Album of the weekend

The Clash-Combat Rock

I've avoided talking about The Clash. I've mentioned them maybe here or there but I've never gone in depth how I feel about them because I'm sort of conflicted. On one hand, I accept that they've been vastly influential in both punk and in the broader genres of music as well. However, this is my favorite album of theirs. This is the one they "sold out" on and I totally understand that their hardcore fans have every right to say I'm not a fan of theirs. After all, they are correct.

This was the first Clash album I owned, and I loved it. I love the pop political song "Know your rights". Sure it's not as angry or as deep as the Sex Pistols or Anti-Flag, but it was among my first introductions to how political punk could be. I like the song "Rock the Casbah" too. I don't claim that it is anything but a dance pop song. It's not punk, that's for sure. I still like the song. To top it off, I like their best known hit, "Should I stay or should I go?" which is also off this album.

So I'm torn. I like this album, but it's not really punk. Not in the least. You may not like my opinion of it or this album, so download it at your own risk.