The greatest punk rock band in history...seriously the clash never stuck with plastic convention like the Sex Pistols...always innovating is what great musicians do! The clash are timeless and will always be revered by true punks.
....says Strummer who spent the 1980's living in the heart of Nottinghill, sent his two daughters to private school and tried hard to give the impression of a cockney in spite of being the son of a diplomat.
He also squatted and lived on the breadline in his 20s because of his own unwillingness to settle into that cosy upper middle class upbringing. I accept the hypocrisy of sending his kids to private school, but given everything we know about him I think it'd be unfair to let that displace his good points. We all have flaws, I'm sure Joe had many, but he was undeniably a great musician, a great poet, a great dissenting champion of the underdog - head and heart in the right place and surely that's what counts.
revol148 and I'm sure that you live your life free of incongruity or any double standards. the band came up through the ranks just like all other rocknrollers and punks. Joe did indeed come from an upper crust family but he eschewed it in favor of the streets. they are one of the best bands ever (not opinion but fact) and hit the jackpot. there are so many examples of money ruining a man or a band but the Clash or Joe is simply not one of them
Just who are the arselickers buying Hello magazine or magazine specials on the queen. Silly vacant looking old bitch. And these idiots buy into it. Whole system is arse up.
For a genre that was supposed to be made up of clueless musicians this is full of clever nuances and devices, most of it due to Mick Jones no doubt. There is the rousing coda, the occasional use of delicate harmonica notes which adds a bittersweet feel to the lyrics, the way Jones's harmony vocals sound as if they are giving moral encouragement to Joe and again the occasional delicate guitar notes inbetween the usual punk chords.
It's a common misconception that the punks were poor musicians. The Clash for example were one of the most talented and musically diverse acts in the last 50 yrs.
Chatswood Ranger That's a common misconception, as someone else here said. X were also all great. It's mostly hardcore punk that has the crappy musicians. Although, the Dead Kennedys were pretty great musicians, too.
Garageland by far is my favorite Clash song! Tommy Gun is a close 2nd! A brilliant, straight to the point song! No filler, just the meat & potatoes! My honest belief, both The Clash & Sex Pistols are equally very important, not just U.K. Punk Rock but, to World Wide Rock N Roll & a true sense of consciousness. These band's put their lives on the line to bring a positive alternative to the British youth who felt they had no future as did The Ramones & other's in The U.S. Punk Rock was a migration of lost, wayward kid's who found each other in a dangerous time & band together with their many differences & create a better way of life. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Some died way too young thru self destruction, some died of broken hearts. Many lived to the Punk Ethos, many sold out & become what they were against. Some are still fighting the good fight. Some have matured with age & have genuine changes of beliefs & opinions. It's normal for human development. Punk Rock to me is a deep rooted spirituality in the triumphant of the human spirit! To adapt & overcome any roadblocks whether in the world or within the self! Up the Punks!
never gets old for me, played this all night as a teenager working nights in a steel mill late seventies,along with the pistols and listening to john peel.
Halcyon days..I never went out to change the world with these explosive lyrics. I was allowed out after 9.o'clock at night.I went to supposed discos were you got 1 or 2 punk songs near the end..It was the Clash and their music that got me,and they still have.Take me back Mammy.
Punk was to be different,a form of rebellion,from a different age group,boy it worked. The "Clash" were top dogs. Loved their style,attitude,also when Strummer sang "White Riot".Energy bag par excellance.
The new American Anthem, in my mind when I was young. I don't want to know about what the rich are doing. I don't want to go to where the rich are going. Brilliant!!
Ive belted this out for over 40 yrs now and still gives me a thrill and to the bands of today inspired by J.S. AND S ie Green Day the Clash Will always live on
The song was about a negative review of the Clash from NME. Joe wrote this song because he was proud to be a garage band(however, this really did piss Joe off and it inspired Sandinista! along with Joe, Mick, Topper and Paul's musical influences). This band has incredible history
+de132 I think Jones wrote the bulk of this song the journo in the NME was Charles Shar Murray who later retracted his review and gave London Calling a 5 star review.
the clash is my favorite band of all time, London calling actually changed my life(i know that sounds cheesy, but I was 17) my only issue, and I wonder if any other clash fans agree, if that if about twelve songs were cut from Sandinista it would have been a much better album,I don't listen to Sandinista much and when I do I skip a lot of songs, their first album and London calling could have been greatest hits album, love the clash
AndTheTruth WillSetYouFree Strummer said he defend Sandinista `warts and all` i can see what he means some tracks are not to everybody`s taste but its a great record.
