[Music] The Clash Appreciation Thread

[Southy]

I can't find out anything on this, I'm sure Paul was the bass player from the start.

He was but Mick did the recording on the album.


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[pearl]

Can't think of a better place to start than Complete Control for a taste of the raw dynamic power of the band



Cracking vid includes some superb 70's footage incl their magnificent appearance at the Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978.

Joe Strummer RIP

Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978 - I went to that with my best friend, think the march started at Hyde Park, we thought it was the other way round and lazed around drinking wine 'til everyone turned up. Don't remember it being so crowded, but was pretty drunk by that time

 

[pearl]

Sometimes overlooked, but The Clash are due huge credit for turning a lot of punk kids on to less commercially known reggae artists like Mikey Dread and Junior Murvin. Their feel for the music and the feeling behind it was instinctive.

always thought Punk and Reggae had a massive cross-over myself.

love both

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978 - I went to that with my best friend, think the march started at Hyde Park, we thought it was the other way round and lazed around drinking wine 'til everyone turned up. Don't remember it being so crowded, but was pretty drunk by that time

My first memory of that day was Patrick Fitzgerald getting about 30 seconds into his gentle set then being hit square in the face by a can of lager thrown by some feral c*** skinhead down the front. Hated those low IQ Nazi scum then, hate them to this day. Pure trash.

 

[pearl]

My first memory of that day was Patrick Fitzgerald getting about 30 seconds into his gentle set then being hit square in the face by a can of lager thrown by some feral c*** skinhead down the front. Hated those low IQ Nazi scum then, hate them to this day. Pure trash.

my memory has failed me again. It was the later march from Hyde Park to Brockwell Park, but we went to both. There were so many free events back then, GLC etc.
That's the only time I got to see the Clash

 

[PFJ]

Sometimes overlooked, but The Clash are due huge credit for turning a lot of punk kids on to less commercially known reggae artists like Mikey Dread and Junior Murvin. Their feel for the music and the feeling behind it was instinctive.

I think a lot of credit should go to Don Letts for that. As well as being very close to the band, he also played reggae tracks in between bands at The Roxy and The 100 Club. There simply were no punk rock records at that time to fill the space. I suppose he could have played Stooges, MC5 etc ,or Small Faces, The Who etc, but he chose reggae and good on him for doing so.

 

[Peteinblack]

Can't think of a better place to start than Complete Control for a taste of the raw dynamic power of the band



Cracking vid includes some superb 70's footage incl their magnificent appearance at the Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978.

Joe Strummer RIP

My fave Clash track (followed by 'White Man in Hammersmith Palais'), and proud to say I was at that Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978

They - and John Peel - also got me into Reggae; the heavy Dub kind (as opposed to the lightweight pop-reggae of bands like UB40).

 

[Surf's Up]

The main problem I always had with The Clash was that they were actually good musicians.

 

[PFJ]

Very little. I actually saw the Jam at the Embassy Cinema on Western road in 77. They had the same energy as The Clash and Dr Feelgood but they were a mod band. Not that the (punk) audience cared. To be honest the Jam were treated with a bit of suspicion (it was extremely tribal back then) ny some because they were not from actual London, and failed to trot out the 'anarchy' psycobabbel (Weller made some comment in Sounds about possibly voting Conservative at the time, which raised eyebrows). Ironically, aside from the first album, The Clash were really a rock band. There, I said it.

I think most musical genres bring a big four, but although the spearhead of their movement I did not see a lot of musical similarities between The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers , Clash or The Damned, and yet they were all very punk rock. I loved The Jam and always saw them as a punk band until All Mod Cons. Weller still described them as a punk band even whilst promoting Setting Sons. Some of the sights and sounds that hit a 16 year old (me ) exploring this new music kind of stay with me. Although my 58 year head can now stand back and analyse those times with more authority, I still look back at the dirty music of The Stranglers, The Damned covered in pretend sick and the cover of In The City, spray paint against a public toilet wall, as being this scary and exciting new world of punk rock. More so than the covers of The Pistols and Clash oddly enough.
On the point of The Jam and Clash live, I think the sheer intensity of Weller and Strummer going full pelt on stage could not be separated by the thickness of a Rizla paper. The Clash for their part did I think create a new music devoid of the same sixties influenced punk rock of The Jam, The Pistols and Generation X.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I saw The Clash many, many times.

