The Clash

This is the music I don't mind listening to between the music I want to listen to.

This is a top ten album for me, no question. I love every track. It's iconic and genre-defining. I've got nothing else. It's just everything I want from a punk album ... of from any album really.

One of the greatest punk albums ever created. Also one of the best debuts ever. I’ve listened to this record countless times and it really makes me feel like I’m in London in the 70s. Joe Strummer’s snarling, angry voice perfectly compliments Mick Jones sweet melodic vocals and the playing is the right balance of melodically interesting and aggressive. No secret that the Clash are one of my favorite bands. Favorite song(s): Police and Thieves, Janie Jones, London’s Burning Least favorite song: Deny, I guess

I remember being 18 and sitting in the back of a Volkswagen beetle, a bit drunk and possibly a bit high, driving at night through the back roads of the NSW southern highlands with some new friends that I did not actually know very well. I had very little idea of where I actually was or even where we were going. “What’s this?” I asked of the music blasting out of the tape player., “The Clash” came the reply. “OK” I thought and settled back in to listen. I think it was London Calling (“Piece of piss, next one’s a triple”), which is still my favourite Clash album. That said, I was never fanatical about The Clash. There are many people that I respect and admire who definitely bought into the cult of The Clash (The Best Live Band in The World! The Last Gang in Town! The Only Band That Matters! Rebels With A Cause), but I never did. I tried, believe me. I wanted to fall in love with Joe Strummer, last true rock star, real champion of the people, prophet of the oppressed, speaker of truth to power, and his gang of genuine punk rockers I felt somewhat uncool and déclassé for not being hip to their jive. I certainly felt it during that car ride. And then I read Marcus Gray’s Last Gang in Town: The Story and Myth of the Clash, which was eye-opening. It embraced the complexity of The Clash. They were all those things that people lauded them for, but also not. Joe Strummer was a champion of the real people, but also a bandwagon-jumper, elite public-school boy and the son of diplomat. The band was equally motivated by shagging models and doing coke in the back of the limo as they were in tearing down capitalism (maaaaan!). I found it easier to understand why I had always been a little suspicious of their role as saviours of rock and socialist champions (unwarranted? unwanted even?). They were a chaotic and ambitious band, with limited and slippery grasp on the political realities they were trying to express. But it was reasonably heartfelt, most of the time, but just the well-intentioned and poorly considered proclamations of mere musicians. In the words of Scroobius Pip: “The Clash? Just a band”. But on this record, there is a genuine anger. Strummer might not have grown up in the tower blocks of South London, but he channels it brilliantly. He may have been jumping onto the punk bandwagon, but he did so quickly and powerfully that he helped establish the blueprint for English punk rock. The lyrics are striking and incisive, generally avoided polemic, there are some cracking tunes, and the whole thing rocks hard. There were more inventive albums to follow, but this is the one where they aren’t distracted by every idea that flits by. It’s focused and intense and energizing to listen to. Janie Jones, I’m So Bored with the USA, White Riot, Career Opportunities and the cover of Police & Thieves are all highlights, but there aren‘t many dead spots on the record. They were a tight live band and could smash it out in the studio. I think Strummer matured as he aged, and regretted losing sight of the vision that they laid out on this first album. I was genuinely moved by the way Marcus Gray reports him as looking back on the Clash’s career and saying that ‘we blew it’. I was going to give this three stars, but have managed to convince myself that this is four star record.

Yankee detectives are always on TV. The killers in America work seven days a week. When I saw the Clash, the second song they played was I'm So Bored With The USA. Etched in my memory is Joe Strummer singing while one hand pressed against his cheekbone and temple as if the state of things his lyrics described was so sickening it was giving him a headache. He couldn't play guitar with one hand covering his face but a Clash concert was never about the guitar playing was it? Listen to the bass playing on Hate And War. Not too shabby given Paul Simonon didn't know how to play the instrument when they got to the studio. The cover versions in this and the US version of the album give some hints of where the band was musically with Police and Thieves being a Reggae song and I Fought the Law being Rockabilly / Country. Yeah their later albums are arguably better as they embraced ska, et al, understood their instruments more fully and had more than 4K to spend recording and producing. A quieter version of Career Opportunities was redone on a later album, (Sandinista?) but I still prefer the raw version. This raw version of The Clash has a place in The Clash's top shelf and played a lead role in shifting music from the ugly rut it was in. A bonus for those who like this LP is that you will never have to make that grunting noise we all make when we first hear elevator music versions of songs we like.

