The Clash is a British punk, pop/rock band that formed in the 1976 in London, England. The band originally consist of the lead vocalist and guitarist Joe Strummer, vocalist and lead guitarist Mick Jones, bass guitarist Paul Simonon, guitarist Keith Levene, and drummer/percussionist Terry Chimes. The Clash became part of different movements with post punk both in England and eventually the U.S.
History[]
Their first concert was with the Sex Pistols in July of 1976, a month after their first rehearsal. After that, the band worked on coming up with more music and agreed not to perform again until they were much tighter and closer. The band was devoted to forming a distinctive identity and didn’t want their songs to be about love, but about what is affecting them and what is important to them. When they started to record and perform more, critics referred to them as powerful, like a “runaway train” (Sounds critic Giovanni Dadamo). They would continue to perform with the Sex Pistols till December 1976, losing Levene and Chimes within that time. ===
In January 1977, the Clash signed with CBS Records and their first single, White Riot, was released a few months later. They released their first album, The Clash, a month later and it reached number 12 on the charts in the UK, but CBS would not let them release it in the US because they claimed that the album would not be a successful sell with its “raw and barely produced sound”. In May, they started their first White Riot tour. During their tour, they unexpectedly another song called Complete Control, a song that expressed their anger towards their record label for releasing one of their songs they did not approve of. The song talks about their frustration towards how managers have too much control over their groups and how punk idealism is being crushed by people in charge.
In 1979, they released their new album London Calling which was one of their greatest albums. The song hit number 11 on the British charts and number 9 on the US British charts. In 1980, they recorded Bankrobber and the album Sandinitisa. In 1981 they worked on their 5th album which included the songs This Is Radio Clash and Should I Stay or Should I Go.
In 1982, Headon was kicked out of the band due to drug problems and from there there was constant tension with everyone in the band. They continued to tour despite the problems they were having. They eventually lost Chimes again after having him come back to replace Headon, then they also fired Jones from the band later too. In early 1986, the band completely broke up.
Their Music[]
The Clash became one of the best punk rock bands of their time. The Clash was mainly punk but they also use other genres in their music like reggae, rockabilly, dub, and R&B. The band was ranked 28 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 22nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They influenced other bands such as Green Day, Band Religion, and Rise Against.
Mikal Gilmore wrote that he thought the clash’s first album was “one of those aggressive albums, but then there was also this great melodic sensibility about it”. There music was assertive and tried to push limits. Most of their songs were written to talk about social equality and protesting against monarchy and aristocracy. They would sing about all the problems they saw in society and the problems within our military and with war. White Riot talks about how white people should hate the government just as much as people of color do. Strummer compares the blacks with the white poor citizens and how they should expect to be treated differently but shouldn’t be. London Calling describes different way the world could possibly end based on what the members of the band have view in society like and ice age, starvation or war. They wanted to rebel society and get people to realize what was going on around them.
Studio Albums:[]
| Year | Album | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Clash | April 8th |
| 1978 | Give 'Em Enough Rope | Nov. 10th |
| 1979 | :London Calling | Dec. 14th |
| 1980 | Sandinista! | Dec. 12th |
| 1982 | Combat Rock | May 14th |
| 1985 | Cut The Crap | Nov. 4th |