The Clash, Part 1

The Clash -- Complete Discography, Part 1

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Album Rankings:

1) London Calling

2) Sandinista!

3) The Clash (US or UK)

4) Give 'Em Enough Rope

5) From Here to Eternity: Live

6) Combat Rock
7) Super Black Market Clash
8) Cut the Crap

       A strange choice, I know, but this was the very first non-Beatles rock band that I got into. This was...probably a bad decision on my part, as I still think that the band isn't the most accessible group in the world (an understatement), but it was what I did. For more info on how this happened, check the London Calling review, but yup. That's how it went down. And so, I have more of an attachment and love for the band than many people, even if I can freely admit that pretty much everything post-Sandinista was complete crap, and that Give 'Em Enough Rope isn't exactly a masterpiece. But man, the debut, LC, and the afore-mentioned Sandinista! are all friggin' aces in my book.

       So what do I like about the band? I mean, if you know my tastes, then you know that my very favorite genres are regular 'ole classic rock and country. Thus, you would assume that my favorite genre would be roots-rock. And yes, The Gilded Palace of Sin and the Stones late-60s/early-70s foursome are among my favorite albums ever. However, The Clash's main genres of specialty are...reggae and British punk. Now, I like me some British punk -- particularly Pink Flag and Singles Going Steady, but I would be hard-pressed to consider it one of my favorite genres. And as far as reggae goes...I don't mind it, but I don't think I own a single non-Clash reggae album...so....yeah.

       Also, I'm a Republican, so the band's socialistic lyrics are hardly a draw for me. Oh, and most of my all-time favorite albums have a flow or theme of some sort, and are thus what I and many others call "more than a collection of songs". I can't think of a single Clash album that I would consider more than a collection of songs. So....why do I like this band again???
       Because they made some of the greatest songs in the history of rock music. Melody, arrangement, variety -- when it came to writing songs, these guys had it all, particularly during the London Calling sessions. And also, they were incredibly varied with these songs, and they did loads and loads of genres fantastically well. Reggae, punk, acoustic ballads, pop, dance hall, rap, jazz, funk, hard rock, novelty, spoken word -- the band tried their hand at all of those throughout their brief career, and I'm happy to say that I could probably find at least one classic song from each of those genres...well, maybe not spoken word, but the rest of 'em? Yeah. They did the genre justice, and then some.
       Oh, and in my opinion, Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were one of the greatest songwriting duos in the history of rock music. Much like how Brian May and Freddie Mercury added doses of hard rock and theatricality (respectively) to their music, Mick and Joe both had completely different genres and styles in which they worked best in. This combo was a major boon for the band, as far as I can see. And also, the contrast of Mick's voice every now and then also helps majorly for variety within the albums.
       So there you have it. For anyone wondering the lineup is as follows: you got Joe Strummer providing extremely scratchy lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Mick Jones providing extremely pretty occasional lead vocals and lead guitar. Paul Simonon was a guitarist who the band met, and said "Hey, can you play bass?" to which Paul responded "No, I can't" to which the band responded, "Hey, you can be our bass player!". So yeah, Paul Simonon the bassist was born. He also adds very occasional lead vocals. Like....three or so songs throughout the band's entire career. (But hey, all those songs were good!) The band's drummer for their first album was Terry Chimes, a decent, but not too special punk drummer. He was then fired and replaced by the fantastic Topper Headon, a jazz drummer whose sound fits in PERFECTLY with The Clash. He never really did anything too jaw-droppingly amazing, but his drumming was always incredibly solid and useful.
       Oh, and here's something cool! Have you read all the reviews and want to hear some of the music for yourself? Well, look no further! I've got a link to one of my absolute favorite podcasts, Discover Music Project!!! (For those not in the know, a podcast is a downloadable internet radio show.) DMP is hosted by the great Jonny Metts, and is a show where each episode, a different music artist is spotlighted. Songs by that artist are then played on the show, followed by discussion. Jonny does his own personal artist/song choices most of the time, but sometimes the floor is opened for listener playlists, such as in this Clash episode. In fact, this certain listener happens to be named Reagan. Hey, that's my name! Hey, wait....IT'S ACTUALLY ME!!!! That's right, this playlist was designed personally by yours truly! Ain't that swell? Anyway, here's the link: Discover Music Project: Episode 47 -- The Clash. (Oh, you may notice some extremely hyperbolic comments from me being read aloud. Yeah, I was kinda being a little over the top, to ensure that my playlist would be used on the show. And it worked!)

