The Clash


The Clash:

Rate this:

Home > Music > C > Clash, The > Discography

Albums | Compilations | Singles | Videos | Other

The Clash
Combat Rock
Release Date: 1982 05 14
Running Time: 46:21
Label: Col
Rating:

On the surface of things, Combat Rock appears to be a retreat from the sprawling stylistic explorations of London Calling and Sandinista! The pounding arena rock of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" makes the Clash sound like an arena rock band, and much of the album boasts a muscular, heavy sound courtesy of producer Glyn Johns. But things aren't quite that simple. Combat Rock contains heavy flirtations with rap, funk, and reggae, and it even has a cameo by poet Allen Ginsberg -- if this album is, as it has often been claimed, the Clash's sellout effort, it's a very strange way to sell out. Even with the infectious, dance-inflected new wave pop of "Rock the Casbah" leading the way, there aren't many overt attempts at crossover success, mainly because the group is tearing in two separate directions. Mick Jones wants the Clash to inherit the Who's righteous arena rock stance, and Joe Strummer wants to forge ahead into black music. The result is an album that is nearly as inconsistent as Sandinista!, even though its finest moments -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Rock the Casbah," "Straight to Hell" -- illustrate why the Clash were able to reach a larger audience than ever before with the record. [In 2000 Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered Combat Rock.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks:
TitleComposerTime
1Know Your RightsStrummer, Jones3:40
2Car JammingClash [1]4:00
3Should I Stay or Should I GoClash [1]3:09
4Rock the CasbahClash [1]3:43
5Red Angel DragnetClash [1]3:45
6Straight to HellClash [1]5:32
7Overpowered by FunkClash [1]4:52
8Atom TanClash [1]2:30
9Sean FlynnClash [1]4:32
10Ghetto DefendantClash [1]4:44
11Inoculated CityClash [1]2:41
12Death Is a StarClash [1]3:13







Browse More Music:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Follow Starpulse