Occasional colleague Jimmy Guterman is launching The Sandanista Project, a project to recreate The Clash’s Sandanista!, an experiment in open source music-making.

On December 12, 1980, The Clash released Sandinista!, one of the most ambitious records in the history of rock’n'roll. It wasn’t their best record, their best-selling record, or even their most enjoyable record, but it is an exciting, sprawling mess that I return to constantly. I rarely go more than a month or two without listening to a good chunk of it, even the Evil Side Six. …

I’m not a fan of tribute records. Nearly every one I’ve heard is a hit-or-miss set, usually with way more misses than hits. So I’m wary of that particular vehicle. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m convinced that a Sandinista! tribute collection could be a sprawling mess in the tradition of Sandinista! itself, especially if I populate it with people you wouldn’t expect on such a collection. The original was stuffed with surprises; so should any tribute. …

Despite a $0 budget and record-company rejections before Opening Day, I’m going to do this. On December 12, 2005, the 25th anniversary of its original release, I’m going to release The Sandinista Project.

I’m a diehard Clash fan; I can’t wait for this to come out.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2004 at 7:43 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.