A lot of clash songs have those hidden chords at low volume in the mix. Good catch 👏🏽

I've always loved the guitar interplay with Mick Jones and Joe Strummer. Joe would play big block barre chords and Mick would fill in with licks and backing vox. I'm partial to the early material though like "Clash City Rockers" or "1977":

If you listen closely, I think the key to realizing the riff isn't as straightforward is to listen to the bass, because it sounds like it's playing those chord tones during chorus.

Ahhhhhh this is such a testament to why the Clash are so brilliant. Same with the song London Calling, they use simplicity and a punk ferocity to be deceptively complex and innovative. Thank you for catching it, I am obsessed

I like the raking of the strings in the left ear near the beginning of the second verse (when Joe answers Mick in Spanish).

Excellent work, great lesson. The Clash were punky and raw and wild, but they were also great musicians with terrific music sensibilities. This song was huge and for all the right reasons! It's not hard but it has so much power and so catchy but in an anti-pop way. Train in Vain in another great tune, where they show surprising sophistication for the rowdy, crazy lads they were. It's also not hard, but the subtleties make it a downright beautiful composition. Thanks man, keep up the great work!

Growing to love this channel. More Clash, please! Cool video topic.

This was fantastic! So many of their songs sound simple, but there's always something different that's tough to put a finger on. I'd love to see you break down more of their songs. Great job with this one!

Love the Clash!, Would love to see more of their songs, they have so many!

Long time Clash fan here. This was never a song that I cared for, but this was an awesome and informative video.

Ugh, Mike, you're calling me out! My band has this one in our set list and we have a gig coming up in a few weeks. I don't think I have the guts to play it "right"!!

I love this song. Can't wait for the full lesson video. I did know before today that there are quite a few little differences/ things in there so definitely looking forward to it. The Jazzmaster looks awesome as always and the tone you got sounds perfect! 👌🏻spot on 🤘🏻. I was actually thinking of The Clash just yesterday haha. Congrats on 859k Subscribers! 🤘🏻🔥

When I learned to play there were no tabs no internet everything was learned by ear or shown from another fellow musician, it never really mattered if something small was missed or the solo was not exact we called it an artists freedom but we tried to get it as close as possible- no one knew- the masses would scream and cheer just as loud the only ones who knew were other musicians- there is no such thing as perfection in music as a matter of fact it is the imperfections that sometime shine through, with that said nice lesson - Rock on people and don't sweat the small stuff it is discouraging enough just learning how to play to worry about being perfect!!!

Hey Michael! Back in the day, when my old band covered this song, I played all barre chords. Including the A and D on the 5th fret. The voicing of the A is deeper than the open A. Except for that A7 on fret 2, not that I thought that The Clash played it that way. It was all guesswork due to it being a simple progression. All about the dynamics. This alternate guitar II part is buried in the mix, as you said. So to relearn it and play it with the altered chords, one would need to be buried in the mix too. It does add texture and color, but if played by guitar I, would be..je ne sais pas... Thanks for pointing that out, I had thought there was more going on in the turnaround, but figured it to be dubbed in somehow.. I dug playing the intro fills, the rake then the triplet on the B&e strings 10-12 frets. Memories of days gone bye.... Cheers...

This song has always baffled me thank you for figuring it out and teaching us

Very cool. When you look at this particular progression you could see the clashes understated love for their rockabilly roots. And there's plenty of that going on with that progression especially in this diminished and the 7th chord. Those guys really knew how to bring it!

Yeah, I've always played it the simple way. I would've like to have seen you play both guitar parts together.

Love the jazzmaster ❤

My band has played this wrong for like 30 years! We actually start on A then go to D, then I think E? Then tried to play along to the original and was like what the heck? My friends brother had showed us how to play it and we never questioned it!

Never picked that up. Sounds awesome. Thanks.

Brilliant analysis.

Love this! If I may play producer for your channel, a series idea called “Buried in the mix” where you uncover these guitar nuisances in popular songs that are not heard. Like the harmony played along the main riff in “Message in a bottle” by The Police or all the stuff Slash is doing in “Welcome to the Jungle“.

This was great, and the CBGB shirt for a Clash tune is a class move. Cheers!

