Clash, The

"The only band that matters"...they weren't wrong, come the late 1970s revolution rock had truly hit us in the form of the Clash. With their left -wing lyrics, funky basslines and general performance presence, the clash were nothing short of a phenomena. Not afraid to experiment, the clash flirted with rock, metal, punk, funk, dub, indie and even reggae, you certainly couldnt call their sound pigeon - holed!!
When they first toured the USA many thought they were trying to be like the Rolling Stones with their dont give a f**k attitude and general swagger, all this changed when Strummer slung his guitar into a brand new speaker on set, swore to the media and shouted his anti- establishment lyrics on stage..."you build, you buy, you die thats the motto of America". Looking back this was something of a daring thing to do, but illustrated just how ahead of their time the Clash and indeed Strummer were.
There are so many great clash albums and tracks to mention id be here all night, opinions are split as to the which album had the biggest impact, I personally think london calling was a big rock defining album as that fast rock sound had not been heard since bands like the Who. On the other hand, Sandinista was a band defining album as it showed the many faces to the Clash's style, and showed they could experiment with even the most unusual sounds.
Like most bands the Clash werent short of controversy and in fighting, firstly Strummers anti - capitalist, anti - bourgeois lyrics became a rallying cry for the left wing. Also, the departure of Topper Headon for his over-use of heroin was a mistake, the drums beats on Combat Rock were originally designed by him but played by someone else!! Secondly, by his own omission, the sacking of Mick Jones was fatal on the band success, as he had a huge impact on the band not only with lyrics & vocals but guitar riffs.
No Cd collection, no band hall of fame is complete without a bit of The Clash, R.I.P. Joe Strummer you were a legend.

From Punk to Funk, Dub to Disco surely one of the greatest bands of all time - R.I.P. Joe Strummer