocker, from bedsit in North London to rock and roll heaven in Hollywood and takes its title from the lyrics of The Members’ anthem ‘The Sound of the Suburbs’. It is the story of the songwriter and guitarist with three girls’ names who found himself catapulted from suburban obscurity into the punk rock limelight and then back onto the music business scrap heap.
‘(Still) Annoying The Neighbours’ is the story of a man who is driven to make music, art and clothing; a man who is escaping from, but always defined by, the songs of his youth. The book charts his early success through to recording and touring with Legends such as Glen Matlock, Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Thunders and Rat Scabies. Along the way, JC finds himself playing accordion for Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando, and dressing Kylie Minogue. ‘(Still) Annoying The Neighbours’ traces his rock and roll journey through Glam, Metal, Rock Punk, Electro, Folk and finally onto the silver screen. Like JC’s songs, the book is simultaneously funny, sad and triumphant. With foreword and editorial help by the Marley and Strummer Biographer Chris Salewicz and Artwork, and Layout by iMages&co New Wave art guru Malcolm Garrett MBE, this is a quality product.
The ‘Bedsitland’ album features ten fantastic new songs. What sets The Members aside from their contemporaries is the breadth of the styles of music – sparkling guitars, throbbing bass, lush pads mix with violins, whistles uilleann pipes and accordions: New Wave, Surf, Glam, Reggae and Punk mutate into a soup that is both unique and English. Echoes of The Kinks and early Floyd collide with Krautrock beats and screaming leads. JC’s unerring ability to write songs that tell stories and communicate directly with the listener underpins the whole album. From the social isolation of the title track to the hypnotic, filmic ‘The Day The World Stood Still’, through the travelogue of the ‘Streets of Nairobi’, The Members take you on a journey.
Both ‘Bedsitland’ and, of course, ‘(Still) Annoying The Neighbours’ capture JC’s enthusiasm and drive: The Members have travelled for 44 years and continue write great songs and paint a soundtrack for today. Both these projects expand and add to the incredible story that lies behind The Members’ success.
