Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SPINOZA]

I like 'War' as well, come to think of it, and I've a lot of time for The Edge because he has a unique style and is a great guitarist. Some U2 I like, but the problem for me is Bono. I just can't stand that tosser.

[Bo Peabody]

Like Spinoza, I don't think you always have to love it or hate it. The Clash fall into that grey area - With the right context and knowledge you can grow to acquire the taste.

Everything about The Clash does appeal to me intellectually. I like the idea of the band and what they represent in music history. Perhaps my way of appreciating certain kinds of music is the same way scenesters appreciate modern art; A lot of it boils down to posturing.

[Becka]

The Clash, first album is definitely the one.

Sadly the folks that post these reviews don't believe in paragraphs, but it's worth checking out;

http://www.albumvote.co.uk/reviews/1034.html

I like the whole album, but the * mark the truly standout tracks in my mind.

*1. Janie Jones
2. Remote Control
*3. I'm So Bored With the U.S.A.
*4. White Riot
5. Hate & War
*6. What's My Name
7. Deny
*8. London's Burning
**9. Career Opportunities
10. Cheat
11. Protex Blue
12. Police & Thieves
13. 48 Hours
14. Garageland

A double or triple punk rock record is not a punk rock record, it's a prog. record. London Calling could, and should, have been pared down to one record. Like the Beatles "White Album", a number of tracks are disposable. Combat Rock is okay, but has nowhere near the "oomph" of the eponymous record.

Jim

[skinhead]

[eamo]

I've always thought The Clash were one of those bands people like to say they like more than they actually like. A band of their time I reckon. The political thing and their earnestness. Never going on Top of the Pops made them cool at that time. Paul Weller of The Jam also said they would never do TOTP but I guess he kind of grew out of that rigid mindset and went on TOTP a couple of years later.

I liked them a little. Not much. Same as U2. After The Unforgettable Fire I thought U2 became very forgettable......

[JongnoGuru]

We were old enough to dress ourselves, tie our own shoes, tell time from an analogue watch, and buy records. Mostly singles at first. I remember going to the local record shop with friends from school. We didn't have any authentic punk attire. School & parents still decided these things. So we'd roll up our trouser cuffs a bit, fold them over and staple them that way.

Basically, we were trying to go from this... to this...... with a little ingenuity and a heap of staples. This wasn't just trying to look the part or look grown-up for vanity's sake. We were fairly sure that the _real punks_ would cut us for the fun of it if we looked like schoolboys.

We were in the "punk" section when some big, evil-looking punkers came in, snarling, and walked straight to where we were. We got nervous, so we went outside and waited for them to leave. Then one of us said that some of our punk-pants makeovers didn't look very convincing, and that if the real punkers saw it, they'd slash us all for being poseurs. So out came the staples, rip! yank! tear!, in a frantic effort to save our lives. Bloody fingers and torn trouser legs.

Back in the shop, we picked out things like The Jam, The Specials, Madness, and as far as punk went... hmm. Maybe X-ray Specs, The Stranglers, The Clash's London Calling. I remember one of us pulling out their first LP (The Clash) and saying, 'Can you see yourself ever buying this!??', and we all agreed. No, we couldn't see us ever buying that. It wasn't that we didn't like the first album, as none of us had ever heard it. We were just reacting to that gritty album cover:



To us, it was like going from Winnie the Pooh to the Exorcist. ( <-- us, looking at that album cover.) Of course, within months it was our favourite LP.