The Clash – “The only band that matters”: a brief history

The Clash inspired countless articles within the realm of music journalism during the punk period and due to the tragic death of frontman Joe Strummer, the contemporary mainstream press deemed it necessary to pay tribute to both him and their musical legacy.

The impetus behind the writing of this article is not merely to lament the death of Strummer but rather appraise the enduring influence and relevance of The Clash in this contemporary age of vacuum-packed sing-along pop stars and mass consumerism.

Quite simply, The Clash remains the last band to have mattered. Or perhaps, if that is too hard to swallow, the last band to have mattered so much. Their combination of musical progressiveness, lyrical integrity, the eschewing of the studio suits, the loyalty to their fans and continual refusal to sell-out even after Strummer’s death (so far) make them the most important band England has ever produced. After such a pretentious sentence, you might be wondering how qualified I am to argue their case. Well, it seems I’ve rumbled myself: I’m only 24, and merely a twinkle in my father’s eye when Strummer and co. were tearing up London clubs. But why should this matter? Do we refute the opinion of classical music journalists just because they weren’t around to hear Mozart conduct The Marriage of Figaro? Not a bit of it, so let’s not proceed down this murky and inconsequential path as to be honest, I’ll beat ya.

Perhaps music’s greatest assets are longevity and accessibility – music surrounds us, it shouts from the radio, television, movie theatre, stereo and the games console. Whether it’s played on a knackered out of tune guitar on the dirtiest street corner or bellowed by a fat Italian on stage at the Royal Opera House, music deeply affects us all. It can compound or change how you feel, it saddens or excites, deconstructs or mythologises and in some cases all of these within a few short minutes. The Clash are one of the few bands that have come to encapsulate these feelings and more for me. Although their music is was recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the beauty of it is that I can relate my life to it in 2003. You can choose to believe this or not and I’m certainly not going to wrestle your head to The Clash’s or my own grindstone, but if you’ve read this much you can do me a favour and read the rest and let me try and convince you.

Upon Joe Strummer’s death, critics and associates unanimously adulated a band that came to define the punk epoch of the late 1970s and influence generations of groups to come. Strummer’s unfortunately pallid exit (he died of a genetic heart condition after walking his dogs) contradicted the urgent and energetic presence of The Clash, though seemed a melancholy parody of the band’s own whimpering demise in the mid 1980s.

Many people unfamiliar with The Clash began to question Strummer’s unprecedented but justifiable mourning in print, on radio and on television. Why were The Clash and Strummer so important? Weren’t they just playing second fiddle to the foul-mouthed Sex Pistols? Wasn’t punk merely a short-lived, angry rebellion against capitalist culture? Just what was their influence, if any?

Punk was rooted in the U.S. before Britain, specifically England made it its own. Counter-culture bands including The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, MC5 and The New York Dolls promoted the sybaritic and rebellious punk scene as a potent reaction to the stale musical masturbation inherent in 70s progressive rock and indeed 70s disco culture. It was only a matter of time before the movement travelled East to the wastelands of London, at the time cruelly infested with Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Peter Frampton. (Please note that Led Zeppelin is not to be included here – well, the first five albums anyway).

Malcolm McLaren‘s Sex Pistols became a primordial but ephemeral focal point of England’s punk scene, specialising in brutal sonic assaults with abundant snarling attitude. Although they would violently introduce punk to the masses through their appearance on The Grundy Show in 1977, their lyrics were simplistic, rebellious diatribes designed not to actively comment on or deconstruct 1970s society but merely attack it and antagonise the populous. This was punk in its purest and most disorganised form and the Pistols gave the genre the necessary kick-start it needed. Their emphasis on confrontational insurrection made the papers but didn’t attempt to purposefully reappraise the capitalist interests the tabloids represented. The lyrics of ‘Anarchy In The UK’ and ‘God Save The Queen’, although undeniably passionate now seem to be evanescent and unfocussed.

The Clash appeared soon after the Pistols in 1976. Joe Strummer had watched Rotten & co support his own R & B group, The 101ers and, appropriately invigorated wanted to follow their lead. Manager Bernie Rhodes, a rival of Malcolm McLaren was seeking to usurp the Pistols’ enviable position as the nuclei of UK punk and invited Strummer to join his new outfit after he, guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon had seen him play with The 101ers. After Strummer accepted the offer, he, Jones, Simonon, third guitarist Keith Levine and an ever-changing rota of drummers were unleashed on the punk fraternity.

