See also: Clash

The Clash is one of the major groups of the history of the rock'n'roll and the punk British rock'n'roll . The group began its career in 1976 and east dissolves in 1985. In 2003, the group enters to the Rock-and-roll Hall off Famed.

The two most important personalities were Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, both with the guitar and the song. Its style, generally attached to the movement Punk, is also described like a rock'n'roll of combat . It is a group which is also characterized by its capacity to integrate into its music of the different styles in the spirit to draw with the source of the musical roots of its members, among which the Punk, the Rock, the Rockabilly, the Reggae, the Ska or the Dub.

The Clash was one of the first white groups to assimilate the reggae (begun again Police & Thieves of Junior Murvin on their first album and their composition (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais in 1979).

History

Formation and British success (1976-1978)

With the departure made up of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Keith Levene and Terry Chimes (credited, with a pun, on their first LP as), The Clash is formed in Ladbroke Grove (western suburbs of London) in 1976, at the time of the first wave of the British Punk.

After the failure of their short punk group to the provocative name of London S with Tony James (future Generation X), Jones and Simonon start by recruiting Joe Strummer on the councils to manage Bernie Rhodos to them all while saying to him that it ensure but that its group is shit .

Strummer , of its true name John Graham Mellor, is then slightly older than them and the singer of the The 101 ' ers, a group of pub rock'n'roll to the incipient fame. After two days of reflection, it accepts allured by energy and the potential offered by this new musical movement.

On its side, Keith Levene (which later will integrate Public Image Limited) is a friend of Mick Jones. He takes part as a Guitariste and Compositeur within the group. Once Terry Chimes recruited, the group finds the name of " The Clash" thanks to Paul Simonon who notes that this word is regularly repeated in the newspaper Evening Standard .

The group makes its first concert on July 4th, 1976, in first part of the Sex Pistols and with the autumn, they sign at CBS records. Keith Levene is transfered at the beginning of September for lack of work and does not record on the first album of the group although it is credited.

Terry Chimes leaves the group at the end of November same year, briefly replaced by Rob Harper during the Anarchy Tour of December 1976, but returns to allow the group the recording of their first album éponyme.

They leave simple the " White Riot / 1977 " and the album in 1977. Success is quickly with go to the the United Kingdom. However CBS does not publish this album with the the United States, waiting until 1979 to leave a modified version there after it was the largest sale in importation of all times.

Following the exit of their first album The Clash , Chimes leaves in a friendly way but definitively the group, because of personal differences with the principal members.

After one period of tests with various beaters, the choice stops finally on Nicholas Bowen Headon, called " Topper" Headon by the group because of its resemblance to a monkey of drawing-animated. Endowed, Topper will be even called by the producer of Give 'EM Enough Rope , Sandy Pearlman, thanks to her impeccable timing and its qualities. This musician equipped with a gift for the battery actually envisaged to remain only briefly in the group, time for him to have a reputation before joining a better group. But, vis-a-vis the potential of the group, it changes its plans and decides to remain.

At the beginning, the members of The Clash make known themselves for their political vision of Gauchiste vehement and their characteristic clothing, painted by themselves in the style “splash” of Jackson Pollock and raising revolutionary slogans such as. During the year 1977, Strummer and Jones meet troubles with the police force for a series of minor offenses energy of small the Vandalisme with the flight, while Simonon and Headon are briefly stopped to have drawn on Carrier pigeons with guns with Compressed air from the roof from their studio from recording. This last history is besides the source of inspiration of the song Guns One The Roof ().

American success (1978-1982)

See also: Give 'EM Enough Rope

The second album of the group, produced by Sandy Pearlman and entitled Give 'EM Enough Rope , is the first with which Headon is credited on all the titles. It leaves in 1978 and reached the second place the British charts, although it fails to return in Signal 100 to the the United States. With the the United Kingdom, it is accommodated with much disappointment by criticisms, which reproach him a production too much “licked” and smooth compared to rough excitation of the album of the beginnings. However, it is still received by the British public.

Give 'EM Enough Rope is the first album of the Clash which leaves officially to the USA. Moreover, the group carries out its first round on the American ground for its promotion with the beginning of the year 1979.

A little later in July 1979, their first album leaves in his turn officially to the United States, but while lightening titles 48 Hours , Cheat , Protex Blue and Deny , replaced by some individual S left between the original album 1977 and Give 'EM Enough Rope . The Clash thus contains in more one version of I Fought The Law of Sony Curtis (which will leave later on their EP Cost Of Living room ), Clash City Rockers , Complete Control and (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais.

