Back in ’79, the benefit concert was still a pretty big thing.

I’ve written about the phenomenon a couple of times, once as a playlist and again as a creative non-fiction piece. In the latter I gushed about my love for the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea album, which remains one of my favorites. The Clash’s version of “Armagideon Time” on that record is brilliant, but not so brilliant is the fact that it’s the only song from the Only Band That Matters’ set to make the soundtrack album.

Enter 16 Tracks, an audience recording of the band’s full set that December evening at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. It sounds pretty good for an audience boot, but even at half the quality this would still be my favorite Clash bootleg for the historical significance alone.

This one’s kind of all over the place. Recent auction prices range from 25 to 75 bucks, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find one in your local record shop for 15 bones on a lucky day. Happy hunting.