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This article is about the English rock band. For the Thai rock band, see Clash (band).
For the debut album of The Clash, see The Clash (album).
The Clash

The Clash were an English rock band, active from 1976 to 1986, and part of the original wave of UK punk rock in the late 1970s. Although a punk rock band, the band experimented with reggae, funk, Rap, Dub,Rock & Roll and Rockabilly in their music[1][2]. The band were formed by Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, lead and backing vocals) and Paul Simonon (bass guitar, backing vocals). After a revolving drumming position, including Terry Chimes (AKA 'Tory Crimes') whom featured on the first album entitled 'The Clash' despite the fact that by this point of time he had already chosen to leave the band. They were joined in 1977 by Topper Headon (drums, percussion).[3] Until the untimely departure of Headon in 1982 and Jones in 1983 due to internal friction, this is the lineup from the band's peak, and was the lineup inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band disbanded in the early days of 1986, largely due to lack of creative control and the loss of Jones and Headon who were together half the skill of the band. The late Strummer has apologised for the firing of these two member and he admitted that it was a huge mistake to make, both creatively and progressively for the band.

The Clash were a major success in the UK from the release of their first album in 1977 named 'The Clash', and became popular in the U.S. in 1980. Their third album, the late 1979 release London Calling is an influential album in the history of rock and alternative music; it was released in the U.S. in January 1980, and a decade later Rolling Stone magazine declared it the best album of the 1980s.[4] Rolling Stone also placed it at #8, The Clash at #77, and Sandinista! at #404 on their 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[5]

The Clash's attitude and style, as much as their music, influenced many other bands from the 1980s. Epic Records A&R director dubbed them "The Only British Band That Matters.", which fans later adapted into the well known title "The Only Band That Matters". [6] They are one of the most prominent and prolific punk rock bands and their influence is far reaching.[7] In January 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8] The band wanted to play at the event, but Joe Strummer's untimely death in December 2002, prevented this. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[9][10]

History

Formation and first years: 1976–1978

Originally composed of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Keith Levene and Pablo Labritain, who was quickly replaced by Terry Chimes (credited, as a pun, on their first LP as "Tory Crimes"), the Clash formed in Ladbroke Grove, West London in 1976, during the first wave of British punk. Levene (later of Public Image Ltd.) was a friend of Mick Jones and served as guitarist and songwriter with The Clash, but never recorded with the band. According to Mick Jones in the 1999 Clash documentary Westway to the World, Levene was kicked out for never showing up to practice.[11] Labritain was a childhood friend of Strummer's who drummed at early rehearsals with the band but was kicked out by Jones before performing live or recording with the band.

Strummer had previously played in the pub rock act The 101'ers (his stage name at this point was Woody Mellor; soon he renamed himself "Joe Strummer", a reference to his rudimentary strumming skills on the ukulele as a busker in the London Underground); Jones, Simonon, and Tony James (later of Generation X) were (briefly) in legendary proto-punk band London SS. At the behest of their manager Bernie Rhodes,[12] Jones, Levene, and Simonon recruited the slightly older Strummer from the 101'ers. "You're great," they told him, "but your group is shite".[13] Strummer agreed to join the group, which was eventually named The Clash, after the band had considered alternatives including 'The Weak Heartdrops' and 'The Psychotic Negatives'.[14]

One of the names that we had before we had the Clash was the Weak Heartdrops from the Big Youth song. Another I think was the Psychotic Negatives, but now neither of those worked.

— Mick Jones to MTV Rockumentary, [12]

It really came to my head when I start reading the newspapers and a word that kept reoccurring was the word "clash", so I thought "the Clash, what about that," to the others. And they and Bernard they went for it.

— Paul Simonon to MTV Rockumentary, [12]

The Clash had their first gig on July 4 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols.[15] Leading up to the gig, Simonon stated that he felt the band wasn't good enough to play a live show. He decided to go on with it after meeting with Johnny Ramone earlier that day, who told him, "We stink. You don't have to be good, just get out there and play".[16]

That autumn the band was signed to CBS Records. In early September, Levene left. On September 21, 1976 the band performed at the 100 Club Punk Festival, sharing the bill with the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Subway Sect.[17][18] Chimes left in late November (briefly replaced by Rob Harper for the Anarchy Tour in December 1976) but was soon drafted back to record their debut album. The band released their first single ("White Riot/1977") and first album (The Clash) in 1977 to considerable success in the UK. However, CBS initially declined to release either in the United States, waiting until 1979 before releasing a modified version of the first album in the U.S., after the UK original had become the best-selling import album of all time in the United States.

