Their first album made as great of an impact on the British punk scene as anybody else's debut did, but it says something that the band was considered sell-outs by many even before that album came out (thanks to signing with CBS Records). And yet, I cannot help but enjoy the band immensely overall, and if I don't buy into all of the hype, I sure buy into a lot of it.Īside from The Rolling Stones (and maybe Metallica), it would be hard for me to think of a band more encumbered by a well-intended narrative constructed for them than The Clash. They didn't make that many albums (however long two of them were) or last very long, and not all of the albums they made were especially noteworthy. That's not to say that they deserve some of the accolades given to them when they were active and in the decades since: the title, 'The Only Band That Matters' (nonsense) the greatest punk band of all time (more nonsense, given that they only made one clearly punk album, however nice it may be) the creators of the greatest album of the 1980's (spectacular nonsense, given that London Calling, the album that so often gets this title, came out in 1979). He Who Plays Punk Will Later Make Sandinista Songs like that come out in five minutes if I work on them more than, say, 20 minutes, they’re probably not going to work.The Clash Completely confused by the rating system? Go here for an explanation. As soon as you start, you get that magic feeling, an extra feeling. It’s how a basketball player must feel when he starts hitting every shot, when you’re in that zone. When I’m writing a song that I know is going to work, it’s a feeling of euphoria. That song had everything - different melodies, opera, R&B, rock - and it explored all of those different genres in an authentic way, where it felt natural. A great song has all the key elements - melody emotion a strong statement that becomes part of the lexicon and great production. It takes the emotions of a moment and holds it for years to come. When you hear a great song, you can think of where you were when you first heard it, the sounds, the smells.

Click here for the new, updated 500 Greatest Songs list from 2021Ī great song doesn’t attempt to be anything - it just is.

Clash songs list