The Clash (UK or US) (1977/1979)

Rating: 13 (for both)

"They're always on the TV / 'cause killers in America work seven days a week!"

Best Song: Janie Jones for the UK album; Complete Control for the US one

Worst Song: What's My Name? (both)

       Yeah, I decided to review them together, because unlike most people, I think that the US and UK versions are pretty much equal in quality. For those of you who don't know, the original version of the album, released in the UK in 1977, was a straight punk album. However, when CBS wanted to release the album in America two years later, right before the release of London Calling, they thought the album was a little too....rough around the edges. So, they decided to cut off the worst tracks (arguable, but I'll get to that later) and stick on a bunch of much more advanced singles that the band had released in the years since the original's release, as well as a re-recorded version of one track from the original, "White Riot". Thus, we're left with two surprisingly different albums -- one with nothing but fast, short punk songs, and the other with more varied material. 

       Most people prefer the US version, as the songs added are all quite excellent and interesting, and the songs excised aren't exactly the greatest tracks in the world. However, to my ears, one thing holds the US album from being way better than the UK version and a guaranteed 14. That, my friends, is the sequencing and flow. I can't explain why, really, but "Remote Control" sounds WAY better following "Janie Jones" than it does following "I'm So Bored with the USA". Also, I find that most of the worst tracks are all bunched together on the US version towards the end (London Calling, anyone), while the weaker tracks on the original version are more spaced throughout. Not to mention that the more advanced material is a bit of a sore thumb stuck among the original punk songs.

       But even though I don't think that the US version is that much better than the original, I do think that it's at least slightly better. "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" is a fantastic reggae song with an awesome opening, funny lyrics, a great melody, and some whacked-out harmonica. What more could you want from an early Clash reggae song? Nothing, that's what!

       Even better is the cover of "I Fought the Law", which is way more fun and anthemic than it should be. Oh, and listen to that guitar playing! And listen to "Jail Guitar Doors", which is extremely underrated! Sure, the "BANG! BANG!" and "CLANG! CLANG!" lines are kinda goofy, but it's an extremely catchy rocker, and one of my personal favorites on the album. I'm not as crazy about the opener, "Clash City Rockers", but that's only because of the ridiculously muddy production. (WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE THEY ARE PLAYING THROUGH A FILTER? WHY?!?!) The song itself is a fun little "I Can't Explain" rip-off with a great vocal melody.

       Ah, but none are as good as "Complete Control". This one takes a while to grow on you, but eventually it does, and man...it's absolutely brilliant. Mick's off doing crazy guitar fireworks the entire time as Joe spits out his incredibly angry lyrics directed towards CBS about their dealings with the band's material. And while the song's pretty good for a while, it REALLY takes off when Mick starts chanting that "CONTROL! C-O-N! CONTROL!" lyric at the end as Strummer starts screaming completely unintelligible bits of furious scatting! And all the while Mick's guitar is just squealing like a madman all over the place! Heck, this outro is so epic that they could carry it on for five minutes, "Hey Jude" style, but they cut it after one! Ooo, it's such a great song.

       I guess I better talk about the punk songs on the original, eh? "Career Opportunities", "Protex Blue", and "White Riot" are all great, fun little punk numbers that are catchy as anything The Ramones (or any other punk band, for that matter) ever put out, as is "I'm So Bored with the USA". I particularly like Mick's backing vocals in "USA"'s chorus. They're surprisingly chilling, actually.

