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Amazon.co.uk Review
Despite the tepid production by metal guru Sandy Pearlman, the Clash's sophomore album, Give 'Em Enough Rope, manages to burn with white-hot intensity. Though not as amateurish or snarling as their debut album, Rope finds the boys flexing their songwriting muscles. The first three songs ("Safe European Home", "English Civil War", and "Tommy Gun") stand among their most powerful and leap from the record with brute force. Though they hit a few clunkers ("Cheapskates"), this album is a near classic and gives a hint of the band to come that would light up the world with London Calling. --Tod Nelson
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album hasn't had the credit it deserves over the years. A lot of people gloss it over saying 'it was just their difficult second album' etc., and even the band have criticised it, calling it over-produced and flawed. I find all of this pretty unbelievable when I listen to 'Give 'Em Enough Rope'.
It's probably worth its price just for the opening track, the blistering 'Safe European Home', one of the finest Clash songs. But it doesn't let up after that, with such tracks as 'Tommy Gun' and 'Stay Free' showing The Clash at their melodic and lyrical best. There is not a bad song out of the 10 cuts that appear here, and I find it truly exciting to listen to.
Joe Strummer said this album was 'just rock' and maybe the guitars are a little more clean-cut than the raw-sounding debut record, but it must be said that the lyrics still retain that same ferocious 'punk' anger and social conscience of debut, and it is as well-articulated - particularly 'Tommy Gun' stands out in this respect.
In critical acclaim its always been an underdog to 'London Calling', but to me its just as awesome as that album. This and 'London Calling' are the essential, best, Clash albums.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Following their self-titled debut album from 1977, The Clash, like the majority of big named bands of today, were stuck in the 'difficult second album syndrome'. The Sex Pistols by this time had lost their record deal and American bands like The Ramones were becoming cult favourites over here.
The influence from american punk rock is clearly fingerprinted on Give 'Em Enough Rope. Produced by Sandy Pearlman, GEER is aimed for big high American production, which for some fans of the debut may find is distressing rather than the gritty sounds of the debut. But overly this is not affected the group whatsoever.
Focusing now on world topics such as violence, drugs and war, Strummer had already began improving his talents as a songwriter, with songs like Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad or the gigantic opener Safe European Home, these are some of The Clash's best songs.
Highlights include the inspiring Tommy Gun, with THAT drum beat and violent based theme and the Mick Jone's penned Stay Free, a biographical on a old friendship, with one of the best solos in punk history.
It may not be as inspiring as their debut, but as a whole, The Clash were never short of inspiring and with Give 'Em Enough Rope, you just knew they were a step away from greatness.
The influence from american punk rock is clearly fingerprinted on Give 'Em Enough Rope. Produced by Sandy Pearlman, GEER is aimed for big high American production, which for some fans of the debut may find is distressing rather than the gritty sounds of the debut. But overly this is not affected the group whatsoever.
Focusing now on world topics such as violence, drugs and war, Strummer had already began improving his talents as a songwriter, with songs like Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad or the gigantic opener Safe European Home, these are some of The Clash's best songs.
Highlights include the inspiring Tommy Gun, with THAT drum beat and violent based theme and the Mick Jone's penned Stay Free, a biographical on a old friendship, with one of the best solos in punk history.
It may not be as inspiring as their debut, but as a whole, The Clash were never short of inspiring and with Give 'Em Enough Rope, you just knew they were a step away from greatness.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I reviewed this ages ago and gave it an average review. However...
When I first got a hold of the Clash's back catalogue 'Rope' was one of the last of their albums I got, at the time I was disappointed I didn't think it was half as gripping or intense as their debut. Even though fans usually forgive most foibles, I'll happily cliché my review by calling it a grower.
When I first got a hold of the Clash's back catalogue 'Rope' was one of the last of their albums I got, at the time I was disappointed I didn't think it was half as gripping or intense as their debut. Even though fans usually forgive most foibles, I'll happily cliché my review by calling it a grower.
It's certainly not their best album but it's a hell of a lot better than 'Cut the Crap', and it certainly is more accessible than Sandinista! and Combat Rock. Maybe I'm not too keen since the band themselves were unhappy with the recording and production, the fault of CBS and Sandy Pearlman. Even fans of this album, surely you ponder how good it could have been with another producer, just look at 'The Cost of Living Ep' released 6 months later, or more obviously London Calling.
Still I do really like 'Rope', Safe European Home is one of my all-time favourites as is Stay Free. In fact there's not a bad track. Drug Stabbing Time is superb, but I remember it better on the movie 'Rude boy'. All in all good, however most of the best stuff is on 'Clash on Broadway', maybe start there if you're new to the Clash.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Along with "Sandinista!", needs to be more recognised, appreciated and...
Wow, is this underrated. I honestly believe this is on par with their two definite albums (slight exaggeration, but certainly not far off). Read more
Published 4 months ago by MaximumHeat
Give `Em Enough Rope: The Clash - All the young Punks shout about the...
There seem to be many parallels between today and the late seventies. A time of economic depression, a working class trodden down by the conscienceless political rulers and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Victor
Impressive follow up!
After I listened and loved the first album for such a long period of time I thought it was time to give this album a chance. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Arthur
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One of the earlier Clash songs was called '1977', named after the year when the comet-like trajectory of the British punk scene reached its peak. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mark Fleming
Money is never a legacy
In 1977 England wobbled and tottered on the brink of something new. The 70's was marked with violence; political, social, domestic, school and street. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2010 by Dr. Delvis Memphistopheles
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This was, as the review title suggests, the quintessential Clash album. The self named debut, though good in its own right, owed much to the punk movement itself. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2009 by J. A. Harvey
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This is something resembling what the Clash could do, when they were on blob.
Steely power-pop, delivered at high velocity. Read more
Steely power-pop, delivered at high velocity. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2008 by Paul Ess.
BEST CLASH ALBUM
The follow up from their first album, self titled "The Clash", "give em enough rope got negative reviews from the press and their fans becasue of the American production. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2006 by Ms. T. A. Day
How was Butlins? Were the screws too tight?
For their second album, The Jam managed to deliver an unconvincing and insubstantial set of songs. The Clash, on the other hand, delivered this impressive set of songs which... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2006 by Merry Terry
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Whilst the Clash's 'best' album followed this one, 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' is my favourite Clash album. Read more
Published on 10 April 2004 by "gmorris114"
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