The impact of The Clash on the punk scene was immediate. Songs like ‘Career Opportunities’, (written about the lack of meaningful employment) and ‘White Riot’ (an often misunderstood deconstruction of the Notting Hill Carnival riots), combined Jones’ fast, loud and angry guitar sound with Strummer’s recondite social commentary. The Clash introduced specific politics to punk, from daily gripes about squatting and having to sign on the dole to their use of amphetamines and the complex social issues in regard to getting condoms out of machines in pub toilets.

Detractors, in particular Johnny Rotten, viewed Strummer with malicious scorn. He was depicted by many as an utterly erroneous and constructed character, due in part to the fake cockney accent Strummer was liable to engage and the public knowledge of his public school upbringing. But in retrospect, who was better placed to impugn the system than a disillusioned alumnus? Although during interviews, the band were prone to contradict previous statements and bend the truth a little, (Strummer lied about his age until 1979), the ferocious passion in their attacks on the government, social issues and mainstream culture overshadowed their posturing and previous backgrounds. As Lester Bangs surmised after accompanying them on the Get Out Of Control tour in 1977, “Joe Strummer is a fake…The Clash are authentic because their music carries such a brutal conviction, not because they’re Noble Savages.”

After extensive touring, the band signed to CBS in January 1977 to the initial dismay of the fans. Mark Perry, editor of the punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue was famously apocalyptic. His line, “Punk died the day The Clash signed to CBS” epitomised the betrayal felt within the scene. Until this point, The Clash had remained their beloved private property. Relevant social issues were tackled like no other group, the fans were treated as equals and the band remained true to the values of the counter-culture, (Strummer and Simonon squatted, while Jones remained living in his grandmother’s tower block flat). While The Clash saw the chance signing to a major label as an opportunity to reach a larger audience, the fans felt cheated and fearful that the band would relinquish its ideals in pursuit of financial reward. Thankfully their fears were unfounded as the arrival of their first album proved, recorded after the departure of Levine and entrance of drummer Terry Chimes.

A ferocious musical and lyrical attack on the social establishment, it remains the essential document of the era. From the thudding bass and scratchy guitar of ‘Janie Jones’, the rebel rousing ‘London’s Burning’ and the band’s aforementioned live anthem, ‘White Riot’, the album’s musical and lyrical vitriol is matched only by its consistency. Each track is an astounding vignette of disillusioned underclass life set against the urban decay of the 1970s. While not all the songs are as outwardly political as ‘London’s Burning’ or ‘White Riot’, songs like ‘Protex Blue’ and ‘Cheat’ are often humorous snapshots of the day-to-day concerns of the residents of the deprived suburbs.

Mark Perry summed up the fan’s response to the album in his review for Sniffin’ Glue. “IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ALBUM EVER RELEASED. IT’S AS IF I’M LOOKING AT MY LIFE IN A FILM.”

Due to the success of the album within the fraternity and the flawlessly timed disintegration of the Sex Pistols, The Clash were propelled to their rightful place at the forefront of the punk scene. Bands including Stiff Little Fingers and the Undertones had followed their political lead transforming the clique into one of relatively organised and contemplative rebellion. Two of The Clash’s most adventurous songs from the period were written just after the release of the album and one as a direct result of its treatment by CBS.

‘Complete Control’ remains the band’s most lyrically audacious song, a scathing verbal attack on CBS for defying the band’s wish to release ‘Janie Jones’ as their first single. Mick Jones, (who wrote both the music and lyrics) sums up the relationship in one angry couple: “They said we’d be artistically free when we signed the bit of paper/They meant let’s make a lotta money and worry about it later.” With Jones’ vitriolic sentiments bolted to a pounding rock anthem, the song remains the best song ever written about a band’s betrayal by corporate bosses.

Strummer’s magnificent ‘White Man in Hammersmith Palais’, (still my favourite Clash song) was written about visiting the venue to watch a night of reggae acts and finding himself to be the only white member of the audience. It features an impassioned vocal by Strummer and his trademark second beat guitar strum.

The Clash toured extensively after the release of the album. Terry Chimes, unpersuaded by the band’s political stance made his apologies and Nicky ‘Topper’ Headon became the permanent drummer. The fans eagerly awaited the follow-up but were disappointed with the resulting Give ‘Em Enough Rope, released in November 1978.

