The Clash

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This article is about the English punk rock band. For their debut album, see The Clash (album). For other uses, see Clash.
The Clash
The Clash live in Oslo, 1980.
The Clash live in Oslo, 1980.
Background information
Origin Ladbroke Grove, London, England
Genre(s) Rock
Punk rock
Years active 1976–1986
Label(s) CBS
Associated acts The 101ers, London SS, Big Audio Dynamite, Havana 3am, The Latino Rockabilly War, The Pogues, The Mescaleros, Carbon/Silicon, The Good, the Bad and the Queen
Website www.theclashonline.com
Members
Joe Strummer
Mick Jones
Paul Simonon
Topper Headon
Former members
Keith Levene
Terry Chimes
Rob Harper
Pete Howard
Nick Sheppard
Vince White

The Clash were an English punk rock band, active from 1976 to 1986, part of the original wave of UK punk.[1][2] Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, funk, rap, dub, rock and roll and rockabilly among other roots musics.[3][4] For most of their recording career, The Clash consisted of Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar), Paul Simonon (bass) and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion).[5] The group disbanded in early 1986, owing to lack of creative control and the loss of Headon in 1982 and Jones in 1983 due to internal friction.

The Clash were a major success in the UK from the release of their debut album. Their third album, London Calling, released in the UK in December 1979, brought them popularity in the United States when it came out there the following year. It received wide critical acclaim; a decade later Rolling Stone magazine declared it the best album of the 1980s.[6]

The Clash's style and rebellious attitude, along with their music, had a far-reaching influence on rock, alternative rock in particular.[7] Their record label's A&R director dubbed them "The Only British Band That Matters," which fans picked up and transformed into "The Only Band That Matters". In January 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8] The band wanted to play at the event, but were prevented by Joe Strummer's death in December 2002. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[9]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Formation and first years: 1975–1976

Most of the band's founding members were already active in the London music scene at the time of The Clash's formation. John Graham Mellor had played in the pub rock act The 101'ers. He had already abandoned his original stage name, "Woody" Mellor, in favor of "Joe Strummer", a reference to his rudimentary strumming skills on the ukulele as a busker in the London Underground. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon were briefly in legendary proto-punk band London SS.

Jones, Simonon, guitarist Keith Levene and "whoever we could find really to play the drums"[10] spent much of 1976 in rehearsals. At the behest of their manager, Bernie Rhodes,[11] Jones, Levene and Simonon recruited the slightly older Strummer from the 101'ers.[2] The recruitment took place in the Portobello market when Simonon and Jones bumped into Strummer and told him they didn't like the 101'ers but thought he had punk potential.[12] As Simonon later said, "[o]nce we had Joe on board it all started to come together."[10]

Paul Simonon came up with the band's name, The Clash, after they had considered alternatives including "The Weak Heartdrops" and "The Psychotic Negatives".[13][11] Simonon explained how he came up with the name, "It really came to my head when I start reading the newspapers and a word that kept recurring was the word 'clash', so I thought 'the Clash, what about that,' to the others. And they and Bernard they went for it."[11] After deciding on a name, the band found a stable drummer in Terry Chimes.

The Clash had their first gig on July 4, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the Black Swan in Sheffield.[1][2][14] By that autumn the band had signed a contract with CBS Records.[2][15] In early September, Levene was kicked out for never showing up to practice.[2] On September 21, 1976 the band performed at the 100 Club Punk Festival, sharing the bill with the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Subway Sect.[1][16] Chimes left in late November, briefly replaced by Rob Harper for the Anarchy Tour in December 1976, but was soon drafted back to record their debut album.[17]

[edit] Debut and Give 'Em Enough Rope: 1977-1978

In January 1977 the group signed a 100,000 pound contract with CBS Records.[18] The band recalled Terry Chimes for the recording, and hired Mickey Foote, who worked as a technician at their concerts, to produce the album. They released their first single "White Riot", in March of 1977, and the their first album The Clash, in April of 1977. Both obtained considerable success in the UK, yet CBS refused to released the album and single in the USA, saying that the sound was not “radio friendly”.[2] They eventually released there in a modified version in 1979, after the UK original became the best-selling import album of all time in the United States.[19] At the time Chimes had left the band, so only Simonon, Jones and Strummer were featured on the album's cover, and Chimes was credited as "Tory Crimes". In the documentary Westway to the World, Mick Jones referred to him as one of "the best drummers around".[2] But Chimes, who had no great wish to make a career from music, said, "The point was that I wanted one kind of life – they wanted another, and why are we working together, if we want completely different things?"

