Gillingham, Kent, UK (By Mikey)
Introduction
The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where the Pistols were nihilistic, the Clash were fiery and idealistic, charged with righteousness and a leftist political ideology. From the outset, the band was more musically adventurous, expanding their hard rock & roll with reggae, dub, and rap rockabilly among other roots music's. Furthermore, they were blessed with two exceptional songwriters in Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, each with a distinctive voice and style. The Clash copped heavily from classic outlaw imagery, positioning themselves as rebels with a cause. As a result, they won a passionately devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. While they became rock & roll heroes in the UK, second only to the Jam in terms of popularity, it took the Clash several years to break into the American market and when they finally did in 1982, they imploded several months later. Though the Clash never became the superstars they always threatened to become, they restored passion and protest to rock & roll. For a while, they really did seem like "the only band that mattered."
A working class band
For a band that constantly sang about revolution and the working class, the Clash had surprisingly traditional roots. Joe Strummer (b. John Graham Mellor, August 21, 1952) had spent most of his childhood in boarding school. By the time he was in his early '20s, he had busked on the streets of London and had formed a pub-rock band called the 101'ers.
Around the same time, Mick Jones (b. June 26, 1955) was leading a hard rock group called the London SS. Unlike Strummer, Jones came from a working class background in Brixton. Throughout his teens, he was fascinated with rock & roll, and he had formed the London SS with the intent of replicating the hard-driving sound of Mott the Hoople and Faces. Jones' childhood friend Paul Simonon (b. December 15, 1956) joined the group as a bassist in 1976 after hearing the Sex Pistols; he replaced Tony James, who would later join Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
At the time, the band also featured drummer Tory Crimes (b. Terry Chimes), who had recently replaced Topper Headon (b. Nicky Headon, May 30, 1955). After witnessing the Sex Pistols in concert, Joe Strummer decided to break up the 101'ers in early 1976 in order to pursue a new, harder-edged musical direction. He left the band just before their first single, "Keys to Your Heart," was released. Along with fellow 101'er guitarist Keith Levene, Strummer joined the revamped London SS, now renamed the Clash.
On the road to success
The Clash performed its first concert in the summer of 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols in London. Levene left the band shortly afterward. Hiring Bernard Rhodes, a former business associate of The Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, as their manager, the Clash set out on the Pistols' notorious "Anarchy Tour" late in 1976. Though only three concerts were performed on the tour, it nevertheless raised the Clash's profile and the band secured a record contract in February of 1977 with British CBS. Over the course of three weekends, the group recorded their debut album. Once the sessions were completed, Terry Chimes left the group, and Headon came aboard as the band's drummer. In the spring, the Clash's first single "White Riot" and eponymous debut album were released to great critical acclaim and sales in the UK, peaking at number 12 on the charts. The American division of US decided The Clash wasn't fit for radio play, so it decided to not release the album, but the import of the record became the largest-selling import of all-time. Shortly after the UK release of The Clash, the band set out on the whirlwind "White Riot" tour supported by the Jam and the Buzzcocks; the tour was highlighted by a date at London's Rainbow Theatre, when the audience tore the seats out of the venue. During the "White Riot" tour, CBS pulled "Remote Control" off of the album as a single, and as a response, the Clash recorded "Complete Control" with reggae icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.
I fought the law
Throughout 1977, Strummer and Jones were in and out of jail for a myriad of minor indiscretions, ranging from vandalism to stealing a pillowcase, while Simonon and Headon were arrested for shooting racing pigeons with an air gun. The Clash's outlaw image was bolstered considerably by such events, but the band also began to branch out into social activism, such as heading a Rock Against Racism concert. Released in the summer of 1978, the single "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" demonstrated the band's growing social consciousness.
Shortly after the single peaked at number 32, the Clash began working on their second album with producer Sandy Pearlman, a former member of Blue �yster Cult. Pearlman gave Give 'Em Enough Rope a clean but powerful sound designed to break the American market. While that didn't happen - the album peaked at 128 on the US charts in the spring of 1979 - the record became an enormous hit in Britain, debuting at number two on the charts.