Most critics attack Blue Oyster Cult producer Sandy Pearlman for his uninspired knob twiddling efforts, but the blame should be equally laid at the song writing duo. The album starts promisingly enough with booming rock tracks ‘Safe European Home’, ‘Tommy Gun’ and ‘English Civil War’, the latter being a reworking of a popular folk melody.

However, ‘Julie’s In The Drug Squad’, ‘Stay Free’ and ‘Last Gang In Town’ are incongruous inclusions. Jones’ penchant for more mainstream compositions and affectionate lyrics are often at odds with Strummer’s die-hard political sensibilities and overall, Give ‘Em Enough Rope never feels coherent or comfortable. Strummer also, is far from his best. ‘Safe European Home’ is a nostalgic evocation of his and Jones’ experiences in Jamaica at best, while ‘English Civil War’ is a loosely politicised contemporary harangue. There is an absence of the energetic condemnation of contemporary society that was the core of the previous album.

Unsurprisingly, Give ‘Em Enough Rope received distinctly lukewarm reviews. The Clash were now sounding more like a polished and refined rock outfit where they were once abrasive and piquant. Pearlman’s bombastic production buries Strummer’s wails beneath Jones’ multi-layered guitars and it remains unknown exactly how much of Simonon’s bass playing was replaced. While The Clash still remained a powerful live act, (as recordings of ‘Tommy Gun’ and ‘Safe European Home’ testify) the album as a whole is a lacklustre chapter in their story.

The Clash did tour successfully after the release of Give ‘Em Enough Rope. 1979 would see a U.S. tour (the Pearl Harbour ’79 tour) and they remain one of the few British acts to have seduced the American audience. Their next album (with which the band would remain synonymous) incorporated their love of all things Yankee and transported them miles from their West London roots.

London Calling, released in late 1979 was a triumphant congregation of The Clash’s musical diversity. Acknowledging Strummer’s R & B affiliation, Simonon’s reggae influences, Jones’ rock n’ roll upbringing and Headon’s soul ‘chops’ (as Strummer would have it), the album sparkles with inventiveness and passion. Their fusion with Strummer’s politicised speeches, a heavy dose of self-mythologising attitude and the successful collaboration with producer Guy Stevens, culminate in the album for which The Clash would always been remembered. Furthermore, The Clash remained true to their value for money ethic, forcing CBS to release the double album for the standard price of a single, taking a huge cut in royalties.

The title track is, of course the best known on the album. Many critics focus on Strummer’s apocalyptic lyrics of the Thames bursting it banks and flooding the capital, while ignoring Mick Jones’ contribution as arranger. His multi-layered guitars create a rich tapestry, abrasive yet, in unison, they are undeniably burnished. It is also impossible to listen to the track without visualising the accompanying video of the band playing in the pouring rain on the Thames.

The rest of the 19-track album remains an astonishing mix of musical and lyrical adventurousness. From ‘Jimmy Jazz”s laid-back skiffle rock to the majestic ska of ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ and the dub-reggae of ‘The Guns of Brixton’, the album travels further away from the generic tenets of punk and into unchartered territory.

As musicians, the members of The Clash were undeniably at the top of their game. Headon’s intuitive drumming and Simonon’s much improved bass playing intensify Jones’ elegant guitar. Simonon’s ‘Guns of Brixton’, although not as lyrically astute as Strummer’s mélanges, is undeniably evocative and his bass line is just too damn catchy for words. Jones remained the romantic of the band and the undisclosed ‘Train in Vain’ was his most blatant love song yet. It was a hit in the States but is notable only for highlighting Jones’s thin, reedy voice and leaving you yearning for Strummer’s gravel filtered yowl. Jones is, however, perfectly suited to singing Strummer’s beautiful ‘Lost in the Supermarket’, a song he wrote for Jones, imagining his life growing up in a West London tower block.

Elsewhere, the tracks become more eclectic but remain exceptional. Stevens apparently hypnotised Strummer into writing ‘The Right Profile’, a song about movie star Montgomery Clift, while ‘Death or Glory’, ‘The Four Horsemen’ and ‘I’m Not Down’ are as humorous and self-obsessed as The Clash could be.

There are, of course weaker tracks on the album. ‘Koka Kola’, ‘The Card Cheat’ and ‘Lover’s Rock’, are of a similar quality as the worst tracks on Give ‘Em Enough Rope but the magnificence of the rest of the album, including the cover of Vince Taylor’s ‘Brand New Cadillac’ more than recompenses the listener.

