LEFT OFF THE DIAL - The Clash

If there is one band that represents what punk music was and always should be about, it has to be The Clash. Forming in London in 1976 in the immediate wake of the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, the band's line-up consisted of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and first Terry Chimes then later, Nicky "Topper" Headon on drums. Chimes returned again in 1982. Where the Sex Pistols were starkly nihilistic, the Clash were idealistic. Stimulated with righteousness and a leftist political ideology, they sang about racism, police brutality and disenfranchisement challenging well-worn beliefs. A mix of high-end guitar and low, melodic bass gave the Clash a sound founded with the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. However the Clash were more musically adventurous than their contemporaries, augmenting their rock & roll with gospel, reggae, rockabilly, funk, soul and other roots music quickly developing their own distinct style.
The band opened for the Sex Pistols on their Anarchy in the UK Tour. The tour raised the Clashs profile and British CBS records signed them in February 1977. Their self-titled debut album was released that spring in the UK. The album was considered too British and too crude for American release (although the import sold 100,000 copies, making it the biggest-selling import album of all time). Songs on this album lashed out at the social injustices of their world: "Londons Burning" denouncing the dead-end Londons culture had backed itself into; "White Riot," urging whites to stand up against the status quo.
The band's genuinely riotous concerts frequently ended in brawls and vandalized venues as fans endeavored to fulfill the vehement call of the bands debut single White Riot. This combined with the bands regular confrontations with the law further bolstered their outlaw reputation.

1978 was a tumultuous year for England and the punk scene. The UK was gripped by political violence, recession, and terrorism. The Sex Pistols had traveled to America, had a disastrous tour and disbanded. The Clash emerged from 1978 as the standard bearers of punk. Their second album Give Em Enough Rope was designed to break into the American market Whilst that didn't happen the record became an enormous hit in the UK, debuting at number two on the charts.
The bands third and most highly acclaimed album London Calling finally awarded them the commercial impact and success they had sought in America. The band launched their Pearl Harbor Tour of America in February 1979. They also persuaded their record company to release their first album, which in its American incarnation contained only ten of the original fourteen tracks. The album eventually went gold.
They released a number of successful albums in the following years. Their musical diversity and originality helped them push the boundaries of punk music to new frontiers. Headon left the band shortly after their fifth album, Combat Rock, was completed. The press statement said he parted with the group due to political differences, but it was later revealed that the split was due to his heavy drug use. Combat Rock released in spring 1982 was their most commercially successful album but the writing was already on the wall. In September 1983, Strummer and Simonon fired Jones because he "drifted apart from the original idea of the Clash." The post-Jones Clash released Cut the Crap in 1985, though the album was a critical failure. The remains of the band split shortly afterwards.
Ironically in 1991 the Clash had their biggest British hit ever when "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was re-released, after being featured in a Levi's commercial. It went to straight to number one in the UK charts. They reportedly resisted offers to reform for an American tour.
The individual members drifted off into a variety of projects. Simonon formed the roots oriented Havana 3AM with L.A. scenester Gary Myrick; they recorded one album. Headon released a solo album in the UK in 1987, but was later sentenced to jail for supplying heroin to a friend who died of an overdose. Jones ventured into the world of samples and formed raga-house-rock crossover Big Audio Dynamite. BAD carved a name for itself independent of the Clashs legacy and continues to record. Strummer tried his hand at acting, movie scoring, and work as a solo artist. He currently fronts his own outfit, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros.

The Clash (US version)	1979	Epic
London Calling	1979	Epic
Give 'Em Enough Rope	1978	Epic
The Clash (UK version)	1977	CBS
Give 'Em Enough Rope	1978	Epic
The Clash (US version)	1979	Epic
London Calling	1979	Epic
Black Market Clash	1980	Epic
Sandinista!	1981	Epic
Interchords	1981	Epic
World According to The Clash	1982	Epic
Combat Rock	1982	Epic
Cut the Crap	1985	Epic
The Story of The Clash	1988	Epic
Return to Brixton	1990	Epic
1977 Revisited	1990	Epic
Clash on Broadway	1991	Epic
Super Black Market Clash	1993	Epic
Live: From Here to Eternity	1999	Epic
The Singles	2000	Epic

Please contact LOTD if you have reviews, links, or comments to add to the The Clash page.