Worldwide success
Early in 1979, the Clash began their first American tour, entitled "Pearl Harbor '79." That summer, the band released the UK-only EP The Cost of Living, which featured a cover of the Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law." Following the later summer release of The Clash in America, the group set out on their second US tour, hiring Mickey Gallagher of Ian Dury's Blockheads as a keyboardist. On both of their US tours, the Clash had R&B acts like Bo Diddley, Sam & Dave, Lee Dorsey and Screamin' Jay Hawkins support them, as well as neo-traditionalist country-rocker Joe Ely and the punk rockabilly band, the Cramps. The choice of supporting acts indicated that the Clash were becoming fascinated with older rock & roll and all of its legends. That fascination became the driving force behind their breakthrough double-album, London Calling. Produced by Guy Stevens, who formerly worked with Mott the Hoople, London Calling boasted an array of styles, ranging from rockabilly and New Orleans R&B to anthemic hard rock and reggae. Retailing at the price of a single album, the record debuted at number nine on the UK charts in late 1979 and climbed to number 27 on the US charts in the spring of 1980.
The Clash successfully toured the US, the UK and Europe in early 1980, during which time the pseudo-documentary Rude Boy was released in England. During the summer, the band released the Dutch-only, dub-inflected single "Bankrobber," which they recorded with DJ Mikey Dread; by the fall, the British branch of CBS was forced to release the single due to popular demand. Shortly afterward, the band went to New York to begin the tension-filled, self-produced sessions for their follow-up to London Calling. In November, a US-only EP of odds and ends entitled Black Market Clash was released. The following month, the triple-record set Sandanista! appeared in the UK and the US. The critical reaction to the album was decidedly mixed, with American critics reacting more favourably than their British counterparts. Furthermore, the band's audience in the UK was shrinking slightly - Sandanista! was the first record the group released that sold more copies in the US than the UK.
After spending much of 1981 touring and resting, the Clash reconvened late in the year to record their fifth album with producer Glyn Johns, a former engineer/producer for the Rolling Stones, Who and Led Zeppelin. Headon left the band shortly after the sessions finished; the press statement said he parted with the group due to political differences, but it was later revealed that the split was due to his heavy drug use. The band replaced Headon with their old drummer, Terry Chimes, around the spring release of Combat Rock.
The album was the Clash's most commercially successful effort, entering the UK charts at number two and climbing into the American Top Ten in early 1983, thanks to the Top Ten hit single "Rock the Casbah." During the fall of 1982, the Clash opened for the Who on their farewell tour. Though the tour helped Combat Rock scale the US charts, the Clash were routinely booed off the stage on every date of the tour.
Although the Clash were at the height of their commercial powers in 1983, the band was beginning fall apart. Chimes was fired in the spring and was replaced by Pete Howard, formerly of Cold Fish. During the summer, the band headlined the US Festival in California; it would be their last major appearance. In September, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon fired Mick Jones because he "drifted apart from the original idea of the Clash." Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite the following year, while the Clash hired guitarists Vince White and Nick Sheppard to fill his vacancy. Throughout 1984, the band toured America and Europe, testing the new line-up. The revamped Clash finally released their first album, Cut the Crap, in November. The album was greeted with overwhelmingly poor reviews and sales, it would later be disowned by Strummer and Simonon.
The end of an era
Early in 1986, Strummer and Simonon decided to permanently disband the Clash. Several years later, Simonon formed the roots-rock band Havana 3 A.M., who released only one album in 1991; following the record's release, he concentrated on painting. After reuniting with Jones to write songs for Big Audio Dynamite's second album, 1986's No. 10 Upping Street, Strummer drifted between a musical and a film career, appearing in Alex Cox's Straight to Hell (1986) and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train (1989). He also scored Permanent Record (1988) and Cox's Walker (1987). Strummer released a solo album, Earthquake Weather, in 1989. Shortly afterward, he joined the Pogues as a touring rhythm guitarist and vocalist. By 1991, he had quietly drifted away from the spotlight. For the remainder of the decade, Strummer was quiet, appearing on only one other recording - Black Grape's 1996 Top Ten hit, "England's Irie."
