From Here to Eternity

A book by James Jones published in 1951 offering a lengthy but beautifully written story about soldiers during World War II.

The story focuses on two main characters, Robert E. Lee Prewitt and Milton Warden, and the events that happen to them during peacetime. The brutal honesty Jones offers about the army was well-received by critics, though controversial to some because of how loaded the 856-page novel was with sex and violence. Jones was a WWII veteran himself and wanted to relate some of the experiences he had, both good and bad, to the interested reader.

The movie version starred Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr and Montgomery Clift. The most famous scene from the film is when Kerr and Lancaster make a little whoopie on a Hawaiian beach. This scene has been spoofed a number of times- perhaps most notably in “The Seven Year Itch” and “Airplane.”

The Clash - Live

Hey,
Where'd I see this guy?
In Red River?
Or A Place In The Sun?
Maybe The Misfits?
From Here To Eternity

The Right Profile

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Track Listing:

1. Complete Control
   (Bonds International Casino, New York, 1981)
2. London's Burning
   (Victoria Park, London, 1978)
3. What's My Name
   (Music Machine, London, 1978)
4. Clash City Rockers
   (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
5. Career Opportunities
   (Shea Stadium, New York, 1982)
6. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
   (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
7. Capital Radio
   (Lewisham Odeon, London, 1980)
8. City Of The Dead
   (The Lyceum, London, 1978)
9. I Fought The Law **
   (The Lyceum, London, 1978)
10. London Calling
    (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
11. Armagideon Time †
    (Lewisham Odeon, London, 1980)
12. Train In Vain
    (Bonds International Casino, New York, 1981)
13. Guns Of Brixton ††
    (Bonds International Casino, New York, 1981)
14. The Magnificent Seven *
    (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
15. Know Your Rights *
    (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
16. Should I Stay Or Should I Go *
    (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)
17. Straight To Hell *
    (The Orpheum, Boston, 1982)

All songs written by Strummer/Jones except:

• *: Written by The Clash
• **: Written by Curtis
• †: Written by Williams/Mittoo
• ††: Written by Simonon

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Personnel:

• Joe Strummer: Vocals, Guitar
• Mick Jones: Guitar, Vocals
• Paul Simonon: Bass, Vocals, Lead vocal on track 13, "Art Direction"
• Topper Headon: Drums on tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
• Terry Chimes (aka Tory Crimes): Drums on tracks 4, 5, 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17
• Micky Gallagher: Organ on track 11
• Mikey Dread: Additional vocals on track 11
• Produced by The Clash
• Mixed by Bill Price

All tracks recorded live, although some parts were overdubbed on tracks 2, 3 and 9.

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From Here To Eternity is a live album, and possibly the ultimate document of the only band that matters. My friend Ken had a chance to see the Clash live back in '81 or so (when I was about 4), but he didn't bother, thinking that they were finished at that stage. When he heard From Here To Eternity, most of which was recorded in the early eighties, he was kicking himself that he didn't take his opportunity.

A lot of the tracks here could well be considered definitive versions of the songs, IMHO. Most of the early singles, such as (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais and Complete Control, suffered from dodgy production, which meant that the songs lacked energy. But these live versions are not only note-perfect, but also incredibly powerful. The earliest songs here were recorded in 1978, by which time the Clash were a fairly major band, which meant that they could finally play live with decent sound systems; a lot of their early gigs suffered from terrible sound quality.

From Here To Eternity is littered with great ad-libs from Joe Strummer, another reason I love live albums. For example, in the middle of Straight to Hell, he yells "sing in tune, you bastards!" at the crowd, barely missing a word of the song, and on Capital Radio he gives us a little story about phoning up his local radio station to request Woolly Bully by Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs (not Sham 69). The only thing missing is Joe shouting "You're my guitar hero!" during Mick's solo on Complete Control.

Other "improvements" on the studio versions of songs... well, Armagideon Time is changed around a bit, with more organ and Mikey Dread doing a bit of "toasting"; very unusual for a white rock band at that time, although having a rapper in front of a rock band is commonplace nowadays. City Of The Dead was the b-side of Complete Control and a song the band weren't very fond of playing live; in fact, the roadies used to put the song on the set list just to piss the band off, and halfway through playing it Joe and Mick would usually exchange looks of disgust. The live version here is absolutely brilliant, though; the brass section used in the studio version is replaced solely by Mick Jones' guitar, which sounds absolutely thrilling. The tempo of Guns Of Brixton is slightly faster live, and more dynamic; and of course, the irony of playing Career Opportunities in Shea Stadium is a highlight.

All in all, this is a classic live album without a single dull moment. Go buy it, now!