Rate the Musician - Week 4 - The Clash

**mitchables** · 04-30-2006, 02:53 AM

Well, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, last week's muso, Michael Jackson, not only beat both previous contestants, but did it with style and finesse that only an accused child molestor could, scoring an impressive 76.

This week, we take a different turn and delve into 1970s England, at the forefront of the first wave of the Punk Rock movement. It is here that we meet Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones and Topper Headon, collectively known as The Clash.

Forming in 1976, The Clash became one of the most iconic bands of 1970s punk, drawing influence from such genres as rockabilly and reggae to be incorporated into their sound. Unlike fellow punk icons The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, The Clash were renowned for their musicianship and passionate political lyrics. Their first two albums, The Clash and Give 'Em Enough Rope, obtained success in the UK, but failed to even enter the Top 100 overseas.In 1979, the band released London Calling, which is, to this day, highly regarded amongst critics as one of the best albums in rock history.

Afterthe success of London Calling, the band continued to grow experimentally, branching out into various genres, infusing them with their distinct punk rock sound. They released the triple album Sandinista! at the same price as a single CD, which in fact came out of their royalties. Nice guys, eh? The CD received mixed reviews, and generally was not viewed as favourably as its predecessor. Following the release of Sandinista!, The Clash went on their first world tour, going to places such as Australia, America and Asia.

Following this, they released Combat Rock, which was a definite return to form for The Clash. It was the most commercially successful of their albums, even though the period was marred by the deterioration of drummer Topper Headon, who was addicted to heroin. After the Combat Rock tour, Simonon and Strummer expelled lead guitarist Jones from the band for having different musical aspirations (harsh), and thus begins the band's demise. Numerous other people came in and out of The Clash until its breakup in 1986, but the band was suffering heavily due to conflict between old and new members and the loss and irreplacement of both Headon and Jones (Strummer once said that a band is only as good as their drummer).

The Clash's final CD, Cut The Crap, was released to generally negative reviews and no member of The Clash speaks particularly favourably of it, preferring to play the album's very existence right down. In 1986, The Clash finally called it quits. There were talks of a Clash reunion, but (obviously) these plans were abandoned following Joe Strummer's death in 2002 from a heart attack.

So what'll it be? Do The Clash rock the casbah?