I think everyone with a good mind and decent taste for music owes respect to this man.
Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those card carrying 'only band that matters' clash fans. Sure, they broke a lot of ground in rock and roll music, and opened popular music to reggae, ska, punk, hip hop, and a whole slew of other ideas. But the 'only' band that matters is a bit arrogant of a term, and they were not about arrogance. Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simannon were fierce populist, and cleverly introduced the punk and popular music world to palletable socialist rhetoric, without anyone knowing it. With their music, you got the perspective of someone living in a third world country, or simply those who are oppressed. You got social ideas that most media goes out of its way to squash fiercely. Like woody guthrie (who strummer was very influenced by) you got coherant, well thought out social commentary about things the way they really are. This was very different from the chaotic anarchist mentality of the Sex Pistols, though every bit as angry.Did I mention they were musical geniuses? Even at their most indulgent and experimental moments on Sandanista, the Clash took on every musical genre and worked to do as good if not better than their influences. They took Punk, gave it a brain, and moved on to the next thing, and then some. They even wrote a bubblegum pop tune Hitsville U.K.. Ok that tune kind of sucks, but for what it is, they did a good job.
Their best record, London Calling, is something everyone should own a copy of. The mood actually changes from dark and apocalyptic to fun and carefree gradually throughout the record, and still maintains a great ammount of relevant storytelling. This was the first record they did where they didn't take themselves way too seriously, and told the world 'hey it's kinda fucked up, but you can still have a good time and enjoy life while making the world a better place. Bravo
I also highly recommend Joe Strummer and the Mescalero's work.
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