The band experienced a period of changing drummers.[5] After some time with Mick Jones handling drum duties, the band finally recruited Topper Headon, nicknamed "Topper" by Simonon, because he resembled the famous comic's cartoon cover star, "Mickey the Monkey". Headon had excellent musical skills, being able to play other instruments such as piano, bass and guitar. He was originally planning to stay briefly and gain a name for himself, before finding a better band. Realizing the band's potential he changed his plans and stayed in the band. In Westway To The World Strummer noted, "If we hadn't found Topper, I don't think we'd have got anywhere".[2]

Before the band began recording their second album, CBS requested that the band adopt a cleaner sound in order to reach American audiences. Sandy Pearlman, known for his work with Blue Öyster Cult, was hired to produce the record. Although some complained about the cleaner sound, Give 'Em Enough Rope received glowing reviews upon its release.[20] It reached number 2 in the U.K., but it was not the American breakthrough CBS had hoped for, reaching only number 128 on the Billboard charts. The band toured the U.S. for the first time while promoting the album. The tour was largely successful.

[edit] London Calling, Sandinista! and Combat Rock: 1979-1982

The Clash then recorded London Calling. Produced by Guy Stevens, who had previously worked with Mott the Hoople and others, the double album was a mix of punk rock, rockabilly, reggae, rock and roll, ska and other elements[21][22] that recalled the band's earlier days, but also had greater maturity and production polish, and is regarded as one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.[23] The album contained 2 LPs and ended with a hidden track not noted in the song list. Called "Train in Vain", it received the most airplay on album-oriented rock (AOR) FM stations in the US[2]

The Clash planned to record and release a single every month in 1980. Their record label, CBS, balked at this idea, and these efforts resulted in the album Sandinista!. Containing elements of rock, punk, reggae (including extended dubs), ska, jazz, and disco, unified by a heavily echoed sound,[22][24] this 3-LP, 36-song album was their most controversial to date, both politically and musically.[15] The album fared well in America, charting at #24,[8] even though it had no catchy single and, in the increasingly conservative environment of AOR FM radio in the US, received minimal airplay.[2]

The band recorded their fifth album Combat Rock, which was originally planned as a double album with the title Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg, but the idea was scrapped after wrangling within the group. Mick Jones had produced the first cut, but the other members were dissatisfied and producing duties were handed to Glyn Johns at which point the album became a single LP. The original cut has since been bootlegged. The album contained the single "Should I Stay or Should I Go" which received heavy airplay in the US on AOR FM stations. The following single, "Rock the Casbah", a song about the Iranian clampdown on imports of Western music, was a Top 40 hit in the US, with heavy rotation on MTV.[2]

[edit] Disintegration: 1982-1984

After Combat Rock, the Clash began to disintegrate. Topper Headon was asked to leave the band just prior to the release of the album, due to his heroin addiction, which was hurting his health and drumming.[2][25] The band's original drummer, Terry Chimes, was brought back for the next few months.[12] The loss of Headon brought much friction, as he was an essential part of the band and well-liked by the others. Jones and Strummer began to feud. The band opened for The Who on a leg of their final tour in the U.S, playing New York's Shea Stadium.[2] Though the band continued to tour, relationships within the band continued to fracture.[2]

By 1983 the years of constant touring and recording took their toll. They were growing as musicians and individuals, but they were not able to cope with the tension and stress. Chimes left the band after the 1982-1983 Combat Rock tour, due to the in-fighting and turmoil.

In 1983, drummer Pete Howard joined the band for the US Festival in San Bernardino, California, of which The Clash were, along with David Bowie and Van Halen, co-headliners. The crowd of roughly half a million was by far the biggest of the Clash's career. This was Jones' last appearance with The Clash. In September 1983, Jones was fired due to his problematic behaviour and divergent musical aspirations.[12] Jones went on to found Big Audio Dynamite (BAD) with Don Letts. Strummer later tried to contact Jones to reform The Clash, but Jones was too busy with Big Audio Dynamite.[26]

The band picked Nick Sheppard, formerly of the Bristol-based Cortinas, and Vince White as the band's new guitarists. Howard continued to be the drummer. The band played its first shows in January 1984 with a batch of new material and launched into a self-financed tour, dubbed the Out of Control tour, and they toured heavily over the winter and into early summer. At a striking miners' benefit show ("Scargill's Christmas Party") in December 1984, they announced that a new record would be released early in the new year.

