[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros — Forbidden City
Album: Rock Art And The X-Ray Style
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1612









Released: 1999
Length: 4:42
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Under the moon in the dragon room
Inside the mind of a soul confined
Don't talk about sun in the dragon room
Under the scream of a jet machine

Who knows in they will?
Who knows when she will?

When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out

Oh, China
Yeah, China

Gold silk in the loom in the dragon room
That silk that will be for the flag of the free
Who knows in they will?
Who knows when she will?

When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out

Oh, China
Yeah, China

When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out

Oh, China
Comments (76)add comment
An exercise in lazy repetitive writing.
There isn't a Joe Strummer song that doesn't stop me in my tracks to stop and listen. A true gem of an artist. I just upgraded this from an 8 to a 9.
 fredriley a écrit :
Je suis tombé sur ceci en marchant sur l'île de Skye il y a quelque temps, ce qui m'a ému :

Photo d'un panneau à l'entrée de Rebels Wood, Skye


Merci 😉 😉 
Love the "art" joke and the great art on the album cover! And their music!! ROCK ON FOREVER, Mr. S!
Immediate favorite when I first heard it
 baranulas.2101 wrote:

Born in Ankara ? What the... :)

Father was a diplomat.
c.


I need a cocktail and a warm sunset to go with this gorgeous tune. 
Miss him. Every time a song is played by or from Joe I miss him.
God damn I miss ya Joe. I wasn't finished with ya.
 Akazungu wrote:
Never was much of a Clash fan (I like some of it ok), but always loved Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. I was stunned when I discovered Joe led The Clash too. Mind blown.

Shows a real breadth of talent in this man. I've tried The Clash some more, trying to like them since I like Joe's other work so much, but still not doing it for me. No accounting for taste I guess.
 Try these songs:
Jimmy Jazz (from London Calling)
The Card Cheat  (from London Calling)
Straight to Hell (from Combat Rock)


they are less punk, more melodic and fucking amazing
Miss your artistry Joe. RIP.
Never was much of a Clash fan (I like some of it ok), but always loved Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. I was stunned when I discovered Joe led The Clash too. Mind blown.

Shows a real breadth of talent in this man. I've tried The Clash some more, trying to like them since I like Joe's other work so much, but still not doing it for me. No accounting for taste I guess.
 SmackDaddy wrote:

Even sadder is that most in their 40s and 50s know nothing about the Mescaleros.
 

I was one of them, until I started listening to RP. 

"Get Down Moses" is one of my favorite songs!  
apropos lost spring of '20..
 SmackDaddy wrote:

Even sadder is that most in their 40s and 50s know nothing about the Mescaleros.
 
Too true. I learned about them here.
c.
 VV wrote:
What a great talent. Too bad though that most 20 & 30 somethings don't even know about The Clash or Joe. Props to radio Paradise for keeping Joe's legacy alive. 
 
Even sadder is that most in their 40s and 50s know nothing about the Mescaleros.
This.
Must have taken ol' Joe damb near all night to write.
Born in Ankara ? What the... :)
{#Devil_pimp}zesty ! rip joe
 VV wrote:
What a great talent. Too bad though that most 20 & 30 somethings don't even know about The Clash or Joe. Props to radio Paradise for keeping Joe's legacy alive. 

 
Of all the musicians who died relatively early, JS is the one I most wish hadn't gone quite so soon.
Now, this is more like it. Positive comments about music that influences most in positive directions. {#Yes}
What a great talent. Too bad though that most 20 & 30 somethings don't even know about The Clash or Joe. Props to radio Paradise for keeping Joe's legacy alive. 
It was a sad day when I lost this CD
 NeilBlanchard wrote:
I obviously have heard this before, because I had rated it (7), but I don't remember even seeing this album before.

I'll have to buy some MP3's!

 
Go get it, it's a good one!
 mblue wrote:
It's amazing that this guy had this much music left in him. I grew up on the Clash, Mick's BAD got me through high school and then Joe still moved me into parenthood. Awesome journey. Thank you for reminding me.

 
Well put.
It's amazing that this guy had this much music left in him. I grew up on the Clash, Mick's BAD got me through high school and then Joe still moved me into parenthood. Awesome journey. Thank you for reminding me.
God do I love hearing Joe's voice still. Such a great human being. Ran into him in the Fillmore Safeway back in the eighties and he treated this super fan like a friend.
 Dog_Ear wrote:

A void not filled until I discovered  . . . Chuck Prophet. Bill?

 
My friend Chuck!. He's been rocking since London Calling hit the shelves. Also played Joe in the Spanish Bombs band a few years back.


 dduncan wrote:
So good to hear Strummer's voice today. We need more characters like him around today.

 
A void not filled until I discovered  . . . Chuck Prophet. Bill?
I obviously have heard this before, because I had rated it (7), but I don't remember even seeing this album before.

