The CLASH - Albums Rated and Top 25 Songs

        

The Clash produced three outstanding, innovative albums in my opinion.

Their debut Clash record was like a cannon firing into the punk wilderness heralding their arrival on the scene.  Brass, angry and political, it would help elevate them as the 'Only Band that Matters'.

After a similarly sounding second LP, it was the break-through masterpiece London Calling that entrenched their standing in rock history. Released in the last months of 1979 but receiving airplay in early 1980, this diverse album ushered in the wide musical influences affecting the band at the time. Elements of jazz, reggae, rockabilly, R&B and ska blended incredibly well with the punk setting. Revolution rock with no boundaries!

How to follow-up a masterpiece?  By venturing into deeper musical soundscapes! Sandinista continued on the Clash's political theme, with some stand out songs, but the music was so experimental (and over three records) that it was easy to see why this record was reviled. Fans and critics were were confused and upset! The music was meandering and intoxicating at the same time, adding rap, dub, soul, gospel and choir to their expanding world music repertoire according to Joe Strummer's tastes in particular.  Today it sounds so fresh and relevant.  Musical genius decades ahead of its time.

Albums

London Calling            5          (7 songs)

Clash                           5          (4 songs)

Sandinista                   4.5       (4 songs)

Give ‘em Enough Rope  4      (3 songs)

Combat Rock             3.5       (3 songs)

Black Market Clash    3.5       (3 songs)

Cut the Crap.              1.5       (1 song)

Top 25 Songs

1. Clampdown
2. Guns of Brixton
3. White Riot
4. I Fought the Law
5. London Calling
6. Brand New Cadillac
7. Police on my Back
8. Magnificent Seven
9. Lost in the Supermarket
10. Should I Stay or Should I Go
11. Rock the Casbah
12. Train in Vain
13. Charlie Don't Surf
14. Stay Free
15. Bank Robber
16. Police + Thieves
17. Pressure Drop
18. This is Radio Clash
19. Straight to Hell
20. This is England
21. Career Opportunities
22. Safe European Home
23. Somebody Got Murdered
24. Tommy Gun
25. The Call Up

Battle of New Wave Bands - Finalists (Round 5)

The final championship match-up has been confirmed!  The voting was equally split until the very end!!

The two Final Bands standing are:

The Cure (58%)                                   vs.                           The Clash (58%)




The Cure Studio albums

 (courtesy Wikipedia)

• Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
• Seventeen Seconds (1980)
• Faith (1981)
• Pornography (1982)
• The Top (1984)
• The Head on the Door (1985)
• Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
• Disintegration (1989)
• Wish (1992)
• Wild Mood Swings (1996)
• Bloodflowers (2000)
• The Cure (2004)
• 4:13 Dream (2008)

The Clash Studio albums

 (courtesy Wikipedia)

• The Clash (1977)
• Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978)
• London Calling (1979)
• Sandinista! (1980)
• Combat Rock (1982)
• Cut the Crap (1985)

Simply select the ONE band that is best representative of the New Wave genre and ethos.


Deadline:    Friday April 25th 5pm EST.

Thanks for your ongoing participation throughout the Battle of the Bands!

Make this Final Vote Count.  I suspect a Winner will not be evident until the final submission!

100 Essential New Wave Songs (1977-1984)

  
   

Below is my personal listing of 100 Essential New Wave Songs (1977-1984) from 100 different artists (listed by YEAR of release).  It begins with the punk anthem 'God Save the Queen' that dared to challenge the monarchy and was an attack on the  complacency of dull, 'progressive' music that preceded it.  And the list ends with the haunting cry for love 'How Soon is Now,' a harbinger of the impersonal isolated social period to come, and 'Do They Know it's Christmas' which brought to light the plight of Africa and the social activism and power of music.

Please comment if you have different song choices from the period covered.  I would love to hear from you!

