The Clash - The Clash (1977)

This album was the first major punk record to be released in the UK. It was later released in the US on July 23rd 1979.

Iconic artwork, alongside themes of Britain’s disaffected youth, unemployment, drugs, rioting and oppressive policing acted as a blueprint for the burgeoning punk genre.

The album's cover version of Junior Murvin's Police & Thieves established an early connection between punk and militant reggae music.


The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska and rockabilly. For most of their recording career the Clash consisted of Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, lead vocals), Paul Simonon (bass guitar, vocals) and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion). Headon left the group in 1982, and internal friction led to Jones's departure the following year. The group continued with new members, but finally disbanded in early 1986.

The Clash achieved commercial success in the United Kingdom with the release of their debut album, The Clash, in 1977. Their third album, London Calling, released in the UK in December 1979, earned them popularity in the United States when it was released there the following month. It was declared the best album of the 1980s a decade later byRolling Stone magazine. In 1982 they reached new heights of success with the release of Combat Rock, which spawned the US top 10 hit "Rock the Casbah", helping the album to achieve a 2× Platinum certification there. Their final album,Cut the Crap, was released in 1985.[2]

The Clash's politicised lyrics, musical experimentation, and rebellious attitude had a far-reaching influence on rock,alternative rock in particular.[3] They became widely referred to as "The Only Band That Matters", originally a promotional slogan introduced by the group's record label, CBS. In January 2003, shortly after the death of Joe Strummer, the band—including original drummer Terry Chimes—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Clash number 28 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.[4]

Critic Sean Egan summarised what made them exceptional by writing, "They were a group whose music was, and is, special to their audience because that music insisted on addressing the conditions of poverty, petty injustice, and mundane life experienced by the people who bought their records. Moreover, although their rebel stances were often no more than posturing, from the Clash's stubborn principles came a fundamental change in the perception of what is possible in the music industry, from subject matter to authenticity to quality control to price ceilings."[5]
http://www.theclash.com/gb/home


Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1. "Janie Jones" Strummer 2:03
2. "Remote Control" Jones, Strummer 3:00
3. "I'm So Bored with the USA" Strummer 2:25
4. "White Riot" Strummer 1:56
5. "Hate & War" Jones, Strummer 2:05
6. "What's My Name?" (written by Strummer, Jones, Keith Levene) Strummer 1:40
7. "Deny" Strummer 3:03
8. "London's Burning" Strummer 2:12

Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1. "Career Opportunities" Strummer 1:52
2. "Cheat" Strummer 2:06
3. "Protex Blue" Jones 1:42
4. "Police & Thieves" (written by Junior Murvin, Lee Perry) Strummer 6:01
5. "48 Hours" Strummer 1:34
6. "Garageland"


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