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| ARTIST: |
The Clash
(Google this artist) |
| ALBUM: |
The Essential Clash |
| LABEL: |
Legacy Recordings |
| RELEASED: |
2003 |
To call The Clash pioneers of punk rock is both a compliment and an insult.
They were among the first to re-strip rock to its bare bones and use it as
a means of rebellion and political commentary. But they also transcended
punk's limitations and created their own sound in the process, leaving the
Sex Pistols and their other punk contemporaries in the dust. Then they
broke up.
This evolution plays out brilliantly on The Essential Clash, the latest in
Columbia/Legacy's excellent "Essentials" series of 2-CD career
retrospectives. It's well timed for the attention the band has been
receiving lately, with the tragic passing of Joe Strummer and the band's
induction into the very un-punk Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Essential Clash was compiled by a then-living Strummer (to whom the
record is dedicated), co-guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Mick Jones and
bassist Paul Simonon. So in addition to hits like "Train in Vain" and "Rock
the Casbah," equally brilliant obscurities like "Jimmy Jazz," "Julie's in
the Drug Squad," and "Bankrobber" are also given their due. This gives the
album a completeness and flow that distinguish it from previous Clash
comps.
Of the 40 tracks contained therein, virtually all are brilliant: the early,
exuberant "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," the anthemic "Clampdown," Mick
Jones' touching "Stay Free," and the cold sweat of "Straight to Hell" to
name a few. As many as seven songs are taken from each of their records,
plus some key singles ("I Fought the Law," "This is Radio Clash") and rare
B-sides. The last song is "This is England" from the album Cut the Crap,
which was made after Mick Jones left the group. Ironically, it sounds much
like Big Audio Dynamite, the rhythm-oriented group Jones started after
leaving The Clash.
Their musicianship progresses remarkably throughout. While they were always
tight, their sound gels best during their funk and reggae excursions ? "The
Magnificent Seven," "Ivan Meets GI Joe" and Simonon's "The Guns of
Brixton." Topper Headon's martial drumming style in itself is enough to
incite a revolution. Their commitment to their material is never in doubt
for even a moment.
Unlike Rage Against the Machine, who is often described as an heir to the
Clash's throne, Strummer & Co. were as devoted to melody as they are to
politics, without Rage's heavy-handed diatribes or predictable knee-jerk
leftism. It is inconceivable to thing of Zach de la Rocha coming out with
something as thoughtful, introspective and unashamedly pretty as "Lost in
the Supermarket."
The Essential Clash is not a replacement for the rest of their catalog,
more like the ideal introduction. No one should be without London Calling,
on everyone's list of all-time great albums. And the triple-album follow-up
Sandinista is the eighties' White Album, mind-boggling in its sprawl,
touching on virtually every musical genre yet still being instantly
recognizable as The Clash. But as a career overview of "The Only Band that
Matters," The Essential Clash certainly lives up to its name.
review by Steve Walsh
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©
Figgle 2001-2007