# What Clash albums should I pick up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367 "2001-03-25T00:40:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RocknRoll\_Killing\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5daacb/32.png) [@RocknRoll\_Killing\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RocknRoll_Killing_Machine)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/1 "2001-03-25T00:40:49Z")
I currently have: London Calling The self-titled one Combat Rock I just pick up Combat Rock, and feel kinda burned by it. What other albums by the Clash are really good? ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/2 "2001-03-25T00:55:42Z")
I recommend **Give 'em Enough Rope**. **The Story Of The Clash, Vol.1** is worth checking out, as is **Sandanista!** , though if you don’t care for Combat Rock, you may not like the latter as much, as stylistically it’s all over the place, with a lot of reggae and dub influences. FWIW, I thought Combat Rock was a pretty great album, but it took some getting used to. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/3 "2001-03-25T01:11:04Z")
I think _Sandinista_ blows, but first album (I have the U.K. version) is really good. There’s also a “Singles” collection out there that has some excellent stuff on there, especially if you don’t want to weed through all the half-baked ska on some of the albums. ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/4 "2001-03-25T01:17:47Z")
I say Give 'Em Enough Rope–if you only pick up one, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/5 "2001-03-25T01:40:14Z")
You should pick up _Sandinista!_ and then violently throw it to the ground and stomp on it. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/6 "2001-03-25T08:12:51Z")
Give 'Em Enough Rope is the only other _crucial_ one. Mainly for “Safe European Home”, easily the best Clash song ever, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/7 "2001-03-26T17:14:06Z")
**Black Market Clash** - Cool EP. My favorite cut is a cover of Toots & the Maytalls “Pressure Drop”. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2001, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/8 "2001-03-27T04:19:21Z")
I second Black Market Clash- one side is nice and punky, and the other side is English rocksteady/dub. Combat Rock, aside from the overplayed songs, grows on you. The last song cracks me up. “And I was gripped [snap], by that deady phantom.” I’d avoid Cut the Crap-- something didn’t work out right on that one somehow. If you like the Clash, then also think twice about getting any Big Audio Dynamite. I can’t stand the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/9 "2001-03-27T16:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by capybara \* > **…I’d avoid Cut the Crap-- something didn’t work out right on that one somehow.** Yeah, Mick Jones wasn’t around… So instead we got a whole album of Joe Strummer’s velvet voice. > [@](#): > > \*\* > If you like the Clash, then also think twice about getting any Big Audio Dynamite. I can’t stand the stuff. \*\* It all depends of which incarnation. The first album, _This is Big Audio Dynamite_ ruled my bedpost. But once Don Getts left, and Jones took the group in a more house-ish direction, things began to emit sucking sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/10 "2001-03-27T17:06:39Z")
I quite liked their live album _From Here to Eternity_. I think they just released it last year or the year before. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/11 "2001-03-28T04:21:06Z")
Speaking of post-Clash stuff, you might check out Strummer’s **Gangsterville**. Also, he did a turn as lead singer for the Pogues, and had a minor hit with them, entitled (I think) “Tuesday Morning.” Also, if you’re gonna be a Clash completist, check out Strummer’s acting in the film **Mystery Train**. ---
**Author:** ![JCThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dc4da7/32.png) [@JCThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-clash-albums-should-i-pick-up/59367/12 "2001-03-28T06:13:27Z")
Annie Lennox did a great job on a Clash cover, Train in Vain. Really worth a listen.