       "48 Hours", "Garageland", "Hate & War", and "Remote Control" are all merely decent and don't really do much for me. They're certainly not bad, but eh...the band could obviously do much better. The UK version's opener, however, is simply excellent. "Janie Jones" is two minutes of catchy punk fury, and it captures the album as well as anything else here. And isn't Jones' little "Let them know / Let them knoooooooooooooow!" line at the end not beautiful? I think it is, personally.

       Then there's the album's odd duck, the 6-minute reggae cover "Police & Thieves". It's not nearly as good as "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais", but it doesn't really harm the album in any way. It's fun, the bass line is pretty cool, it's got a decent guitar solo -- not bad, not bad at all. Also, this album's version of "White Riot" far exceeds the re-recorded version on the US edition. It's way more fun and energetic here. Heck, it almost reminds me of "Blitzkrieg Bop", funny enough.

       Ya like punk? Get this. Immediately. Heck, I'd even say it's a good starting place for the band, which is rather contrary to popular opinion. You see, it's a lot easier (to me, at least) to get used to Joe Strummer's voice singing punk than another genre, simply because his voice fits punk much, MUCH better than it does pop, or jazz, or ballads, or whatever. Which version? Eh, start with the US one, but if you like it, I HIGHLY recommend the UK version as well. It's probably much more different than you would think, both in content and flow. They're both great, in my opinion.

Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978)

"I went to the place where every white face is an invitation to robbery"

Rating: 11

Best Song: Safe European Home

Worst Song: Cheapskates

       I was planning on giving this one an 10, but I dunno...it's really grown on me. Songs like "Guns on the Roof" and "Drug-Stabbing Time" sounded like boring, generic rockers upon first listen, but now they sound like...really well-done, generic rockers! No, this stuff isn't exactly brilliant, but it's oftentimes catchy and pretty much always fun. I feel about it the same way I do about Radiohead's The Bends -- fun, if not derivative guitar rock that is by no means mind-blowing or perfect (and also contains a few rough patches), is extremely pleasant and well put-together. Thus, they get the same grade. 

       Enough Rope opens with full-blast with the awesome "Safe European Home", easily the best thing here. The super frenetic riffage, Mick's awesome little "Wheeeere'd ya go?!?"'s, Joe's awesome delivery ("They goht tha weed and they goht the tax-ees!")-- yes, it's definitely the best thing here. Not far behind, however, is the strangely anthemic and sentimental "All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts", which is essentially Mick and Joe trying to create a sort of "All the Young Dudes" for the punk kids. Lyrically, I'm not so sure it completely works...but hey, the melody is great, and the aforementioned sentimental feel is rather sweet.

       Also confusingly and un-Clash-ly sentimental is Mick's "Stay Free", a sort of recollection of his young adulthood. It's nothing amazing, but it's definitely not bad. Also not amazing, but definitely not bad is "Last Gang in Town". If it was 3 minutes, it'd probably be pretty great, but at 5? Eh...it's a bit overlong.

       Better is the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" rewrite, "English Civil War". The guitars are awesome and Mick's harmonies are chilling, and it's overall a very cool, fun, and creative take on a melody we've all heard hundreds of times before. There are also the two gun-oriented riff rockers, "Guns on the Roof" and "Tommy Gun". "Guns on the Roof" is yet ANOTHER song based off of the "I Can't Explain" riff, but to be honest...I think I like this one more than "Clash City Rockers". The tone is AWESOME, the production is way clearer, and the vocal melody is at the very least equal to "Rockers". I don't really have much to say on the "Tommy Gun" front. It's fast, it's fun, it's catchy, and it's a riff rocker. Yup.

       I really dig the bouncy, piano-driven "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad". It's got some seriously entertaining lyrics as well as an awesome baseline and the aforementioned piano. Heck, it almost sounds London Calling-y. Good stuff. The only track that I really don't like is the extremely forgettable "Cheapskates", which is yet another riff rocker that features pretty much nothing of interest. Yawn.

