The Clash

[janie_jones]

Ouch, you guys are harsh.

The Clash may not have been the best punk band, but they were certainly one of the most influential bands to punk. And an entirely amazing band outside of the genre. If you listen to their albums, everything that they've done, it adds up to a hell of an accomplishment. Their music was, and continues to have an urgency to it that few bands have been able to accomplish, urgency with lasting power.

The Clash - S/T (1977) is one of my favourite albums beginning to end.

After the Clash Joe Strummer continued to create amazing and innovative music.

[trbc08]

I haven't heard much of The Clash except stuff off of their first album, which I like.

[goth metal raver]

They were indeed a punk band, just not very good at it. Their first album was their "punk" effort and it was complete pap.

London Calling (as in the album) is excellent, mainly because they don't try to do punk anymore. Except in the song "London Calling" which is by far the worst song on the album and the only one I skip when listening to the album.

your opinion about when the Clash were good and when they weren't is the exact reverse of mine

[droolian]

I have been a big Clash fan for years but I know they are a band that splits people. For me, I have to give them respect for having acts like Grandmaster Flash open for them and for their dance remixes. Although they were only "punk" for a short time, they helped to shape the future of alternative rock (for good or bad depending on your POV).