Following the release of their first album, Chimes left. In the documentary Westway to the World, Mick Jones referred to him as one of "the best drummers around".[11] But Chimes, who had no great wish to make a career from music, said, "The point was that I wanted one kind of life - they wanted another, and why are we working together, if we want completely different things?" Chimes later joined the glam punk group Hanoi Rocks.

The band experienced a period of changing drummers.[3] After some time with Mick Jones handling drum duties, the band finally recruited Topper Headon, nicknamed "Topper" by Simonon, because he resembled the famous comic's cartoon cover star, "Mickey the Monkey". Headon had excellent musical skills, being able to play other instruments such as bass, organ and guitar. He was originally planning to stay briefly and gain a name for himself, before finding a better band. Realizing the band's potential he changed his plans and stayed in the band. In Westway To The World Strummer noted, "If we hadn't found Topper, I don't think we'd have got anywhere".[11]

Commercial and critical recognitition: 1978–1982

With Topper Headon on drums, the Clash recorded Give 'Em Enough Rope in 1978, produced by Sandy Pearlman, whose previous credits included the American heavy metal band Blue Oyster Cult.

The Clash then recorded London Calling. Produced by Guy Stevens, who had previously worked with Mott the Hoople and others, the album was a mix of rockabilly, reggae, hard rock, and ska elements [19][20] that recalled the band's earlier days, but also had greater maturity and production polish, and is one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.[21] The album contained 2 LPs and ended with a hidden track not noted in the song list. Called "Train in Vain", it received the most airplay on album-oriented rock (AOR) FM stations in the U.S. Rude Boy, a 1980 film about the Clash, contained studio recording sessions of London Calling, and concert sequences.[8]

The Clash planned to record and release a single every month in 1980. Their record label, CBS, balked at this idea, and these efforts resulted in the album Sandinista!. Containing elements of rock, punk, reggae (including extended dubs), ska, jazz and disco, unified by a heavily echoed sound[22][20], this 3-LP, 36-song album was their most controversial to date, both politically and musically. The album fared well in America, charting at #24,[8] even though it had no catchy single and, in the increasingly conservative environment of AOR FM radio in the U.S., received minimal airplay.

The band recorded their fifth album Combat Rock, which was originally planned as a double album with the title Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg, but the idea was scrapped after wrangling within the group. Mick Jones had produced the first cut, but the other members were dissatisfied and producing duties were handed to Glyn Johns at which point the album became a single LP. The original cut has since been bootlegged. Simpler and more straightforward than Sandinista!, the album contained the single "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" which received heavy airplay in the U.S. on AOR FM stations. The following single, "Rock the Casbah", a song about the Iranian clampdown on imports of Western music, was a Top 40 hit in the U.S., with heavy rotation on MTV.

Tension and disintegration: 1982–1984

After Combat Rock, the Clash began to disintegrate. Topper Headon was asked to leave the band just prior to the release of the album, due to his heroin addiction, which was hurting his health and drumming.[23][20] The band's original drummer, Terry Chimes, was brought back for the next few months.[13] The loss of Headon brought much friction, as he was an essential part of the band and well-liked by the others. Jones and Strummer began to feud. The band, although still touring arenas and opening up for The Who in stadiums on their tour in 1982 did not get along well; the original dates for the UK leg of the Combat Rock tour were cancelled when Strummer disappeared.

The band continued to tour, but by 1983, the years of constant touring and recording took their toll. They were growing as musicians and individuals, but they were not able to cope with the tension and stress. Chimes left the band after the 1982-1983 Combat Rock tour, due to the in-fighting and turmoil.

In 1983, drummer Pete Howard joined the band for the US Festival in San Bernardino, California, of which The Clash were, along with David Bowie and Van Halen, co-headliners. The crowd of roughly half a million was by far the biggest of the Clash's career. This was Jones' last appearance with The Clash. In September 1983, Jones was fired due to his problematic behaviour and divergent musical aspirations.[13] Jones went on to found Big Audio Dynamite (BAD) with Don Letts, and both Strummer and Simonon collaborated with BAD at various times.[24] I was trying to undo my mistake. But Big Audio Dynamite was taking off, so he just laughed at me", recalled Strummer of the situation [24] .

