The Clash

We have threads on The Ramones and the Sex Pistols, must as well add " the only band that matters '" as they used bill themselves, from the class of '77, any fans of the Clash out there? I liked every studio album in various degrees expect " Cut the Crap", of course ' London Calling" being the critical favorite and my personal favorite, songs like "Death or Glory" and " Clampdown" still sound great 30 years later.

My favorite is Give 'Em Enough Rope.

I like them, Combat Rock and London Calling are cool.

I have the box set Clash On Broadway.

tohostudios wrote:

My favorite is Give 'Em Enough Rope.

Never given it's due, incredibly underrated. My fav as well.

Anyone a fan of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros?

I liked Global A Go Go but not the other one.

Bring on the White Riot!! I could go on forever about what a perfect band the Clash were, but I won't. Too bad Jones and Strummer could not even look at each other at the end [watch the "Rock the Casbah" vid. That is why Jones has that thing over his face and he is not in any other part of the video].


ROCK THE CASBAH

I always thought that quote, "The only band that ever mattered", came from Rolling Stone magazine on their top 100.

Little trivia. The cover of "London Calling" was taken in NYC. They kept selling tickets and adding shows until there were 10 shows in a row sold. They wanted every single person that wanted to be at the show to have the opportunity. Now that is a COOL band.

And when I use the word "perfect", thta is just opinion stemming from my love of Reggae and Punk. Too bad the Police did not stick with that sound as they did in the beginning.

What's everyone's fav Clash tune?

For me: Clampdown.



Hey, hey!
Ooh!
The kingdom is ransacked
the jewels all taken back
and the chopper descends
they're hidden in the back
with a message on a half-baked tape
with the spool going round
saying I'm back here in this place
and I could cry
and there's smoke you could click on

What are we gonna do now?
Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?
'Cause they're working for the clampdown
They put up a poster saying we earn more than you!
When we're working for the clampdown
We will teach our twisted speech
To the young believers
We will train our blue-eyed men
To be young believers

The judge said five to ten, but I say double that again
I'm not working for the clampdown
No man born with a living soul
Can be working for the clampdown
Kick over the wall 'cause government's to fall
How can you refuse it?
Let fury have the hour, anger can be power
D'you know that you can use it?

The voices in your head are calling
Stop wasting your time, there's nothing coming
Only a fool would think someone could save you
The men at the factory are old and cunning
You don't owe nothing, so boy get running
It's the best years of your life they want to steal

You grow up and you calm down
You're working for the clampdown
You start wearing the blue and brown
You're working for the clampdown
So you got someone to boss around
It makes you feel big now
You drift until you brutalize
You made your first kill now

In these days of evil presidentes
Working for the clampdown
But lately one or two has fully paid their due
For working for the clampdown
Ha! Gitalong! Gitalong!
Working for the clampdown
Ha! Gitalong! Gitalong!
Working for the clampdown

Yeah I'm working hard in Harrisburg
Working hard in Petersburg
Working for the clampdown
Working for the clampdown
Ha! Gitalong! Gitalong
Begging to be melted down
Gitalong, gitalong
(Work)
(Work)
(Work) And I've given away no secrets - ha!
(Work)
(Work)
(More work)
(More work)
(Work)
(Work)
(Work)
(Work)
Who's barmy now?

Clampdown is one of my faves too. I also really like Train In Vain.

" Clampdown" Everyday I sit at my desk at work, this song always pops into my head.

Agree "Give 'em Enough Rope " has never been given its proper due, it has been overshadowed as has the rest discography by " London Calling", also their debut album is steller, I personally prefer the UK mix than the US mix, still which ever version of the debut you end up owning ( I bought both) you end up with a winner.

Combat Rock is my fave.

i only have combat rock and while half of it is amazing the other is less essential imo

TheGooch wrote:

i only have combat rock and while half of it is amazing the other is less essential imo

Gooch grab London Calling or their self titled debut and you will become a fan of The Clash.

Good band, Rock the casbah would have to be my fave, can get stuck singing it for days

does anyone ever notice in rock the casbah it sounds like someones cell phone is ringing half way through

TheGooch wrote:

does anyone ever notice in rock the casbah it sounds like someones cell phone is ringing half way through

That would be a good trick, as the song pre-dates the cell phone era by at least a decade.

i realised that but serilously it sounds like a cell phone ringing. well an older cell-phone anyway

London Calling is one of the greatest punk albums I've heard.

-ing an ancient thread.

Somewhere on this board, at some point, someone (most likely Manny) expressed disbelief that I did not own any recordings by the Clash. Today I have remedied that with this 2-CD set, which I got dirt cheap from Hastings:



So tell me Clash experts... did I choose wisely?

XYZ wrote:

London Calling is one of the greatest punk albums I've heard.

The only punk album they ever really did was the debut, IMO. I guess they have some individual songs that could be called punk, but their only full on punk album was the debut.

Fat Freddy wrote:

-ing an ancient thread.

Somewhere on this board, at some point, someone (most likely Manny) expressed disbelief that I did not own any recordings by the Clash. Today I have remedied that with this 2-CD set, which I got dirt cheap from Hastings:



So tell me Clash experts... did I choose wisely?

Hell ya you did, this is killer set, that includes all their best tunes, and I believe even one tune from the one album you can skip from their discography ( Cut the Crap). A kick ass set.

Is "Cut the Crap" really that bad? Seems like every band that has a major lineup shift (Doors, Velvet Underground, Clash) and then releases anything afterward gets savaged for it and then, later, people come around and say, "It's not great, but it's not the crime against humanity it was billed as."

I've always wondered this about the two Pogues albums without Shane Macgowan as well.

Runicen wrote:

Is "Cut the Crap" really that bad?  Seems like every band that has a major lineup shift (Doors, Velvet Underground, Clash) and then releases anything afterward gets savaged for it and then, later, people come around and say, "It's not great, but it's not the crime against humanity it was billed as."

I've always wondered this about the two Pogues albums without Shane Macgowan as well.

Its truly an uninspired album, is it the worst album in the world? No, if the name Clash was not attached, it might get kinder reviews, but its hard to compete against one's own past.