My first experience of them was at Cambridge Corn Exchange in November 1977, and it's fair to say that as an impressionable 15 year old they changed my life. I got the first album for Christmas that year, and set about buying all of the singles.

Then when they toured Give Em Enough Rope me and my mates went to all the gigs within easy reach of Cambridge. I loved them more than any other band back then, they were unbelievably powerful and unlike [MENTION=1200]Harry Wilson's tackle[/MENTION] I believed (and still believe) that they were genuinely switched on, politically, and never sold out in their beliefs through their actions.

When London Calling came out I was waiting outside Andy's Records on release date. Me and my friends all then went home and listened to it all day before meeting up in the pub to talk about it. It was an 'event', and meant so much to us. It is still one of my favourite albums of all time, often my favourite.

This was the time when they were at their best live, in my opinion. Others didn't like that they had become more accomplished, less 'punk', but I could not disagree more.

Sandinista was a disappointment when it came out - a bit of a mess, no real structure, seemingly. But as time passed I grew to appreciate it more. Reviews at the time said that if they had been more selective there was a hell of a single album in there. I'd say that there is one hell of a double album.

Then Combat Rock...despite a few corkers I have never warmed to this album as I have the others. Straight to Hell is a stone cold classic and Rock the Casbah/Should I Stay are pleasant enough, but the rest of the album remains hugely disappointing in my eyes, given what had come before.

They were still superb live at this point.

Then Mick was thrown out...

I was at university in London at the time and a guy I knew vaguely called Greg White came into the Students' Union Bar one night in a gorgeous woollen tartan suit. He told us all he was now to be known as Vince, as he had auditioned and been accepted into the band, and Joe Strummer had told him he didn't want a Greg in the band (or something like that).

They released Cut the Crap - we so wanted it to be good. Sadly it wasn't - a monstrosity of an album, and the only recording by the band that I didn't buy. And live...they were like a pantomime tribute band. It was crushing.

Meanwhile, Mick went off and formed Big Audio Dynamite - they were wonderful live and released at least three great albums.

Favourite Clash songs? So many,but White Man (in Hammersmith Palais), Straight to Hell, Stay Free, Lost in The Supermarket, Spanish Bombs, Clampdown, The Magnificent Seven, Complete Control, Somebody Got Murdered, Gates of the West, Bankrobber and Safe European all come to mind immediately, as well as superb covers like Police on my Back, I fought the Law, Pressure Drop and Poilice and Thieves.

What a band.

 

[BN9 BHA]

This book is excellent.

 

[Justice]

Just wondering if I should stay or should I go from this thread

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Neither did mine. First album I ever bought and my favourite Clash album.



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[studio150]

Just wondering if I should stay or should I go from this thread

I assume you've gone, given if you go, there will be trouble and if you stay it will be double

 

[The Auditor]

The greatest band ... once saw them three times in one week ... been to hundreds of gigs down the years ... few beat The Clash on Hastings Pier

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I am quite impressed that a few of you have "listened" to Sandinista, I am not sure I ever got to putting side 3 on the turntable..I found it hard work if I am honest.

To be fair I only got into the album long after it was released. My story is that I was quite quite young when I first heard the band, 10 I think. I mainly used to buy singles as that’s all my pocket money would usually stretch to and remember owning Remote Control with London’s Burning on the b-side. I remember buying the London Calling 7” when it came out (anyone remember Noise in Newhaven ?) and the covers were different colours. Older friends recorded the albums for me at this time. I remember Sandinista being released but this was all. I don’t recall having a tape either; I guess at 36 songs it wasn’t tape friendly. But when I was doing my A levels mid-80s I really got into them in a big way.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I saw The Clash many, many times.