[edit] Cut the Crap and posthumous recognition: 1985-1998

The recording sessions for Cut the Crap were chaotic, with manager Bernie Rhodes and Strummer working in Munich, Germany. Most of the instruments were played by studio musicians, with Sheppard and later White flying in to come up with guitar parts. Struggling with Rhodes for control of the band, Strummer returned home. The band went on a busking tour, playing in public spaces in cities throughout the UK where they played acoustic versions of their hits and popular cover tunes.

After a gig in Athens, Strummer went to Spain to clear his mind. While Strummer was gone, the first single from Cut the Crap, "This Is England" was released to mostly negative reviews at the time.[26] However, respected critic Dave Marsh later championed "This Is England" as one of the top 1001 rock singles of all time, in his book "The Heart of Rock & Soul",[27] and the single has also received retroactive praise from Q Magazine and others. "CBS had paid an advance for it so they had to put it out. I just went, 'Well fuck this', and fucked off to the mountains of Spain to sit sobbing under a palm tree, while Bernie had to deliver a record", said Joe Strummer later in an interview [26].

"This Is England", much like the rest of the album that came out later that year, had been drastically re-engineered by Rhodes, with synths, drum machines, and football-style chants being added to Strummer's incomplete recordings. For the remainder of his life Strummer publicly disowned the album,[25] although he did express the sentiment that "This Is England" was the last good Clash single. Other songs played on the tour remain unreleased to this day, including "Jericho" and "Glue Zombie," while a live version of "(In the) Pouring Rain" finally saw release in 2007 on the soundtrack to Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, a documentary about Joe Strummer. Although Howard was an adept drummer, virtually all of the percussion tracks were produced by drum machines. The Clash were effectively disbanded in early 1986, and the members went on to other projects.[22]

On 2 March 1991, The Clash scored their first #1 UK single with the reissue of “Should I Stay or Should I Go”. Joe Strummer reportedly cried and was very distraught when the band's hit and its title "Rock the Casbah" were used while bombing Iraq the same year.[28]

[edit] Late reunions: 1999-present

In 1999, Strummer, Jones and Simonon cooperated in the compiling of the live album From Here to Eternity and video documentary Westway to the World. On 15 November 2002, Jones and Strummer shared the stage, performing three Clash songs during a London benefit show by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.[8] In January 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8] Strummer, Jones, and Headon wanted to play a reunion show to coincide with their induction into the Hall Of Fame. Simonon, however, did not want to participate because he believed that playing at the high-priced event would not have been in the spirit of The Clash. At any rate, Strummer's death in December 2002 prevented any potential reunion. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash #30 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[9]

On 11 January 2008, Carbon/Silicon, the new band of Mick Jones, Tony James, Leo Williams and Dominic Greensmith, played a show at the Carbon Casino Club, The Inn on the Green, 3-5 Thorpe Close, Portobello Green, London. Headon joined the band on stage during The Clash's "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)". An encore followed with Headon playing drums on "Should I Stay or Should I Go". This performance marked the first time since 1982 that Headon and Jones had performed together on stage.[29]

[edit] Politics

The band's music was often charged by a leftist political ideology.[4] They are credited with pioneering the advocacy of radical politics in punk rock, and were known as the "Thinking Man's Yobs"[30] by many simply for voicing a political slant other than anarchism. They were never driven entirely by money; even at their peak, tickets to shows and souvenirs were reasonably priced.[19] The group insisted that CBS sell their double and triple album sets London Calling and Sandinista! for the price of a single album each (then £5), succeeding with the former and compromising with the latter by agreeing to sell it for £5.99 and forfeit all their royalties on its first 200,000 sales.[2][5] These "VFM" (Value For Money) principles meant that they were constantly in debt to CBS, and only started to break even around 1982.[6]

Like many early punk bands, The Clash protested against monarchy and aristocracy. However, unlike many early punk bands, The Clash rejected the overall sentiment of nihilism.[19] Instead, they found solidarity with a number of contemporary liberation movements. The Clash's political views, especially those of Joe Strummer, were very leftist. Their politics were expressed explicitly in their lyrics, in early recordings such as "White Riot", which encouraged disaffected white youths to become politically active like their black counterparts, "Career Opportunities", which expressed discontent about the alienation of low-paid, production line style employment and the lack of alternatives, and "London's Burning", about the bleakness and boredom of life in the inner city.[22]

