THE CLASH

1977 punk ideals are as meaningless in 2004 as hippie logic. Are the Clash a punk group? Well, they were, but now they are a great rock band. "Movements" are purely contextual. The Clash was about music, not a reactionary "scene." Remove the politics and they're ambitious, complicated, worldly, and very much aware of the relevance of their own craft. The lyrics just add compassion, an immediate reference point for what was driving the rest.

Why are they legendary? First of all, great singles, sensitive but solid, their devoted energy, their all-encompassing attitude embracing every possibility and running with it, their unquestionable status as the most intensely versatile rock band since the Beatles. But really, it's dedication, the sincerity and commitment of hearts and minds to every note and lyric.

Just in case people were thinking John Lennon's ROCK & ROLL was the bittersweet farewell to lively optimism and corrosion of invisible race/class/sex lines, the Clash offered Chuck and Buddy and Ray and Eddie and Jerry Lee with raised musical and social consciousness. They were a snowball that kept growing, adopting the layered subtleties of reggae, country, rockabilly, soul, and on and on as a complement to their sound.

Their early singles, most of them on THE CLASH, and the whole of LONDON CALLING have a transcendent power that is not at all surprising. Everything is on the table, and confidence, not swagger, drives it. It's hard if not impossible to miss their Midas capability to occupy everything with gusto and to strive for everything to begin with. It's magic.

Did they sell out? Probably, wouldn't you? The Clash's urgency was too essential for them to create complacent, laid-back music that had any resonance. COMBAT ROCK falls flat and CUT THE CRAP attempts vainly to recapture the moment. Sometimes a musician can grab onto a moment that remains important, and because of that the glimmer of 1977-80 light grows into something timeless. The Clash probably knew how good they were and it made them better. And you thought aggression couldn't be moving.

ANNOTATED DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS REVIEWED:
The Clash (1977) [A+] (more reviews to come)
Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978) [A-]
London Calling (1979) [A+]
Sandinista! (1980) [A]
Combat Rock (1982) [B-]
Cut the Crap (1985)

LIVE ALBUMS
From Here to Eternity (1999)

COMPILATIONS
The Story of the Clash (1988) [B]
The Singles (1991) [B+]
The Essential Clash (2003)

RARITIES COLLECTIONS
The Clash: UK Version (1977)
Super Black Market Clash (1993)

BOXED SETS
Clash on Broadway (1991)

EP'S
The Cost of Living (1979)
Black Market Clash (1980)

NON-LP SINGLES & misc. tracks (to come)


OTHER WRITING
'Last Gang in Town' by Marcus Gray: book review

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