Absolutely essential album if you are a punk fan. Takes the lyricism, attitude, and social conscience of the Sex Pistols and ups the musicianship by about 400%. Top tracks for me include Janie Jones, I'm so Bored of the USA, and White Riot but there's not a dud on here. This will never be out of my listening rotation.

One in the punk rock firmament. How could I not love the shit out of this album. The A side just comes out with so much panache and energy, it's infectious. The B side is equally solid. Love the hell out of it.

Clashic album

Classic and essential. Intelligent, snarky punk.

They have some good songs but they're not on here, and it's all just british yelling over mediocre rock imo

This is an outstanding album, really one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard. It’s a pretty perfect punk album, better than practically anything their peers would produce. The Clash is the best that genre ever produced, but you can already hear them straining against the borders of punk. The lyrics are smarter, and there’s a pop sensibility (their secret weapon) that’s undeniable here. The band is surprisingly melodic when they feel like it, which elevates these songs to another level entirely. Don’t get me wrong, they’re as angry, irreverent, rowdy and pissy as the rest of them. Their energy is insane. They burn through 35 minutes of songs like a freaking brush fire. The album hasn’t aged in 40+ years really. The youth, urgency, the raw passion, all still as vividly on display as ever. And it’s still incredibly listenable, a true classic. The Clash has one album that’s even better than this one (you all know it), but no matter, this one is an easy 5. Fave Songs: Janie Jones, Police & Thieves, Remote Control, Garageland, I'm So Bored with the USA

I wasn’t a fan of The Clash when I first heard their early singles. Strummer did not thrill me as a front man like Rotten did. I was besotted with The Sex Pistols & then pretty quickly moved onto new wave bands like Costello & The Attractions & later The Pretenders. I pretty much ignored The Damned & The Clash. Until the release of London Calling, released in the last month of the 70’s, when, all of a sudden the band started doing tunes, not so much just anthems. All of a sudden they seemed like a different band. Then in the early 80’s I became friendly with young blokes who adored the band, & Strummer particularly, as much for their politics as for that early sound. And that’s when I heard this album a lot & started to appreciate its highlights. And there are plenty. Janie Jones kicks the album off at lightning speed. I’m So Bored With The U.S.A. seems to use a riff very similar to the opening of The Pistols’ Pretty Vacant(Glen Matlock always said it was inspired by hearing ABBA’s S.O.S) which was recorded a month before the Clash song. White Riot is probably the standout. It was also their first single, based on Strummer’s recollections of the famous Notting Hill riots of 1976. It moves at a furious pace. I love the lyrics to Career Opportunities & the song about condoms, Protex Blue. And Garageland is a good closer. And, of course I’ll be forever grateful for The Clash introducing me to Junior Murvin’s Police & Thieves, one of the 70’s greatest reggae tunes. The version here doesn’t compare with the original, but the content fits so well with the rest of the album.

Simply nothing here that I enjoyed, even a little bit

The only album that matters

The only band that matters. If I was told I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life it could well be this one

Greatest album ever made

One of the most important bands in rock & roll.

Guess you had to be there

It’s kind of funny how the band with the best debut album of all the UK punk bands doesn’t get the same sort of recognition as The Sex Pistols… …or The Clash. I’m talking, of course, about The Damned’s “Damned Damned Damned”, which should be included on this list, but isn’t (I applaud the inclusion of Machine Gun Etiquette, however. It’s one of the best punk albums of all time). If you were to bottle up the essence of punk and press it to record, it would be exactly what you hear on “Damned Damned Damned” The Clash’s debut is good, but, for me, it doesn’t quite have the rawness and palpable aggression that makes punk “punk”. It feels like they’re holding back just a bit, like they’re not throwing caution to the wind or something. I like its political bent, but that’s not quite enough for me. Heresy to some of you, I’m sure, but I don’t really care. As I said about the Beatles: No one is immune from criticism, there are no Golden Calves.

The opener is the catchiest song. “White Riot” never convinced me - it carries their cheeky chappy strain, mockney speaking to power that feels both inauthentic and lazily simplistic. They are unbearably quaint.

An apathetic vocalist backed by dull music.