"Garageland" Back in the garage with my bullshit detector Carbon monoxide making sure it's effective People ringing up making offers for my life But I just wanna stay in the garage all night We're a garage band We come from garageland Meanwhile things are hotting up in the West End alright Contracts in the offices, groups in the night My bummin' slummin' friends have all got new boots An' someone just asked me if the group would wear suits I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing I don't wanna go to where the rich are going They think they're so clever, they think they're so right But the truth is only known by guttersnipes There's twenty-two singers! But one microphone Back in the garage There's five guitar players! But one guitar Back in the garage Complaints! Complaints! Wot an old bag Back in the garage All night
My family doesn't understand why I don't . . . look up to rich people, I guess you could say. They don't understand why I'm happy in the middle class and don't want to aspire to be rich. Every time they talk about people with money or we drive through a "nice" neighborhood, I tell them, "I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing. I don't wanna go to where, where the rich are going. They think they're so clever. They think they're so right. But the truth is only known by guttersnipes."
Music was so good back in these days, I was lucky , youngsters do not know what it was like being 16 and listening to stuff like this. Wish I could go back in time.
it drives me crazy that people idolize all these fake "reality" stars and the worst non-talented music....Joe and the Clash had it right a long time ago..."i dont want to hear about what the rich are doing, i dont want to go where the rich are going"
saw most punk bands when I was a youngster, can't comprehend that I queued for tickets to see the Clash at Glasgow Apollo, and left the queue cos it was taking so long....nooooooooook
@PunkLobo things are bad here in england at present but things have always been hard in mexico for ordinary people .when i visited the USA in 1988 i walked over the border and could see the poverty
@PunkLobo Pretty much the same in the US. People can't not care about being aware. Shit's going down that they can't ignore. They have to wake up and smell the coffee.
Probably not, but today I figure they might, considering almost nobody does (except that stupid random-tie thing). Be cool to watch a 40 year cycle develop.
Yes but if they did not then they would Joe would never have got his message out, and they were never ever MTV darlings as they split up when mtv was still actually quite cool. They 'sold out' because they were forced to by cbs records
@PunkLobo the us aint to much better right now there buddy you got all these ppl think its great like everyones rich and shit but the us is in bad recession on national debt is at an all time high we keep getting idiot presidents making shit worse i live in pennslyvania its horrible here no jobs poverty stricken many family own stores i grew up with shut down its just bad
The greatest punk rock band in history...seriously the clash never stuck with plastic convention like the Sex Pistols...always innovating is what great musicians do! The clash are timeless and will always be revered by true punks.
Blasting this in my garage right now. My neighbor loves it 😁😎
We're a garage band, we come from garageland
"I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing"
It has been bothering me for years that the next line wasn't "I don't wanna move to where the rich are movin'."
....says Strummer who spent the 1980's living in the heart of Nottinghill, sent his two daughters to private school and tried hard to give the impression of a cockney in spite of being the son of a diplomat.
He also squatted and lived on the breadline in his 20s because of his own unwillingness to settle into that cosy upper middle class upbringing. I accept the hypocrisy of sending his kids to private school, but given everything we know about him I think it'd be unfair to let that displace his good points. We all have flaws, I'm sure Joe had many, but he was undeniably a great musician, a great poet, a great dissenting champion of the underdog - head and heart in the right place and surely that's what counts.
revol148 and I'm sure that you live your life free of incongruity or any double standards. the band came up through the ranks just like all other rocknrollers and punks. Joe did indeed come from an upper crust family but he eschewed it in favor of the streets. they are one of the best bands ever (not opinion but fact) and hit the jackpot. there are so many examples of money ruining a man or a band but the Clash or Joe is simply not one of them
Just who are the arselickers buying Hello magazine or magazine specials on the queen. Silly vacant looking old bitch. And these idiots buy into it. Whole system is arse up.
RIP Joe Strummer
For a genre that was supposed to be made up of clueless musicians this is full of clever nuances and devices, most of it due to Mick Jones no doubt. There is the rousing coda, the occasional use of delicate harmonica notes which adds a bittersweet feel to the lyrics, the way Jones's harmony vocals sound as if they are giving moral encouragement to Joe and again the occasional delicate guitar notes inbetween the usual punk chords.
