Disco de The Clash: “The Clash (1st LP) (Us Version) [Remaster]”

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 U.K. version is a little more 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 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.

I can see why someone would find this album disappointing, especially if they were looking to Rock the Casbah as some sort of crowning achievement of the band. But this album is an absolutely brilliant and perfect document of a certain cultural era: the tower tenements and back alleys of London's desperate teenagers in the mid-to-late 1970s. Unlike Never Mind the Bollocks, this doesn't sound absurdly dated today; instead, it's still angry, still seething, still raw, still crude - all in the best way. There are a few weak numbers (on both the UK and US versions) but also some absolute Clash classics: I'm So Bored with the USA, White Riot, Career Opportunities, and the stunning assimilation of reggae on the cover of Police and Thieves. If you're talking about the US version, you've also got White Man in Hammersmith Palais, one of the best things the band ever recorded. An album that speaks for an era.

Also, just a note in regard to one of the previous reviewer's comments about the "weak" lyrics on Garagaland: again, context is very important here. This song was written as a direct response to a review of their Screen on the Green performance, in which the reviewer commented that they were a "garage band who should be swiftly returned to the garage, preferably with the motor left running". Thus it was a sarcastic celebration of the garage band aesthetic and a way of throwing the review back in its writer's face. Also, it contains one of the Clash's most signature lines: "the truth is only known by guttersnipes."

Indeed...

These incredible blokes first came to my attention when I was lucky enough to see them live in concert in 1982 during their "Combat Rock" tour. My high school friends and I were blown away by the opening chords of "London Calling" which led straight into "What's My Name." And the rest for me is history.

The Green Album (as we refered to it back in the early 80s) will forever be known as the first Clash album. This was the record that introduced the U.S. to the power chords, intense energy and fierce howling of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon. A part of the late 1970s punk movement (including The Ramones and, of course, The Sex Pistols), The Clash in many ways outgrew these historic beginnings with later albums (most notably "London Calling") as they began to experiment with reggae, rockabilly and even funk. But their self-titled debut is where it all began, and it must go down as one of the finest and most intense rock albums of all time.

While The Sex Pistols may have begun a movement, The Clash propelled it forward into the political awareness realm with lyrics (mainly written by frontman Joe Strummer) raving against racism, poverty and war. While The Sex Pistols performed traditional rock power riffs behind the amazing voice of Johnny Rotten, The Clash combined the screeching lead of Joe Strummer with the raw buzzsaw guitar licks of Mick Jones and Paul Simonon.

There's really not a single bad song off of this album, with such popular anthems as "Clash City Rockers," "I'm So Bored With The USA, "White Riot" and their cover of "I Fought The Law" promoting fist pumping and head knocking. But their epic tunes which build to a crescendo such as "Complete Control," "London's Burning" and the reggae influenced "Police and Thieves" are the true staples of this extraordinary CD.

A true touchstone of rock music, The Clash Green Album will forever define a movement that spit into the face of studio rock (Yes, Genesis, Aerosmith and even Led Zepplin), returning the music to the realm of a beer-can littered garage located on the wrong side of the tracks. Suddenly, and with surprising satisfaction, arena rock bands were as cool as golf caddies. Some folks listen to The Beatles and cry for the memory of a new musical form that defined their generation (and rightfully so).

With the unexpected death of the great Joe Strummer, I now listen to The Green Album with a new, saddened perspective. This is the music of My Generation. This is the music that defines My Youth. And this is the music we will now, regretfully, never hear again.

I'm going to admit my bias up front: I'm a diehard Clash fan. Now that's off my chest I would like to take issue with Amazon.com annointing this album with the title of "essential."

Indeed, The Clash's debut album is a must-have. No doubt about it - the fury, the energy, the amphetamine-laced vitriol and stungun guitar chops all heralding the dawn of a brand new era in UK music. However, the US version is nothing more than a poorly arranged substitute for the UK version. The latter contains better sequencing and, most-importantly, a few better songs. Some might argue that the inclusion of '(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais' on this version makes it superior and that's a good point, but the song is not strong enough on its own merits to call this version the essential one. This is missing 'Cheat,' 'Protex Blue' and 'Deny.' While not as egregious as perhaps leaving off 'White Riot,' 'Career Opportunites' or 'London's Burning' it's still an oversight and misrepresents the spirit, intent and tone of the original UK release. For a band as mythological as The Clash this is a critical point.

At any rate, The Clash stands as one of the cornerstones of any punk rock collection regardless of which version you own. It deserves its place alongside Nevermind the Bollocks, The Stooges and The Ramones as a defining moment in music history.

And yes, that does mean that I still take Never Mind The Bollocks over The Clash debut, yet it is close. However, what is not close is the difference in quality between the U.S. version of this album and the U.K. version (even if I do love "Janie Jones" opening the album, just like High Fidelity's Rob Gordon). The reason there is no competition between the two versions is simple, "Complete Control". The greatest song from The Clash and also the greatest punk anthem ever, and I do mean ever. That one song kicks "God Save The Queen", "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Los Angeles", and "Ever Fallen In Love" all to the curb, and it is The Clash's greatest moment despite the brilliance of "London Calling".

If that song weren't enough, quite a few of the weak numbers from the U.K. version are gone, and instead you get "Clash City Rockers" in addition to "Complete Control", and even "WHITE MAN In HAMMERSMITH PALAIS"! While the U.K. version may have a few good numbers in "Janie Jones", "Hate And War", "I'm So Bored With The USA", and "White Riot" (Probably their second best song in my opinion), the U.S. version has all those songs plus the three I just mentioned, PLUS The Clash's version of "I Fought The Law". The choice is incredibly easy, get this album now and it is more than enough of an antidote for the horrible music of today, this is the kind of music that can change your life. Not to mention it rocks like a steamroller.