Song		Year		Title	Artist
# 1		1977		God Save the Queen	Sex Pistols
# 2		1977		Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll	Ian Dury
# 3		1977		Peaches	Stranglers
# 4		1978		I Wanna Be Sedated	Ramones
# 5		1978		Public Image	PIL
# 6		1978		Pump It Up	Elvis Costello
# 7		1978		One Way or Another	Blondie
# 8		1978		Best Friend's Girl	Cars
# 9		1978		Lucky Number	Lene Lovich
# 10		1978		Roxanne	Police
# 11		1978		Teenage Kicks	Undertones
# 12		1978		Model	Kraftwerk
# 13		1979		London Calling	Clash
# 14		1979		My Way	Sid Vicious
# 15		1979		New York City	Demics
# 16		1979		Life During Wartime	Talking Heads
# 17		1979		Look Sharp!	Joe Jackson
# 18		1979		I Don't Like Mondays	Boomtown Rats
# 19		1979		Making Plans for Nigel	XTC
# 20		1979		Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag	Pigbag
# 21		1979		One Step Beyond	Madness
# 22		1979		Cool for Cats	Squeeze
# 23		1979		What I Like About You	Romantics
# 24		1979		Video Killed the Radio Star	Buggles
# 25		1979		Planet Claire	B52s
# 26		1979		Money	Flying Lizards
# 27		1979		Warm Leatherette	Normal
# 28		1979		Johnny Be Rotten	Monks
# 29		1979		My Sharona	Knack
# 30		1980		Love Will Tear Us Apart	Joy Division
# 31		1980		I Will Follow	U2
# 32		1980		Going Underground	Jam
# 33		1980		Precious	Pretenders
# 34		1980		People Who Died	Jim Carrol Band
# 35		1980		High School Confidential	Rough Trade
# 36		1980		Rudy, A Message to You	Specials
# 37		1980		Mirror in the Bathroom	English Beat
# 38		1980		Echo Beach	Martha + Muffins
# 39		1980		Whip It	Devo
# 40		1980		I Got You	Split Enz
# 41		1980		Turning Japanese	Vapors
# 42		1980		Somethin' Else	Teenage Head
# 43		1980		Cars	Gary Numan
# 44		1980		Fade to Grey	Visage
# 45		1980		Quiet Life	Japan
# 46		1980		Video Verite	Blue Peter
# 47		1980		Enola Gay	OMD
# 48		1981		To Cut a Long Story Short	Spandau Ballet
# 49		1981		Planet Earth	Duran Duran
# 50		1981		Just Can't Get Enough	Depeche Mode
# 51		1981		Love Action	Human League
# 52		1981		Tainted Love	Soft Cell
# 53		1981		Dancing With Myself	Billy Idol
# 54		1981		Pretty in Pink	Psychedelic Furs
# 55		1981		Jet Boy Jet Girl	Elton Motello
# 56		1981		Never Say Never	Romeo Void
# 57		1982		Add It Up	Violent Femmes
# 58		1982		Look of Love	ABC
# 59		1982		SEX (I'm a...)	Berlin
# 60		1982		Come On Eileen	Dexy's Midnight Runners
# 61		1982		Der Commissar	Falco
# 62		1982		One Thing Leads to Another	Fixx
# 63		1982		I Ran	Flock of Seagulls
# 64		1982		Safety Dance	Men Without Hats
# 65		1982		Mexican Radio	Wall Of Voodoo
# 66		1982		Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum	Fun Boy Three
# 67		1982		New Gold Dream	Simple Minds
# 68		1982		Favorite Shirts	Haircut One Hundred
# 69		1982		Situation	Yaz
# 70		1982		Stool Pidgeon	Kid Creole
# 71		1982		Sleepwalk	Ultravox
# 72		1982		I Want Candy	Bow Wow Wow
# 73		1983		Sweet Dreams	Eurythmics
# 74		1983		Red Red Wine	UB40
# 75		1983		Mad World	Tears for Fears
# 76		1983		99 Luftballons	Nena
# 77		1983		Blue Monday	New Order
# 78		1983		Da Da Da	Trio
# 79		1983		We Live So Fast	Heaven 17
# 80		1983		Big Country	Big Country
# 81		1983		Radio Free Europe	REM
# 82		1983		The Lovecats	Cure
# 83		1983		Living on Video	Trans-X
# 84		1983		Lies	Thompson Twins
# 85		1983		Girl's Just Want to Have Fun	Cyndi Lauper
# 86		1983		This Is The Day	The The
# 87		1983		Walk Out To Winter	Aztec Camera
# 88		1984		Forever Young	Alphaville
# 89		1984		Small Town Boy	Bronski Beat
# 90		1984		Relax	FGTH
# 91		1984		88 Lines About 44 Women	The Nails
# 92		1984		Church Not Made with Hands	Waterboys
# 93		1984		Everyday Is Like Halloween	Ministry
# 94		1984		Wouldn't It Be Good	Nik Kershaw
# 95		1984		Send Me an Angel	Real Life
# 96		1984		It's My Life	Talk Talk
# 97		1984		Free Nelson Mandela	Specials AKA
# 98		1984		Tenderness	General Public
# 99		1984		How Soon Is Now?	Smiths
# 100		1984		Do They Know It's Xmas	Band Aid