My first experience of them was at Cambridge Corn Exchange in November 1977, and it's fair to say that as an impressionable 15 year old they changed my life. I got the first album for Christmas that year, and set about buying all of the singles.

Then when they toured Give Em Enough Rope me and my mates went to all the gigs within easy reach of Cambridge. I loved them more than any other band back then, they were unbelievably powerful and unlike [MENTION=1200]Harry Wilson's tackle[/MENTION] I believed (and still believe) that they were genuinely switched on, politically, and never sold out in their beliefs through their actions.

When London Calling came out I was waiting outside Andy's Records on release date. Me and my friends all then went home and listened to it all day before meeting up in the pub to talk about it. It was an 'event', and meant so much to us. It is still one of my favourite albums of all time, often my favourite.

This was the time when they were at their best live, in my opinion. Others didn't like that they had become more accomplished, less 'punk', but I could not disagree more.

Sandinista was a disappointment when it came out - a bit of a mess, no real structure, seemingly. But as time passed I grew to appreciate it more. Reviews at the time said that if they had been more selective there was a hell of a single album in there. I'd say that there is one hell of a double album.

Then Combat Rock...despite a few corkers I have never warmed to this album as I have the others. Straight to Hell is a stone cold classic and Rock the Casbah/Should I Stay are pleasant enough, but the rest of the album remains hugely disappointing in my eyes, given what had come before.

They were still superb live at this point.

Then Mick was thrown out...

I was at university in London at the time and a guy I knew vaguely called Greg White came into the Students' Union Bar one night in a gorgeous woollen tartan suit. He told us all he was now to be known as Vince, as he had auditioned and been accepted into the band, and Joe Strummer had told him he didn't want a Greg in the band (or something like that).

They released Cut the Crap - we so wanted it to be good. Sadly it wasn't - a monstrosity of an album, and the only recording by the band that I didn't buy. And live...they were like a pantomime tribute band. It was crushing.

Meanwhile, Mick went off and formed Big Audio Dynamite - they were wonderful live and released at least three great albums.

Favourite Clash songs? So many,but White Man (in Hammersmith Palais), Straight to Hell, Stay Free, Lost in The Supermarket, Spanish Bombs, Clampdown, The Magnificent Seven, Complete Control, Somebody Got Murdered, Gates of the West, Bankrobber and Safe European all come to mind immediately, as well as superb covers like Police on my Back, I fought the Law, Pressure Drop and Poilice and Thieves.

What a band.

Great post. I member you telling me about Greg.

 

[studio150]

I remember buying the London Calling 7” when it came out .

Should have got the 12" single for Armagideon Time (Version), one of the best B sides ever

 

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

Should have got the 12" single for Armagideon Time (Version), one of the best B sides ever

I had that but it did not play on my crappy stereo so I got rid!!!! Thankfully, it appeared on Black Market Clash later.

Awesome tune

 

[Gordon the Gopher]

Rock Against Racism festival at Victoria Park, Hackney in 1978 - I went to that with my best friend, think the march started at Hyde Park, we thought it was the other way round and lazed around drinking wine 'til everyone turned up. Don't remember it being so crowded, but was pretty drunk by that time

Another one here for the Victoria Park festival. Great day, X Ray Spec Steel Pulse and Tom Robinson I think. Always remember Pursey trashing White Riot. Steve North posts on here and is a Clash nut. He wrote and toured with a play called Meeting Joe Strimmer which was a great watch. Best ever Clash quote was live in Tokyo when Pearl Harbour who was Paul Simonons girlfriend came on stage and Mick Jones announces 'you all remember Pearl Harbour don't you?'