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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Streetcore
EMAILPRINTby Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Universal acclaim
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Epitaph
Release Date: 21 October 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Alternative, Rock
Summary
The former Clash leader was nearing completion of this fourth and final solo album when he died of a heart attack in 2002. It includes covers of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" (recorded without his backing band the Mescaleros) and Bobby Charles' "Before I Grow Too Old," as well as eight Strummer originals veering from reggae to rock.
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
All Music Guide
This is one of the best rock & roll albums of 2003, and truly the finest, most cohesive work he did after London Calling.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Streetcore negotiates a resolution between the ethnocentric beats that hallmarked the two previous Mescaleros albums and the classic Clash sound that remained pivotal to Joe's live performances. [Nov 2003, p.110]
Alternative Press
Mescaleros Martin Slattery and Scott Shields have yielded a remarkably cohesive set of songs with arrangements that Strummer would have approved of. [Dec 2003, p.135]
Dot Music
The 'world-music' excursions of the previous 'Global - A Go Go' album are less in evidence and 'Streetcore' is a sharper, leaner collection for it.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Strummer's best solo effort and one of the best rock records of the year.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
One of the best albums of 2003, one of his best albums post-Clash, and as the highest note Joe Strummer could have exited on.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Just the sort of punky reggae party he was born to throw. [24 Oct 2003, p.106]
Mojo
Streetcore is an amalgam of all that made Joe Strummer, the musician and the man, so great. [Nov 2003, p.131]
Magnet
An unnervingly powerful, cathartic final statement. [#61, p.107]
Q Magazine
Splits evenly into out-and-out rockers and downhome folk. [Nov 2003, p.123]
Nude As The News
It has so many promising moments, so few -- and I would say hardly any -- flaws, that I just can't help but think, "what if he saw it through?"
Read Full Review >Spin
Just as messy as the Mescaleros' first two stabs at relevance. [Jan 2004, p.102]
Rolling Stone
Streetcore continues the band's lightly amplified muscular-acoustic sound.
Read Full Review >Launch.com
His singing is a bit improved and the playing throughout is heartfelt and strong.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
In a way, the tinny sound and half-finished feel makes it seem more touching and direct than the final result might otherwise have been.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
While the record fails at living up to the hyperbolic critical proclamations of London Calling's second coming, it does make for a pretty decent, if somewhat unexpected, sweat-soaked finale for The Clash's legendary golden boy.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Streetcore isn't exactly London Calling, but with his sweet, ragged voice sounding as strident as ever, Strummer improves on such hit-and-miss affairs as 1999's Rock Art and the X-Ray Style.
Read Full Review >Blender
Without much international color or guest flourish. [Nov 2003, p.122]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Lynn G gave it a10:
Joe went down with the last eerie words on this album "That's a take." And he was gone, just like that. Joe Strummer's great hero was Johnny Cash. And as in Joe's own tribute to Cash,"He cast a long shadow on the ground. Joe never forgot his core values, the downtrodden he was fighting for--he was a gentle and compassionate warrior. And if this album is any thing judge from, he went out at the height of his genius. R.I.P. Joe, we love you.
Guido van Es gave it a10:
I listen to it now and it fills my ears with pure joy every time :)
Lawrence P gave it a10:
Thanks for all the good music...Joe Strummer is the only musican that changed the way i lived my life.
loki gave it a 10:
A stunningly beautiful album. Even, perhaps espescially, after repeated listenings, this album truly illustrates the man behind the legend. The unfinished quality makes it all the more spectacular. A perfect final album for one of music's most important, influential geniuses.
Josh L gave it an 8:
i was mostly a fan of joe strummer's early work in the awesome punk band The Clash, but this album rocks anyway with phenominal musicianship on strummer's part all around. its an awesome buy
ri slac gave it a 9:
Once I warmed to it, this work revealed itself as a fitting final chapter to the Book of Strummer. He's another one we'll badly miss...
Ben J gave it a 7:
A great record by a great artist - good work Joe, not a bad way to sign off!
