When some people hear the word "punk", they might think of the bombastic loud and fast fun of The Ramones. Some might think of the angry, nihilistic Sex Pistols. Others might think of that tie wearing poet Patti Smith and her contributions to alternative music. Many more probably think of all those bands whose videos litter MTV and whose T-shirts are sold at every mall.
When I hear that word, if I don't think "Stooges" first, I think The Clash. To many, The Clash are THE punk band. Many times has it been that I've heard a person tell me that their musical idol is Joe Strummer or that the Clash summed everything punk rock was and always should be. The Clash have even somehow earned the overblown, more than slightly stupid title of "The Only Band That Mattered" (yeah, The Buzzcocks and The Jam certainly didn't matter at all... I bet whoever came up with that idiotic slogan probably coined the phrases "grunge" and "emocore"). To me, for those who care, The Clash were simply one of the great rock bands of the late 70s and early 80s. Nevermind punk rock or alternative music or anything like that at all, The Clash were a great band. Now that my bias has been put forth, on with my sad little history attempt.
Though Joe Strummer is considered the face of The Clash, the band really started with Mick Jones. He was playing in a band called The London SS when he met Bernie Rhodes, an associate of Malcolm MacLaren. They got to talking and Rhodes suggested that Mick form a band of his own. Gradually, Jones became part of a "pool" of musicians who Rhodes and MacLaren had "on tap", ready to form bands. He was friends with Paul Simonon and began teaching him bass (which reportively was pretty frustrating for them both).
Joe Strummer, meanwhile, was playing in a pub rock band called the 101ers. Then he saw the Sex Pistols and Johnny Rotten changed his attitude towards music. He then disbanded the 101ers. However, Mick and Paul had seen Joe playing for the 101ers and immediately had wanted him for their band. Bernie Rhodes introduced Joe to them and the two parties hit it off. Soon The Clash were born and Bernie Rhodes was their manager.
The Clash caught the attention of the press right away and soon their image of youthful idealism became a counterpoint to the Sex Pistol's "No Future" nihilism. While The Clash sang about fixing problems and fighting back ("I want a riot of my own..", the Pistols were more about complete apathy ("...and we don't care") and just simply putting the middle finger up at life. After building up their rep as a lyrically righteous band and a live act to be reckoned with, they were signed to CBS records, prompting the first of many "you sold out" criticisms directed toward The Clash. Regardless, their first single, "White Riot" (w/ "1977" as a B-side), was released to rave reviews (by people who understood punk rock anyway) and soon rose to the status of essential listening for anyone with an interest in punk rock.
Around this time, it should be noted that the trio of Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, and Mick Jones found their first regular drummer (after trying out several hired hands), Terry Chimes. He played well, but in later interviews admitted to not particularly liking anyone in the band and not at all caring about the band's ideals and/or music. He considered his gigs with The Clash to be strictly a job.
The "White Riot" single was followed up by their self-titled debut album about a month later in April of 1977. It also received good reviews and featured the best songs out of The Clash's early live set. What you'll find on it is raw, straightforward rock and roll that not only drew from such contemporaries like The Ramones and the Sex Pistols, but also from earlier bands such as The Kinks, The Who, and The New York Dolls. What really makes the first album special, however, is the Clash's lyrical approach. Quite simply, this is the "disaffected youth" album that everyone keeps saying "Nevermind" is. Judging from the "I wish I could quit my job" fantasy of "Janie Jones" to the "I Wish I Had A Job" frustrations of "Career Opportunities", The Clash had a knack for writing about real people with real problems. They also tackle such subjects as boredom ("London's Boring"), the affects of race on society ("White Riot"), and frustration with American influence in England ("I'm So Bored With the U.S.A.", which they opened many American shows with by the way). All of this was done through a more personal point of view rather than a political one. Through this approach, The Clash gained many loyal fans who felt the band told it "like it really is". Near the end of the record, a cover of "Police And Thieves" can be located, betraying the group's love for reggae and pointing in future musical directions. Some time after the recording of the first album, Terry Chimes was out and Nicky "Topper" Headon was in. He'd stay with the group for five years and by most is considered to be the true drummer of The Clash.
