So why is The Clash on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
For a lengthy period of my life, when I thought about “old school” punk bands – the ones best known for starting it all – it boiled down to the Ramones from the U.S. and The Sex Pistols and The Clash from the UK.
And that was it, right there. Later, thankfully, I’d do a much deeper dive and discover a treasure trove of other brilliant bands and sounds, but I still maintain a special reverence for the troika of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash.
Additionally, there’s something about the year 1977 that is also fundamental to the punk rock explosion.
Never Mind the Bollocks was released in October of that year, Rocket to Russia in November, and The Clash dates back earlier in that year, with an April release in the UK and July for the U.S.
The Clash endures as a tremendously exciting listen and a chunk of the bedrock upon which an entire genre of music is built.
Back to the U.S. vs. UK releases of The Clash: not only were there separate release dates, but the versions of the albums were quite different.
“Deny,” “Protex Blue,” “Cheat,” and “48 Hours” were removed from the British edition and replaced for the U.S. release with the British-only singles “Complete Control,” “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais,” “Clash City Rockers,” “I Fought the Law,” and “Jail Guitar Doors.”
Translation: some of the single greatest punk rock songs of all time were not included on the UK version of The Clash!
First of all: shout out to all bands who include the name of their band in the name of one of your best songs. The Clash should get royalties for pulling off such a move, says I.
Anyway, “Clash City Rockers” is brilliant, ebullient, angry, passionate, gorgeous punk rock that feels just as alive today as it did during the Carter administration.
“I Fought the Law” pointed the way toward how tuneful and melodic punk rock could be, not to mention catchy on a galactical level.
“I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.” and “London’s Burning” set the mood and vibe and attitude for the first generation of punks and punk-curious masses.
And a cover of the Junior Murvin reggae song, “Police and Thieves,” showed The Clash’s capacity and appetite to musically experiment from their earliest days.
Some stats & info about The Clash
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Punk Rock, British Bands, Old School Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #102
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Clash released? 1977
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #232 out of 1,000
The Clash on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Clash that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
London’s burning (with boredom now).
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.