The band picked Nick Sheppard, formerly of the Bristol-based Cortinas, and Vince White as the band's new guitarists. Howard continued to be the drummer. The band played its first shows in January 1984 with a batch of new material and launched into a self-financed tour, dubbed the "Out of Control" tour, and they toured heavily over the winter and into early summer. At a striking miners' benefit show ("Scargill's Christmas Party") in December 1984, they announced that a new record would be released early in the new year.

Cut the Crap and legacy: 1985-present

The recording sessions for Cut the Crap were chaotic, with manager Bernie Rhodes and Strummer working in Munich, Germany. Most of the instruments were played by studio musicians, with Sheppard and later White flying in to come up with guitar parts. Struggling with Rhodes for control of the band, Strummer returned home. The band went on a busking tour, playing in public spaces in cities throughout the UK where they played acoustic versions of their hits and popular cover tunes.

After a gig in Athens, Strummer went to Spain to clear his mind. While Strummer was gone, the first single from Cut the Crap, "This Is England" was released to mostly negative reviews at the time.[24] However, respected critic Dave Marsh later championed "This Is England" as one of the top 1001 rock singles of all time, in his book "The Heart of Rock & Soul",[25] and the single has also received retroactive praise from Q Magazine and others. "CBS had paid an advance for it so they had to put it out. I just went, 'Well fuck this', and fucked off to the mountains of Spain to sit and sobbing under a palm tree, while Bernie had to deliver a record", said Joe Strummer later in an interview [24].

"This Is England", much like the rest of the album that came out later that year, had been drastically re-engineered by Rhodes, with synths, drum machines, and football-style chants being added to Strummer's incomplete recordings. For the remainder of his life Strummer publicly disowned the album,[23] although he did express the sentiment that "This Is England" was the last good Clash single.

Other songs played on the tour remain unreleased to this day: "Jericho", "Glue Zombie", and "In the Pouring Rain". Although Howard was an adept drummer, virtually all of the percussion tracks were produced by drum machines. The Clash were effectively disbanded in early 1986, and the members went on to other projects.

On 2 March, 1991, The Clash score their first #1 U.K. single with the reissue of “Should I Stay or Should I Go”. Joe Strummer reportedly cried and was very distraught when band's hit and its title "Rock the Casbah" were used while bombing Iraq the same year. In 1999, Strummer, Jones and Simonon cooperated in the compiling of the live album From Here to Eternity and video documentary Westway to the World. On 15 November, 2002, Jones and Strummer shared the stage, performing three Clash songs during a London benefit show by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.[8] In January 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash[9] #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[10]

Post-Clash careers

Joe Strummer

Main articles: Joe Strummer, The Latino Rockabilly War, The Pogues, and The Mescaleros

In 1986, Joe Strummer collaborated with ex-bandmate Jones on BAD's second album, No. 10 Upping St., co-producing the album and co-writing seven of its songs. Strummer acted in a few movies, notably Alex Cox's Walker, and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, as well as a cameo in Aki Kaurismäki's I hired a Contract Killer, in which he sings "Burning Lights/Afro-Cuban Be-Bop". He did songs for movie soundtracks (notably "Love Kills" for the film Sid and Nancy), and he co-produced the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtracks with John Cusack. As well, he experimented with different backing bands with limited success. In 1989, he released the first of his solo albums, Earthquake Weather, which was neither a commercial nor critical success. He toured with a new backing band, The Latino Rockabilly War, which contributed five songs to the soundtrack of the movie Permanent Record, including an instrumental and the song "Trash City", which was also released as a single. In 1991/92 Strummer joined The Pogues after their split with former frontman Shane MacGowan for a series of concerts across Europe. In the late 1990s, Strummer formed backing band he called The Mescaleros. In 2002 Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros performed a benefit gig for the striking Firefighters of London (FBU) at the Acton Town Hall, London (later referred to as "The Last Night London Burned"). For the encores, Mick Jones joined the band. They were: "Bankrobber", "White Riot" and "London’s Burning". In 1996 Strummer recorded with Black Grape (band of vocalist Shaun Ryder, ex Happy Mondays) their football anthem "England's Irie", which became a Top Ten hit. His final gig was at Liverpool Academy on 22 November 2002. On 22 December 2002, Strummer died suddenly of a congenital heart defect at the age of 50. The Mescaleros’ album he was working on at the time, Streetcore, was released posthumously to critical acclaim in 2003. Jones commented in the press that, after the brief reunion on Westway to the World in 1999, the foursome were considering reuniting for a tour. A film has been made about Strummer's life, called Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten.