THANKS! Great insight. 🙂

Nice. Great job!

That A7 with that sound sounds like the start of "Good thing" Fine Young Cannibals..

An excellent video. Not a punk fan, but you do a fantastic job and your guitar sounds great.

That’s cool man. Awesome video very entertaining.

Cool!! How about Lost In The Supermarket being in open E. The only open tuning in the Clash's catalog i believe

This video is awesome. More like this!!!!

Mick Jones - star arranger. Even after the falling out, Strummer praised Jones to the heavens as a genius arranger.

I love playing that G chord barred at the 10th/12th fret, with the 5th on the low string instead of the high string. Sounds super thick, and way easier to play than the conventional full-on 10th-fret G-barre shape. It's just moving the voicing down a string, so to speak. Agreed, it sounds WAY early Stones. Keith's playing before he discovered the open G gets kind of overlooked. Really primal, kind of like punk/ blues/soul guitar styles all synthesized.

nice video, I never knew about the diminished barre chords in the chorus. very cool discovery. I knew about the weird F shape and A7 (x02223), you can see those from Mick playing it live haha

I play this and London's calling in open G. These songs work very well in that tuning (once you suss out how to do minor chords) - and it is way easier to play😎

This was a great video. Also the Lions should have kicked the field goal.

awesome!!

Mick Jones.. One of my fav guitarists/song writers. Sure The Clash are much loved, but overall nobody really speaks of Mick Jones. Excellent stuff right here. 😎👍

👍👍 Love this channel!

When there are two guitars in the mix, it’s a cool production move. Like you said, a little buried in the mix. In a live setting with one guitar, you need the “general harmony.” If you have two in a band, then sure, throw in the bluesier chords.

the clash's reggae and funk influences coming through, with these nice extended chords as the rhythmic backing and letting paul simonon's bass do the melodic heavy lifting. it's all over the band's catalogue

Your guitar sounds wonderful. Dig the compensated nut too.

Love this

Subscribed. More Clash and punk rock! Some reggae oriented videos would be fantastic too.

Did not know this and it makes me love The Clash even more! I find that both guitar parts go very well hand in hand. Although I can assure you that this will not fly with my bandmates and people in the audience if I try to play this, and i'll have to resort to having the 2 guitars playing the same old open chord way...

rry I’m really obsessed with Jazzmasters and would love to know what model you’re playing ? I’ve noticed some nice upgrades too (nut and maybe pickups too ?) Anyway keep up the good work !

I was wondering what the cords and the chorus were. I grew up listening to this song and when I was learning on guitar it always felt wrong. Now I kind of know why. Thank you.

Now I cant't unhear it

I mean both parts are played in the actual recording so is it really wrong or just we have one guitar he should play the more known part ?

Well, at least I've always had the A7 right 🙃 Expert analysis, T-A-o-G! I'm impressed

Well dang it! Now I gotta go play that song!

I heard that when I learned the song and did exactly what he said. Opted for the easy route.

while it sounds odd when its just the 2 guitars, the giveaway that its actually right is the bass is jumping in and out of both parts, theres some funky notes in there that accentuate the odd chord sequence sometimes

Nice tone man

The "right" way gives it that punk rock ugliness that is so hard to qualify but is often beautiful. Someone who appreciates the raw edge of punk might like it more than others who prefer the big pop experience. Play to the room I say

Rancid does this stuff on records, too, so does steve jones from the pistols. There are a lot of cool accents and chord voicings they do on the record that they can't live. Never mind, the bollocks has a lot of cool little blues licks you wouldn't associate with that style.

I've never played this in a band, but just listening to it I could always hear there was some other stuff happening harmonically. I'm guessing when you played through the right chord progression for the second guitar part, it would have sounded more like the original if it had been mixed lower. Another one sort of like this is "London Calling". When I watched a live video of them performing it, I was surprised by what they were actually playing. I'm pretty sure it was what is on the record, and it sounded right, but live on stage everything was a lot clearer and stood out in relief compared to the record, which is a bit murky sounding (part of what makes it so great).

