The Clash

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Clashic album

Classic and essential. Intelligent, snarky punk.

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

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

Greatest album ever made

One of the most important bands in rock & roll.

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

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.

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

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

Guess you had to be there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!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.

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

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

Shite!! I now have headache!!

The only band that matters with a classic debut. Brilliant.

3 great Albums in a row? i smell a really bad 1 Star Album coming up.

Other than NMTB by the sex Pistols this has to be one of the great debut albums. Superb!

Iconic Punk!

Awesome.

One of the best kick off tracks in rock n roll. This album never gets old and I revisit it often especially when I went jump around like a kid again hearing it for the first time. Damn this is good.

🔥🔥🔥

Ridiculous start from Punk's greatest band.

It's not Combat Rock; but it's still incredible.

Great album! Not sure if I like this one or the first one that was recommended more.

Interesting

For those who want to know what was worse than horse, it was my neighbour whoopty

The debut album of the clash has unapologetically rebellious lyrics expressing their utter frustration with late 70's England. You can tell they immediately had a vision and sound for the band. Impeccable pacing and flowing guitar tie each song together. Their later work is definitely better, but for a debut album you can't get much better. The longest song by far on the album "Police & Thieves" definitely deserves it. In a slow reggae style, it creates further difference from other tracks, allowing the listener a reprieve before the last two songs. Devo was inspired by The Clash and you can really pick it with this album, for example the similarities between Deny, and Uncontrollable Urge Notable tracks: Deny, I'm so Bored with the U.S.A., Cheat, Police & Thieves, Garageland

Sturlað hrátt. Geggjaðir textar beint frá hjartanu. Helvítis veisla fyrir pönkið og 9 ára Sigga Ragga að fá þessa plötu í heiminn. Aldrei spurning um annað en fimmu.

Besta pönkplatan og White riot besta pönklagið. En öll lögin geggjuð og textarnir hans Joe eru svo góðir. Og svo eru allir löngu orðnir leiðir á USA.

Maybe it's just the day but I think I like this album better than London Calling. This record is more 'punk' if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong - I love London Calling but this is a little more raw, more aggressive, less polished, and angrier. I love it. Along with Never Mind the Bollocks, which I think is probably a better record, this is a quintessential 70s punk album. I'm not sure I would call this a 5/5 record but it's damn close, 4.5 at least. Maybe I'm feeling generous today (Friday before a long weekend after all...) but I'm giving this one a 5/5.

Love it, punk but cool elements in it. Instrumentally nicely done. Very easy to listen to for political punk. Must have been iconic in the 70s

This album, along with the first Adverts LP, are what first-wave UK punk rock was all about. Anthemic and played JUST well enough to get the ideas of the songs across, all of these bands would get better musically, but not necessarily thematically. There's something special about angry young people banging out songs with more emotion than thought for their careers.

Such a great album. I listened to the remastered version this time and liked it. The Clash aren't actually the "only band that matters," but they earn the title anyway. Strummer is in the top echelons of my own personal "cool artist" lists, alongside Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Bowie, and a select few others. This album sounds fresh and great 45 years later. 4.8/5

10/10 album for me I always wonder why sex pistols get the crown of british punk when the clash has the same amount of attitude, same level of social consciousness but like so much more musical ability. I don't think there's a bad song here. Songs added to playlist: - Janie Jones - I'm so bored with the USA - white riot - what's my name - Londons burning - Police & thieves

punk rock was the first genre of music that I really got into - going out of my way past all the stuff you grow up with and hear on the radio. The thing that brought me into it was how much of the music is explicitly written with a message. It's good to go back and hear that outrage in the Clash, but unfortunate how much of it feels exactly as relevant today as it did in 1977. Listening closely a couple of surprises. I always thought the Clash were on an island. Like, somehow more approachable than a lot of British punk from that era and also ska or at least reggae influenced, but listening to this it sounds a lot more similar to those other guys than I remember. I can't hear What's My Name without hearing the song Bloodstains. At least the opening. Hate & War is great. Missed it before

twice as pissed as london calling, which i prefer for its diversity of styles. but this is raw, powerful, and seminal. it’s a killer album. five for sure. there's no stars higher than five on here, and i'm not rating this down to make some weird star room for lc, so they'll both get full marks. if it didn't sound like a five the first time, turn it up. double nickels on the clash.

Landans burning

This is punk. Topical, angry, critical, and melodic enough that it can’t be ignored

Clash is amazing.

It’s myyy faaavriiiite

It’s loud, it’s angry, it’s political punk that brilliantly reflects a socially turbulent time in the UK and I live for it

Maybe it would be easier to start with the Clash albums I wouldn’t give 5 stars.

One of the best debut albums of all time. Raw, melodic and fun. White Riot is a such a singalong anthem!

Nice collection of songs, love the sort of raw garage rock sound

Åh... meget meget bra!!

