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Made some great singles in Casbah, Fought The Law and my fave Whiteman in Hammersmith Palais, but also a lot of album filling dross. Also, did they get too commercial once the Punk scene died?
I know there are some big Clash fans o here, please enlighten me.
[Post edited 8 Mar 2014 19:26]
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Off Topic...The Clash on 08:47 - Mar 9 with 1849 views
As much as I like the Damned (and they are still touring and definitely worth seeing), they really were Championship Punk compared to the Clash's Champions League.
Off Topic...The Clash on 08:36 - Mar 9 by Bluce_Ree
Andalucia you say?
My brother loves The Clash and says the first album is perfect. I maybe agree with Toast. The singles are amazing, especially London Calling. But the other tracks don't seem to do it for me.
As for being too commercial when punk died, I think most bands got better. Cure, Killing Joke, Banshees. Much better when they went all experimental and moved away from the three chord stuff.
Ah! You beat me to it!
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
They had two guys who could knock out a song between them and two guys who could sing, and that always gives you more options musically, and they took those options. The other two weren't bad either. Most great bands have a good 4. Extremely diverse and perhaps too diverse in the end but culturally they were band who acted as the bridge between the rather nasty racist 1970's and the more multicultural and integrated music scene that we have now, and that's probably an even more valuable legacy.
I can't see Spanish Bombs as a filler at all, one of the best tracks on an outstanding album. Maybe Lovers Rock was the weak link but the rest was class. I love The Card Cheat - one of Mick's best vocals. Strummers's vocal performance on London Calling was at times beyond belief, such as here:
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Off Topic...The Clash on 10:36 - Mar 9 with 1803 views
They had two guys who could knock out a song between them and two guys who could sing, and that always gives you more options musically, and they took those options. The other two weren't bad either. Most great bands have a good 4. Extremely diverse and perhaps too diverse in the end but culturally they were band who acted as the bridge between the rather nasty racist 1970's and the more multicultural and integrated music scene that we have now, and that's probably an even more valuable legacy.
I can't see Spanish Bombs as a filler at all, one of the best tracks on an outstanding album. Maybe Lovers Rock was the weak link but the rest was class. I love The Card Cheat - one of Mick's best vocals. Strummers's vocal performance on London Calling was at times beyond belief, such as here:
Wrong'em Boyo, Four Horsemen, Revolution Rock, all rambling filler, miles away from the furious intensity of the likes of What's My Name, Cheat and Protex Blue from the first album. There's still good stuff like I'm Not Down, Train in Vain and Rudy Can't Fail, so there was a very good single album on a baggy double album, but it was a big disappointment to me overall at the time, much as I tried to like it.
The rot started with "Julie's been working for the Drug Squad' on the previous album.
And next on Front Row...
[Post edited 9 Mar 2014 10:37]
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Off Topic...The Clash on 11:42 - Mar 9 with 1783 views
I saw the Clash for the first time in 1977. For me they completely shaped my youth and growing up. they typified everything anti establishment and even though they changed and become more accepted, I still think they are the most significant band of the era. I must have seen them over 30 times through out the period - I never saw a bad gig - which speaks volumes. They were intense, powerful, passionate and uncompromising.... everything you want from a rebel stand point. I'm happy that they broke up when they did - I would never want them to become a U2 type band, they were electric and amazing and will stay exactly that in my memory.... Untouchable.
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Off Topic...The Clash on 11:44 - Mar 9 with 1782 views
Thought the Clash were the best band from that era, even though I loved the Pistols too. The Damned were always a bit pantomime for me.
Saw the Clash three times, Music Machine, Harlesden Roxy, then the Ace in Brixton just before Mick got fired. Each time they were different - much as their albums were - and each time brilliant. They lasted just the right length of time, any longer and they'd have become a parody of themselves (see: U2). Songs from all the albums last well, whether it's Janie Jones, Stay Free, The Card Cheat, Straight to Hell - all great songs.
You could do worse than try out the three Joe Strummer & the Mescalaros albums. They're also each very different from the other but there's some great stuff on them, too.