Though Strummer and Simonon were both quiet, and Jones was busy with various incarnations of Big Audio Dynamite, rumours of a Clash reunion continued to circulate throughout the '90s. When "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" appeared in a Levi's television commercial in 1992, the song was re-released in the UK by CBS and it shot to number one, fuelling reunion speculation. The rumours appeared again in 1995 and 1996, when the Sex Pistols decided to reunite, but the Clash remained quiet. Live: From Here To Eternity, assembling material recorded between 1978 and 1982, was released in 1999, shortly followed by the documentary film Westway to the World.
A sad loss
Joe Strummer died last December 2002 of a heart attack. He recorded his last album Streetcore with his new band The Mescaleros. The tracklisting for the album is:
Coma Girl
Get Down Moses
Long Shadow
Arms Aloft
Ramshackle Day Parade
Redemption Song
All in a Day
Burnin' Streets
Midnight Jam
Silver and Gold
Coma Girl was released as a single but failed to chart. A new single will be coming out in the UK on December 15th, 2003. The single will be "Redemption Song" and "Arms Aloft" along with more live tracks from the 2001 Brixton Academy Gig. Tribute Shows and Memorials are happening in various places across the globe in November and December. Check the Tribute Shows page for further details.
The Clash Discography
Singles
02 April 1977 White Riot - Chart Position No.38, 3 weeks on chart
08 October 1977 Complete Control - Chart Position No.28, 2 weeks on chart
04 March 1978 Clash City Rockers - Chart Position No.35, 4 weeks on chart
24 June 1978 (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - Chart Position No.32, 7 weeks on chart
02 December 1978 Tommy Gun - Chart Position No.19, 10 weeks on chart
03 March 1979 English Civil War (Johnny Comes Marching Home) - Chart Position No.25, 6 weeks on chart
19 May 1979 The Cost of Living (EP) - Chart Position No.22, 8 weeks on chart
15 December 1979 London Calling - Chart Position No.11, 10 weeks on chart
09 August 1980 Bankrobber - Chart Position No.12, 10 weeks on chart
06 December 1980 The Call Up - Chart Position No.40, 6 weeks on chart
24 January 1981 Hitsville UK - Chart Position No.56, 4 weeks on chart
25 April 1981 The Magnificent Seven - Chart Position No.34, 5 weeks on chart
28 November 1981 This Is Radio Clash - Chart Position No.47, 6 weeks on chart
01 May 1982 Know Your Rights - Chart Position No.43, 3 weeks on chart
26 June 1982 Rock The Casbah - Chart Position No.30, 10 weeks on chart
25 September 1982 Should I Stay Or Should I Go / Straight To Hell - Chart Position No.17, 9 weeks on chart
12 October 1985 This Is England - Chart Position No.24, 5 weeks on chart
12 March 1988 I Fought the Law - Chart Position No.29, 5 weeks on chart
07 May 1988 London Calling (re-issue) - Chart Position No.46, 3 weeks on chart
21 July 1990 Return To Brixton - Chart Position No.57, 2 weeks on chart
02 March 1991 Should I Stay Or Should I Go (re-issue) - Chart Position No.1, 9 weeks on chart*
13 April 1991 Rock The Casbah (re-issue) - Chart Position No.15, 6 weeks on chart
08 June 1991 London Calling (re-issue) - Chart Position No.64, 2 weeks on chart
Tracks on The Cost of Living (EP): I Fought The Law, Groovy Times, Gates of the West, Capital Radio
(*) Top 10 Single
Albums
1997 The Clash
1978 Give 'Em Enough Rope
1979 London Calling
1980 Sandanista!
1982 Combat Rock
1982 The World According to the Clash
1985 Cut The Crap
Albums: Compilations
1988 Story of the Clash, Vol. 1
1989 Collection
1990 Return to Brixton
1991 The Singles
1992 12" Mixes
1994 Super Black Market Clash
1999 Live: From Here to Eternity
2003 The Essential Clash
