The Clash's self- titled debut may not be a great album, its not even my favourite Clash record and its certainly not their best. That distinction would fall to “London Calling”  which was released two years later, but the importance of this album probably can't be imagined now, 30 years after it was originally released. 

I picked up on this album after I started high school in 1980 and there were a few people in my year getting into the second wave of English punk bands such as Public Image Limited and Magazine and I was starting to branch out in my own musical tastes helped, in no small measure, by having my first proper stereo that had a decent radio tuner in it and meant I could listen to John Peels programmes, and  so I started to investigate the punk scene a bit. 

The thing that really drew me to The Clash was the fact that they seemed to offer a bit more depth than some of the other bands of the day. Anybody want to argue that Sham 69 or Splodgnessabounds were more important? Thought not.... and they had an all embracing attitude to different musical styles, something that appealed to me then as much as it does now. 

Almost 27 years after I first got hold of a copy of this album on cassette the same two songs stand out, the cover of Junior Murvin & Lee “Scratch” Perry's “Police & Thieves” and possibly the most misunderstood song of all time “White Riot” .  

“Police & Thieves” was such an eye opener. Here was a white band openly paying homage to a proper reggae song, to think it was only included as a last minute idea from a rehearsal room jam doesn't bear thinking about. With this single track The Clash did more than any other band to try and calm the racial tensions that were prevalent at the time and this is what also goes on to make the adoption of  “White Riot” by the National Front one of the strangest and most misguided decisions ever.  

“White Riot” is all about trying to get the lazy white population off their collective backsides and do something about the Thatcherite government and emulate the riots that were being led by predominantly black groups in the inner cities  and contains no racist overtones whatsoever, something that the NF and its following seemed to be incapable of seeing, despite the band having to point out this obvious message almost constantly in interviews at the time.

Aside from those  two standout tracks the rest of the album falls into either decent punk led rock (“I'm So Bored With The USA”, “Londons Burning”, “Career Opportunities” and  “Garageland”) or very average slightly annoyed pub rock which won't make you turn the record off but won't have you recommending it rabidly to friends either! Its still a decent album but with the benefit of hindsight I would only recommend getting hold of it after getting “Londons Calling” and “Combat Rock” first.

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Track Listing

Janie Jones
Remote Control
I'm So Bored With The USA
White Rio
Hate And War
What's My Name
Deny
London's Burning
Career Opportunities
Cheat
Protex Blue
Police And Thieves
48 Hours
Garage Land

Line Up

Mick Jones – Guitar/Vocals
Joe Strummer – Guitar/Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass
Tory Crimes – Drums