Mick Jones

Main articles: Mick Jones (The Clash), Big Audio Dynamite, and Carbon/Silicon

After his expulsion from The Clash, Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite (often shortened to B.A.D.) in 1984 with film director Don Letts who directed various Clash videos and Westway to the World. The band's debut album, This is Big Audio Dynamite, was released the following year with the song "E=MC²" receiving heavy rotation in dance clubs. The next album, No. 10 Upping St., reunited Jones with Strummer. Jones released three more albums with Big Audio Dynamite before reshuffling the line-up and renaming the band Big Audio Dynamite II. The band was later renamed Big Audio in the mid-1990s because they found that it was much more suitable for the type of genre they were influenced by at that particular time. Jones featured on the two studio albums by The Libertines as producer and also produced the debut Babyshambles album. Jones is currently touring and recording with his new band, Carbon/Silicon.

Paul Simonon

Main articles: Paul Simonon; Havana 3am; and The Good, the Bad and the Queen

Following the break-up of The Clash, Paul Simonon formed a group called Havana 3am, which recorded only one album in Japan and quickly folded. Then Simonon returned to his roots as a visual artist, mounting several art-gallery shows and contributing the cover for Jones' third BAD album, Tighten Up Vol. 88. Simonon's reluctance to play music again has largely been cited as the reason why The Clash were one of the few 1970s British punk bands that did not reform to cash in on the punk-nostalgia craze of the late 1990s. Simonon was quoted in Westway to the World as saying that The Clash are over and that "suits him fine". He is currently collaborating with Damon Albarn, of Blur, Simon Tong of The Verve, and Tony Allen, main founder of the afrobeat and drummer of Fela Kuti to form The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Their first gig took place on the 26 October 2006 at the Roundhouse.

Topper Headon

Main article: Topper Headon

By 1982, Topper Headon had been dismissed by the rest of the band due to the heroin addiction. His addiction eventually landed him in jail for supplying an addict who later overdosed and died. Except for forming a short-lived R&B band (in 1986 he recorded a LP called Waking Up as well as a 12" E.P. titled Drumming Man), Headon disappeared from the music business until the filming of Letts' retrospective documentary about The Clash, Westway to The World, where he sincerely apologised for his addiction. Headon also attended a subsequent presentation to Strummer, Jones, Simonon, and Headon of a Lifetime Achievement British Music Award. After many years of rehabilitation, he has overcome his addiction, and is performing live again.

Politics

The band's music was often charged by a leftist political ideology.[2] They are credited with pioneering the advocacy of radical politics in punk rock, and were known as the "Thinking Man's Yobs" by many simply for voicing a political slant other than anarchism. They were never driven entirely by money; even at their peak, tickets to shows and souvenirs were reasonably priced. The group insisted that CBS sell their double and triple album sets London Calling and Sandinista! for the price of a single album each (then £5), succeeding with the former and compromising with the latter by agreeing to sell it for £5.99 and forfeit all their royalties on its first 200,000 sales.[3] These "VFM" (Value For Money) principles meant that they were constantly in debt to CBS, and only started to break even around 1982.[4]

Like many early punk bands, The Clash protested against monarchy and aristocracy. However, unlike many early punk bands, The Clash rejected the overall sentiment of nihilism. Instead, they found solidarity with a number of contemporary liberation movements. The Clash's political views, especially those of Joe Strummer, were very leftist. Their politics were expressed explicitly in their lyrics, in early recordings such as "White Riot", which encouraged disaffected white youths to become politically active like their black counterparts, "Career Opportunities," which expressed discontent about the alienation of low-paid, production line style employment and the lack of alternatives, and "London's Burning", about political complacency.[20]

They were also involved directly with the Anti-Nazi League, and headling Rock Against Racism concert in in London's Victoria Park for 80,000 people in April 1978,[26] where Strummer wore a controversial t-shirt bearing the words "Bigade Rosse" with the Red Army Faction (Baader-Meinhof) insignia in the middle. He later said in an interview that he wore the shirt not to support the left-wing terrorist factions in Germany and Italy, but to bring attention to their existence. Strummer and Jones were arrested for a string of offences from vandalism to stealing a pillowcase.[7] Caroline Coon stood up for what The Clash were doing during this period: "Those tough, militaristic songs were what we needed as we went into Thatcherism".[27]