Off Topic...The Clash on 11:44 - Mar 9 by RedbourneR
Thought the Clash were the best band from that era, even though I loved the Pistols too. The Damned were always a bit pantomime for me.
Saw the Clash three times, Music Machine, Harlesden Roxy, then the Ace in Brixton just before Mick got fired. Each time they were different - much as their albums were - and each time brilliant. They lasted just the right length of time, any longer and they'd have become a parody of themselves (see: U2). Songs from all the albums last well, whether it's Janie Jones, Stay Free, The Card Cheat, Straight to Hell - all great songs.
You could do worse than try out the three Joe Strummer & the Mescalaros albums. They're also each very different from the other but there's some great stuff on them, too.
Mick Jones last incarnation with Tony James, Carbon/Silicon, the album The Last Post is also more than listenable.
Wrong'em Boyo, Four Horsemen, Revolution Rock, all rambling filler, miles away from the furious intensity of the likes of What's My Name, Cheat and Protex Blue from the first album. There's still good stuff like I'm Not Down, Train in Vain and Rudy Can't Fail, so there was a very good single album on a baggy double album, but it was a big disappointment to me overall at the time, much as I tried to like it.
The rot started with "Julie's been working for the Drug Squad' on the previous album.
And next on Front Row...
[Post edited 9 Mar 2014 10:37]
I don't think that many people would agree that London Calling would have been a better single album as you'd never agree on the best 12 tracks. Maybe from a hardcore punk perspective it was 'different' but that doesn't make the different stuff 'filler', it's just different.
I'm no great fan of U2 but I think that The Edge did sum them up pretty well:
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Off Topic...The Clash on 15:18 - Mar 9 with 1746 views
Off Topic...The Clash on 15:30 - Mar 9 by izlingtonhoop
One of my best mates once wrote:
The first album is the best album ever, the next one ok but not quite as good, repeat with each album.
Not necessarily my own views, but it might be a guide...
For pure punk he was right but for variety london calling. Sandinista was deemed to be full of filler but they were just pleasing themselves by then. That's why I laugh at the comment about them being commercial. Nothingcould be ffurther from the truth.
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Off Topic...The Clash on 17:07 - Mar 9 with 1706 views
Off Topic...The Clash on 11:42 - Mar 9 by 100percent
I saw the Clash for the first time in 1977. For me they completely shaped my youth and growing up. they typified everything anti establishment and even though they changed and become more accepted, I still think they are the most significant band of the era. I must have seen them over 30 times through out the period - I never saw a bad gig - which speaks volumes. They were intense, powerful, passionate and uncompromising.... everything you want from a rebel stand point. I'm happy that they broke up when they did - I would never want them to become a U2 type band, they were electric and amazing and will stay exactly that in my memory.... Untouchable.
Though you should have mixed 'em in with the O'Jays in your Dj set last night?
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Off Topic...The Clash on 11:10 - Mar 10 with 1412 views
Highly recommend From Here to Eternity. Brilliant live album, great production but you can hear what an amazing and tight band they were live. And it's got a pitcture of the Westway on the front as well. What's not to like!
Shit but local
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Off Topic...The Clash on 11:35 - Mar 10 with 1407 views
Highly recommend From Here to Eternity. Brilliant live album, great production but you can hear what an amazing and tight band they were live. And it's got a pitcture of the Westway on the front as well. What's not to like!
Very true and the intro to Guns of Brixton is the cue to tune both the volume and bass up to max, although doing this once just after its release blew the speakers of my brand new Technics system!
Off Topic...The Clash on 15:18 - Mar 9 by Berkohoop
Can someone give me a list of albums in order of quality, fancy a bit of a listen
The Clash - A classic album. But not quite my favourite. Give 'Em Enough Rope - Not bad, a little over produced IMO London Calling - My favourite album ever and where they started branching out. Over this and the next album they dabbled with Rockabilly, Reggae, Ska, Rap, Disco, Gospel & Pop. Nothing wrong with broadening your horizons (or 'going global') Sandinista - Never a treble - could have been a killer single album but getting Blockheads kids to sing an old favourite or playing a song backwards, should never have got past quality control. Rock The Casbah - They'd gone very American by then, Side 1 is great, side 2 less so. Cut the Crap - Is not and never will be considered a proper Clash album.
