FEATURE:
Second Spin
The Clash – Combat Rock
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I think The Clash…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Clash in Philadelphia in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Gruen
are one of those bands who released some real classics, and a couple of albums that were very short of their best. I guess that is the same with every artist, but there is a real divide between, say, The Clash (1977), London Calling (1979) and Cut the Crap (1985). In fact, actually, I think Cut the Crap was the only bad album they ever released. The band did release a couple of albums that I think divide people. I have seen people argue as to whether Sandinista! (1980) is a great album, and they also debate Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978). The latter followed the band’s exceptional debut and, whilst not as iconic, it is definitely a worthy follow-up. Sandinista! arrived after London Calling and, with such a high standard being set there, the band entered the 1980s with a really good album. It is interesting how there were these critical rises and slight dips. It seemed that straight after a stone-cold classic album, there followed one that was excellent but not imbued with the potency and memorability of its predecessor. This brings us to Combat Rock of 1982. It followed Sandinista!, and I think this is an album that many people feel is in the bottom-two Clash albums. I actually think Combat Rock is one of the strongest albums from The Clash, and it arrived at a time when Punk had lost a lot of its momentum and relevance.
The Clash were never purely a Punk band – they always mixed sounds together -, but the London band were definitely entering a different stage. Their fifth studio album was released on 14th May, 1982, and it charted at number-two, spending twenty-three weeks in the U.K. charts – and it peaked at number-seven in the United States, spending sixty-one weeks on the chart. Combat Rock is the group's best-selling album, being certified double-platinum in the United States. That all sounds like a recipe for success; surely Combat Rock, on that basis, is a classic that cannot be faulted?! This is another case on Second Spin of an album being successful in terms of sales, but a little less sure-footed when it comes to the reviews. Maybe it is a case of critics comparing Combat Rock with bigger Clash albums, or perhaps not feeling that there was a lot of gold beyond the huge singles, Should I Stay or Should I Go, and Rock the Casbah. There is a trippiness that runs through Combat Rock. The impact of the Vietnam War was very important on the band, and one can hear this on songs like Straight to Hell. Even though it had been five years since their debut album, The Clash were still discussing politics and warfare in a way that took you aback and made you think. Tackling U.S. foreign policy and America in decline, there is a lot of depth to Combat Rock.
Know Your Rights, Straight to Hell, and Overpowered by Funk are Clash classics that can rank alongside their best. One of the issues with Combat Rock, I think, it how it is very top-heavy: Know Your Rights, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Rock the Casbah, and Straight to Hell are in the first half, and there are relatively few heavy-hitting songs in the second side. That said, there are plenty of gems to be found, and I think Death Is a Star is a great album closer. For me, I think Should I Stay or Should I Go is that song that defines the album. Whilst not as political and loved as many other Clash songs, it is the one I grew up on and remember very fondly. Rather than Joe Strummer singing lead, this one was tackled by Mick Jones – the two often shared vocal duties, either soloing or together -, and I reckon it is a remarkable number. There is debate as to whether the song is about Jones’ imminent departure from The Clash, or whether it is about a relationship breakdown – in years since, Jones has denied any specific inspiration, explaining that it is just a good Rock song. It is a bit sad that Mick Jones and drummer Topper Headon were dismissed from the band by the time Cut the Crap came along, as they were pivotal members, and the band suffered because of their loss.
One cannot really detect any strife or inter-band tension through the album. Strummer and Jones’ Know Your Rights is excellent, whilst Headon, Strummer and Jones co-wrote Rock the Casbah. The reviews vary when it comes to Combat Rock. I shall bring in some positive assessment soon - but I want to quote from AllMusic, who were a little mixed:
“On the surface of things, Combat Rock appears to be a retreat from the sprawling stylistic explorations of London Calling and Sandinista! The pounding arena rock of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" makes the Clash sound like an arena rock band, and much of the album boasts a muscular, heavy sound courtesy of producer Glyn Johns. But things aren't quite that simple. Combat Rock contains heavy flirtations with rap, funk, and reggae, and it even has a cameo by poet Allen Ginsberg -- if this album is, as it has often been claimed, the Clash's sellout effort, it's a very strange way to sell out. Even with the infectious, dance-inflected new wave pop of "Rock the Casbah" leading the way, there aren't many overt attempts at crossover success, mainly because the group is tearing in two separate directions. Mick Jones wants the Clash to inherit the Who's righteous arena rock stance, and Joe Strummer wants to forge ahead into black music. The result is an album that is nearly as inconsistent as Sandinista!, even though its finest moments -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Rock the Casbah," "Straight to Hell" -- illustrate why the Clash were able to reach a larger audience than ever before with the record”.