       I like this album quite a bit. It's not quite a classic, but it's not THAT far behind The Clash or Sandinista. After the big three, come here first. 

       

The Clash, Part 2

The Clash -- Complete Discography, Part 2

London Calling (1979)

Rating: 15

"Before you meet your fate, be sure you do not forsake / Your lover may not be around anymore"

Best Song: The Card Cheat

 Worst Song: Lover's Rock 

       For years, I've told anyone that would listen that this was the greatest album of all time. I've listened to it dozens and dozens of times, according to iTunes. I know every song by heart. Heck, I can play "The Card Cheat" on piano. But to truly summarize how important of an event this was in my music listening life, I must tell you the story of how I got this album. You see, this was the very first rock album that I ever bought simply on a whim. Before this, I had always had some steady ground to go on. I.E., "I love 'Fortunate Son', 'Proud Mary', and 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" whenever I hear them on the oldies station, so I think I'll buy Chronicle" or "I love everything I've heard by Rush, I've heard the "2112" suite and I enjoyed it, and 2112 is heralded by mainstream rock critics as the band's best album, so I think I'll buy 2112". I also purchased Diver Down and Boston on others recommendations. 

       I had also become imminently familiar with The Beatles around this time, purchasing Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and The White Album in a span of about two months. Anyhow, after figuring out that all of these albums that I had heard of for so many years were actually of a great quality, I decided to take a look at some of those "greatest albums ever" lists that you always hear so much about. I started with the Rolling Stone list. I figured I needed to get something out of the top ten, so I looked around and decided: "Eh, Bob Dylan can't sing (heh, if only I had known what Joe Strummer sang like), I've never heard anything by Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys are mindless pop fluff, I own enough Stones stuff already (read: probably about 10 or so total tracks. I was so dumb), and I already have all of The Beatles' albums". So, it was clear I had only one choice..."hey, that's the band that did that catchy 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' song, isn't it? I'll give it a shot!" and thus, I blindly purchased London Calling. 

       The first time I listened to the album I thought "Hey, these are some decent songs but MAN, is that singer's voice horrible." I refused to stop listening though, as I had spent my hard-earned 15 bucks on this thing, and it was apparently heralded as one of the greatest albums of all time. And so I did. I listened and listened, and then I gradually thought...."Y'know, 'Train in Vain' is pretty darn enjoyable!" and then I thought "Wow, those horns in 'Rudie Can't Fail' sure are cool, aren't they?" and then it was "The Guns of Brixton", then it was "Brand New Cadillac", then it was "Death or Glory", then it was...and so on. Through forcing myself to expose my ears to the album, I gradually (very gradually) began to enjoy every song on here. Now, some songs take longer than others. For example, it was probably around my 15th listen when I finally enjoyed "Four Horsemen". And I still don't enjoy "Lover's Rock", but eh...I'm pretty sure that's just a plain-and-simple bad song.

       So yes, it was this album that REALLY started my music addiction. No one else I knew had even heard OF it, let alone heard it, and it made me feel all cool and hipster-y inside that I was able to "crack" the metaphorical code. But listening to this album after listening to so many others demonstrates something quite interesting to me -- it's the ultimate example of an album as a collection of songs. If you were to shuffle the album, you would get the exact same response. Not a single song on here plays cleverly off of another one, in my opinion, and in all honesty, that sorta flies in the face of my general musical tastes. Heck, it doesn't even really have an epic feel like Exile on Main St. or Blonde on Blonde. It's just a bunch of songs.

       But these are some SERIOUSLY good songs. Every vocal melody, every guitar solo, every instrumental choice -- they're all extremely awesome. Also of note is the INSANE amount of genre experimentation. Rockabilly, straight punk, jazz, lounge rock/funk, reggae, pop, Spector-esque piano ballads, acoustic ballads -- heck, it practically invented ska, to boot! That amount of genre-hopping is a major bonus, as you're never, ever bored when you're listening to this thing. Never. Okay, maybe during "Lover's Rock" and the last two minutes of "Revolution Rock", but other than that....