Awesome post dude!
Thanks
It's a common misconception that the punks were poor musicians. The Clash for example were one of the most talented and musically diverse acts in the last 50 yrs.
Brilliant post
Chatswood Ranger That's a common misconception, as someone else here said. X were also all great. It's mostly hardcore punk that has the crappy musicians. Although, the Dead Kennedys were pretty great musicians, too.
i saw em live in 79 ..mindblowing gig
Garageland by far is my favorite Clash song! Tommy Gun is a close 2nd! A brilliant, straight to the point song! No filler, just the meat & potatoes! My honest belief, both The Clash & Sex Pistols are equally very important, not just U.K. Punk Rock but, to World Wide Rock N Roll & a true sense of consciousness. These band's put their lives on the line to bring a positive alternative to the British youth who felt they had no future as did The Ramones & other's in The U.S. Punk Rock was a migration of lost, wayward kid's who found each other in a dangerous time & band together with their many differences & create a better way of life. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Some died way too young thru self destruction, some died of broken hearts. Many lived to the Punk Ethos, many sold out & become what they were against. Some are still fighting the good fight. Some have matured with age & have genuine changes of beliefs & opinions. It's normal for human development. Punk Rock to me is a deep rooted spirituality in the triumphant of the human spirit! To adapt & overcome any roadblocks whether in the world or within the self! Up the Punks!
never gets old for me, played this all night as a teenager working nights in a steel mill late seventies,along with the pistols and listening to john peel.
forever in luv with this album pure brilliance
Joe, we need you more than ever
Halcyon days..I never went out to change the world with these explosive lyrics. I was allowed out after 9.o'clock at night.I went to supposed discos were you got 1 or 2 punk songs near the end..It was the Clash and their music that got me,and they still have.Take me back Mammy.
Kinema ballroom, Dunfermline 1977, the skids opening for the clash! Those were the days
one of the greatest punk bands.
damned, pistols ,stranglers, kennedys and scream.
you forgot the Ramones ;-)
Back again in the GarageLand With my BullShit detector
is the best ever written line in the world
For a Rock Song
Vive Joe !
I love The Clash there awsome
Where awesome?
Will always be awesome.
Over there?
Oh hell yeah
I miss these days
Punk was to be different,a form of rebellion,from a different age group,boy it worked. The "Clash" were top dogs. Loved their style,attitude,also when Strummer sang "White Riot".Energy bag par excellance.
God bless you Joe
The new American Anthem, in my mind when I was young. I don't want to know about what the rich are doing. I don't want to go to where the rich are going. Brilliant!!
Ive belted this out for over 40 yrs now and still gives me a thrill and to the bands of today inspired by J.S. AND S ie Green Day the Clash Will always live on
The song was about a negative review of the Clash from NME. Joe wrote this song because he was proud to be a garage band(however, this really did piss Joe off and it inspired Sandinista! along with Joe, Mick, Topper and Paul's musical influences). This band has incredible history
+de132 I think Jones wrote the bulk of this song the journo in the NME was Charles Shar Murray who later retracted his review and gave London Calling a 5 star review.
the clash is my favorite band of all time, London calling actually changed my life(i know that sounds cheesy, but I was 17) my only issue, and I wonder if any other clash fans agree, if that if about twelve songs were cut from Sandinista it would have been a much better album,I don't listen to Sandinista much and when I do I skip a lot of songs, their first album and London calling could have been greatest hits album, love the clash
+electricleg London calling was actually recently voted the greatest album of the 1980s, even though it came out in 79, awesome
AndTheTruth WillSetYouFree
Strummer said he defend Sandinista `warts and all` i can see what he means some tracks are not to everybody`s taste but its a great record.
Charles Shaar Murray was so far up his own arse he could see out of his own mouth.
The roots of creativity are reflected by the lyrics of this song
Simply brilliant
Greatest band of all time.
This song reminds of David Bowies Rebel Rebel,maybe its the vibe more than the riff itself!