Significantly, Strummer began to focus (minimally) on international political issues, as well as domestic ones. ‘Spanish Bombs’ tackles the Spanish Civil War and sets the scene for successive albums. London Calling was released on the U.S.A. in January of 1980 and became Rolling Stone‘s Album of the 80s. America had tapped into The Clash’s working class mentality and most importantly their deep appreciation and re-evaluation of American music. Strummer always maintained that only in America did the audience get what The Clash was about. With London Calling, The Clash’s love of Americana, reggae and of course punk was never more evident and their influences were thrown into the cauldron. The Clash’s pop sensibilities had been sharpened by the success of Train In Vain and the album also reiterated their affection for soul, jazz and R&B. Their awesome stage presence, self-mythology and rock n’ roll attitude enamoured them to the more hard-line rockers too.

It seemed that The Clash had come to accept who they were, what they did and why they did it. However, the constant pressure from their record company, particularly the interference and tendency to exploit the fans was beginning to show. The need to extricate themselves from the oppressive CBS contract (they had signed a disguised multi-album deal) persuaded them to make the truly epic Sandinista! in 1980. A triple album for the price of a single was always going to interesting, especially on the back of London Calling. This time though, it was probably about two discs too many.

There are (as always) moments of brilliance on the album. ‘The Magnificent Seven’, (Strummer’s venture into rap) is a hilarious swipe at the typical working day, although quite what The Clash knew about normality and the typical remains elusive. ‘The Call Up’ is a melodic, thumping beast of a song tackling military service, while the frankly hilarious ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ was obviously inspired by the band’s favourite film at the time, ‘Apocalypse Now’. This is strangely ironic, as the film became known as Apocalypse When? as Francis Ford Coppola struggled to finish his epic masterpiece. Sandinista! should have been called Apocalypse When…Will It Stop? There are truly awful songs on the album. ‘The Sound of the Sinners’, ‘Broadway’ and ‘Junkie Slip’ are obvious examples and one does wish that when The Clash were recording ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, they had simply said ‘Let’s Go Home’.

Similarly, the entirety of side 6 is uniformly terrible. However, as Strummer has recounted in interviews, the audacity of project itself is what is important here. The Clash recorded so much material in so little time was bound to contravene quality control and it is possible to assemble a truly great single disc album from this gargantuan beast. Also, the best tracks are usually included on the many compilation albums that have appeared over the years so you don’t have to listen to it if you don’t want to. After this critical and commercial setback, The Clash were to hit back in style with their biggest album to date, particularly in the U.S.A. – Combat Rock.

While the album lacks the quality that permeates London Calling and the first album, Combat Rock is at least consistent and sustained in terms of tone. In terms of quality, however, it’s anything but. The Clash had gone back to basics with political songs such as ‘Know Your Rights’, which tackled the government’s scant regard for personal liberties, while ‘Ghetto Defendant’ confronted heroin addiction and tower block isolation, (a Clash whipping boy). Elsewhere, the album contains humorous and upbeat material that reminds one of those capricious moments on both London Calling and Sandinista! ‘Rock the Casbah’ is a witty commentary on the ban of Western music by the Ayatollah Khomeini – with a funky bassline and jangly piano.

‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ is a typical Jones rocker (later used in a Levi’s advertisement) and ‘Car Jamming’ is at least a fun track even if its about nothing in particular. The truly wonderful ‘Straight To Hell’ is by far the album’s best song. Written about the illegitimate offspring of an American G.I. and a Vietnamese mother, this is by far one of Strummer’s overtly political songs and also one of his most brutal. Set to a bossa nova drum, he doesn’t flinch away from the topic for a second – “let me tell you about your blood, bamboo kid/it ain’t Coca-Cola, it’s rice”.

Following on from London Calling and Sandinista!, Strummer was now vehemently grinding the global political axe, as well as the domestic one. ‘Know Your Rights’ still feels as if it could have appeared on their first album (if it were roughed-up a little), such are the references to police service corruption, benefits and free speech. ‘Straight To Hell’ could not have appeared anywhere but Combat Rock – Strummer’s lethargic delivery echoing the band’s spirit at the time. As Strummer himself has admitted, the band was exhausted from their tour of the U.S.A. and should have rested. As it was, they were tired of the road, the rock-n-roll life and most importantly, of each other. After Headon’s heroin addiction became undeniably intrusive and Jones had morphed into the archetypal rock-n-roll prima donna, Strummer and Simonon called time on both of them.