       I can talk about songs, I suppose. "The Card Cheat" is my favorite thing here, for an especially notable reason -- it's the only thing on the album (bar maybe "Death or Glory" and "Lost in the Supermarket") that is emotionally resounding in any way. (That's my only main flaw with the album. It's extremely fun, and it's ridiculously catchy, but I don't really feel affected very often. Sort of the anti-Plastic Ono Band, if you will.) Mick's singing here just rips my heart out, throws it onto the floor, and stomps on it a couple of times. The "From the Hundred-Year-War to the Crimea" section really grabs me, in particular. Not to mention that the MASSIVE, Spector-y production is ridiculously affective. Apparently the band recorded everything twice -- choirs, pianos, orchestras, the works -- to produce that big, epic feel, and boy, did they ever succeed. Amazing, amazing song.

       "Spanish Bombs" is probably the best sweet, acoustic pop song ever written about the Spanish Civil War, "London Calling" is a jaw-dropping call-to-arms, "Wrong 'Em Boyo" is an absolutely raging ska song, "The Right Profile" just EXUDES pure swagger, "Hateful" is a catchy, synth-driven pop song, "Lost in the Supermarket" is an extremely beautiful and melancholy ballad, and "The Guns of Brixton" is probably the toughest reggae song ever made. Awesome.

       So is it the best album ever? I have no clue. Is it my favorite album? I really don't know. I can give it a perfect score without a second thought, but I've heard it so many times at this point that I'm sort of numb to it. Picture this -- there's this amazing restaurant that you absolutely adore. The food is really cheap, and the restaurant is a short, five-minute drive away from your house. You obviously go there extremely often. However, after several months of being a regular at this place, you eventually grow tired of it. You've tried everything on the menu, and while it's all EXCELLENT, you're just used to it now. You don't dislike it, but you don't really love it anymore. You'll recommend it to anyone that will listen, and you most certainly don't regret going if you eat there, but it's kind of interesting to try different restaurants every now and then, you know? Like the prog restaurant, or the electronica restaurant, or...

       You get the idea. If you don't own it, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND HOLY, MAN, BUY! THIS! ALBUM! Seriously. It's a little hard to stomach at first, but it's allll worth it in the end. Give it a chance. And as for me...I'll still be checking out my favorite restaurant every now and then. Just not as much as I used to. I might get sick.

       

Sandinista! (1980)

Rating: 13

"I'll disappear and fade / And join the street parade"

Best Song: Rebel Waltz, maybe???

Worst Song: Living in Fame

       Urghhhhg...so, after LC, the band went insane and decided that the only way to follow that up was to create a...urghmhg...triple album. Now, this in itself is not inherently evil. Jamey Johnson created a modern double album, which is about the length of a triple album on LP, and that one (The Guitar Song) had no filler at all! But this, yes, does indeed have filler. Lots of it. But some winners do indeed emerge from the swamp, so it all evens out. And even if I don't like it quite as much as the aforementioned Guitar Song (or London Calling, for that matter), it's still most certainly worth a listen. 

       My main problem (other than the filler, obviously) with this here album is the production. The band got Mikey Dread to be the producer for this one, as opposed to the previous album's Guy Stevens, and this, in my humble opinion, was a very, VERY bad decision. Every thing sounds loose and half-baked, as opposed to the tight, melodic precision of London Calling. Take "Somebody Got Murdered", for instance. The guitar just sounds weak, and Mick Jones' usually notable voice is barely audible. Sure, the song's still great, but it could have been SO MUCH better if it was given the LC treatment.

       So yeah, highlights...okay, well, I adore "Police on My Back", which is probably the only thing here that could be stuck on LC, and the listener wouldn't think "Well, that sounds weird." It's a short blast of punky energy, and it's a welcome reprieve from all of the dark reggae on here. Speaking of dark reggae, "One More Time" is pretty awesome, "Junco Partner" is so whacked-out that it becomes quite entertaining, "The Call Up" rides a neat synth loop while still managing to sound like a reggae song, "Washington Bullets" rides a marimba riff while still managing to sound like a reggae song, and Paul Simonon's sole contribution, "The Crooked Beat" is also pretty enjoyable, albeit overlong. Oh, and if you think that's a lot of reggae, there's still plenty of the "-gae" that I didn't cover. Yikes. 