This is one of the greatest rock albums of all time. All killer, no filler.

Classic album, first albums by the Clash, Jam, Damned and Pistols all 5 star efforts.

Probably the best "classic" punk album. Just behind London Calling and maybe Sandinista for me. 9-10/10 1. Remote Control 2. Police & Thieves 3. London's Burning

8.3/10 The album is a nice cohesive vibe being very punk rock. I like that its a short album, since it gets worse as you listen Highlights: Janies Jones, remote control, what's my name

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!400th Album!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How quickly The Clash must've evolved as a band. To go from this more raw, punk sound to the more refined, studio-driven sound of "London Calling" in just three albums and two years is absolutely insane. It's like The Beatles going from "Please Please Me" to "Revolver" in just three years. An almost entirely different sound. But this is about their debut album. How was it? It was alright. There's a lot to like here, and you can see the beginnings of an excellent band here. Yes it's a little rough around the edges. But that tracks - it's an early punk album from early in that band's career. It's a fun album, with just enough sneering, just enough sarcasm, and just enough musicality that it feels as cohesive as a punk album can. It's varied (not something punk can always claim to be), and it doesn't overstay its welcome at under 40 minutes. "London Calling" it's not, but it's still a great time. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Remote Control, I'm so Bored with the USA, Hate & War, London's Burning, Cheat, Garageland

Really thought I was going to hate this album but it ended up being an okay listen. Although I'm not discovering my favorite new artists with this app regularly, I do like that it's changing some of my preconceived notions I have about some artists (for good and bad in some cases)

Pretty good album. Still finding the vocal melodies. Good guitar tones, but the drums sound is lack luster. Multiple interesting bass lines.

Maybe I'm in a bad mood, but I found this quite basic and irritating today. Never a fan of Strummer's voice, the timid "punkiness" and cluttered production left me bored and frustrated. They got a bit better, I think

Never really got the fuss about the Clash.

Don’t know if I’ve ever listened to this front to back but it’s so good. Wouldn’t call punk rock my favorite genre, but it’s so fun. This album has a distinct sound and is just great. It never overstays its welcome. It’s 35 minutes with 2-3 minute songs that just rock. Best way to describe an album like this is it just rocks out. Love the sound of the guitar in this. So simple in a good way. Way better than the 80s metal sound that comes later than this. Also, with headphones you hear that bass line through every song and it gives it such a great sound. Am I going to choose to put this on very often? Probably not, based on personal tastes. Is it a great album? Certainly. If you told me to put something on that rocks out, this is on the list of what I might throw on. Lyrically it’s so simple. In your face political and anti establishment but not sounding overly angry. Hard to explain, but that’s part of why it works. It feels real. And it’s catchy. Stuck between a 4 and a 5, think I’ll go up.

The art school punks from Garageland burst onto the scene with an instant-classic debut that's artfully textured, melodically sophisticated, and structurally ambitious in a genre that typically rejects all three.

White Riot 1:56 seconds of Real Punk Not like the commercial shite that was the Pistols I saw Joe Stummer live at a working men's club doing a benefit gig for Yorkshire miners( people who worked down a pit not children) such an ordinary bloke

Un clasicaso

Seminal, important, and awesome. Top album.

There’s just no beating the voice and the accent. Great stuff, amazing how pop-sounding a lot of the riffs really are

This is genuinely the ultimate punk rock album. The best I've heard. So vivid, groovy and powerful. The songs are so good. The performances by everyone is so perfect. What can I say. Untouchable.

Among the best punk records of all time. Perfect, classic sound.

One of the best albums I have ever bought. Also the first band I ever went to see so I love every song on this album.

Estamos en una época de crisis. Puntualmente, en Latinoamérica. Y más específicamente, en Argentina. Y siempre ante las crisis, el arte ha planteado respuestas. El punk fue en su momento eso: una vanguardia, una crítica desde un sonido nuevo, una estética que abrazaba a la clase trabajadora, a los invisibilizados por el sistema. Añoro que, como fue en su momento con el género y con The Clash, esta época permita las condiciones para un neo-punk, una fusión musical o, quién te dice, un género nuevo. Ah, y éste disco es un caño.