London Calling

See also: London Calling

The third album, London Calling , an double album sold with the price of simple on the insistence of the group, leaves in 1979 and remains the top of their business success. At the beginning, it is accommodated with the the United Kingdom with suspicion by the fans of the beginnings, owing to the fact that the double albums were generally associated with the groups of progressive Rock. It contains a broader panel of musical styles and influences that the preceding albums, among which the Rockabilly with American sauce and the Reggae jamaïcain which echoed the styles Dub and popular Ska in Great Britain.

The album is regarded as one of best of rock'n'roll ever produced, appearing with the 8th rank of the classification referring the 500 larger albums of all times according to the magazine Rolling Stone . He was also declared number 1 of the classification of 25 the 25 last year old albums of Entertainment Weekly . The titles which compose it, such as Train in Vain , Clampdown and London Calling , still today are regularly diffused on the waves of the stations of radio. Besides at the time of its exit, Train in Vain became the first tube of the group to be classified in Signal 40 American, although it was initially a Titer hidden on the original vinyl.

The Font face used on the small pocket is a Hommage to the first RCA LP éponyme of Elvis Presley, while the photo catch by Pennie Smith watch a Paul Simonon frustrated crashing to pieces his low Guitare against the ground at the time of the show with the Palladium of New York in 1979. According to Simonon, which at the beginning was against the use of this photograph on the small pocket, it is about the only time where he broke a guitar on scene. This low is today with the museum Rock-and-roll Hall off Famed , with the legend.

Sandinista!

See also: Sandinista!

To the end of the year 1980, The Clash, after the double album London Calling , left triple album entitled Sandinista! (with the number of catalog " FSLN1" for initial the Spanish be political movement Nicaragua yen Sandinista: ). Once again, the group insisted that the album left at the same price as a simple album, paying the difference by lowering its clean Royalties.

Sandinista! explored various different musical styles and was accepted by the critics and the fans by very opposite reactions. So some found the confused album, dispersed and very obliging, it reached all the same the top of the list Pazz & Jop of the best albums of the year according to The Village Voice . Recording each idea that they had, the members of the group became less interested by the traditional design of punk than by their experiments in the Reggae and the Dub ( One More Time ) and widened their musical spectrum with the Jazz ( Look Young stag ), the Hip-hop ( The Magnificent Seven ), the Chamber music ( Rebel Waltz ), the Gospel ( Hitsville the U.K. & The Sound off the Sinners ), the Chant of the baby of Mickey Gallagher, the player to synthesize.

Although the fans were disturbed and that the sales fell, the group went more to the United States than previously, mainly while surfant on the preceding success of London Calling . Following the exit of Sandinista! , The Clash made its first world tour, with dates in East Asia and Australia.

It is at this time that the combination of the irrational calendar of the round and the recording of a new album revealed more and more frictions within the group.

Tensions and separation (1982-1983)

The tensions and conflicts within the group led to the conclusion of a separation, especially since the beater of the group, Topper Headon, had become unstable because of sound Addiction with the Héroïne.

However, in full round, the group succeeds in recording an additional album Combat Rock'n'roll , which became even the best world sale of The Clash. With titles such as Rock'n'roll the Kasbah and the double face has Should I Stay gold Should I Go / Straight to Hell , the disc entered in force the American and British Hit-parade S.

At this period, the unit of The Clash starts to be exhausted. It is requested from Topper Headon to leave the group right before the exit of this fifth album. The beater of the group is then unable to face its drug-addiction continues, which has an negative impact at the same time on its health and its technique of battery. The true reason of the departure of Headon was hidden by Bernie Rhodos which spoke about a divergence from point of view political. The beater of the beginnings, Terry Chimes, was recalled for the months which followed.

The round of the Combat Rock'n'roll turn was paradoxically an enormous success. While mixing with the first part of the round of good-bye of The Who, the group plays in the greatest American stages (JFK Stadium of Philadelphia, Pontiac Silverdome of Detroit, Shea Stadium of New York, Coliseum of Oakland…). At that time, after one period of search for vestimentary and capillary identity, Joe Strummer raises a Crête iroquoise, somewhat obsolete symbol then of the punks, and starts again the fashion at the " generation MTV ".

