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The Clash

The Clash

1977
The Clash
Album Summary

The Clash is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Written and recorded over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time. Songs on the album were composed by guitarists Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, with the notable exception of the reggae cover "Police and Thieves". Several songs from these sessions, including "Janie Jones", "White Riot", and "London's Burning" became classics of the punk genre and were among the first punk songs to see significant presence on singles charts. The album featured Jones and Strummer sharing guitar and vocal duties, with Paul Simonon on bass and Terry Chimes on drums. The album was not released in the US until 1979, making it their second US release. The US version also included a significantly different track listing, changing the track order and swapping out several songs for non-album tracks recorded in the interim.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.56

Votes

8458
Genres
Punk

Reviews

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Tue Feb 02 2021
5

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

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Thu Apr 01 2021
5

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.

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Sat Oct 02 2021
5

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.

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Wed May 05 2021
5

Classic and essential. Intelligent, snarky punk.

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Wed Mar 10 2021
2

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

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Sat May 29 2021
5

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

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Sun Oct 17 2021
5

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

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Tue Nov 01 2022
5

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.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
3

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

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Thu Mar 03 2022
3

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

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Sat May 15 2021
2

Keine emotionale Beziehung zur Musik

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

Love the clash and their grit

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Tue Feb 02 2021
5

Punk music done right, I wanna be in a grimy venue drinking a PBR tower.

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Tue Apr 20 2021
5

One of the most important bands in rock & roll.

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Thu Jul 08 2021
5

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.

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Thu Feb 18 2021
5

Punk en estado puro. Muchas veces escuchado

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Thu Mar 04 2021
5

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

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Fri Mar 19 2021
5

Key punk debut album. Best Tracks: I'm So Bored With the U.S.A., White Riot, Career Opportunities,

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Fri Feb 12 2021
5

Best of 70's. Instant clasic. To ten records for me

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Tue Apr 06 2021
5

Ich liebe alles an diesem Album omg.

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Tue Jul 13 2021
5

top 10 album for me. My favorite Clash album even more so than London Calling. One classic song after another. I have both the British version as well as the American version I slightly prefer the US version for its inclusion of Complete Control and Clash City Rockers, though the sequencing is better on the British version because of the sequencing. But these are quibles, either versioin is a 5 star album in my books

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Sat Sep 18 2021
5

Really cool album more straight punk rock than their later releases.

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Wed Sep 22 2021
5

A fantastic debut. Much different from other punk of the day. A faster blueprint of what’s to come

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Sat Sep 25 2021
5

que banda maravillosa que es the clash no puedo creer, me disfruté el álbum de principio a fin totalmente

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Mon Sep 27 2021
5

Everything you’d want from a punk album

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Thu Oct 07 2021
5

The first really great Punk album. Urgent and thrilling.

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Wed Oct 13 2021
5

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

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Mon Oct 18 2021
5

Pure adrenaline from one of the most important bands of my lifetime. It hasn't aged or diminished since release.

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Tue Oct 26 2021
5

Super exciting, great songs delivered with energy. Not as good as London Calling and the production is weak, but still a bonafide punk classic, with lyrics sounding as fresh and relevant today as they would have 40 years ago.

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Wed Nov 10 2021
5

Raw and catchy! Police & Thieves is one of my favorite tracks. It has that playing in the garage and jamming out feel.

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Wed Nov 10 2021
5

Listened to loads before. 5/5

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Thu Nov 11 2021
5

Easiest 5 ever, probably one of the top 10 albums of all time

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Thu Nov 18 2021
5

The brilliant simplicity of the entire album, belies the complexity of it's appeal. The sound is visceral, the lyrics have depth and a purpose, and it is all exactly what it needs to be without any fluff or pretense.

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Mon Nov 29 2021
5

So great... a favourite, knew the songs, but had never listened to the album together before.

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Fri Dec 24 2021
5

This is the album that made punk real. Gave it substance, weight, import. Showed what a great punk band could be. I go back and forth ad to which one is the definitive version ; the blue US version or the green original British version. The US version has more great songs...White Man in Hammersmith Palais, Comete Control, Jail Guitar Doors, Clash City Rockers, but the British version opens with Janie Jones, one of the greatest album openers of all time. Whatever version floats your boat there's no denying that what we have here is a 5 star album

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Fri Dec 31 2021
5

One of the easiest 5 stars I’ll give. A great punk album, every song is amazing.

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Fri Dec 31 2021
5

Own the album. Own the shirt. Totally my thing

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Thu Jan 06 2022
5

An easy 5. Always preferred London Calling but difficult to compare to as they're so different.

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Mon Jan 17 2022
5

I prefer London Calling, but this is still one of the greatest punk albums ever. A solid 5 star album.

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Tue Feb 15 2022
5

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Janie Jones, What’s my name, Cheat

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Wed Feb 16 2022
5

Álbum de estreia, mas já bastante elogiado. Nunca tinha escolhido o álbum pra ouvir de verdade. Me surpreendi. Lendo as letras, vi que é uma banda bastante rebelde e com um estilo de rock bem alternativo. Quero conhecer mais.

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Fri Feb 18 2022
5

El millor disc del punk, i un dels grans discos de la història. Allunyats de la broma que representaven els Pistols, tot aquí és música. Cançons perfectes, diferents estils, lletres compromeses. Encara haurien d'evolucionar a encara millor, però ja seria en un altre estil. El punk rock primitiu però poderós i intel.ligent del seu disc debut no ha estat mai igualat

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Fri Feb 25 2022
5

Somehow, I'd never listened to this. Really liked it; raw punk, but with cerebral credibility.

