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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An argument for the U.S. version..., December 13, 2004
First off, I have no respectable punk credentials (is that an oxymoron?). I did buy the U.K. version on vinyl back in the late 70s, when it was the only version, but that was kind of a fluke, although I did love that record.
Anyway, personally, I like the U.S. version.
For the U.S. release, Sony replaced Deny, Cheat, Protex Blue and 48 Hours, all worthy songs, with Clash City Rockers, Complete Control, (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais, I Fought the Law and Jail Guitar Doors (yeah, they threw in an extra song).
I agree that the U.K, version hangs together better. The U.S. version sounds a little more like a collection of singles, and in fact that's what all the substituted songs were. And the substituted songs are a little less hardcore.
But to their credit Sony picked some great, in fact indispensible, songs for the U.S. version. I Fought the Law is one of the Clash's signature tracks. Complete Control, besides being a great song, was produced by reggae god Lee Perry, the Upsetter himself. And (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais is a classic, perhaps the classic, punk-reggae tune. The other two substituted songs, while great, aren't quite as historically significant.
Yeah, sure, you could buy the more authentic U.K. version and then buy the Clash collection The Singles and get all the songs that were added to the U. S. version--and more. But that collection includes a couple of the songs already on this CD, so you have to ask yourself: Do you want two versions of White Riot or Remote Control? Are you interested in everything the Clash did throughout their career, including obscure B sides? How much of a scholar are you?
Or you could find the songs Sony added on the Internet, which might be the way to go if you're a completist.
But you're a cheap lazy sod and just want one version of the Clash's first CD, I would hesitantly recommend the U.S. version.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the essential album ..., March 30, 2000
There's no denying that the UK version of The Clash's self-titled debut is the essential version. Anyone remotely familiar with The Clash or the UK punk scene can tell you that. It's all here - the snarling, cockneyed fury, the amphetamine-laced vitriol, stungun guitar chops, DIY musicianship and songwriting (though Strummer/Jones hardly deserve to be lumped into that category) and most of all satisfying, searing music played at a breakneck pace. After all, the album's barely 40 minutes long and by 2000's standards that's not a lot of music. Then again, when was the last time 'N Sync or any other band burst out of the gate with an album like this? 1976 or 1977 if memory serves ... The arrangement on this CD is superior to the US version. It flows much better. The right songs are here (excepting, arguably, '(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais') and this is the way The Clash intended the world to hear their debut album. That last point is probably an important one in making the case for this version. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that this album truly defines punk. It's not just three chords and a disaffected chorus. That's going through the motions. It's about emotion - raw & pure. That's what The Clash has in spades. Take 'Police & Thieves' as an example. Is it punk rock? You bet it is. Bottom line: If you're at all interested in punk music - or music period - you need to own this album.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The punk masterpiece., February 18, 2000
Perhaps the finest of all punk albums--pure energy, lean and ferocious. From Joe Strummer's agonized barks to the blistering roar and squeal of Mick Jones' guitar, this album defined punk rock forever. Angry, defiant, youthful, socially aware but not self-righteous, "The Clash" is a perfect statement of intent. From the ripped& torn cover photo, Jones, Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon glare at us sullenly, boldly, with a Union Jack starkly displayed on Simonon's shirt. Simple, effective, to the point. Then there's the photo of the Notting Hill riots on the back--complementing perfectly the music within. The bored youth of "Janie Jones" could have been any kid in the UK at the time who never would have heard his story told by Mick Jagger or Rod Stewart or Elton John. In "Remote Control" the state of youthful affairs is put almost too succintly: "Big business it don't like you/Don't like the things you do/You got no money/You got no power/So you don't count--PUNK!" On this new remastered version, "I'm So Bored with the USA" and "White Riot" are fearful things indeed--clear, overpowering, shattering experiences that'll leave you exhilirated. Here's punk philosophy in a verse: "All the power in the hands of the people rich enough to buy it/While we walk the streets too chicken to even try it." Is the Clash daring you to try it? Oh yeah....The four songs that have been unavailable in America for so long are short sharp shocks: "Deny," "Cheat," "Protex Blue" and "48 Hours," delineating the world of the young UK citizen of the time. Very tough, nihilistic, and very very serious. But of course the most amazing song here is "Police and Thieves," a compassionate reggae hit of that year that the Clash made completely their own. Bands today are still trying to nail the formula that the Clash perfected here with this example of how rock can blend with reggae. Keep trying is all I gotta say. There's such a sense of drama and despair in the song it gives me goosebumps. "The Clash" is far and away the single greatest punk album of any year. It is a textbook for future bands. It's vision of a world in flames, of oppression and self-determination, of crisis and indignant fury. The Clash realized just what a powerful tool rock'n'roll could be to voice the frustration and boredom of a lost generation and they did it like no one else. The Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Dolls, Iggy, etc. etc., may have been the catalysts, but the Clash were the guys who understood what punk could mean on a worldwide scale, as each subsequent album ventured further and further from the confines of the United Kingdom. This is it, folks: Punk's Ground Zero Year One. The Clash: Still the only band that matters.
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