The rattle of the drums led into a reggae beat led by a bass guitar. A backing vocalist ooh-ed and aah-ed. Then, a voice cut clear through the music: “Daddy was a bankrobber / but he never hurt nobody / He just loved to live that way / And he loved to steal your money”
I was 11 at the time. I had absolutely no knowledge that the band performing this song weren’t primarily a reggae group. I had no idea the lead singer was revered as a musical legend, and had met his untimely end in 2002. I had no idea who The Clash were. But from the moment I heard ‘Bankrobber‘, I knew I had to keep listening. Suddenly, music became a part of my life
The Clash were formed in 1976, primarily through Mick Jones, the lead guitarist of the group. He recruited his friend Paul Simonon to play bass and Joe Strummer to play rhythm guitar and sing. Terry Chimes (AKA “Tory Crimes” due to his desire to own a Lamborginhi in contrast with the other members social and political stances) was recruited to play drums.
Their eponymous first album is widely recognised by critics and fans alike to be one of the best punk albums of all time. The Clash eschewed the nihilism and self-destruction of the Sex Pistols and instead opted for social commentary and an anti-establishment stance. The politics of the songs are still alive today. ‘White Riot’ calls for white people to join black people in rioting to show their grievances, rather than passively staying silent. ‘Career Opportunities’ snarls about young people having to choose between degrading and dangerous work or the dole. ‘White Man (In Hammersmith Palais’) calls for racial unity and attacks political cronyism, with the lyrics: “If Adolf Hitler flew in today / They’d send a limousine anyway”
The album also featured a cover of a reggae song, which was considered almost sacrilege at the time. White punks playing reggae? Surely not! Yet their cover of ‘Police And Thieves’ impressed both the songs original performer, Junior Murvin, and DJ Lee “Scratch” Perry. The reggae hinted at what the Clash would do in the future, but for now, they were a punk group.
Fast forward to 1979. London Calling, some would say the high point of the group’s career, has been released. Terry Chimes was replaced by Nicky “Topper” Headon in 1977 after the release of the debut album. London Calling shocked punks all over the nation. The Clash had branched out, to rockabilly (‘Brand New Cadillac’), R’n’B (‘The Right Profile’) and ska (‘Wrong ‘Em Boyo’). Yet these songs are not fumbled, or gimmicky, or awkward. They are equal, even slightly better than most of the punk songs on the album. Many people were shocked to see a group that had been called a punk group for the last 3 years branch out into other genres so successfully. London Calling goes beyond what the debut album achieved, and is heralded by some as the best album ever made.
Yet if people believed London Calling to be experimental, they had seen nothing yet. Sandinista! was released in 1980, a double record album, 4 sides of music, all with songs of wildly different genres. Waltzes clashed with dub songs. Glockenspiel-driven pop collided with bizarre oddities (such as a version of ‘Career Opportunities’ sung by children). Funk met punk. Yet, through it all, the songs still had messages. ‘The Call Up’ attacks militarism, while ‘Washington Bullets’ decries CIA attacks on Communist countries. ‘Ivan Meets G.I Joe’ is a snapshot of the Cold War and ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ is a condemnation on the Vietnam War and the attitudes that came with it (“We’ve been told to keep the strangers out / We don’t like ’em starting to hang about”) This is the quintessential experimental album. It showcases nearly every musical genre under the sun. It will probably never happen again; nobody in today’s music industry will allow any artist to make and release a record like this.
Yet for all their genius, The Clash eventually faltered. After 1982’s ‘Combat Rock’ made them stars in America, Topper Headon was kicked out for his heroin addiction. Strummer, under severe pressure from management, fired Mick Jones for “creative differences”. Without Jones, the quality of songwriting dipped. Strummer and Simonon pressed on, releasing Cut the Crap in 1985 to almost universal derision. The Clash broke up soon after.
The genius of The Clash is well proclaimed. They were certainly not some obscure band who never received commercial success, they were a band who had many top 20 hits spanning their entire career. Yet their genius lies in their music. The music that hasn’t dated since the day it was released, the music that adapted and changed with every album, the music that is revered by so many today. The Clash influenced many, many bands, such as The Pogues, the Manic Street Preachers and Green Day to name a mere few. It’s this genius that is their legacy.
Words by Gabriel Rutherford