The Clash

4-21-10 The Clash

Even at the onset of punk / new wave – I was never terribly interested in The Clash. As a conflicted young adult, I knew even then that there was ‘more than this’ – so my enthusiasm for ‘new wave’ came along with Magazine and XTC. The Clash didn’t seem to have a sense of humor like, say…The Damned. And I wasn’t sure…was “White Riot” a racist song?

So, I didn’t need the Sex Pistols or The Clash. Eventually, I did, of course, hear a Clash song that caught my ear – because it sounded like it had actually been written: “Safe European Home” on their 2^nd LP, “Give ‘Em Enough Rope”. Didn’t take ‘em long to go the route: double album, then triple album – going on and on a bit.

A bit o’ Clash has creeped into my record collection anyway:

CD CLASH ON BROADWAY, THE (CD #1 only) COLUMBIA US EK 48708

1991 25 TRK Collection - disc 1 of boxed set

CD CLASH ON BROADWAY, THE (CD #2 only) COLUMBIA US EK 48709

1991 20 TRK Collection - disc 2 of boxed set

CD CLASH, THE EPIC JPN MHCP 520

1977 14 TRKS ('04 issue) kami sleeve

7" I FOUGHT THE LAW / WHITE MAN… EPIC US 9-50738

1979 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

Always mystified by people buying boxed sets and trading in ‘part of the set’ – but that’s what happened with “The Clash on Broadway” – first, I found Disc #1, and a few years later (somewhat recently), I found Disc #2 – which contains my favorite Clash song, as described above.

Then there’s the matter of the debut album, as a Japanese little paper album cover CD. I suppose the softening in my rigidness about 1977 punk rock gave rise to the notion that “Their first album can’t be all bad” – I have yet to play it all the way through. How nice – it came with a lyrics sheet, so – if I cared – I could determine in 2010 if “White Riot” was a racist song or not.

And I found an “I Fought The Law” US 45 in a giant stack a cheap 45’s for 29 cents each at a ‘pop-up outlet store’ – bulk 45’s! Yes, I probably have some Clash songs on punk / new wave compilation LP’s / CD’s, but…in sharp contrast to the groups I love and maintain a nicely manicured collection on…this is my Clash collection.

And if I ever discover that ‘I need more’ – Dorothy has the 2CD + DVD Legacy Edition of “London Calling”. I recall that video was not their selling point – the “Rude Boy” film was not very much fun – but I do remember a laser disc with a bunch of their music videos a little more fondly.

To be honest: I wouldn’t buy Disc #3 of their boxed set for $2. I am not interested in the “Rock The Casbah”-era of the works of The Clash.