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arobie1992 - the clash review series #1: the clash (u.k.) lyrics

for the h-ll of it, i decided to review the entire “real” discography of my favorite band, the clash!

now when i say “real” discography, i mean i’m not including the u.s. rerelease of their debut or cut the cr-p. for the former, that’s not the alb-m they intended, that was the u.k. version, and out of respect for their vision, i won’t be doing it. for the latter, mick and topper weren’t involved; that’s like saying an alb-m is a beatles alb-m without paul and george or the rolling stones without keith. i might do them later, but once i wrap this up, i’m going to give my thoughts on their overall discography, and i won’t be including those. (i promise this isn’t just to skew it in their favor :p)

on to the review:

the clash’s self-titled debut begins with the perfect introduction to their music, “janie jones.” named after a famous madame, it discusses disillusionment with life status over driving drums—provided by short-lived member terry chimes—and droning guitar. what makes it so perfectly representative of “the only band that matters” is their more personal focus than some contemporaries, focusing on an individual and his struggles, hopes, and desires rather than a entire swath of society or public figures

the song beings “softly,” but rather quickly builds, returning to the softer sound for the choruses. in doing this, it shifts between punk as defined by the ramones and the more aggressive style of, most famously, the sex pistols. it also features, though not as prominently as other songs, one of the band’s strengths: lead singer/second guitarist joe strummer and lead guitarist/sometimes singer mick jones’s ability to harmonize, if it can truly be called harmonizing

the second track, “remote control,” gives jones a more prominent vocal role, but when he really shines is later in the alb-m with “hate & war” and “protex blue.”

in “hate & war,” jones leads, accompanied by interjections from strummer. thumping b-ss, courtesy of b-ssist paul simonon, and more melodic guitar back his vocals. where strummer is confident and brash, jones has a hesitancy that endears him—strummer is a prophet delivering revolutionary ideals; jones is one of us. it’s this contrast and their ability to compliment each other that helps to balance the band

“protex blue” displays the band’s humorous side. an ode to condoms—not good ones at that—jones again leads. this time, virtually solo, which is appropriate given the ending of the song. another great example of their humor is strummer’s declaration of

don’t use the rules
they’re not for you, they’re for the fools
and you’re a fool if you don’t know that
so use the rule you stupid fool

from “cheat.” the lines also serve as a demonstration of strummer’s already impressive, if still developing, lyrical ability

part of what makes this alb-m so strong is that the songs don’t overstay their welcome. in true punk aesthetic, the songs remain around the two to three minute mark. the one exception to this is “police & thieves” which clocks in at 6:03. here, the group almost plays at being a jam band, with jones taking a rather significant guitar solo. while it’s nothing truly impressive in the vein of hendrix or clapton, it’s a demonstration that they were more than just some loud and fast group of punks (pun very much intended) content to play blasting indictments (though they were excellent at those too, see “career opportunities” and “white riot”); there was some legitimate musical talent

as a whole, this alb-m demonstrates the strengths that would be developed on later releases and what got them their initial recognition: their ability to cut to the quick of issues over really fricking good music. thirty-five minutes of adrenaline proved the band wasn’t content with, nor deserving of, being relegated to “garageland.”

9/10

- arobie1992 lyrics

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