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Tue Mar 01 2022
5

Best of the best. Incredible musicians and Joe Strummer's political convictions. The very best punk has to offer.

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Thu Mar 03 2022
5

This was an easy listen, love the clash!

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Thu Dec 30 2021
5

Excellent record, never gets boring.

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Sat Mar 26 2022
5

Punk rock warlords. Classic debut album. It’s not perfect, but it was clear from the beginning that the Clash was so much more than just a punk band. 5 stars.

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Thu Dec 30 2021
5

Another no brainer 5 star album.

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Fri Apr 15 2022
5

Hard to find any faults, a pretty perfect debut. Perhaps only a 9 out of 10 for their somewhat clodhoppy reggae cover.

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Tue Apr 19 2022
5

8 fucking stars. This album is a sonic attack on assholes and sitting still.

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Sat Apr 30 2022
5

I don't normally fuck with Brit Punk. but The Clash and this album Fuck.

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Tue May 03 2022
5

Aww brilliant end to end but I’m biased. From the machine gun drumming of Janie Jones to the snotty chants of Garageland it’s such a great debut while signposting the great things this band was to become. It’s not London Calling - and it’s not comparable because it’s a completely different gente - this is the Clash at their most punk - but every ratatat beat and every riff and every bass line and every Strummer bark and Jones yap is glorious.

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Thu May 05 2022
5

The first punk album i fell in love with - absolute perfection

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Mon Jun 06 2022
5

One of the best debut albums of a rock band — a classic. 45 years later and its energy hasn't dampened at all. It still rocks. The "Noo-whooa-ohh!" vocals that come in at 1:44 on "Janie Jones"?! So good. Listening to this for the first time in years, I paid more attention to the social and political lyrics that mostly went over my head when I was a teenager. This is actually my first time listening to the UK version of the album. I've always listened to the US version. (Both CDs were options at Best Buy when I bought it in high school and I had to make a decision.) The US version cuts a few songs and adds a few more so it was cool to hear some of these tracks for the first time. On the other hand, a few of my favorites are missing from the UK version. "I Fought the Law," "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais," and "Jail Guitar Doors" are all incredible songs. I didn't realize they were singles that weren’t recorded at the same time as the original album.

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Sun Jun 12 2022
5

Brilliant attitude, all snarl and anger, punks that could play and with something to say. An impactful and powerful debut, quite extraordinary as it shook up the music scene. And London’s Burning is one of the finest tracks to ever come out of the UK.

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Tue Jun 14 2022
5

Uuh! Noni sitä hyvää brittipunkkia. Tai siis tää bändihän on räkärokkista jossa on ska-poljentoa aika tiukasti. Mut tää eka levy on kyl viel aika raakaa ilmaisua. Seuravilla levyillä perkeleesti enemmän sit jamaikaa. Tykkään kyl todella paljon. Jotenki tarpeeks lyhyytä ja selkeetä ja silti on hyvää melodiaa ja kunnon paatosta. Luultavasti yksi eniten muhun vaikuttaneita punk-julkaisuja. Top kybään menee täs kategorias. 5/5

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Fri Jul 08 2022
5

Love it. Classic British punk

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Thu Jul 14 2022
5

My first time hearing all these songs. Makes me want to riot or something.

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Sat Jul 16 2022
5

Another I loved before this, but tried to listen to 'properly' again when it came up. Sounda like it was recorded fast and cheap (which it was), and only hints at the variety of styles and influences they would explore on later records. Some of these songs are all time punk classics, and it's the debut album by one of my favourite bands, so it's got to be another 6 star album!

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Wed Jul 20 2022
5

Rarely does a day go by that at least one song by The Clash doesn't show up in my day to day. This was their first album released in the UK, but the second released in North America, if memory serves. This album is a lot more raw and a lot less polished than later releases, but even this early album contains a good number of their classic songs that they'll be forever known for. Songs of protest will always catch my attention and my interest. So yeah, no brainer I'm down with The Clash.

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Wed Jul 20 2022
5

Another great classic-one of the foundations of punk. Reminds me to mention the punk history bit Fred Armisen did on Jimmy Fallon. Definitely worth a watch.

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Wed Jul 20 2022
5

i just can't stay in my seat listening to this. Epic. Foundational. A must have in everyone's collection

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Tue Aug 02 2022
5

This is chock full of bangers: I'm So Bored of the USA, White Riot, Hate and War, London's Burning, Career Opportunities. Some less notable tracks as well, but the highs are very high.

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Thu Aug 04 2022
5

Fantastic debut album from "the only band that matters". The songs are simple and catchy; they haven't yet reached the peak of their creative powers that they would achieve with London Calling.

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Fri Sep 09 2022
5

I really like the singers voice

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Thu Sep 15 2022
5

The debut record and already the first masterpiece by The Clash (a.k.a. the only band that matters).

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Thu Sep 22 2022
5

The best of the early punk albums.

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Sat Oct 01 2022
5

A choppy, snarling snapshot of the frustrations of working class kids. Nervy, vital energy and charging, relentless rhythms.

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Sat Oct 01 2022
5

I've just about wanked myself dry. What a fuckin' masterpiece. Let's 'av it large.

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Wed Oct 12 2022
5

essential. tx Ramones for this

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Wed Oct 19 2022
5

What a fantastic debut. Chock full of what would become the bands calling cards this is one of punks finest early hours. It’s loud, aggressive and seething with energy.

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