Career Opportunities

They were no Lennon & McCartney but the Clash’s Joe Strummer and Mick Jones churned out at least five albums worth of good songs over a five-year period and to me that’s pretty great considering the Clash dabbled in everything including punk, ska, rock, reggae, rap, and anything else they felt like doing. At one time or another I’ve heard or owned every Clash album and each one is unique and worth listening to. But if I had to recommend only one Clash album then it would be the band's first career retrospective- the largely forgotten, four-sided The Story of the Clash, Volume 1.

The summer after graduating high school I was working as a painter and landscaper on Long Island and my double cassette tape copy of The Story of the Clash got me through each work day. Driving to and from the job, painting smelly apartments, mowing and dumping grass- the Clash were with me every step of the way on my Walkman, in my car (with the windows rolled down), or in my portable stereo. I don’t even remember how they came into my possession but by the end of the summer both tapes were covered in white paint and grass stains- but still operational.

The Story of the Clash (there is no Volume 2, by the way) has the hits as well as a few deep cuts and rare versions and the track sequencing is simply brilliant. Best of all, the songs- from many different records- are all mixed the same so they blend into one great Clash album. Trust me, The Story of the Clash is the Clash album you will never grow tired of listening to. I recommend the cassette tape format. It's indestructible. Grade: A

Listen to songs from the album on Spotify...

... or check out songs from the album on YouTube

(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)

Recommended Links:

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – “Redemption Song”

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten – Trailer