The loss of Headon, member federator and appreciated of all, brings much frictions within the group. Jones and Strummer start to quarrel unceasingly, although it is sometimes known as that this animosity came owing to the fact that Bernie Rhodos did not love Jones, finding it arrogant, and would have assembled Strummer against him. The members of the group hardly communicate, avoiding even glance, at the same time during the concerts that in slide. The day before the round in the United Kingdom, Joe Strummer disappears, obliging the group to cancel the first dates. The Clash continues nevertheless to turn, but in 1983, after years of rounds and continual recordings, pays the price of them. Although having matured as musicians and individuals, the members are still rather young (Paul Simonon and Mick Jones has only 26 and 27 years, Strummer 30) and cannot face such difficult and tended situations. Simonon, an old friend of Jones, approaches more Strummer because he is frustrated by the musical experiments of Mick Jones.

Chimes snap the door after the Combat Rock'n'roll turn of 1982 - 1983, convinced that it cannot continue to support the ceaseless internal quarrels of the band. In 1983, after an intensive search for a new beater, Pete Howard is recruited and accompanies the trio on scene at the time of several American dates to the stripped style and finally to the US festival of San Bernardino, California. There head of poster of the festival at the sides of David Bowie and Van Halen, the Clash gives the largest concert of its career in front of nearly a half-million spectators. This date will be also the last appearance of Mick Jones with the group.

In September 1983, pushed by Rhodos, Strummer and Simonon transfers Jones of the group, pretexting his problematic attitude and its divergent musical aspirations.

After a series of hearings, the group announces that Nick Sheppard, ex-member of Cortinas, a Bristol-board formation, and Vince White are the new guitarists. Continuous Howard as a beater, in spite of the rumors according to which Headon or Chimes could return to replace it. The new formation plays its first concert in January 1984 with a unit again material and off launches out in an own-produced round, called the Out Control turn .

This formation will remain an artistic failure all the same. Besides Joe Strummer preferred to call it The Clash Mark Two . On this subject, answering the question of knowing if this version of the group were an error, he declared: If you are authorized to make your errors, I think would owe you. But people do not like really to intend you to admit them. Though I never wanted some to discharge to me on the musicians who were committed in it… Because it was not their fault. , Joe Strummer acknowledges that he thought still from time to time of these musicians: I hope that did not rot the life too much to them, because they was good people in a situation lost in advance. .

The Clash turns from the winter until the beginning of the summer. At the time of Scargill' S Christmas Party , a caritative spectacle given in December 1984 for submission to the minors, the group announces the exit of its next album in the current of the year which arrives.

Cut the Crap and the last round (1984-1986)

The sessions of recording of Cut the Crap are chaotic, especially with Bernie Rhodos and working Strummer with Munich. The majority of the musical pieces are played by musicians of studio, that Sheppard and later White fly over while enriching by ends of guitar. Fighting against Rhodos to have the control of the group, Strummer, relating to the project, decides to wash the hands of them and turns over at his place.

At the same period, the group leaves in round. Observing strict rules which enabled them to transport only 10 pounds sterling and of the underclothing of replacement, the group travels separately or by two and meets in public spaces in cities through the United Kingdom where they play of the acoustic versions their tubes as well as recoveries such as Twist and Shout and Stepping Stone . After a concert with Athens, Strummer is exiled in Spain to find its spirits. On its return, it dissolves officially the group. While Strummer left, the first individual This Is England resulting from Cut the Crap leaves with a mainly negative reception. The song, as the majority of the remainder of the album which follows the same year later, was mainly remixée by Rhodos, adding synthetizers, limp at rate/rhythm and of the songs to the unfinished recordings of Strummer. Other songs played at the time of the round remain new today, among which appear Jericho , Glue Zombie and In the Pouring Rain . Although Howard was a highly skilled beater, paradoxically all the tracks with the percussion were produced using boxes at rate/rhythm.

Political commitment

With the image of many groups of the first wave Punk, the Clash protest against the Monarchie and the Aristocratie with the the United Kingdom and throughout the world. Nevertheless, the Clash do not share the same nihilist vision of the policy that have the majority of these groups. Besides this attracts to them many criticisms on behalf of other influential groups such as Crass and Angelic Upstarts.