Although Strummer and Simonon recruited new members and released Cut The Crap (only one song was decent – ‘This Is England’ and who knows just what Bernie Rhodes did on the album) without Headon and particularly Jones, the Clash were gone and were never to return. The new line-up was disbanded soon after. In the post-Clash years, Jones started Big Audio Dynamite, Strummer started acting, Simonon started painting and Headon started a prison sentence. Still pretty rock-n-roll, if you ask me.

More seriously, the influence of The Clash is evident in much of the rock music from the late 1980s to the present day. Rage Against the Machine acknowledge Strummer in their sleeve notes, and upon his death, politically active contemporaries such as Billy Bragg, Bob Geldof and (loathe as I am to mention his name, Bono) acknowledged his importance and enduring moralistic stance. Their musical power is manifest in the music of not only the current crop of nu-punk/metal bands, such as Rancid, Green Day, The Offspring, No Doubt and Sum 41 but has also infiltrated most other guitar based sounds.

While many other bands freely acknowledge The Clash’s influence, none has had the courage to follow the overt and particularly domestic political stance. While Chumbawamba (who inexplicably are seen as a political group) threw water in the face of John Prescott, you know they’re secretly loving the fact that a shit record such as ‘Tubthumping’ has bolstered their pension plans very-nicely-indeed-thank-you-very-much.

Rancid, in particular, may sound a bit like The Clash and at the same time nothing like them at all. The Clash, in particular Strummer, followed their political ideals to the end, refusing to relinquish the very thing that had made them such an important group. If you want to argue that Strummer was an ex-public schoolboy who adopted a working class mentality, you are missing the point of The Clash. Listen to Lester Bangs and not me when he says whatever their background, it’s the material that counts – what they say, feel and proclaim. This is what makes a difference, not telling tales on the singer just because his dad was a diplomat. Listen to what he says about politics, the system and the world – then tell me he’s wrong.

In terms of the nu-metal and quasi-punk bands (don’t even get me f***ing started on Busted, as they are quite blatantly neither of these), these imbeciles forget that Strummer’s lyrics were just as important as Jones’ chords. Modern nu-punk/metal bands have taken the 3-minute punk musical formula, specifically Jones’ abrasive and clipped guitars and pasted facile lyrics about trips to the Circle K to get munchies or beautiful honeys over the top. This is not what punk bands and especially The Clash were about. You can argue that it’s irony and post modernist opinion, impugning today’s transient society but frankly you’d be talking such rubbish, it wouldn’t even be out of your own arse, it would be out of Tony Blackburn’s.

The Clash stood for free speech, human rights and personal freedom. Detractors will argue that they lost sight of their resolute political stance after the first album, but Strummer’s lyrics follow a palpable and progressive pattern. Domestic issues (‘London’s Burning’) gave rise to global ones, (‘Spanish Bombs’) and he later mastered irony and self-depreciation while maintaining political verve, (‘The Magnificent Seven’). For example, the lyrics from The Clash are far more earnest, simplistic and angry than on London Calling or Combat Rock. However, the latter two albums demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of the problems rather than focussed, raw aggression, (although this is not a criticism). To use ‘Straight to Hell’ as an example again, this could not have been written by the 1977 Strummer. He had to grow into his role as commentator and political antagonist. Jones’ music is at once beautiful and seductive but pierced by Strummer’s lyrical attacks.

And so to a conclusion. I can’t merely call The Clash the only band that mattered, as many have mattered over the years. However, The Clash is the band that has mattered most – both to me and hopefully to everyone. They had the balls, the bravery and the brains to know what punk was all about – not an ephemeral movement but one of longevity through evolution and one that might possibly make a difference. The Clash certainly made a difference. F*** off and listen to Busted if you don’t think so.

ESSENTIAL SOURCES:

As the title suggests, this has only been a brief history of The Clash. Obviously, I’ve left stuff out, concentrated on particular topics (I didn’t even mention Rude Boy, for example) and maybe been too brief in places. If you want more information on the band, get your hands on these excellent books – they helped me out enormously in the writing of this article:

The Clash – David Quantick
Return Of The Last Gang In Town – Marcus Gray

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