I like the Clash

A lot of the time the line from how punk used to sound to how it sounds now is somewhat obscured - speed and bad singing aren't a genre unto themselves - but this album really feels foundational to me in how clear its influence still is on modern punk. That's not to say it's an essential listen, and The Clash come into their own a lot more when they start experimenting, but it bears remembering that an otherwise unremarkable, if solid, album like this can still cast a long shadow.

Like many say, essential punk album.

Another I've listened to before...I think it's probably not as good as London calling, but still a pretty great first album. Highlights: Janie Jones I'm so bored with the usa White riot What's my name London's burning Career opportunities Police and thieves Probably not quite enough for a 5, but not far off. 4.5

Good stuff but a little standard, it'd be a minute before they'd adopt the reggae stuff that set them apart from the pack. You can hear this album in almost every punk band after the fact though which might be why, for me, it runs together. Favorite Tracks: Janie Jones, I'm So Bored with USA, London's Burning, Garageland

Very typical punk sound, but I can't tell you whether there's a punk message because I can't understand a single word. Sounds like a bunch of drunk lads singing along to some song you don't know in a foreign language. The actual sound is alright, not unpleasant to listen to, surprisingly tuneful for punk. Not sure it does anything crazy inventive, though. I could listen to this as background for the most part, but the vocals kinda ruin it. It's definitely not my favourite punk, even from this era. Even out of things on this list, I much preferred "The Adverts". No highlights in particular because it largely sounds the same throughout.

i couldn’t get the raw experience of listening to this in raw leather jackets and spiky hair but my wifi was terrible during this album so it kept skipping songs and the songs were cutting out so k had to relisten to a few of them. but this album made me feel likes true bad boy or a greaser. is that stereotypical?? anyways i’ve listened to the clash before and i love their london calling album, i go for any type of punk to be honest. this album is really upbeat and uplifting but very rebellious. bart simpson….. i don’t have any stand outs but to say this is a classic punk album and i need to grease and slick my hair back, although the drums hit hard, i like police & thieves (the song) Ok i will give this 3 stars, 7/10

As much as I enjoyed what followed The Clash, I can't say that I ever really listened to them beyond the very obvious one or two tracks. Enjoyed this a little more than I thought I would (I think because it sounds a little more raw than where they went subsequently) but I think what they reflected here was better reinterpreted afterwards.

The Clash is a very fitting name, this album provided just that. with outrageous melodies and even more with the vocal delivery, this album gives a blueprint on how to be out of control and tamed at the same time. Sometimes it does get to an extent with the crazy delivery with the accent just comes off as brash and too in-your-face. That included with the production getting repetitive. Favorite song: What’s my name

Nice album the only bad thing I have to say to it is that it was hard to keep me attention and actually listen because most of the songs sound the same

Of course I know these legendary chaps. In reading about this album, I saw that a different version was released in the U.S. I listened to all the extra songs, and it turns out many of my favorite tracks were only on the US release. Guess it pays to be American sometimes. "Clash City Rockers" is a classic favorite for me, due in no small part to a Tony Hawk game. Overall, I think these are some solid punksters. The album feels unfocused, but that's punk for you. I'm looking forward to hearing better work from these guys, I'm sure London Calling is on this list. Favorite tracks: Clash City Rockers, Complete Control, I Fought the Law, What's My Name. Album art: Black and white band photo, nothing special. They look like cool guys though. I love the jagged bordering and the font for the band/album title. 3.5/5

It’s fine. This kind of old-school punk rock hasn’t really aged very well because this formula has been massively improved over the last 40+ years. I recognize that The Clash was super important and groundbreaking at the time—but there’s nothing about this that I find impressive nowadays. It’s enjoyable, but not very exciting or interesting.

good if this is your genre! not my cup of tea :)

If this project has taught me anything it’s that I am not punk. I do not care to hear anything by the Clash ever again. 2/5

a very short and forgettable album in my opinion. nothing crazy about the songs. Just a compilation of songs

392 albums in, what fees like a third of them have been punk, but not a single Rush album (yet). Feels like a crime. These guys whinge, like all the other punks out there.

An early conclusion I'm drawing from this experience is that straight-down-the-middle punk rock is a genre I can largely do without. I already knew I didn't care for London Calling aside from a choice track or two, and I feel the same way here. Repetitive, and not in the fun, settling-into-a-groove way.

