In 1974, when the world was beige and muted and hippies were doing their thing with flowers and peace symbols, there emerged from the marijuana haze a little-known band from London. They were called the 101ers, after the number of the squat where they were living, and they played an R&B style pub rock, covering songs from Van Morrison, Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones. The front man of the 101ers was going by the name Woody at the time, but would soon come to be known as the one and only Joe Strummer.
The 101ers were around for two years and released one single. That was all the world was going to get of them. One night Strummer saw the Sex Pistols perform and realized where the future was going. "I knew something was up," said Strummer, "so I went out in the crowd, which was fairly sparse. And I saw the future - with a snotty handkerchief - right in front of me." Within a year the 101ers were over and Strummer was on his way to making history with the Clash.
In 1981, years after the 101ers ended, their album, Elgin Avenue Breakdown was released with only 2,000 vinyl copies made available, making it a cult rarity.
Fast forward twenty-four years.
With the help of former 101ers drummer, Richard Norther and Strummer's widow, Lucinda, Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited has been released. It consists of 20 gritty R&B influenced rock 'n' roll tracks, including studio and live recordings and various unreleased cuts. The album also includes two versions of the band's single, "Keys To Your Heart" as well as the band's version of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline" and Van Morrison's "Gloria".
"Letsgetabitrockin'" is a fast-paced, tongue-tying rockabilly tune guaranteed to get you duck-walking across the floor and a perfect song to open the album. From here it's just one fun song after another.
"Keys to Your Heart" was the band's first single and the first Strummer-penned song. It was written as a result of Strummer's relationship with Palmolive, who would later get swept up by the punk movement and become the drummer of the Slits. There are two versions of this song on the album and the second version is an even faster version, leaving you as breathless as Strummer sounds singing it. In the faster version, it's a little bit easier to understand the words Strummer is spitting out but barely.
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