Sound System (album)
| Sound System | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Box set by The Clash | ||||
| Released | 9 September 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1982 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Label | Sony Legacy | |||
| Producer | The Clash, Micky Foote, Sandy Pearlman, Bill Price, Guy Stevens, Jose Unidos, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Julian Temple, Don Letts | |||
| The Clash compilations and lives chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 96/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Filter | 90/100 |
| PopMatters |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 9/10 |
| The Telegraph | |
| Under the Radar | 90/100 |
Sound System is a box set collection by The Clash released in September 2013. The box contains the band's studio albums (minus their final album; Cut the Crap) newly re-mastered by Mick Jones, with a further three discs featuring demos, non-album singles, rarities and B-sides, a DVD with previously unseen footage by both Don Letts and Julien Temple, original promo videos and live footage, plus an owner's manual booklet, reprints of the band's original 'Armagideon Times' fanzine and merchandise including dog tags, badges, stickers and a poster. The boom box packaging was designed by Paul Simonon. The set was released simultaneously with 5 Album Studio Set, which contains only the five studio albums, and a greatest hits package titled The Clash Hits Back.
In a September 2013 interview, Mick Jones announced the box sets and hits package will be the final time he works on anything involving The Clash and their music. "I’m not even thinking about any more Clash releases. This is it for me, and I say that with an exclamation mark." Jones said.
Clash guitarist, Mick Jones, who oversaw the re-mastering said "The concept of the whole thing is best box set ever. Re-mastering's a really amazing thing. That was the musical point of it all, because there's so much there that you wouldn't have heard before. It was like discovering stuff, because the advances in mastering are so immense since the last time [the Clash catalogue] was remastered in the 90s."
All the music has been remastered from the original tapes, Jones said. "We had to bake the tapes beforehand – the oxide on them is where the music is, so if you don't put them in the oven and bake them, that all falls off, because they're so old."
Bassist Simonon highlighted a guitar line on "Safe European Home", from the band's second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, saying he'd never even heard it before. "It's probably some session musician, while I was asleep," Jones joked.
PopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III wrote "The initial interest may come in the fact that the packaging looks like a classic Boom Box emblazoned with “THE CLASH” in a military stencil with the overall box decorated in a Combat Rock reminiscent camouflage. This is definitely a visual treat for Clash fans to add to their mantle."
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Wikipedia