The group also supported other musicians' charity concerts, most notably at the December 1979 Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, presented by Paul McCartney. The benefit album released from the concerts features one song by The Clash, "Armagideon Time." The Clash offered some support to the Sandinista and other Marxist movements in Latin America (hence the title of their 1980 album, Sandinista!). By the time of the December 1979 album London Calling, the Clash were trying to maintain punk energy while developing musically. They were especially wary of their own emerging stardom: they always welcomed fans backstage after shows and showed open-mindedness, genuine interest and compassion in their relationships with them.

The title of London Calling evokes American radio newsman Edward R. Murrow's catchphrase during World War II, and the title song announces that "...war is declared and battle come down..." It warns against expecting them to be saviours — "... now don't look to us / Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust..." — draws a bleak picture of the times — "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in / Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin" — but calls on their listeners to come out and take up the fight without constantly looking to London, or to The Clash themselves, for cues — "Forget it, brother, we can go it alone... Quit holding out and draw another breath... I don't want to shout / But while we were talking I saw you nodding out..." — finally asking, "After all this, won't you give me a smile?"

Members

1976
Original line-up
1977
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977-1982
Classic line-up
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Topper Headon – drums, percussion
1982-1983
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1983
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Howard – drums, percussion
1983-1986
Final line-up
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Nick Sheppard – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Vince White – lead guitar
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Howard – drums, percussion

Discography

Main article: The Clash discography
  1. The Clash – (April 8, 1977) #12 UK, #126 U.S.[28][29]
  2. Give 'Em Enough Rope – (November 10, 1978) #2 UK, #128 U.S. #79 AUS
  3. London Calling (2LP) – (December 14, 1979) #9 UK, #27 U.S. #16 AUS
  4. Sandinista! (3LP) – (December 12 1980) #19 UK, #24 U.S.
  5. Combat Rock – (May 14, 1982) #2 UK, #7 U.S.
  6. Cut the Crap – (November 4, 1985) #16 UK, #88 U.S.

