Strummer and Jimmy Cliff, the ska and reggae legend, are a natural pairing on “Over the Border,” from Cliff’s 2003 album Fantastic Plastic People. Even on an aching “Redemption Song” with Johnny Cash, from Cash’s 2003 Unearthed boxed set, Strummer strikes a balance between worldweary and triumphant. He sings with exhilaration over a booming mix of drums and guitar on “Love Kills,” the title track from the 1986 biopic Sid and Nancy takes on a tone of wonderment as he threads his voice through hand drums and African chanting on “Sandpaper Blues” and lets loose with scruffy, melodic abandon on the taut “Coma Girl,” from Streetcore, his posthumous 2003 release with the Mescaleros. Later, Strummer pushes the beat a little on a more subdued acoustic demo from 1975 of the same song, as if he’s imagining the churning full-band arrangement to come. He’s ready to rumble on opener “Letsgetabitrockin,” from the 101ers, which barrels along on a tumult of guitars and a lean rhythm. Over the years, and through various musical incarnations, he never sounded less than joyful about what he was doing. This collection gives a sense of the scope of Strummer’s career, and the passion with which he pursued it. With more than 20,000 items in what has become the Joe Strummer Archive, the title of this set suggests there’s plenty more to come. Among them are demos and previously unreleased material, part of a massive cache that Strummer had squirreled away in sheds in his backyard. Part best-of compilation, part rarities collection, 001 gathers 35 songs (in the vinyl boxed set format) spanning nearly three decades, from Strummer’s pre-Clash pub-rock band the 101ers through soundtrack work he did in the ’80s to songs released after his unexpected death in December 2002. Joe Strummer 001 offers a sampling of it all. His career outside the Clash included forays into rockabilly, folk-rock, African music and Spanish Civil War songs. But co-founding one of the most important bands of the past 50 years has, understandably, overshadowed the full breadth of Strummer’s musical interests.

As a member of The Clash Joe Strummer was a punk-rock pioneer with a fondness for reggae.

Joe strummer discography