They were also involved directly with the Anti-Nazi League, and heading Rock Against Racism concert in in London's Victoria Park for 80,000 people in April 1978,[2][31] where Strummer wore a controversial t-shirt bearing the words "Brigade Rosse" with the Red Army Faction (Baader-Meinhof) insignia in the middle.[32] He later said in an interview that he wore the shirt not to support the left-wing terrorist factions in Italy and Germany, but to bring attention to their existence. Strummer and Jones were arrested for a string of offences from vandalism to stealing a pillowcase.[7] Caroline Coon stood up for what The Clash were doing during this period: "Those tough, militaristic songs were what we needed as we went into Thatcherism".[33]

[edit] Members

1976
Original line-up
1977
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977-1982
Classic line-up
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Topper Headon – drums, percussion
1982-1983
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1983
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Howard – drums, percussion
1983-1986
Final line-up
  • Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Nick Sheppard – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Vince White – lead guitar
  • Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Howard – drums, percussion

[edit] Discography

Main article: The Clash discography

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Gray, Marcus [1995] (2005). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town, 5th rev. ed., London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Letts Don; Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, Rick Elgood, The Clash. (2001). The Clash, Westway to the World [Documentary]. New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films. Retrieved on 2007-11-26. ISBN 0738900826. OCLC 49798077.
  3. ^ The Clash: Biography. Artists. RollingStone. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  4. ^ a b The Clash (JHTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  5. ^ a b c "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash" (March 16, 1991). NME 3. London: IPC Magazines. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 4213418. 
  6. ^ a b Clash star Strummer dies (STM). Entertainment. BBC News World Edition (2002-12-27). Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  7. ^ a b Strummer's lasting culture Clash (STM). Entertainment. BBC News World Edition (2002-12-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  8. ^ a b c d The Clash. Induction. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (2003-03-10). Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  9. ^ a b The Clash by The Edge. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone (2004-04-15).
  10. ^ a b Rowley, Scott (October 1999). "Paul Simonon's first ever bass interview". Bassist Magazine (10). 
  11. ^ a b c MTV Rockumentary. Interviewer: Unknown; Presenter: Kurt Loder. MTV, London, England. Transcript.
  12. ^ a b c Encoule, Jean (1 2003). Joe Strummer - 1952-2002. trakMARX.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  13. ^ Topping 2004, p. 12.
  14. ^ Loder, Kurt (2003-03-13). The Clash: Ducking Bottles, Asking Questions. MTV News. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  15. ^ a b Jaffee, Larry (1987). The Politics of Rock. Popular Music and Society, pp. 19-30. 
  16. ^ The Clash Sex Pistols 100 Club Festival. blackmarketclash.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  17. ^ 1976 – The Clash Live. blackmarketclash.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  18. ^ Zaccuri 2003, p. 17.
  19. ^ a b c Henke, James (April 3, 1980). "There'll Be Dancing In The Streets: The Clash". Rolling Stone: pp. 38-41. 
  20. ^ Marcus, Greil (1979-01-25). The Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope. Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
  21. ^ Metzger, John (11 2004). The Clash London Calling 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition. The Music Box. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  22. ^ a b c d The Clash. Artist History. Aversion.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  23. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. London Calling Review. allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  24. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Sandinista! Review. allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  25. ^ a b Cromelin, Richard (January 31, 1988). "Strummer on Man, God, Law and the Clash". Los Angeles Times. 
  26. ^ a b c Ex-Clash singer breaks ground. joestrummer.us. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  27. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. London: Penguin. ISBN 0140121080. OCLC 59149603. 
  28. ^ Revolution rock: Documentary pays tribute to Clash frontman Joe Strummer. CBC (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
  29. ^ The Clash's Mick Jones and Topper Headon reunite after 25 years. NME (2005-01-14). Retrieved on 2005-01-15.
  30. ^ McCarthy, Jackie (1999-12-22). White riot (PHP). Music. Seattle Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
  31. ^ TRB Rock Against Racism. tomrobinson.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  32. ^ Hazan, Jack; David Mingay, Ray Gange, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Nicky Headon, Buzzy Enterprises, Epic Music Video. (2006). Rude Boy [Documentary, Rockumentary]. New York, NY, United States: Epic Music Video. Retrieved on 2008-01-09. ISBN 0738900826. OCLC 70850190.
  33. ^ Gilbert 2005, p. 190.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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The Clash
Joe Strummer · Mick Jones · Paul Simonon · Topper Headon
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