Up next on the chopping block is a band that I would say it’s pretty damn important in terms of the British punk rock movement and just music overall. The band on the chopping block is The Clash and aside from their hits, I am not too familiar with the rest of their music so let’s take a look……..
The Clash- what I like about this album is that it’s just a straightforward simple punk album. I mean, obviously the subject matter of it is political, but this is one of those albums that I could just throw on if I’m really in the mood to listen to old school punk. I’m gonna give this album 9/10.
Standouts: Remote Control, Career Opportunities, 48 Hours
Give ‘Em Enough Rope- again this one is another just straightforward no holds barred punk rock album. It’s easy to see why this band was so influential when they’re putting albums like this one in the last one because yeah there’s that kind of anger and angst that come along with this type of music, but the songs are also very very good. I would say maybe this one is a bit more cohesive but it’s a great follow up. I’m gonna give this one another 9/10.
Standouts: Safe European Home, Guns On The Roof, Stay Free
London Calling- I mean come on what is there to say that hasn’t been said about this album already? It’s a freaking classic and masterpiece. The thing is I think people automatically assume that this is a punk album but there’s a lot more to it than just straightforward punk. Like this is one of those albums that you can tell, influenced so many bands, and even probably helped create some genres of music. I mean, take the song Rudie Can’t Fail and you’ll hear what probably was a precursor to ska. Forget about the hits that are off of this album those are great in their own right but the rest of the album is just an amazing album. Again, what’s there to say that hasn’t been said about this classic and I’m absolutely giving this one 10/10
Standouts: Rudie Can’t Fail, Brand New Cadillac, Wrong ‘Em Boyo
Sandinista!- I’m not really sure what they were thinking when they made this album. This isn’t really a punk album, but there are a lot of of different things going on here. I mean we’ve folk, reggae, jazz, gospel, and all sorts of other styles. At first listen, I did not like this album. This is one of those I couldn’t wait for it to end, but listening to it a second time I actually enjoyed it more. I guess you have to listen to this one more than once to really kind of enjoy it. I still think that if they left off maybe five or six songs this album would’ve been a little bit better. I can see how this album would influence others so I’ll give it that and I’m gonna give this one 8/10.
Standouts: The Leader, Junco Partner, The Magnificent Seven
Combat Rock- I guess they had to go through kind of a weird phase given how the last album was and the reason why I say that is because this album feels more like a follow up to London Calling. Again, this is another album of theirs that has some of their more well-known songs like Rock The Casbah. But much like the last album the album before that it’s not really a punk album. Sure there are elements of punk, but this one has a lot of like reggae and funk tones. I’m gonna have to give this album another 10/10.
Standouts: Know Your Rights, Straight To Hell, Inoculated City
Cut The Crap- so this album came out in 1985 and it feels very much like an 80s album. In some kind of weird way, it does feel a bit disjointed and somewhat uneven. My guess is there’s probably a lot of creative differences when they made this album but as a whole album isn’t bad. I didn’t enjoy this one more than I would’ve thought but if I ever go back and listen to these albums again, I’m not sure if I would go and revisit it. Maybe I would, but we shall see and I’m going to give this album 8/10.
Standouts: We Are The Clash, Are You Red.Y, Movers And Shakers
Sure this band has had a couple of ups and downs, but one connect deny their importance to punk and rock. I was actually going into this expecting to listen to nothing but punk albums, and I was pleasantly surprised that there is a lot more to this band. I can definitely see why their albums inspired so many other bands and musicians.
Final Grade: A
Album Rankings:
- London Calling
- Combat Rock
- Give ‘Em Enough Rope
- The Clash
- Sandinista
- Cut The Crap
Sinister Reviews 