[The Clash have always had a reputation as…]

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The Clash have always had a reputation as errant lefties.

Right from the time of the first album, when songs like Career Opportunities, White Riot? ', and 'London's Burning' began to catalogue the vague politicisation of urban youth, to later songs like English Civil War', 'Guns on the Roof' and Guns of Brixton' their preoccupation has been with the growing tensions of capitalist society.

When they played the first ANL Carnival, Joe Strummer, the lead singer, appeared wearing a 'Brigato Rosso' teeshirt.

In Ireland they were stopped and searched by an army snatchsquad, held for an hour facedown on the ground.

More than any of the other 'punk' bands, The Clash have preached a polities of rebellion.

So their new album appears under the title of 'Sandinista', a tribute to the FSLN forces in Nicaragua, and even sports a map of the country in the sleeve notes.

smili face of it Glen Baxter is : an unlikely artist to have : an exhibition in of London's art even one galleries. Amazingly, at present he has exhibitions in two.

• His pictures are illustrations of storybooks which do not exist.

They are nearly all drawings, reminiscent at first sight of illustrations to boys? and girls' story books of sometime earlier this century-especially those of the ripping yarn" variety.

He is a very skilful traughtsman; but the main point of Glen Baxter's pictures is that they are hilariously funny.

Or rather, to judge trom the embarrassing contrast between my own mirth and the grim concentration of some other visitors to the exhibitions, they are hilariously funny to some!

It is hard to say more since to explain why something 1s funny is infinitely more difficult than saying why it is tragic or dramatic or boring.

Glen Baxter's humour is particular and special because it combines various kinds of incongruity.

There is the anachronistic style-the pastiche of pre-war And again, it is an album riddled with "political' songs.

The new single "Call up', written at the time of the imperialist war drive, speaks for itself with lines like, 'It's up to you not to heed the call up'.

Other tracks like "Equaliser' are in the same vein, criticising leaders who only seek to exploit -all to the sound of a positively shimmering reggae backing.

Musically, the album is superb, going way beyond the raw. energy of the first album towards a compelling rhythmic density within which sparks of sound flash like electricity from guitars, violins, sirens and bells. Punk it ain't, 'progressive' it undoubtedly is-a sort of 1980s Beatles White Album without the padding.

It is also undeniably a bargain. At £5.99 for. . a triple album -and most dealers are selling it at £4.50 to £4.99 -it is excellent value, as the band intended.

At the time of the London Calling' album Strummer made it clear there would be no ripoff Clash albums, and that too is a political decision.

ng book illustration; the pictorial wit within the drawings; the way the captions never quite fit the pictures; the verbal wit of captions. themselves, especially in: the choice of underused verbs; and finally the contrast between the prosaic 9 °N events in the drawings and the sometimes grandiose presentation-as with the series on Fruits of the World in Danger or Great Failures of Our Time.

The overall effect is a kind of inspired surrealism-not so much of form as of content.

I think that it is probably this combination of elements which for me at least makes Glen Baxter's drawings quite exceptionally, , side-splittingly funny. The only way you can find out if you agree is to go and see them or find one of his two books-'Atlas' or The Works'.

If, having done so you don't find them funny at all, then there is nothing I can do except sympathise. be seen at the as diony Stokes Gallery, 3 Langley Court, London WCZ (perhaps until next week) and at the Institute of Contemporary, Arts, Nash House, the Mall, London SW1 until January 25.

But the politics remain confused. They offer an adhoc mixture of militant third worldism - Washington Bullets'-and sharp-edged urban syndicalism.

The message is clear enough -fight the bosses, defend your rghts, don't be conned by slick politicians, imperialism is out to smash you.

They even manage to swipe at Stalinism over Afghanistan"If you can find an Afghan rebel/that Moscow bullets missed/Ask him how he feels about voting Communist" and to produce an anti-religious gospel song.

But when it comes to means the lyrics slide into the mist. So the Clash talk about Chile, but only to point the finger. at imperialism.

There is no clue as to any alternative to Allende's road. They mention Poland obliquely in "Equaliser' in the line 'Stay at home don't check with Rome' but again for politics all we are left with is paint strike on the door' Sandinista is thus a signpost without direction. In all honesty what the Clash needed for Xmas GR OF was a copy of Trotsky's Permanent Revolution to put some political flesh on the basic bones of "Clash consciousness' There's no doubting the sincerity of their spontaneous anti-imperialism-as the recent interview in 'Sounds' indicated very clearly -but at the moment that is all it is: a gut reaction.

John Lennon had that in 1969-plus all the good intentions in the world. He ended up in a 20-bedroom apartment specially air-conditioned to protect his valuable collection of rare furs, giving donations to the New York Police Department to buy bullet-proof jackets.

The lesson of 'Sandinista'and of Nicaragua incidentallytherefore, is that spontaneity is not enough.

The Clash owe it to themselves to make that leap.

They've done it with the music, so now maybe it's time for the words.

'Sandinista' is an excellent album. But Permanent Revolution' would be an even better title for are record!

Tom Litterick was social democrat who meant what he said. He believed sincerely that radical measures within a capitalist constitution could bring real and lasting gains for the working class which could end in socialism.

He was amongst the most left of left MPs until his election defeat in 1979 With only a handful allies he stood out steadfast against the so-called Prevention of Terrorism Act; he opposed workers' participation at British Leyland; he called for support for strikes; and he was a savage Colin mingham Selly Oak, was one of that band of unmentionables within the Labour Party.

The press has one extra reason for hating Litterick. Last year several papers paid out substantial sums in damages after publishing witch-hunt stories about his private life.

Litterick and his wife split up four years ago when Litterick started a relationship with Pat Healey, social services correspondent of the Times.

Mrs Jane Litterick had a virtual collapse over the break up and was convicted of arson after setting light to Pat Healey's front door.

Such crack-ups are tragic but not uncommon and are fed by bourgeois notions of possession

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