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28 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent overview of career., 24 Dec 2002
This was the first Clash album I owned & a great introduction to a great band. Strangely the first Clash-related songs I'd heard were Clash MarkII's This is England (from the terrible Cut the Crap) & BAD's E=MC2; not long after that I heard Combat Rock classics Rock the Casbah & Should I Stay or Should I Go. When this came out in the late 80's, this became as much a part of my life as albums like Surfer Rosa, 3 Feet High & Rising, Sign 'O' The Times & The Stone Roses. I've gone back to this compilation since hearing the tragic news that Joe Strummer has died- not that I'd really stopped listening to The Clash (though I'm more of a Sandinista-London Calling-Combat Rock person these days).The Story of The Clash takes in their career from 77's eponymous debut to 82's Combat Rock (their last with Mick Jones- though fans ought to check out the Strummer/Jones BAD album No10 Upping St). Unlike bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash had a diverse sense of music- taking the influence of Don Letts DJ-ing into their music (see the last years Lett's compilation)- other bands that would follow this avenue, fusing punk with dub would include PIL, The Slits, Gang of Four, The Pop Group, This Heat etc. The early tracks are classic punk thrashes- White Riot, Janie Jones (used in Bringing Out the Dead), London's Burning & Career Opportunities. Their next songs would advance on this- witness the classic (White Man)In Hammersmith Palais, the Lee Perry-produced Complete Control & songs like Tommy Gun & Safe European Home from the derided Give 'Em Enough Rope. Several songs are from the classic double album London Calling: the title track ("phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust"), Spanish Bombs, Clampdown, Train in Vain, Lost in the Supermarket & Paul Simonon's classic Guns of Brixton (as sampled by Norman Cook on Dub Be Good to Me). This album has to be owned- as space dictates no room for greats like Rudie Can't Fail, I'm Not Down & Brand New Cadillac. There are a few out-takes here- generally found on the Super Black Market Clash & Broadway compilations- Armagideon Time (the original is used in the great Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai), Capitol Radio & This is Radio Clash (moving towards the BAD/hip-hop sound). Even better are a few tracks from the brilliant-triple album Sandinista!: The Magnificent Seven (early 80's NY club sound, pre-New Order)& Somebody Got Murdered (pre-dating the urban themes of NWA, Wu-Tang etc). Just two tracks from this 30plus set? This is The Clash album waiting to be rediscovered, the one that grows on repeated listens- great songs like Charlie Don't Surf, Lightning Strikes, Call Up, Broadway, One More Time etc. Feted bands like Radio 4 owe this album a lot- and it shows a lot more musical experimentation/imagination than Lydon who had stalled with Flowers of Romance. The Pistols sound like Eddie Cochran compared... The final official Clash album, Combat Rock, was huge in the States- paving the way for bands like U2- Should I Stay...has become a bit overfamiliar, Rock the Casbah is one of the greatest pop songs ever (sampled by Will Smith!)- nice to see that albums best track, Straight to Hell on this (this would give the title to Alex Cox's Spaghetti Western with Strummer, Shane MacGowan & Courtney Love of 1986- has to be seen!). The Story of The Clash is a great compilation, though I think EVERYTHING has to be owned (especially Don Lett's Westway to the World). They stood by their word and didn't reform, which took balls. No sloppy 2nd reunion for them. A reminder of a great, great band- who right now appear to have been the greatest British band of all time. Strummer may be gone, but he leaves behind a rich legacy and one of the finest back catalogues available these days- it is here that he will never die. When will we have a band as great as this again?
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