A new box set celebrating Joe Strummer’s work with his post-Clash band The Mescaleros has just arrived. To mark the occasion, Heavy Consequence caught up with the late punk legend’s widow, Lucinda Tait, to discuss the collection.
Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years includes all three of the band’s studio albums — Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and Streetcore (2003) — along with a brand-new compilation of 15 B-sides and rarities titled Vibes Compass. It’s available as a 4-CD set with a 72-page book or a 7-LP set with a 32-page book. Strummer’s sketches and handwritten lyrics appear in both the book and on the album sleeves.
Tait, who was married to Strummer from 1995 until his passing in December 2002, worked with Dark Horse Records’ David Zonshine to sort through the late musician’s extensive archives in order to cull the material presented on Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years. The collection follows 2018’s Joe Strummer 001, which compiled tracks from throughout the punk icon’s post-Clash career.
During our conversation with Tait, she spoke about the process of putting together Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years, while also offering a glimpse into Strummer’s life during the time in between the Clash and the Mescaleros known as his “wilderness years.”
Read our interview with Lucinda Tait below, and pick up Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years via the official Joe Strummer online shop or Amazon.