The thread about giving records a 'second listen' got me thinking about the records that changed the most from first listen to 20th or 50th listen.

The Clash's Combat Rock seems to be a well known album of the crap variety. I wasn't old enough to know anything about music when it came out, and I know a lot of people who love the Clash but stopped listening to them after Sandinista, but for me Combat Rock is an album that has gone slowly from horridly incomprehensible shit to a really strange brand of greatness.

I think its hilarious to see the video of Rock the Casbah with all the camo and especially Mick's "face cloth" thing, but, radio play aside, some of the songs on Combat Rock, so weird, so good! Atom Tan? Red Angel Dragnet? (San Juan, you listenin'?) Ghetto Defendant? Car Jamming?

Not crap.

I always hated The Clash and I will always hate The Clash.
CRAP.

Know Your Rights is excellent. Straight to Hell is excellent. It's not my favourite Clash album by a long shot, but certainly not crap.

diego wrote:I always hated The Clash and I will always hate The Clash.

^ This guy for Mayor ^



*ps - can i be the sheriff?

Not the best but straight to hell is marvellous.

nc big old plate of waffles.

Not Crap, no waffles. My introduction to the Clash. It contains the two most overplayed and undergood Clash songs, but it also has Straight to Hell, which does an awful lot to redeem it. All good, mostly great, Not Crap.

garble wrote:I think its hilarious to see the video of Rock the Casbah with all the camo and especially Mick's "face cloth" thing,

That's one of the few rock videos I have ever liked - most are just painful to watch. I'm rather proud to say I've been to the exact place that video was shot. It was on NASA Road in Clear Lake, Texas, which is between Houston and Galveston. I've been a big Clash fan since I was 9 and my brother brought home Sandinista! (and I make no apologies for this). When I was in high school in Galveston back in the 80's, a couple of then bandmates and I made a sort of pilgrimage there just for the hell of it. It totally looks different now though - Clear Lake was thoroughly yuppified by the end of the 80's.

Combat Rock is one of my favorite albums by any band. I have my reasons. I've argued with a countless number of people about this. I've put up with people parroting the same thoughtless crap about this album and passing it off at their own original opinion ever since it became trendy to hate the Clash circa 1992 or whenever it was. I'm sick of it. I don't care anymore. To me, it's brilliant, it's ballsy and it's jammed full of great and original musical ideas and lyrics that are used more smartly than on any other Clash album or any other rock album for that matter. It's stood the test of time for me, and I still find it just as inspired and inspiring as I did when I was a kid. If someone else doesn't get it, it's just not my problem.

It's a uneven album from one of the best bands in the world. Flawed, sure, but not crap. Now a "Crap/Not Crap" on Cut The Crap ... THAT would be interesting.

Mark Lansing wrote: Now a "Crap/Not Crap" on Cut The Crap ... THAT would be interesting.

Yeah, that one has been done. But I'm sure it was the usual "Complete Shit except This is England" which I agree with.

I know people who like the Clash, but they seem like completely unimportant major label rock to me.