Their debut sees The Clash at their rawest, and is their most straightforward punk record. It's loud, it's rough, and it equips the typical and most important punk ethic: it goes back to the roots of rock n roll. Simple three-chord riffing that makes up short songs with a simple message, often politically charged. The Clash, particularly, were known for parodying the life of the middle-class English worker in their music, shown with songs such as Career Opportunities, obviously a comment on unemployment. Top it with equally effective topic such as England's Americanization in Im So Bored With the U.S.A., and you have got a band and a record with a goal and a message. Even Police & Thieves, which is a cover from reggae artist Junior Murvin (and foreshadows the band's interest in incorporating different musical genres, not normally associated with rock), nicely fits in.
Add to that witty lyrical content a charismatic combination of musicians, and you've got a winning formula. The main musical appeal to The Clash lies in, most notably on this first record, the two main figures Strummer and Jones. The former has just about the perfect punk voice; gruff and raw, and on top of that, it's thickly accented with a heavy dose of Britishness, masterfully shouting its way through the songs. The latter, coming up with those simple but undeniably catchy riffs and fast, short solos, as well as providing his far different, much cleaner, poppier voice on occasions, is a powerful creative force in his own way.
By combining lyrical wit and simple musical appeal, The Clash managed to create a compelling, superb first record that would define the shape of punk to come. You have to look at it partly from historical perspective to conclude that, of course. If I were a poor, possibly unemployed middle-class Brit in the 70's, The Clash would have come as a salvation to me. And today, while the environmental context this music was released in has vanished, it's appeal still lasts.
Tracklist for The Clash:
1. Janie Jones
2. Remote Control
3. I'm So Bored With The USA
4. White Riot
5. Hate & War
6. What's My Name
7. Deny
8. London's Burning
9. Career Opportunities
10. Cheat
11. Protex Blue
12. Police & Thieves
13. 48 Hours
14. Garageland
Add to that witty lyrical content a charismatic combination of musicians, and you've got a winning formula. The main musical appeal to The Clash lies in, most notably on this first record, the two main figures Strummer and Jones. The former has just about the perfect punk voice; gruff and raw, and on top of that, it's thickly accented with a heavy dose of Britishness, masterfully shouting its way through the songs. The latter, coming up with those simple but undeniably catchy riffs and fast, short solos, as well as providing his far different, much cleaner, poppier voice on occasions, is a powerful creative force in his own way.
By combining lyrical wit and simple musical appeal, The Clash managed to create a compelling, superb first record that would define the shape of punk to come. You have to look at it partly from historical perspective to conclude that, of course. If I were a poor, possibly unemployed middle-class Brit in the 70's, The Clash would have come as a salvation to me. And today, while the environmental context this music was released in has vanished, it's appeal still lasts.
Tracklist for The Clash:
1. Janie Jones
2. Remote Control
3. I'm So Bored With The USA
4. White Riot
5. Hate & War
6. What's My Name
7. Deny
8. London's Burning
9. Career Opportunities
10. Cheat
11. Protex Blue
12. Police & Thieves
13. 48 Hours
14. Garageland
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