Keine emotionale Beziehung zur Musik

Not for me, didn't like any of the songs

GOING IN: Quite hopeful LISTENED WHILE: doing some work FAMILIARITY: New to me SKIP RATE: Played it straight through REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: Pretty even, consistent VERDICT: Bit disappointing BODY'S VERDICT: Statue mode FAVOURITE TRACK: My Rating: 1 Yet another reminder that 'classic' often just means 'made for and by a specific type of person who got to write the rules

Shite!! I now have headache!!

I love the rawness. In a world where everything feels fake, authenticity is refreshing.

i love the hit album the clash by the clash

No women on this one. 5/5

обожааю лучший панк альбом

Anti America. Let’s goooo

Raw yet somehow with pop hooks. The sound of UK punk with some degree of instrumental prowess (as opposed to the Sex Pistols lol). Pretty amazing for a first album! I really don't care that Strummer came from privilege, he showed though his actions that he was a decent human being.

Loved this. 3 songs in as I start my notes and the lyrics have already called out the oppression of the establishment/police and US corruption and foreign policy. And we didn't even get to White Riot yet. This rocks and it's punk as fuck

best

Totally classic '70s punk

J'adore, du pur punk, bonus pour "I'm so bored with the USA"

The debut album of one of my favourite bands ever aka The Only Band That Matters, aka the Clash, this one is their 2nd best album (1st being London Calling.) It's what MOST other first-wave punk debuts are like; melodic, no dilly-dallying, snottiness, incredibly catchy, with all that being combined! It's quite tight, with only the last couple songs (except Police & Thieves) being not that great, though I guess that's the price when the first handful of songs are crazy good. Solid lead playing by Mick Jones, and solid album! Highlight Song/s: "Janie Jones", "Remote Control", "I'm So Bored..." and "Career Opportunities"

The Clash have to be my favourite punk band. Although they have the same fuzzy production and all-encompassing fury as other punk bands, they can also actually play. The tracks are varied enough - with garage punk, rock, and reggae in the mix - that the album pulls you along and leaves you wanting more. Grade A punk!

Surprising how fresh this still sounds almost 50 years on. And, unfortunately, still as relevant now as then.

Excellent album

yes!

Oh hell yeah.

Classic punk

Excellent album, staple from the early punk scene. I love the lyrics on class and social issues, The Clash do that well, paint a picture of what that time was like. The music is fast, and propulsive, so many bangers. Will forever return to this band as one of my favourite punk bands.

Fantastic, foundational, and classic!

It's a tough thing to drop a debut that solidifies you as the defining band in your genre, but The Clash seem to make easy work of it.

Amazing

This album is an incredible. Police & Thieves has been one of my favorite songs for years, and there are lots of other fun surprises on here as well. What a fun album to listen to, especially while at work.

(100/100)

This is one of my favourite albums of all time, so I was very pleased this popped up and it was an easy 5/5 for me.

Awesome album, great grunge/punk rock

Obra prima

Certified 5 star banger. No notes.

I obviously know The Clash, but I’d somehow never heard their debut. I’d have historically said punk is “not my thing,” but I’ve also never really given it a real chance. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about this album. Way more catchy than I expected. I’d put this back on long before spinning, say, Rubber Soul again, and I already gave that 5 stars, so this one vaults to a 5, too.

5⭐️ my first 5 star-rated album, this is REALLY really my type of music; I was proper smiling bobbing my head listening along to it. I know a few songs by the Clash but none on this album - reminds me of the type of music my family and I listen to on our canal boat holidays lol, LOVE IT!!! songs I already knew: n/a fave new song(s): career opportunities, janie jones, london’s burning, white riot, remote control

The only band that matters!!

14 songs•35 minutes The album that made me a punk. Not as hard as I remember it being.

This is an album that, while I don’t necessarily care for the music, (not to say I actively dislike it either) I understand why it’s here. It’s the debut of The Clash.. Also, it’s A punk album, which qualifies it for this list.

good

One of my favourites of all time.

So good

Perfectly threads the needle between grungy, disordered, not-too-polished punk, and fun catchiness that some of the prototypes I've been exposed to courtesy of this list (the Germs, the Sex Pistols) don't nail given their too-rough sound. I still love the hits (Remote Control, White Riot, Police & Thieves) & enjoyed deeper cuts I was less familiar with (Deny, Career Opportunities.) A fun listen I know I'll go back to.

Cool album

Pretty much perfect punk album. Stripped down, raw, direct.

Amazing album