London Calling single should ONLY be considered a QPR song - Just listen to the fade out at the end - "I never felt so much a like, a like, alike, alika....." (singing the blues !)
London Calling album story - Band wanted to release a double album for the price of a single album. Record company said No. So band asked if they could give away a free 12" single with a single album. Record company said OK. So band recorded 9 tracks on the 'free 12" and someone changed the speed of the recording from 45 to 33. Cue unhappy record company and it didn't help when band said next album will be a triple !
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Off Topic...The Clash on 15:55 - Mar 10 with 1371 views
Off Topic...The Clash on 14:20 - Mar 10 by qpr1976
The Clash - A classic album. But not quite my favourite. Give 'Em Enough Rope - Not bad, a little over produced IMO London Calling - My favourite album ever and where they started branching out. Over this and the next album they dabbled with Rockabilly, Reggae, Ska, Rap, Disco, Gospel & Pop. Nothing wrong with broadening your horizons (or 'going global') Sandinista - Never a treble - could have been a killer single album but getting Blockheads kids to sing an old favourite or playing a song backwards, should never have got past quality control. Rock The Casbah - They'd gone very American by then, Side 1 is great, side 2 less so. Cut the Crap - Is not and never will be considered a proper Clash album.
London Calling single should ONLY be considered a QPR song - Just listen to the fade out at the end - "I never felt so much a like, a like, alike, alika....." (singing the blues !)
London Calling album story - Band wanted to release a double album for the price of a single album. Record company said No. So band asked if they could give away a free 12" single with a single album. Record company said OK. So band recorded 9 tracks on the 'free 12" and someone changed the speed of the recording from 45 to 33. Cue unhappy record company and it didn't help when band said next album will be a triple !
The double album instead of a free single was I think true, but it might have helped that the CBS boss, Oberstein, liked the band and was also a hoop.
Off Topic...The Clash on 14:20 - Mar 10 by qpr1976
The Clash - A classic album. But not quite my favourite. Give 'Em Enough Rope - Not bad, a little over produced IMO London Calling - My favourite album ever and where they started branching out. Over this and the next album they dabbled with Rockabilly, Reggae, Ska, Rap, Disco, Gospel & Pop. Nothing wrong with broadening your horizons (or 'going global') Sandinista - Never a treble - could have been a killer single album but getting Blockheads kids to sing an old favourite or playing a song backwards, should never have got past quality control. Rock The Casbah - They'd gone very American by then, Side 1 is great, side 2 less so. Cut the Crap - Is not and never will be considered a proper Clash album.
London Calling single should ONLY be considered a QPR song - Just listen to the fade out at the end - "I never felt so much a like, a like, alike, alika....." (singing the blues !)
London Calling album story - Band wanted to release a double album for the price of a single album. Record company said No. So band asked if they could give away a free 12" single with a single album. Record company said OK. So band recorded 9 tracks on the 'free 12" and someone changed the speed of the recording from 45 to 33. Cue unhappy record company and it didn't help when band said next album will be a triple !
That's a great post. I still remember buying Sandinista for £3.99. Bargain!
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Off Topic...The Clash on 17:35 - Mar 10 with 1346 views
Anything but QPR at the moment which is far too depressing to dwell on...
Right I’ve listened to the London Calling album and having given it some consideration, I’ve concluded I don’t know what all the fuss is about. If Ringo wasn’t the best drummer in the Beatles, this is certainly not the best album the Clash made let alone one the greatest of all time.
London Calling, Guns of Brixton( an over self conscious reggae attempt at best) and Train in Vain aside, the rest are nothing but average album fillers. Joe Strummer not exactly blessed with a singing voice and I get that with their music you don’t have to be Freddie Mercury or nothing, but come on people. Most of the tracks on this album are instantly forgettable. Jimmy Jazz??? Ok boys keep churning them out.
Nope sorry, don’t get the hype with that album at all, other then the great cover. Very few of my favourite Clash tracks appear on it.
Now don't get me started on Jimi Hendrix and Electric Ladyland...
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