"Garageland"
Back in the garage with my bullshit detector
Carbon monoxide making sure it's effective
People ringing up making offers for my life
But I just wanna stay in the garage all night
We're a garage band
We come from garageland
Meanwhile things are hotting up in the West End alright
Contracts in the offices, groups in the night
My bummin' slummin' friends have all got new boots
An' someone just asked me if the group would wear suits
I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing
I don't wanna go to where the rich are going
They think they're so clever, they think they're so right
But the truth is only known by guttersnipes
There's twenty-two singers! But one microphone
Back in the garage
There's five guitar players! But one guitar
Back in the garage
Complaints! Complaints! Wot an old bag
Back in the garage
All night
When they ask you if you could only have 1 album...
I was twelve when I got this LP, here I am 36 years on!
My favorite punk song 💯💯💯💯
May I recommend the book 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s' by Johnny Zero. The author is a big fan of this track.
My family doesn't understand why I don't . . . look up to rich people, I guess you could say. They don't understand why I'm happy in the middle class and don't want to aspire to be rich. Every time they talk about people with money or we drive through a "nice" neighborhood, I tell them, "I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing. I don't wanna go to where, where the rich are going. They think they're so clever. They think they're so right. But the truth is only known by guttersnipes."
It's 10 years later. Time flies
The best album ever made!
For me Clash, in punk music is beast band. 😋😋😉😉
Music was so good back in these days, I was lucky , youngsters do not know what it was like being 16 and listening to stuff like this. Wish I could go back in time.
punk in all its glory
it drives me crazy that people idolize all these fake "reality" stars and the worst non-talented music....Joe and the Clash had it right a long time ago..."i dont want to hear about what the rich are doing, i dont want to go where the rich are going"
thanks Stranger Things for make me found this amazing band and this briliant song
Congratulations. Discovering The Clash is one of the best experiences of my life.
saw most punk bands when I was a youngster, can't comprehend that I queued for tickets to see the Clash at Glasgow Apollo, and left the queue cos it was taking so long....nooooooooook
ummm...what?
....there's something quite "punk" about that to be honest !
2020 west London rocks
Happy bday Joe!
Classic music
@PunkLobo things are bad here in england at present but things have always been hard in mexico for ordinary people .when i visited the USA in 1988 i walked over the border and could see the poverty
great song!
Someone just asked me if the group would wear suit.
a reference to The Jam
@@porterhall27 I doubt it!
0 dislikes, only the clash
These boys knew whats up
I have bull shit detectors, actually owned by Joe strummer, only $5,999..going fast
I believe you! I am in need of a bullshit detector!
What is their sensitivity to CO?
I wanted to get out of the garage and into the arena
Top Ten wall to wall lp from the era.
Fuck off
Classic 80s punk rock
Brasil? ❤
actually they did wear suits, after a fashion when they went from the garage to Shea Stadium & the R & R HOF.
Exactly what I hear everytime lol :D
@PunkLobo Pretty much the same in the US. People can't not care about being aware. Shit's going down that they can't ignore. They have to wake up and smell the coffee.
an anthem.
Especially their 1st album---all punk songs....
RIP Joey
@lvsimo77 Mick wears suit in his current band "Carbon/Silicon"
yes ur right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An' somebody asked me if the group, would wear suits!
Wasn't this picture took in Camden Town?
Bob on this.
Probably not, but today I figure they might, considering almost nobody does (except that stupid random-tie thing). Be cool to watch a 40 year cycle develop.
would the group wear suits?
No way, Jose!
Yep, the Clash were pretty good... back before they sold out TOTALLY and became MTV darlings.
Funny how the greatest punk band ever was lead by the son of a diplomat a privately educated middle class kid from affluent west London....
Punk is about attitude not class you elitist fuck wit!!
There isn't a questionnaire you have to successfully fill out to to qualify.
When the fuck did they become MTV darlings and please detail were and how they sold out?
That’s not the clash
OVERDOSE ME TROUXE AQ
What ??
Yes but if they did not then they would Joe would never have got his message out, and they were never ever MTV darlings as they split up when mtv was still actually quite cool. They 'sold out' because they were forced to by cbs records
I prefer not to hear about the rich.
@PunkLobo the us aint to much better right now there buddy you got all these ppl think its great like everyones rich and shit but the us is in bad recession on national debt is at an all time high we keep getting idiot presidents making shit worse i live in pennslyvania its horrible here no jobs poverty stricken many family own stores i grew up with shut down its just bad
Sounds patronizing
God bless you Joe