Can we have a Clash thread?
What a great band. What are your favourite songs of theirs? Favourite album? My personal favourites include The Magnificent Seven, Ghetto Defendant, This Is Radio Clash, Hammersmith Palais, The Call Up, Complete Control, Charlie Don't Surf, Safe European Home, Straight To Hell, Bankrobber, and every song on London Calling.
Topper is one of the most underrated drummers ever, really should be considered among the most elite in rock
Lost In The Supermarket
I also love the clash. I've mostly listened to london calling and combat rock. I've listened to their other albums, and a few songs stuck with me, like magnificent seven, safe european home and I'm so bored with the usa.
I recently got a book about the clash, which I'm currently reading.
Is Sandinista worth getting into? The first disc was mediocre in my opinion. Also, can we all agree that give em enough rope is the worst album?
Lovers Rock
This tbqh
Sandinista is definitiely worth perservering with in my opinion. It's kinda like the White Album, a lot of it falls flat, but you'd be missing out on some absolute gems if you didn't give it all a chance.
Oh, and to answer your other question, I would second GEER as their weakest album (assuming we're not counting Cut The Crap). That said I still love a lot of it. Safe European Home, All The Young Punks, Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad and Tommy Gun are all great tracks imo
(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais is a lyrical masterpiece.
What the fuck in no way is Give Em Enough Rope their worst, it's easily in their top 3. Worst is Cut the Crap by far, although I don't really count that as a Clash album. Aside from that Combat Rock is their worst.
I've only listened to 2 albums but I've been meaning to listen to more, thanks or reminding me
London Calling is in my top favorite albums, I absolutely love it. Favorite song is Hateful
I listened to Give Em Enough Rope and I really did not care for it, but I might try relistening
Combat Rock may have the two sellout singles but it also has the heights of Straight To Hell, Innoculated City, Know Your Rights and Ghetto Defendant. I prefer it to Rope because it's just more interesting.
Overrated dadrock tbqh
Sandinista has The Leader and Ivan Meets GI Joe, both of which are fucking dope. Takes the White album mentality for sure.
Definitely give their debut a shot, both the UK and US versions. It's essential.
Ivan Meets G.I. Joe is patrician af
The Clash work best by listening in Chronological order. Start with the S/T, as it's their most straightforward punk album. Give Em Enough Rope is also a punk album, but it starts to step into other genres. London Calling is a ton of genres mixed together, with a few punk songs sprinkled in. Sandinista is their most experimental, with very few punk songs. Combat Rock is their most pop album, but it does start out with one hell of a punk song. Don't bother listening to Cut the Crap though.
Nope that's pleb tier
Sean Flynn, Cool Confusion, Shepherds Delight, The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too, Red Angel Dragnet and Fingerpoppin' are true patrician tier Clash songs
I would just argue that over all the quality of songs is weaker than their others. Straight to Hell and Know Your Rights are definitely the standouts though (Overpowered By Funk is kind of a jam desu). It's not a bad album, it's just not that great over all. Give Em Enough Rope is much more consistent
This. Also try Super Black Market Clash, it has songs which didn't make the albums like Bankrobber, Armagideon Time, Pressure Drop, etc. In fact, Sound System is a handy compilation as it quite simply features every single Clash song ever recorded as well as demos and previously unheard stuff, minus Cut The Crap. It's on streaming services.
I haven't even dared to listen to cut the crap. Is it still worth checking out, even if everyone thinks it sucks?
Not worth it desu. It's barely even the Clash because there is no Mick Jones or Topper Headon, and Strummer later admitted putting no passion into the album.
Agreed. The Clash have a lot of insanely impressive singles that aren't on any of their albums. Bankrobber, (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais, and Clash City Rockers are among my favorite songs by them.
Definitely not worth it, it's just a really boring and forgettable album.
Any thoughts on Strummer's solo work?
Good to see This Is Radio Clash getting some love. It's so ahead of its time... an experimental hip-hop/post-disco/dance-punk fusion with typically great lyrics. Both versions they recorded have absolutely brilliant vocal performances by Joe Strummer.
I'm a fan. Earthquake Weather is a nice, comfy album. Mesceleros stuff while not technically solo is solid too.
Cultural appropriation: the band
In a good way though. They took the best parts of other countries' music scenes and melted them into their own very British sound and style. They did it better than most.
best song is bankrobber
I read that the record company initially turned that song down when the band presented it to them, describing it as sounding like a David Bowie song played backwards
Fucking savage
Kys
Charlie don't surf and we think he shouuuuuld
Complete control is an underrated masterpiece, totally forgotten since it wasn't included on the US version of their debut. Favorite album is London calling though, The clash always seemed like the intelligent jock on the punk class, while Television were the nerds and the damned and sex pistols were just lazy fuckers.
rudie can't fail is one of the best songs of all time
>the bassline in that song
muh dick
Sandinista is a personal favorite of mine, but it definitely took a long time to fully appreciate it. When I was in high school, I ended up listening to it precisely because of its size - while gaming I liked that I could press play at the start and not have to pick something else to listen to for another two and a half hours.
Ultimately, it's a triple album that would be better as a double - roughly one third of the tracks are completely disposable. The other two thirds are great, but all over the place - and yet, despite the variety, there's this drab, eerie feeling that persists throughout the album, creating a remarkable cohesion. Sandinista has hip-hop, power pop, reggae, dub, ballads, punk, and a lot of indescribably weird shit, but somehow even its shittiest songs feel like they belong.
When I listen to this album I tend to skip several tracks, and I wouldn't blame you if you did too. If you like the Clash, you'll probably love about half of the songs on Sandinista, but you'll have to go through it a few times to figure out which songs those are. Had they trimmed an hour off of it, it could easily be my favorite Clash album - but I think its bloat gives it a lot of charm.
As for their worst album: easily Cut The Crap, but most fans would rather pretend it doesn't exist. Otherwise, I'd say Give Em Enough Rope and Combat Rock are their weakest, but still great albums overall.
The Clash and The Jam were both brilliant bands, it's a shame only the former made an impression on the States
Cut The Crap isn't that bad
this is england is alright, the rest is gash
LC > S! > s/t > CR > GEER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CTC
i like sandinista. used to listen to this a lot, ironically when i was learning spanish
i actually prefer the jam to the clash, but i went through a weird, misguided paul weller phase.
London Calling is GOAT.
The Card Cheat and Train in Vain are two of my favorite songs, as well as Overpowered by Funk.
This and Police and Thieves are the two greatest baselines of all time.
I'm so hard thinking about them
I haven't listened to much Clash but GEER is the only one I like so far besides their radio hits. What's wrong with me?
bump because
One song that really grew on me over the years was "Spanish Bombs"
Safe European Home is one of my favorites too
complete control was on the US release, but not the original UK release
don't forget Guns of Brixton
fucking love Paul Simonon
Sandinista has their best songs, would have been their best albums if it was cut down to a double album.
If someone put a gun to my head and yelled name your number one song of all time now I'd say Death or Glory
>Remote Control > Complete Control
do we all agree on this?
their guitar tones were fantastic btw
>Death or Glory
>Wrong 'Em Boyo
>Koka Kola
London Calling really was some shit huh
Train in Vain is one of the most unique, addicting songs I've ever heard. I come back to it several times a year.
ncaa 2006 soundtrack dude
Nah but RC is very very underrated