The Clash, ‘Ghetto Defendant (Extended Version – Unedited)’ – Exclusive Premiere

You can't have too much of a good thing. That's the thinking behind the Clash's new 'Sound System' box set, which comes stuffed with just about everything the legendary London punks ever recorded, and more specifically, it applies to the collection's extended, unedited version 'Ghetto Defendant,' a previously unreleased nugget Diffuser.fm is thrilled to premiere today (listen below).

Originally appearing on 'Combat Rock,' the Clash's 1982 commercial breakthrough, 'Ghetto Defendant' is a bleak dub-rock track about drug-sick peasants doped into compliance by the ruling class. It's a stark, scary tune made all the more unsettling by the spoken-word vocals of Allen Ginsberg, and on this six-minute take, the iconic Beat poet sounds especially ghostly. Clash frontman Joe Strummer, meanwhile, is his usual frayed-wire self -- spitting sparks even as crawls through the gutter with the junkies.

The extra-long, extra-druggy 'Ghetto Defendant' is just one reason to pick up 'Sound System' when it lands on shelves (and most likely snaps 'em in two) on Sept. 10. The set includes remastered versions of all of the band's studio albums, as well as B-sides, non-album singles, live cuts, rarities and previously unseen video. You also get badges, posters, a fanzine and other goodies -- all jammed into a handsome box shaped like a vintage ghetto-blaster boombox. It's well worth the price, but one lucky reader snags a free copy via our contest widget below. Giveaway ends Sept. 9.

Listen to the Clash's 'Ghetto Defendant (Extended Version - Unedited)'