Their political vision is expressed explicitly in their words, as of their first recordings such as White Riot whose text encourages disillusioned white youth to engage politically in an active way following the example black minority. Career Opportunities is another example, denouncing underpaid employment, the style of employment in factory and the lack of alternatives. The song London' S Burning , as for it, political accommodation draft. The political aspect of their texts is one of the features characteristic of the group ( Guns off Brixton , Something butt England , Straight to Hell …).

In 1978, at the time of the spectacle Rock'n'roll Against Racism organized by the Anti-nazi League, Joe Strummer wears a discussed tee-shirt being marked " Brigate-Rose " accompanied by the badge of the Red Army Fraction (Andreas Baader - Ulrike Meinhof). He will affirm later that the purpose of this gesture was not to give its support for the terrorist brigades of Extreme left of Germany and Italy, but to only make speak about him. In the same way, in the song Tommy Gun , its attitude is ambiguous. Caroline Coon brings a lighting on what the Clash actually did at that time:

The group will give also its support for other caritative concerts, of which most famous are those of December 1979 for the population of Kampuchea, organized by Paul McCartney. The album left following these concerts contains besides a song of The Clash, " Armagideon Time".

The Clash also offered their support for Sandinista and other movements Marxistes of Latin America (as the title testifies some to their album of 1980, Sandinista! ).

At the time of their album London Calling , left in December 1979, the group tries to keep punk energy while developing musical experiments more and more. Although particularly being wary with respect to their incipient celebrity, they always hold warm welcome with their fans in slide after their concerts, showing of open-minded, intellectual interest and compassion in their relations with them.

The title of London Calling evokes the currency of the journalist radio operator American Edward R. Murrow during the Second world war. Its words announce besides: . It warns those which hope that they are the savers: , draws up a dark portrait of the time: but calls those which listen to leave their hébétude doped and to take again the combat without constantly turning to the Clash themselves for answers - - finally requiring.

They were never guided by the money. Even against their interests, the tickets for their concerts were sold at reasonable prices. The group also insisted at CBS so that their double and triple albums, London Calling and Sandinista! , is sold with the price of simple (approximately £5). For that, they yielded their royalties until reaching the 200.000 sales. This logic of the " In having for its argent" caused to always leave them under the influence of their label. It is not that starting from 1982 qu ' they could control their own musical career completely.

Members of the group

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The careers post-Clash

Joe Strummer

See also: Joe Strummer

In 1986, Strummer collaborates with its former accomplice Mick Jones on the second album of BAD, No 10 Upping St . It coproduit and coécrit seven songs. Strummer plays the comedy in some films, in particular in Walker of Alex Cox and Mystery Train of Jim Jarmusch. It also carries out an appearance Caméo for Aki Kaurismäki in I hired has Contract Killer where it sings Burning Lights/Afro-Cuban Be-Bop .

It is pointed out to this period for its participation in original soundtracks, of which Love Kills for the film Sid and Nancy . It coproduit later that of Large Point Blank with John Cusack who meets success.

After some experiments with groups of support for limited success, it remakes surface in 1989 by carrying out its first album solo. Earthquake Weather is neither a critical success, nor a business success. Strummer leaves nevertheless in round with a new troop musicians, Latino Rockabilly War, before leaving individual the Trash City . In 1991/1992, Strummer joined the Pogues after the ousting of the former singer Shane MacGowan for a series in concerts through Europe.

See also: The Mescaleros

Finally, at the end of the years 1990, Joe Strummer gathers musicians of high flight under the name of The Mescaleros. November 15th, 2002, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros gives a caritative concert for the London firemen (FBU) to Acton Town Hall of London. On this occasion, Mick Jones joined the group on scene on Bankrobber , White Riot and London' S Burning .

The last time that Strummer goes up on scene is on November 22nd, 2002 in Liverpool Academy. He dies suddenly the month following of one heart attack to the 50 years age. The album of Mescaleros on which he worked fate on a purely posthumous basis in 2003. Its critical reception is eulogistic.

Mick Jones will acknowledge later with the press which this death intervened whereas the ex-members of The Clash seriously thought of going back together for a world tour. Their meeting again for documentary the Westway to the World of Don Letts (2001) had given again the desire to them.

Mick Jones

See also: Big Audio Dynamites

After his expulsion of The Clash, Jones forms Big Audio Dynamites (or BAD) in 1984 accompanied by Gift Letts, realizer of several vidéos on the Clash. Their first album, This is Big Audio Dynamites , leaves the following year. E=MC ² , which in drawn, is listened then in the dance clubs. The following disc, No 10 Upping St , joins together Jones and Strummer. 3 albums later, Jones decides to completely modify his formation and re-elects it Big Audio Dynamites II. And in the middle of the years 1990, the group is called Big Audio.

