COME December 1980, and The Clash brought their all-encompassing ambition to bear on the triple-disc, 36-song Sandanista!, taking in dub, rockabilly, jazz, disco, hiphop, reggae and more.
One of the singles to be spun off from the album was the open and funky “The Magnificent Seven”, which reached no.34 in the UK charts.
And now, some 40 (!) years on, filmmaker Don Letts has put together a new video for the track, intercutting contemporary performance film with previously unseen footage from the band’s sojourn in the Big Apple in the 1980s.
“The Magnificent Seven” is considered in many musical quarters as being the first rap record by a rock group, and until now has had no official video.
The live footage is The Clash performing the song live on The Tomorrow Show, a late-night New York chat show, interspliced with travelogue film of the group in and around the city during their legendary 17-night residency at Bond’s International Casino.
Director Don Letts says: “They were always ahead of the game – Sandinista! signposted the multicultural way music was going and the elements that make The Clash great are still a currency that’s recognised by youth in the 21st century.”
For more information, visit www.theclash.com
