The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that emerged in the wake of punk and employed elements of a variety of genres including reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly. 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.
London Calling is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records.
The Clash is the debut studio album by English punk rock band, The Clash. It was released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Recorded and mixed over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.
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 traditional songwriting credits of Strummer and Jones were replaced by a generic credit to the Clash. The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.
Combat Rock is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was 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 in 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 Riot" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, released as the band's first single in March 1977 and also included on their self-titled debut album.
The Singles is a compilation album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It includes all of the band's singles, in their original single versions, except for 1977's Capital Radio and 1985's "This Is England", due to its parent album, Cut the Crap (1985), being disowned by the band at that time.
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".
"Clampdown" is a song by the English rock band the Clash from their 1979 album London Calling. The song began as an instrumental track called "Working and Waiting". It is sometimes called "Working for the Clampdown" which is the main lyric of the song, and also the title provided on the album's lyric sheet. Its lyrics concern those who have forsaken the idealism of youth and urges young people to fight the status quo. The word 'clampdown' is a neat cover-all term the writers adopted to define the oppressive Establishment, notably its more reactionary voices who were to be heard throughout the 1970s calling alarmingly for "clampdowns" by government and law enforcement on strikers, agitators, benefits claimants, football hooligans, punks and other perceived threats to the social, economic and moral wellbeing of the UK.
Singles Box is a compilation album by the Clash. It includes all the singles that they released in the UK, with their original mixes and edits and B-sides, as well as single releases from different parts of the world.
"Bankrobber" is a song by English punk rock band The Clash. The song was not released on any of their studio albums, instead appearing on their compilation Black Market Clash. Upon its 1980 release as a single it peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 14 on both the Irish Singles Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart.
The Singles is a 2007 compilation album by British punk rock band The Clash that presents the singles of the band's career, it does not include any of the B-sides incorporated into the release of the earlier collection and compiled onto a single disc.
"Overpowered by Funk" is a song by the Clash from their fifth album Combat Rock.
Live at Acton Town Hall is a live recording of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros in performance at Acton Town Hall in London in 2002. It was first released in 2012 as a Record Store Day exclusive – a vinyl double LP in a limited number of 2,200 copies. The show was recorded directly off the mixing desk by fans who, with foreknowledge of Mick Jones' plans to attend, anticipated some kind of onstage reunion of the former Clash songwriting partners. The recording circulated for many years just amongst a small group of fans who knew of its existence before surfacing a decade later at Hellcat Records.
The Clash Hits Back is a 2-CD, 3-LP best of collection by the Clash released in September 2013.
Sound System is a box set collection by the Clash released in September 2013. The box contains the band's studio albums newly re-mastered by Mick Jones, with a further three discs featuring demos, non-album singles, rarities and B-sides, a DVD with previously unseen footage by both Don Letts and Julien Temple, original promo videos and live footage, plus an owner's manual booklet, reprints of the band's original 'Armagideon Times' fanzine and merchandise including dog tags, badges, stickers and a poster. The boom box packaging was designed by Paul Simonon. The set was released simultaneously with 5 Album Studio Set, which contains only the five studio albums, and a greatest hits package titled The Clash Hits Back.