Great intro to British punk.

Top album, 35 mins long, proper punk, couple of 2 song runs - Police and Thieves is up there

I just finished the book Fahrenheit-182 (sidebar: is two literature what blink-182 is to music), and was surprised at how often Mark Hoppus referred to his band as a punk band and not a pop band. A good experiment in considering what punk rock actually is. For my money, this is punk. And I know London Calling is their magnum opus or whatever. And nothing against that album. It’s great. But I’d take this 9/10.

Loved it. A classic!

Винтажный жанроопределяющий панк, который сразу погружает в атмосферу тех лет, хочется гнать на скейте в косухе и ни о чем не думать) топ

The only band that matters.

Punk rock perfection.

could i write poetry to this? y

Of the three Clash albums that I would consider eligible for this list (the others being "London Calling" and "Combat Rock), this one is the most "conventionally" Punk. Even at this early stage, The Clash were better musicians than their peers in the genre. Their myriad influences color the songs in ways put them well beyond the speed freaks and noisemakers that populated the Punk scene at the time. They were also more mindful of geopolitics and incorporated their leftist ideologies in to the music most effectively. I'm not sure that they were the "only band that mattered", but they were definitely in rare company.

Class

The Clash get a lot of credit (deservedly so) for London Calling, but to me, this album is just as good, if not maybe better. Different, and maybe it's just that I like the raw punk sound of the Clash, but I just really love this album.

Energetic, raw, streetwise and cool in several levels. The Clash 1st album shows the combination of personalities that helped the Clash become an excellent band with their further releases until they exhausted their road. The importance of four members each adding his personality and quality. In the perspective of what the 70's were before the punk explosion, this album feels so fresh and spontaneous that I guess took many people by surprise. This album is much more than punk rock. Hear "Police and Thieves" or "Deny" I imagine when this album came, everybody inevitably wanted more Clash.

Amazing album and it is my gold standard for 70's punk music. Almost all killer, no filler. Truly a great album, punk or otherwise.

Strangely, I don’t know all the songs on this album. I know the sound and it reminds me of what music used to feel like when I was a teenager. It’s quite wonderful. The version of “Police and Thieves” is fun, but not as good as the reggae version.

Done

Fun punk. Never mind the Sex Pistols, here's the Clash.

Sounds as raw and energetic as on release. The seeds of London’s Calling and Sandinista are all in here. The cover of Police and Thieves is still probably my favourite track with Londons Burning and Garageland following behind.

Classic British punk.

Still prefer London Calling, but they seem to be having a lot of fun, and feel more youthful on this record

Still 100% spot on.

A punk masterpiece.

Saw them live a couple of times in '79/'80. One of the best live bands I've seen (along with Gang of Four). Definitely one of the best albums of those decades, and totally deserving of a place in this list. Also, The Clash were the only white band ever to play reggae convincingly.

Truly great. Enjoyed everything about it. Scrappy, fun, silly, tough. Just cool. Plus very significant in terms of so many bands I love today being influenced in some way by their sound (like Midnight Oil and Private Function, for instance). Favourite tracks are I’m So Bored with the USA (how relevant 48 years later!) and Career Opportunities.

Love love love!! 5/5

I haven't listened to this full album in decades but listened to it so many times in my teens and twenties that I remember every second of it. A great album that had a huge influence.

The Clash's debut LP - fantastic release that has stood up for nearly 50 years.

Great punk sound that doesn’t get too muddy, each instrument is played so well and production quality is top notch. I knew I would enjoy this album even though I didn’t know any of the tracks. I may enjoy “London Calling” from earlier in my 1001 project a little bit better, but this was a phenomenal debut album that still kicks ass. 4.5/5

Classic! Great songs!

I went to 'big school' in 1977 and I discovered The Clash the following year when "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" and "I Fought the Law" were released as singles. These tracks were substituted for a couple of the more punky tunes on the US version of the album, not released until 1979, and featured Topper Headon on drums, a much better player than Terry "Tory Crimes" Chimes who had played on the debut. Better songs but they did not necessarily make a better album. The original UK release is a punk classic and the aggression and anger holds the album together as a cohesive statement. "London Calling" is probably a better album overall but it is a result of many different influences. There has been a lot of revisionism on opinions of The Clash, and UK punk in general - Strummer was the son of a diplomat, a poseur; Mick Jones was a hard rock guitar hero wannabe; Simonon was an artist who couldn't play bass - and it is all nonsense. The Clash, on this album in particular, were angry young men railing against the grime and deprivation of late '70s Britain. "The Clash" hits hard, musically and lyrically, from the first chords of "Janie Jones" to the last notes of "Garageland". It was deemed not radio-friendly enough for the US, possibly the inclusion of "I'm So Bored With the USA" was a factor. The world feels worse now than it did then. I'm still bored with the USA and we could do with another Clash.