The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town [Paperback]

Marcus Gray (Author), The Clash (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

The Clash were simply the greatest rock'n'roll band of the post-'60s era. They combined the iconoclasm of the Sex Pistols with the swaggering gang mentality of Exile on Main Street-period Rolling Stones: glaring menacingly in combat fatigues while tearing through tunes that mainstream pop bands would kill for. "White Riot" was the calling card, London Calling the instant classic, "Rock the Casbah" the American breakthrough hit, and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" the posthumous UK #1 single. Tracing Strummer and company's progress from street busking to the pub circuit to US stadiums (and back!), The Clash is a fascinatingly detailed study of the first band to take punk to the masses and survive for a decade against all odds, as well as an intriguing investigation into the gap between rock reality and rock myth. "The only band that matters" is finally getting its due! The Clash will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 063404673X
• ISBN-13: 978-0634046735
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,271,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fall In Love With The Clash, Again And Again!", February 17, 2004

By 

Sean King (NORWALK, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (Paperback)

I have Marcus Gray's: "Return of the Last Gang"... and MAN are you in for a treat. This book has got thousands of fantastic morsels to chew on with regard to Clash trivia and the state of punk rock back in 1977! The more your read this book the harder it is to put down! It's anything you wanted to know about the inner thoughts, feelings and attitudes of all former members of The Clash in their glory days. If you are a hard core Joe Strummer fan like myself it would be sacriligous for you to pass this book up!!

Marcus Gray takes us on a journey from the very early begininngs and backgrounds of our fine young lads: Strummer, Jonesy, Simonon, Crimes, and Topper striaght through the punk years, finacial distresses, and final commercial sucess and demise of "The only band that ever mattered". Gray even documents in detail what music the Clash boys did after they broke up.

A MUST READ for any and all Clash Strummer/Jones enthusiasts like myself! "THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!"
Calling all Clash fans, this one is a shoe-in for you!!

Rest In Peace Joe, you were one of the great ones!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Second Hand Information Only, February 4, 2003

By 

Former Leinster Resident (San Clemente, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (Paperback)

Pretty comprehesive work, but most of the information comes from sources other than the band members themselves, such as magazine and music paper interviews. On the negative side, the author jumps around quite a bit with the sequence of events, as years and dates get quite jumbled. At no time during the reading of this book did I get the impression that the author actually appreciated the music of the Clash. An entire chapter was spent dismissing "Give 'Em Enough Rope", with ammunition from various English music paper's reviews. The author also spent a great deal of time pointing out that Joe Strummer's background was not that of a poor, illiterate yobbo. Recommended for the hardcore Clash fans who have already made up their own minds, but for the mildly curious, get a copy of the Westway to the World DVD.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not For Casual Fan, July 14, 2004

By 

Manbones (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (Paperback)

This book by Marcus Gray describes in painstaking detail the major and minor events leading up to and through the end of The Clash's career. Last Gang in Town doesn't pull any punches and points out all the inconsistencies and contradictions of The Clash, while showing how important the really were. But, the book is so in-depth that it doesn't even get to the actual Clash until about page 100. If you're a major fan it's a great book and well worth the read. But if you're only a casual fan, I would suggest A Riot of Our Own by Johnny Green. It's much shorter and to the point with plenty of humor .