The Clash soldiered on through gigs supporting the album, dealing with the violent crowd (who enjoyed things like spitting on the band, breaking their instruments, and pulling them off the stage) and the ban on punk rock music throughout England. The Clash ended up getting pissed off at CBS for releasing the song "Remote Control" as a single without their consent, as they felt there were better tracks on the album more deserving of being the single (they were probably right). Their reaction to this fueled another single, "Complete Control", which lashes out at their label and pays tribute to the wildness of their gigs. This was followed by yet another single, the slightly more highly regarded "Clash City Rockers" (which might remind you of The Kinks) and it's B-side "Jail Guitar Doors" (which might remind you of The Stones and/or The New York Dolls). However, these two admittedly great singles were just warm ups for their next big breakthrough. B-sided by "The Prisoner", the "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" single merged loud guitars with reggae and was arguably the best Clash song written up to this point. Not only was it musically great, it was also one of The Clash's lyrical masterpieces, detailing their love for black culture, their cynical feelings on the punk scene ("huh, you think it's funny/turning rebellion into money"), and even sticking in some of their most biting remarks ("if Adolf Hitler were here today/they'd send a limo the same anyway"). The Clash seemed poised for a major breakout and an American producer seemed the man to do it.
Enter Sandy Pearlman. He was a guy who produced a little band called The Blue Oyster Cult. If you haven't heard of them, then obviously you ain't much of a Godzilla fan. He would produce their second album, "Give 'Em Enough Rope", and it was hoped that their sophomore full-length effort would be enough to break The Clash into the American music scene (where none of the Clash's music had been heard previously, not even the first album).
Recording sessions for the album weren't the best of times for the band. For one thing, the process was the complete opposite of the first album. Whereas that record was bashed out in a short period of time, aiming to basically recreate their live set with just a bit of studio polish, Pearlman had a more perfectionist approach to recording and spent a long time getting the performances he wanted and mixing the record just right. Joe and Mick grudgingly stayed behind in the USA to work with him (meaning they didn't want him to screw the record up while they weren't there). Meanwhile, a rift had grown between the band and manager Bernie Rhodes, who had originally been an inspiration to the band. Rhodes didn't want The Clash to work with Pearlman, partially because he felt recording in America was too expensive and partially because he was paranoid that Pearlman would end up usurping control of the band from him. Knowing that Strummer prided himself on not missing gigs (he had a habit of playing shows in extremely poor health, rathering that he suffer than disappointing the group's fans... even if they spit on him), Rhodes advertised a gig that no one in the band was aware of until the last minute, hoping to lure Strummer and Jones back to England. Knowing what Rhodes was up to, they stayed in America and the show ended up canceled (The Clash played another gig in compensation about a month later). This stunt that Rhodes had pulled brought many tensions between him and the band to the surface. Soon Bernie Rhodes was fired as manager. He was replaced with CBS rock writer, Caroline Coon, who was dating Paul Simonon. Both parties remained bitter after the firing and soon they took their troubles to court. These legal issues would seriously hurt the morale of the band.
When "Give 'Em Enough Rope" was released, reviews were mixed. Words like "sophomore slump", "stagnant", "boring", "heavy metal" and "sell-out" were thrown around and the general consensus became that "Give 'Em Enough Rope" wasn't as good as the first record (a consensus that is still strong today). Musically, it was still the same sound as the first album, but more focused and, in the cases of some songs, more pop. Perhaps the most impressive song is the opener, "Safe European Home", which showcases the band rocking as hard as they ever did, but finding enough time to insert a little reggae. Other songs like "Tommy Gun", "English Civil War", and "Cheapskate" are just about as rousing. The more full sound of later releases is hinted at with the piano backed sing-along "Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad" and "Drug Stabbing Time", which features a sax. All around it's a very solid record and, if you ask me, has no sub-par songs, save for "Guns On The Roof", which is just a "Clash City Rockers" rethread.
In support of "Give 'Em Enough Rope", The Clash set upon their first American tour, backed by none other than Bo Diddley. Despite Strummer's poor health (really painful tooth ache this time), The Clash went from gig to gig, winning over young American punk and new wave kids. Their goal: to overthrow radio rock like Kiss and Kansas and bring something more real to the mainstream.
By the time it was all over, the morale in the band was reportively low. Between the grind of touring, the frustrations with "Give 'Em Enough Rope", the "sell-out" issue, the legal battles with Bernie, and the typical bullshit a band must deal with when signed to a major label, the band seemed bombarded with pressure. The time had come to just say the hell with all of it and just make a good record. They ended up making a great one... which I'll get to the concluding part of my article.
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