       The poor man's version of "The Card Cheat", "Something About England" is also quite enjoyable, even if it is the poor man's version of "The Card Cheat". "Rebel Waltz" is an EXTREMELY cool track almost reminiscent of something from Pet Sounds. Loads of cool noises, extremely interesting instrumentation (symphonic horns! glockenspiels!), a very nice delivery from Strummer -- cool stuff. 

       The two rap songs, "The Magnificent Seven" and "Lightning Strikes" are both fun (if only to hear Joe rap), albeit similar and slightly overlong. They're definitely enjoyable, though. "The Sound of Sinners" is a HILARIOUS gospel parody/genre exercise, "Midnight Log" and "The Leader" are fun rockabilly ditties, "Let's Go Crazy" in the band's insanely fun take on calypso, and "Version City" is an extremely catchy acoustic number with a very, very strange opening, featuring a fake DJ and a strange 50s song that is creepily sped up. Weird stuff, folks.

       One of my very favorites is "The Street Parade" which sounds very odd the first few times you hear it, thanks to the jarring guitar clanking that occurs during the chorus, but after you get used to that...man, what a beautiful ballad. Just listen to that mournful saxophone! And Joe's incredibly passionate singing! And the fact that Strummer has passed away makes the lyrics about fading away as you age even more impactful. 

       Another one of my favorites is "Kingston Advice", if only because of the insanely memorable chorus. The "don't beg for your liiiiiife" hook is particularly catchy. Sure, the verses are pretty forgettable, and they don't repeat the chorus nearly as much as they could probably get away with (Just two times?!? Really?), but I still love the track. Also of note is the big band(!) "Look Here" which, by all means not a classic, is still quite fun.

      I also like the incredibly random "Lose This Skin", which features absolutely no singing by any members of The Clash, and the lead instrument is a Celtic-sounding violin....wha-? That's right, all the singing is handled by none other than Tymon Dogg. That's right, Tymon Dogg. You don't know who Tymon Dogg is?!?!!?....Well, that's OK, because I don't think that anyone actually does. All that needs to be said is that he sounds like a British, slightly higher-pitched Geddy Lee...and he sounds about as bad as that description makes him out to sound. Not to worry, though, because the violin work and the melody are awesome, and this most certainly saves the song. Heck, it's a highlight, to my ears. And you'll get used to his voice...eventually.

       And that's everything I actually DO like about the album. So that alone should tell you it's worth a purchase. Wanna hear the songs I don't like? Here goes: "The Equaliser", "One More Dub", "Corner Soul", "If Music Could Talk", and "Mensforth Hill". That's it. Sure, songs like "Shepherds Delight" and "Version Pardner" aren't exactly classics, but I couldn't really call them outright bad. They're just...alright. Of course, I could go into why I don't like those above 5 songs, but the reasons boil down to this: they're directionless, melody-less, and completely unmemorable. Oh, and I like the techno version of "Washington Bullets", "Silicone on Sapphire". Yep.

       So there you go. It's not perfect, but it's two and a half hours, and it's about 70-80% perfect. And that's quite an accomplishment. So yes, this is NOTHING like LC, and I wouldn't get it first thing after that, but...it's still definitely worth a listen. Highly recommended...but don't rush headfirst into it.

       

Combar Rock (1982)

"No one mentions the neighboring war / No one knows what the fighting is for"

Rating: 10

Best Song: Should I Stay or Should I Go? 

Worst Song: Red Angel Dragnet

       Well, this is a weird one. The overall sound is much closer to Sandinista! than any of the other albums up to this point, but it still definitely has a style all its own. The main addition to this album that we haven't seen yet is...spoken word?!? That's right! Beat poetry, rap, recitations -- there's lots and lots of spoken word stuff here. 

