As a fan of the late, great Joe Strummer -- not just as singer-guitarist of the legendary punk band the Clash (1976-1985), but also as frontman of the world-beat combo the Mescaleros (1998-2002) -- I was ecstatic to learn that this compilation of studio and live recordings by his mid-1970s pre-Clash pub-rock outfit, the 101'ers, would be released Stateside. I knew the disc would be worth getting for the historical value alone -- but what about entertainment value?

Not to worry -- this thing *rocks*. Although Strummer and company didn't have the musical chops of their pub-rock peers (Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, etc.), the band's overall sound amply illustrates Strummer's affection for early rock 'n' roll and R&B -- not only in covers of classics by Chuck Berry ("Maybelline") and Bo Diddley ("Don't Let It Go"), but also in self-penned tunes like "Surf City" and "Silent Telephone." The first song Joe ever wrote, the giddy "Keys to Your Heart," is included here in both the raw 1976 single version and a poppier BBC re-recording. Clash lovers will most certainly recognize "Junco Partner" (an R&B cover that Joe later reworked into a pair of dub-reggae numbers on the 1980 epic Sandinista!) and "Lonely Mother's Son" (later rewritten as the "Clash City Rockers" B-side "Jail Guitar Doors"). "Lonely Mother's Son," by the way, is one of the first overtly political songs by Strummer; I must also mention "Rabies (From the Dogs of Love)," a wry comment on sexually transmitted diseases, and "Sweety of the Saint Moritz," an early demonstration of Joe's punk anger (about having to contend with a lousy club and its shady owner).

Okay, so the sound quality on EAB (Revisited) varies noticeably between the studio and live cuts. And as Joe sings, he often rushes his words together, rendering them unintelligible (but then, I could also say the same for many of his performances on the first two Clash albums and his 1988 solo record Earthquake Weather). These flaws aside, however, this disc holds up as a fascinating and often fun document of rock 'n' roll history.

TRACK LISTING: 1. Letsagetabitarockin', 2. Silent Telephone, 3. Monkey Business, 4. Shake Your Hips, 5. Junco Partner, 6. Don't Let Go, 7. Motor Boys Motor, 8. Surf City, 9. Keys To Your Heart, 10. Surf City, 11. Sweet Revenge, 12. Gloria