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All Music Guide
, Volume: 1 , # 1
by William Ruhlmann
The Clash, 1976-1986, was the most accomplished band to come out of the British punk rock scene of the 70s. The group was formed by guitarist and singer Joe Strummer (b Jan 25, 1955), guitarist and singer Mick Jones (b Jun 26, 1955), bassist Paul Simonon (b Dec 15, 1955), and drummer Terry Chimes -- replaced in 1977 by Topper Headon (b May 30, 1955). They first gained national recognition opening for the Sex Pistols, the other major punk band. But unlike the Pistols, the Clash had a straightforward earnestness to go with their punk anger. Their music was similarly simple, loud, and abrasive.
In December 1979, the Clash released London Calling, a critically acclaimed double album that found them expanding their musical style from punk to a more eclectic approach. The album spawned a single in the title song, which became their biggest UK single during their existence, getting to #11, while the album hit #9 in the UK and was their first real US success at #27. "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)" from the album was the Clash's first US chart single, reaching #23.
Sandinista!, a triple-LP set released in December 1980 took their eclecticism to new lengths. The album got to a disappointing #19 in the UK but was a surprisingly strong #24 in the US. The Clash again grazed the Top 40 in the UK with the album's "The Magnificent Seven" in May 1981.
Their next, Combat Rock (1982), was a straightforward rock collection that was their last album with the original personnel and their most popular. It hit #2 in the UK and #7 in the US (where it sold a million copies), and its singles "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and "Rock the Casbah" were hits on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Headon left the band in July 1982, and Jones was fired by Strummer and Simonon in September 1983. He formed Big Audio Dynamite. Strummer and Simonon reorganized and added new members, releasing Cut the Crap in the fall of 1985, but by the start of 1986, the Clash was no more.
~ William Ruhlmann