       And unsurprisingly, not many of the spoken word tracks are very good. The main offender here is the completely unfocused "Red Angel Dragnet" which features random snippets of people reading off quotes from the film Taxi Driver with a repetitive backing. Nothing remotely listenable going on here at all. Not much better is "Ghetto Defendant", which has the famous poet Allen Ginsburg reading off his lines rather stoically as Joe comes in every now and then with a sung segment. The melody of the sung segment is actually rather good, and Allen's near-robotic delivery is somewhat interesting, but that still doesn't come close to holding the song up for nearly five minutes. If you cut about two of those five minutes, it'd probably be fine, but as it is....egh.

       "Sean Flynn" is probably the absolute strangest thing here. It's got a near-ambient backing with some Eastern instrumentation (kinda similar to Bowie's "Moss Garden" from "Heroes") and some decent saxophone, and Joe just kinda yells out some random lines...it's not very good, but it's kind of hypnotic, so it doesn't hurt the album too bad. But again, it's 4:30, and that's just too long for something of this kind, ESPECIALLY on a Clash album. If it was by Eno, eh, it'd still be a little fishy, but at least it would make more sense in that context.

       There's also "Death is a Star", which features Joe reading off a silly little poem with a very theatrical backing. There are also some brief, pleasant sung sections that sound almost French, to my ears. Again, not bad, but still nothing great. The same could be said of "Overpowered by Funk", a pretty cheesy little dance tune, featuring a guest rap by Futura 2000. Like I said, it's a little cheesy (it sounds like a mid-90s video game soundtrack at times), but it's still kinda fun, I suppose.

       So yeah, those are the negatives. Of course, there must be some positives, right? I mean, I gave it a 10, didn't I? 

       Yup. So anyways, the punky opener, "Know Your Rights" is extremely catchy and loads of fun. There are also some very funny, clever lyrics about the rights that people supposedly have. For example, "You have the right to free speech, as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it!" Heh heh, very clever, Joe. "Inoculated City" is an happy, catchy pop song along the lines of "Hitsville U.K.", which I like quite a bit.

       Of course, there's also the incredibly danceable and catchy "Rock the Casbah", featuring a great, rolling piano line (written by Topper, no less), and one of the band's best ever choruses, as well as the bouncy "Car Jamming" which I could totally see someone hating...but I think it's great. It's fun, it's got some really cool rhythms, it's got some nice backing vocals from Ellen Foley -- good stuff.

       I'm sure you've all heard "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" a million times, but I can't help it -- it's still my favorite thing here. It's a way more commercial riff-rocker than you'd expect from these guys, but the melody is just too catchy for me to pass up. Fantastic. 

       The band members have all said throughout the years that "Straight to Hell" was the best thing they ever recorded. I'm not sure if I agree, but it is indeed a very pretty, mellow ballad about Vietnamese orphans that also holds the distinction of using an incredibly haunting electric violin. I personally think that the live version on From Here to Eternity is way better, but hey, it's still great in this form.

       So yeah, some stuff is great, and some stuff is bad, but Combat Rock is still most certainly worth hearing, in my opinion. I'd definitely get some of their better albums first, though.

The Clash, Part 3

Cut the Crap (1985)

Rating: 4

Joe Strummer, on what he did after hearing the finished record:

"I just said "Well, [bleep] this" and [bleep]ed off to Spain to sit sobbing under a tree"

Best Song: Three Card Trick

Worst Song: Dirty Punk

       Ouch. Yes, it's as bad as you always heard. But you see, the problem here is most certainly not the Joe Strummer's writing skills. The melodies, while nowhere near London Calling quality, aren't that far removed from Combat Rock, in all honesty. It's not like Joe just completely forgot how to write or something. 