Actually I just relistened to it, and you're so right, it's bang on. Sounds wrong, but it's so right

Awesome video. I found this out last year myself by listening to the isolated stems. I might be wrong but I’m actually hearing some bass note voice leading in the lead guitar part along with those rockabilly chords, which follows the walking bass line a bit. It must be bleed from the bass part?? No way it’s even more complicated??

I love this Guitar! Do anyone know where i can find one? Thanks!😊

The riff is from Little Latin Lupe Lu

I had this 'deceptive part' phenomenon happen to me (and many others, as I've found out) on the piano intro and main lick on 'Lady Madonna" by The Beatles. Once I subtracted the 'ghost note' I'd always heard and played, I could tell that it was never there to begin with.

Perfect tone, what are you using?

I clicked because I thought the thumbnail said "69 chord", but this is still cool

the correct version sounds very funky

What Jazzmaster model is that? Great tone! Thanks

Dude! You should learn Barely Breathing by Duncan Sheik (popular 90’s song). The chords are *INSANE* tho you would never think it.

There’s a reason it’s buried in the mix.

I've noticed the difference, but like you said, the wrong way just sounds right.

In the mid 80’s these two half Scottish half Nigerian brothers went to the Clash’s Casbah Club in London and met the Clash and told them if they’re ever in Glasgow to visit them. They did in May 85. It was Joe Strummer Paul Simonon and someone else I think. They asked to play the Halt Bar and were refused as the Halt had a band already booked. They played the Windjammer now called Pythagoras although the nearby pub Dukes claims they played there and has a plaque up. I missed it as I was in hospital after being stabbed.

Can you teach how you to play im blue by eiffel 65

You forgot the purrrup bit

That is... really bizarre. I think I've only ever heard the Clash version, and the 'wrong' tabs sounded right to me. The 'correct' tabs, only the first guitar part sounded right, that insane funk guitar was all weird and alien. I've never really given the song a real in-depth listen, the Clash are fine but I've never been into them, so I'm guessing those weird chords are buried in the mix so deep they're barely audible. Crazy hearing it played the 'right' way.

Strummer does the barre chords in the same way that Marley did it.

This is a weird coincidence because I just got all the clash albums (except Cut The Crap) to listen to. Thinking about the big difference between the normal, and album correct versions, there's probably a transitional point you could come up with that mixes the easy/normal chords with a bit of the complexity and extensions of the album ones. Even just having the second guitarist play the easy chords further up the neck would add some of the extra depth.

How can I recreate your sound? What amp? Reverb? Etc

Same with london calling theres a its an f9th instead of at c major on the intro

Actually the main thing that most people get wrong about this song is the G chord!...try playing it with the A string open ie. GADGBG and see the difference that makes to the whole feel of the song...especially the intro.

It's funny cuz years ago when I used to play this song I played it the simplified way, and I knew I was missing something but I couldn't figure it out.

I always knew that there were some different chords mixed in higher up on the neck as you can hear them. To be honest, I don't think it is a surprise?

Is it really wrong though if there's 2 guitars ?

Your drummer is good.

I don't hear this sounding wrong. On the contrary, this is the right way for swing jazz musicians. a big band produces it exactly like that

Rockabilly vibes.

It's still very impressive

I have a friend called Stivan Girlan who plays this perfectly. Look out! Watch out! Here come STIVAN GIRLAN ! YES!!

What kind of Jazzmaster is that? And what is with that funky looking nut on it? Is that an aftermarket string tree too? Did you do these mods for better tuning stability?

Rock the catbox

What bridge is on that jazzmaster?

Mike, what bridge do you have on this Jazzmaster?

One guitar play verse chords, other plays the color chords? What does that sound like?

More clash theory plz 🙏 🙌 they've got ahit happen

I hate that open acoustic G being played on an electric for some reason.

What a trip

I would guess 'train In vain' has some funky chords buried in there too?

Walked over to my chord poster, looked wayyyyyy down at G9, mangled my fingers into a very painful shape and thought "Nope, next year, still a n00b"

Went immediately to listen to the song and I'll be damned if I didn't hear those chords. It's funny how our brain picks out certain things and hides others.

Hola!

I actually don´t care much about this song, but the video is a good reminder to look at how to plays songs, you already ´know´ 🙂

cool shirt

Dissonance is the spice of music.