The Clash were an English rock band that formed in London in 1976 and were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they used elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly, and they contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed punk. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon.
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, and rap. For the first time, the band's songs were credited to the Clash as a group, rather than to Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.
Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach in 2010, which saw Simonon reunite with The Clash guitarist Mick Jones and Blur frontman Damon Albarn – and which also led to Simonon becoming the live band's touring bassist for Gorillaz's Escape to Plastic Beach Tour. Simonon is also an established visual artist.
Combat Rock is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Clash, released on 14 May 1982 through CBS Records. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 2, spending 23 weeks in the UK charts and peaked at number 7 in the United States, spending 61 weeks on the chart. The album was propelled by drummer Topper Headon's "Rock the Casbah" which became a staple on the newly launched MTV. Combat Rock continued the influence of funk and reggae like previous Clash albums, but also featured a more radio-friendly sound which alienated Clash fans. While the recording process went smoothly, the producing process of the album was tiring and full of infighting between Mick Jones and Joe Strummer. Headon's heroin addiction grew worse and he slowly became distant from the band while Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon reinstated Bernie Rhodes as manager, a move unwelcomed by Jones. The band had disagreed on the creative process of the album and called in Glyn Johns to produce the more radio-friendly sound of Combat Rock. Lyrically, Combat Rock focuses on the Vietnam War, postcolonialism, the decline of American society, and authoritarianism.
Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon is an English drummer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer of punk rock band The Clash. Known for his contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of The Clash in 2003.
Super Black Market Clash is a 1993 compilation album released by the English punk rock band The Clash. It contains B-sides and rare tracks not available on the group's regular studio albums. The album is an expanded repackaging of the 1980 release Black Market Clash, a 10-inch EP containing nine songs. The man in the foreground of the front cover art on both releases is Don Letts, who worked with The Clash on several projects and later was a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite.
"Rock the Casbah" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released in 1982 as the second single from their fifth album, Combat Rock. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and, along with the track "Mustapha Dance", it also reached number eight on the dance chart.
"(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a 7-inch single, with the b-side "The Prisoner", on 16 June 1978 through CBS Records.
The discography of the British punk rock band the Clash consists of six studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums and 31 singles.
The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1 is a double-disc compilation album by the English punk rock band the Clash. Consisting of 28 tracks, it was released on 29 February 1988 by Epic Records. The compilation presents a relatively thorough overview of their career, but does not feature any material from their final studio album, Cut the Crap (1985). An anticipated second volume was to have consisted of live recordings but remains unreleased, although a live compilation, From Here to Eternity: Live, was released in 1999. The original vinyl set was released with four different colored cover variations: red, blue, yellow and green. The compilation was promoted by reissued singles of "I Fought the Law" and "London Calling".
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.
"English Civil War" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, featured on their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, and released as a single on 23 February 1979. It reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart and number 29 in the Irish Singles Chart.
Clash on Broadway is a box set compilation album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on Legacy Records in 1991. It comprises 64 tracks on three compact discs, spanning the time period from their 1977 debut single, "White Riot", through the Combat Rock album of 1982. It does not include material from the band's final sessions led by Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, resulting in the final album Cut the Crap (1985). It was initially released in longbox form.
"Hitsville U.K." is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash from their 1980 album Sandinista!. A duet between lead guitarist Mick Jones and his then-girlfriend Ellen Foley, it is the second single released from the album.
"Tommy Gun" is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash, released as the first single from their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978).
"The Magnificent Seven" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. Released in 1981, it was the third single from the Clash's fourth album, Sandinista!. It reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
"This Is Radio Clash" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released as a single in November 1981 on various formats. The song was performed live before its release, beginning with the Impossible Mission Tour of April and May 1981. A live performance was also televised on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show on 5 June 1981.
Capital Radio is a song and an extended play by the English punk rock band the Clash. The original song has been included as "Capital Radio" or "Capital Radio One" on the Capital Radio EP (1977), Black Market Clash (1980), The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 (1988), Clash on Broadway (1991), From Here to Eternity: Live (1999), The Essential Clash (2003), and Singles Box (2006).
"Groovy Times" is a song by the Clash, featured on their The Cost of Living EP, and released as a promotional single in 1979 in Australia by Epic Records, and also included with initial pressings of the US release of the band's debut album. It was originally recorded as "Groovy Times Are Here Again" during the recording sessions for Give 'Em Enough Rope, however this demo has never been officially released, but can be found on many Clash bootlegs. It was never performed live.
Spirit of St. Louis is the second studio album by American singer and actress Ellen Foley, released in March 1981. Foley is backed by the Clash on all songs. The album was recorded right after the Clash's Sandinista! with the same musicians and engineers. Foley was dating Clash guitarist Mick Jones at the time. The album charted at No. 57 UK.
