The 32 song album was released on 28 September 2018 by Ignition Records and features 12 previously unreleased songs, as well as known favourites from his recordings with the 101ers, the Mescaleros and his extensive soundtrack work along with alternate versions of previously released songs.

The album was preceded by the singles "London Is Burning", one of the last songs Strummer recorded before his death in 2002 (an alternative version titled "Burnin' Street" was posthumously released on Strummer's final studio album, 2003's Streetcore), and "Rose of Erin", an unreleased song used in the 1993 film When Pigs Fly.

The archiving of this material and compiling of Joe Strummer 001 was overseen by Strummer's widow, Lucinda Tait, and compilation producer Robert Gordon McHarg III.

All tracks were restored and mastered by Grammy Award winner Peter J. Moore at the E. Room in Toronto, Canada.

Upon going through cassettes and recording tapes it was discovered that Strummer was rather frugal and keen on hiding tracks.