Filmography

Bibliography

  • Clash, The (2005) [2004]. The Clash: The Complete Chord Songbook (3rd edition ed.). London: Music Sales. ISBN 0711932093. OCLC 57485240. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Gray, Marcus (2005) [1995]. The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (5th revised edition ed.). London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help)
  • Yewdall, Julian Leonard (1992). Joe Strummer with the 101'ers and the Clash, 1974-1976. London: Image Direct. ISBN 0951921606. OCLC 28502630. Photographs by Julian Leonard Yewdall; introductory text by Nick Jones. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "The Clash: Biography". Artists. RollingStone. Retrieved 2007-11-17. Their music was roots-based but future-visionary; their experiments with funk, reggae, and rap never took them far from a three-minute pop song.
  2. ^ a b "The Clash" (JHTML). MTV. Retrieved 2007-11-17. From the outset, the band was more musically adventurous, expanding its hard rock & roll with reggae, dub, and rockabilly among other roots musics.
  3. ^ a b c "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash". NME. 3. London: IPC Magazines. March 16, 1991. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 4213418. a, b) There were 204 drummers auditioned before The Clash settled for Nicky 'Topper' Headon.
    c) The Clash are crap businessmen. They signed a record contract that didn't have a clause for tour support. As a result, they lost tons of money when punk rockers trashed concert halls during their first shows. Also, they insisted that "Sandinista' and "London Calling" were issued at budget price, meaning they didn't make any money out of them.     {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    Related news articles:
  4. ^ a b "Clash star Strummer dies" (STM). Entertainment. BBC News World Edition. 2002-12-27. Retrieved 2007-11-20. a) Rolling Stone voted London Calling, their classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties.
    b) The Clash had huge record sales, but had signed a deal with their record company that denied them huge profits. They wore this as a badge of pride, claiming it ensured they still kept to their punk ideals.
  5. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Special Collectors Issue. Rolling Stone. 2003-11-18. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  6. ^ Epic Records' Director of A&R, Bruce Harris, came up with the phrase. He is credited with convincing the company to release The Clash in the USA. His wife, Marion(Bernstein) Harris, was the product manager. She is credited with convincing Joe Strummer to include lyrics in the sleeve.
  7. ^ a b "Strummer's lasting culture Clash" (STM). Entertainment. BBC News World Edition. 2002-12-23. Retrieved 2007-11-20. a) The band went on to be firm fixtures on the music scene in the late 70s and early 80s, having 13 UK top 40 hits and, with the Pistols, the Jam and the Specials, producing the soundtrack of an era.
    b) Throughout their careers, The Clash were active in social causes, headlining Rock Against Racism concerts, while Strummer and bandmate Mick Jones were arrested for a string of offences from vandalism to stealing pillowcases.
  8. ^ a b c d e "The Clash". Induction. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. 2003-03-10. Retrieved 2007-11-19. a) Quite simply, the Clash were among the most explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history.
    b) The film Rude Boy, a 1980 film about the Clash and their punk-rock milieu, contained concert sequences that demonstrate why they were considered one of rock's greatest live acts.
    c) The Clash followed London Calling with Sandinista!, another multi-sided opus. The Clash agreed to a diminished royalty rate so that the triple album could be affordably retailed. Despite the enormous body of material, song quality remained high throughout Sandinista!, which included the Clash classics "The Magnificent Seven" The Call Up," "Police on My Back," and "Washington Bullets." London Calling and Sandinista! both fared well in America, charting at #27 and #24, respectively - impressive showings for a double and triple album.
    d) The three founding members - Strummer, Jones and Simonon - cooperated in the compiling of a live album (From Here to Eternity) and video documentary (Westway to the World), released in 1999. If not exactly a reunion, it was a rapprochement. On November 15, 2002, Jones and Strummer shared the stage for the first time in nearly 20 years, performing three Clash songs during the encore of a London benefit show by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. This raised hopes for a Clash reunion, which were dashed when Strummer died of a heart attack on December 22, 2002.
  9. ^ a b "The Clash by The Edge". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. 2004-04-15. The Clash, more than any other group, kick-started a thousand garage bands across Ireland and the U.K. For U2 and other people of our generation, seeing them perform was a life-changing experience. There's really no other way to describe it.
  10. ^ a b "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. 2004-03-24.
  11. ^ a b c Letts Don; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, The Clash. The Clash, Westway to the World (Documentary). New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films. ISBN 0738900826. OCLC 49798077. {{cite AV media}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
  12. ^ a b c Interviewer: Unknown; Presenter: Kurt Loder. "MTV Rockumentary". MTV. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began= and |ended= (help); External link in |transcripturl= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |transcripturl= ignored (|transcript-url= suggested) (help)
    Related news articles:
    • "MTV Rockumentary Part 1". londonsburning.org. Retrieved 2007-12-06. Joe Strummer: Bernie imagined the Clash and then he built it to fit the specifications of his vision. But the Clash wouldn't exist without Bernie's imagination.
      Kurt Loder: The group's new look definitely seemed to work now all they needed was a name.
      Mick Jones: One of the names that we had before we had the Clash was the Weak Heartdrops from the Big Youth song. Another I think was the Psychotic Negatives, but now neither of those worked.
      Paul Simonon: It really came to my head when I start reading the newspapers and a word that kept reoccurring was the word "clash", so I thought "the Clash, what about that," to the others. And they and Bernard they went for it.
