CLASH (The) The Essential Clash 2CD 2003

If you only own one Clash record, make it this one. If you own twenty, you already know why this exists.

The Essential Clash is exactly what it sounds like, no filler, no argument. Spread across two discs, it traces the full arc from the raw punk fury of their debut through the dub-soaked politics of Sandinista! and the radio-conquering ambition of Combat Rock. "White Riot," "London Calling," "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Rock the Casbah", the hits are here, but so are the tracks that remind you this band was doing something genuinely radical. They wrote songs about colonialism, unemployment, and police brutality and somehow made them danceable. The Clash weren't just a punk band, they were the argument that punk could mean something beyond three chords and a sneer. Essential for anyone building a serious collection of alternative, punk, or rock history.

Format: Compilation, 2CD. UK pressing, 2003. Genre: Punk Rock.

Fans of: The Jam, Buzzcocks, Gang of Four, The Specials, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.