I'll have to buy some MP3's!
So good to hear Strummer's voice today. We need more characters like him around today.
 Limpopoking wrote:

Moves me too... It was quite interesting to read up the history of Johnny Appleseed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed 

 
My wife, an elementary teacher, helped plant a tree said to be from stock that Johnny actually planted (they were sent out some 20 years ago or so to schools that wanted them).  It was nothing more than a stick really.  Anyway, the tree almost too tall to pick apples from these days, but she does it anyway.  Sometimes she will use them to make slow-cooker applesauce for the kids, and usually she makes an apple crisp or two for the staff in her building.
 Limpopoking wrote:

Moves me too... It was quite interesting to read up the history of Johnny Appleseed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed 

 

Even more interesting is the battle between the apple and the banana and how much that shaped the western hemisphere politically and economically.
Never heard this before.  I keep forgetting what a genius this man was.
 
 fredriley wrote:
I came across this when walking on the Isle of Skye a while back, which moved me:

Photo of sign at the entrance to Rebels Wood, Skye

 
Moves me too... It was quite interesting to read up the history of Johnny Appleseed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed 
Man, has it already been 10 years since you traveled on Joe?
Warmed up to Joe considerably hearing his post clash stuff. Wish he was still around.
Agreed, Fred, remembrance in an odd, but fitting way.
I came across this when walking on the Isle of Skye a while back, which moved me:

Photo of sign at the entrance to Rebels Wood, Skye

MojoJojo wrote: 
"When all ahead piddy in da pol pit city city comes out"?  
Maybe he means, "sign your piddy on the runny kine"? 
 

araja wrote:
"When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out"
 
You know, I think the mondegreen wins out this time. 

At least Joe didn't build this city on rock and roll. 

 nightowl wrote:
Where Green Day stole their sound from.
 
 
lol what?
 calypsus_1 wrote:

None but Ourselves by ~asocialconflict
Kelly Kish  ©2004-2010 ~asocialconflict

The Joe Strummer mural in NYC.

That's perfect...

 


I say the same thing every time I hear him. I miss Joe
Thank you for this upload, laurelia!  I loves me some Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros on a dismal Sunday morning - somehow, they make it brighter...{#Sunny}

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - London Calling, Live (1999)

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros playing London Calling, live in Cologne, Germany (1999). Track 3 of 11. Note: This video is already on youtube, but this is taken from a digital broadcast, and the source audio is considerably improved.

Superb performance, with very high quality sound. Enjoy.         on Jul 23, 2006



Awesome. Anything Strummer/Clash fixes up my day.
I love this guitar sound !  {#Guitarist}
So many great tunes from Joe, he is missed... 

None but Ourselves by ~asocialconflict
Kelly Kish  ©2004-2010 ~asocialconflict

The Joe Strummer mural in NYC.



"When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out..."
I get tears in my eyes every time I hear a Strummer-Mescaleros song, but I always end up smiling.
I miss this man
Great album, gets regular play on my iPod. {#Music}
Where Green Day stole their sound from.
 
Miss him, but we have his music, enjoy!
{#Smile}
Miss this guy!
 superfido wrote:
He sounds like a drunkard when he moan-sings {#Drunk}
 

Yeah he does—ain't it great?!

Among my favorite Mescaleros tunes—love it!
A friend and her husband loved Joe Strummer enough to name their baby boy after him: "Strummer Joe." Here's hoping Joe's voice will live on in the little guy.
." Dog_Ear wrote:
Although with this voice, Joe didn't sound like the picture of health.
 
Joe died of a congenital heart defect. According to the Wiki article, they are the "leading cause of birth defect-related deaths."

Strum on baby, strum on... {#Bananajam}
He sounds like a drunkard when he moan-sings {#Drunk}
YES! More Strummer.....{#Jump}{#Notworthy}
Like the man said, " . . . the good die young"

Although with this voice, Joe didn't sound like the picture of health. Always enjoyed this tune. 
 Laurelia wrote:
My upload - glad it was added. I'm just discovering the Mescaleros and finding lots of great stuff. I thought this one had a particularly nice groove.

 

I know what you mean. Was a huge Clash fan back in the day but its taken me a few years (and sadly after his death) for me to get into Strummers solo and Mescaleros stuff.
MojoJojo wrote:
"When all ahead piddy in da pol pit city city comes out"?
Maybe he means, "sign your piddy on the runny kine"?


Good luck figuring it out.  Joe Strummer is one of the most incoherent "singers" on RP.

MojoJojo wrote:
"When all ahead piddy in da pol pit city city comes out"? Maybe he means, "sign your piddy on the runny kine"?
When all the hidden pity in the forbidden city comes out
What is with all of the crappy repetitive music?
My upload - glad it was added. I'm just discovering the Mescaleros and finding lots of great stuff. I thought this one had a particularly nice groove.
Marr wrote:
I've never heard this one before. Nice!
I was about to post the same thing!
I've never heard this one before. Nice!
"When all ahead piddy in da pol pit city city comes out"? Maybe he means, "sign your piddy on the runny kine"?
copymonkey wrote:
c'mon y'all anything from Brother Joe deserves more than a 6.9!! This whole album is awesome.
I like it! Wearing your boots, got your best silver belly on you head, arms around your woman and 2-stepping across the floor ..... STYLING TEXAS STYLE .... this song just seems to fit half the dance halls in Texas.
c'mon y'all anything from Brother Joe deserves more than a 6.9!! This whole album is awesome.