  13. ^ a b c Encoule, Jean (2003). "Joe Strummer - 1952-2002". trakMARX.com. Retrieved 2007-11-17. a) Your group's shit but you're a top front man, come & join our band.
    b) By 1984 Topper's smack habit had become so bad he could hardly hold a pair of sticks yet alone sit on a stool for an hour or so – he was duly fired & replaced for touring duties by old mate of the band, Tory Crimes.
    c) What followed next was traumatic: Bernie Rhodes was re-instated & duly sacked Mick Jones from the group for "rock star tendencies" & "loosing touch with the original spirit of the band".     {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Topping, Keith (2004) [2003]. The Complete Clash (2nd ed. ed.). Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. pp. pp. 12. ISBN 1903111706. OCLC 63129186. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ Loder, Kurt (2003-03-13). "The Clash: Ducking Bottles, Asking Questions". MTV News. Retrieved 2007-11-17. The London SS changed their name to the Clash, and made their debut opening for the Sex Pistols at a gig on July 4, 1976.
  16. ^ Gramantieri, Tullo; Joey Ramone, Richie Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Marky Ramone, Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein. The Ramones End of the century (Documentary). Burbank, CA: Rhino Home Video. OCLC 58592228. We stink. You don't have to be good, just get out there and play {{cite AV media}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Gray, Marcus (2005) [1995]. The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (5th rev. ed. ed.). London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help)
  18. ^ "The Clash Sex Pistols 100 Club Festival". blackmarketclash.com. Retrieved 2007-11-27. The Festival on the 20th & 21st in the tiny 100 Club in Oxford Street was a promotional showcase designed by Maclaren to impress record companies and the media that Punk was big enough to have a festival.
  19. ^ Metzger, John (2004). "The Clash London Calling 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition". The Music Box. Retrieved 2007-11-19. Overflowing with ideas, the songs effortlessly leapt from rockabilly to reggae to hard rock, while folding in elements of blues, jazz, R&B, and folk, and all of it was delivered with the pummeling fury of a tempest unleashed. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  20. ^ a b c d "The Clash". Artist History. Aversion.com. Retrieved 2007-11-20. a) With the release of London Calling, the band had pushed punk in a hundred different directions. From the rockabilly cover of Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac," to the ska of "Wrong 'Em Boyo," or "Spanish Bomb's" classical guitar, the Clash proved punk was more than the simple "1-2-3-4! Go!" of its early days.
    b) Sandinista!, a three-record LP fusing punk with dub, gospel, reggae and soul, as well as with its more conventional roots.
    c) the remains of the Clash split; Cut the Crap was excommunicated from the band's official discography, with all later retrospectives ignoring the Jones-less Clash.
    d) Songs on the band's self-titled debut lash out at their world with a precision unmatched by other bands: "London's Burning" denounces the dead-end London's culture had backed itself into; "White Riot," urges whites to stand up against the status quo.
  21. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "London Calling Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.
  22. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sandinista! Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19. For its triple-album follow-up, Sandinista!, they tried to do everything, adding dub, rap, gospel, and even children's choruses to the punk, reggae, R&B, and roots rock they already were playing.
  23. ^ a b Cromelin, Richard (January 31, 1988). "Strummer on Man, God, Law and the Clash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-11-19. a) Headon had been fired because of his drug use, and Jones was given the boot in '83.
    b) There was one more album with a revamped lineup, 1985's Cut the Crap, but Strummer regretted that move, even referring to that band by a different name: the Clash Mark Two.
  24. ^ a b c d "Ex-Clash singer breaks ground". joestrummer.us. Retrieved 2007-11-26. a, b) After the disbandment, Strummer followed Mick Jones on holiday to ask him to reform the Clash. "I was trying to undo my mistake. But Big Audio Dynamite was taking off, so he just laughed at me." Nevertheless, Strummer and Jones did start to collaborate again, firstly on songs for Alex Cox's Sid Vicious biopic Sid and Nancy, then on material on the second BAD album, which Strummer co-produced.
    c, d) Finally, Strummer washed his hands of the album, Rhodes and the Clash. "CBS had paid an advance for it so they had to put it out. I just went, 'Well fuck this', and fucked off to the mountains of Spain to sit and sobbing under a palm tree, while Bernie had to deliver a record." Cut the Crap was issued in November 1985. Its music was as crass as it's cringe-making title - a bizarre cross between an attempt to get back to the Clash's punk roots and an assimilation of more modern trends, with its amateurish horn and synth overdubs, shot through with cartoonish (and somewhat Americanised) punk imagery and Sham 69-style terrace chanting.
  25. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. London: Penguin. ISBN 0140121080. OCLC 59149603. #106 The Clash This is England {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  26. ^ "TRB Rock Against Racism". tomrobinson.com. Retrieved 2007-11-20. The most memorable Rock Against Racism event was the April 1978 Carnival against the Nazis. A huge rally of 100,000 people marched the six miles from Trafalgar Square through London's East End - the heart of National Front territory - to a Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park, Hackney. X-Ray Spex, The Clash, Steel Pulse, and the Tom Robinson Band were on the bill - a diverse selection of music for a diverse multi-cultural crowd.
  27. ^ Gilbert, Pat (2005) [2004]. Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash (4th edition ed.). London: Aurum Press. p. 190. ISBN 1845131134. OCLC 61177239. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help)
  28. ^ The 1979 USA release of the debut album was significantly different from the original 1977 UK release. For more details about those differences see The Clash.
  29. ^ All of The Clash's albums and singles were originally issued on CBS Records; subsequent re-issues and CD releases have been through Epic.

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