I think there is plenty to love about Combat Rock. If you do not except it to sound like London Calling, or The Clash, then that is the best approach – I think a lot of people will always judge The Clash’s back catalogue like that. Maybe there are not as many diamonds on Combat Rock as those albums, but there are at least four or five songs that can sit proudly with their best work! When they approached the album in 2005, this is what Sputnik Music wrote:
“It’s clear that this is one of the bands albums that really stands out from the rest in their history, and really captures a new sound that would catch on to the newer Clash generation. This is one of the band’s best works, and defines that no matter what slice of meat they choose out, and how the cook it, it will always somehow to come out being very damn delicious. As the band has a short run after this album, with their live album and Cut The Crap, one of the more poor album on this side of The Clash. Combat Rock whole-fully comes out of it’s womb with something new to offer, and leaving you wanting more. It’s one that no fan should be without, and with an attitude that gets you up and out of your seat, and at the same time pondering how they ever did it. This is an album that the band didn’t disappoint with. Not that they ever did”.
Unlike a lot of albums from the 1980s, I don’t think Combat Rock sounds dated at all. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that the album was co-produced by The Clash and Glyn Johns – whose has worked with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, among numerous others! I am going to wrap things up but, before I do, I wanted to quote from an Albumism feature from 2017, as they marked thirty-five years of The Clash’s Combat Rock:
“Combat Rock is so much more than just “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock the Casbah.” The band were big fans of the movie Apocalypse Now and they had a great fascination with the Vietnam War. As a result, several of the album’s songs are meditations on the war and its impact on society. “Straight to Hell” tells the story of Vietnamese women and their children whose fathers were American soldiers who eventually abandoned them. “Sean Flynn” is another Vietnam-themed tale about the son of actor Errol Flynn who was a photojournalist who disappeared in 1970 while in Vietnam.
“Overpowered By Funk” is a song that illustrates the heavy influence that hip-hop (then referred to as rap) had on the band. Joe Strummer recalled in 2002, “When we came to the U.S., Mick stumbled upon a music shop in Brooklyn that carried the music of Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, the Sugar Hill Gang…these groups were radically changing music and they changed everything for us.” The song features a rap vocal by legendary graffiti artist Futura 2000. It captured the mood and feel of New York City in 1982 and it gave us a glimpse into Jones’ musical future with his band Big Audio Dynamite. The dark side of New York is on display in “Ghetto Defendant,” a reggae dub track featuring Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. It’s an ominous tale about heroin addiction and despair. Ironically, it was heroin addiction that forced the band to fire drummer Topper Headon after the album’s release.
The various styles of music on Combat Rock were emblematic of the drifting apart of Strummer and Jones. “Know Your Rights” is Joe Strummer personified and one hell of a way to kick off an album. The song exemplified the direction he wanted the band to go. Strummer thought they needed to get back closer to their punk roots. The stylistic tug of war on Combat Rock works with the heavy subject matter. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was the last great statement from The Clash as we knew them. When the Combat Rock tour ended, Strummer and the band’s manager Bernie Rhodes forced Jones out of the band. Strummer confided in 2002, “I committed one of the greatest mistakes of my life with the sacking of Mick.”
Combat Rock’s legacy lives on years after its initial release, with the most notable example being “Straight to Hell”, which was sampled in M.I.A’s 2007 song “Paper Planes.” Combat Rock may be one of the most misunderstood albums of all time. The band’s hardcore fans wanted more of what London Calling was and The Clash wanted to grow and explore. In the long run, I think we were the better for it”.
If you have never heard Combat Rock before, I would encourage you to do so. And for those who have sort of pushed it aside or only listen to the big singles, then dust it off and give it another spin. It is a great album that has not received the positive press that it warrants – though there has been some fond retrospection. I think it is a brilliant record, and one that should be seen as one of The Clash’s best efforts. Give it a play and…
SEE what I mean.