Producer, Mick Jones works with the Libertines for their two albums studio and Babyshambles for their first. Since, he is played and recorded with his new group: Carbon/Silicon.

Paul Simonon

Following the bursting of the Clash, Simonon forms a group called Havana 3am, which records only one album in Japan before quickly giving up. It turns over then to its roots while becoming painter, exposing in several art galleries and contributing to the cover of the third album of Mick Jones and BAD, Tighten Up vol. 88 . The refusal of Simonon of rejouer of the music is one of the principal explanations given for which The Clash is one of some punks groups years 1970 not to be itself reformed at the time of the punk nostalgic period of the end of the year 1990.

Currently, Simonon collaborates with Damon Albarn of Blur and of the virtual formation Gorillaz, Simon Tong of The Verve and Tony Allen, principal founder of the Afrobeat and beater of Fela Kuti. Together, they created The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Their first concert was given the October 26th 2006 to the Roundhouse.

Topper Headon

The contribution of Headon to The Clash is not solely limited to its play to the battery. It composes and arranges the music for Ivan Meets G.I. Joe (where he also sings) and Rock The Casbah practically all alone. This last title is besides their larger hit in the United States where it reaches the 8th place of Billboard in 1982. At that time however, Headon is transfered group for its addiction with heroin.

Except for an small group of R&B with which it records a LP entitled Walking Up and the 12" E.P. Drumming Man in 1986, Headon disappears from the musical medium until the documentary retrospective one of Don Letts Westway to the World . It made there its mea culpea about its drug-addiction.

After several years of failure in its search of a rehabilitation, it is now healthy and goes up on scene again.

Other members

Terry Chimes

Chimes plays with various other groups enters and after its participations with the Clash. It is the beater of Black Sabbath during two years in the middle of the years 1980. Withdrawn of the music scene, it becomes then Chiropraticien. Since 1994, he exerts in his own cabinet with Woodford in the southern suburbs of London.

Pete Howard

Howard plays for Fiction Records in the Eat group, before forming Vent 414 with Miles Hunt in 1996. It joined Queen Adreena in 2002.

Keith Levene

After its departure of the Clash and shortly after the separation of the Sex Pistols, Levene Co-founds Public Image Limited (PiL) with John Lydon (alias Johnny Rotten). Its style of play to the guitar was imitated much by several punk rockers or other, such as The Edge of U2. On following recordings of PiL, Levene exchanges sometimes its guitar for the synthetizer. It definitively leaves PiL in 1983 following a dispute with Lydon.

Nick Sheppard

Of 1986 with 1989, it joins Gareth Sager (old of The Pop Group and RIP Rig & Panic) in Head, but their three albums do not meet their public. Sheppard works then with Koozie Johns in Shot and sign with IRS Records in 1991 with Miles Copeland for managing. However, no recording of the group never left in disc. Sheppard moves in Australia in 1993 and plays for Heavy Smoker and the New Egyptian Kings.

Discography

See also: Discography of The Clash

Videotex

• Hard Servant boy
• Westway to the World
• The Essential Clash
• Up Close And Personal (Documentary) (Forecast of exit: 3/12/07)
• The Future Is Unwritten (Documentary) (left to France: July 11th, 2007)

Rounds

Anecdotes

• During the first three years of their career, the members of the group were based in what now is called " The Stables" Market in Camden Town, London. Guns One The Roof (of the album Give EM Enough Rope ) was written about an incident which took place at this place. During a recording, the members of the group had fun to shoot at pigeons using a rifle. However, it proved that these pigeons were Carrier pigeons of a great value.
• Babyshambles, The Paddingtons, Dirty Pretty Things, Guillemots, The Kooks and approximately 20 other artists left a recovery Janie Jones for Strummerville Music Charity.
• Martin Munsch, an American producer owner of Punk Rock'n'roll Records, worked with Joe Strummer on a version dub of Revolution Rock'n'roll , left in 2002.
• the Clash appear in film of Martin Scorsese the Waltz of the puppets (1983) with Robert De Niro. Strummer, Jones and Simonon can be seen in a crowd. With the credits, they are credited under the name of " bandage loubards".

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