Review of Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) by Stephen B — 02 Oct 2007

The opening scene is brilliant. It is a black white video of him recording White Riot, probably their first major song or the first one I am aware of anyway. The music backing has been recorded previously and you see and hear him singing the vocal track wearing a pair of headphones.

You see him listening to the introduction, just a head shot. He moves to the power of what he is hearing, edgy, rhythmic. The vocals are a little harsh but mostly you see the passion of someone totally immersed in his art.

You can feel the energy. After the first verse the full song cuts into the soundtrack and we can hear the power that he is hearing, the rhythm, the guitar and the vocals have been softened in the mix to deliver that power.

A classic song and to now see how it was created is fantastic.