       No, the problem here is one thing, and one thing only -- the production. On something like, I dunno, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the material itself downright sucked, and that fact combined with the awful 80s production is what made that album so awful. But words cannot describe the sheer vileness oozing out of this production. It's like you told someone "Hey, man! Can you please make this album as irritatingly 80s as possible? No, I don't mean what sand music from the 80s actually sounds like, I mean what people who overly generalize 80s music as being complete and total crap picture 80s music as sounding like!", and that's exactly what happened.

       Songs like "Dictator", "We Are The Clash", "Cool Under Heat", and "This is England" would all be halfway decent if not for this monstrosity of a production job. The only song that doesn't reek of horribleness is the fun reggae jaunt of "Three Card Trick". Yes, the 80s stuff is still in full force, but it isn't NEARLY as irritating here as it is everywhere else. 

      So...should you buy it? No. Do not. Unless you're either a completionist or a fan of mutilating your ears. Anyone else? Steer clear.

Super Black Market Clash (1993)

Rating: 8

"Get 'cho car outta that gear!"

Best Song: Groovy Times

Worst Song: Justice Tonight / Kick It Over

       As far as outtakes collections go...it's not bad. I most certainly prefer it to something like, I dunno, Metamorphosis, but I still can't say that I really like the album. There's one absolutely EXCELLENT stretch there in the middle (near the era of London Calling, unsurprisingly), but everything else is pretty much take it or leave it. 

       For those who don't know, this essentially works as a career retrospective for the band, including outtakes from every section of The Clash's life. You start out with your basic punk, you progress a little bit with that style, then you completely turn around and start hearing fun, horn-driven reggae, and then you arrive at the section I like to call "the section people imagine in their heads when people who hate Sandinista describe Sandinista". Y'know, repetitive, 8-minute dub reggae with not a melody (or more than a bit of vocals) in sight? Yeah, that's what this section is. That's then followed up with some slightly interesting stuff from Combat Rock.

       Songs? Well, the punk stomp of "1977" and "Listen" are A-OK in my book, as is "Jail Guitar Doors", but then again...you already heard that on The Clash (US), didn't you? Oh, and "Pressure Drop", "Groovy Times", and "The Prisoner" are all near-perfect tracks that sound very LC-y. Other than that...I guess "Stop the World", "Capital Radio Two", and "Long Time Jerk" are alright. Everything else? Either mind-numbing reggae, or just plain ol' forgettable.

       Like the band? Sure, go ahead and pick it up. After murdering yourself while listening to the 9-minute "Justice Tonight", you can enjoy the rest of the not-half-bad offerings on this here collection. Besides, those three tracks from the London Calling era are really quite good. 

 

From Here to Eternity: Live (1999)

Rating: 12

"I never felt so much a-like singin' the blues"

Best Song: Straight to Hell

Worst Song: Armagideon Time

       It's fine, but it's completely inessential. None of the songs exceed the originals , and none of them (save "Straight to Hell") are different enough from the original to be interesting, to my ears. I like it fine, and it's a very enjoyable listen, but I still think...eh, I'd still rather hear the regular versions of these songs. So yeah, if you're really into The Clash, and you'd like to hear what they sounded like live...have at it. It's fun, it's energetic, but really...it's nothing special. It gets a high score, because...well, the songs are excellent, but as far as a live album goes? You can do much better.

Order of Accessibility

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       Kick it off with the US version of The Clash. Yeah, you heard me. I don't care what you say, it is much easier to get used to Strummer's voice when he's singing punk than when he's singing reggae, or pop, or whatever. Start with this. Then proceed to London Calling and attempt to take in the awesomeness that is that album. It may take you a bit...but it'll come. Go ahead and plunge into Sandinista! after that, followed up by Give 'Em Enough Rope. Then go for Combat Rock, or, if you're into live albums, From Here to Eternity. If you REALLY want more, take a swing at Super Black Market Clash. Leave Cut the Crap to the dogs. Thus, we get:

1) The Clash (US or UK)

2) London Calling

3) Sandinista!

4) Give 'Em Enough Rope

5) Combat Rock

6) From Here to Eternity

7) Super Black Market Clash