The Clash “The Clash” released 45 years ago today, April 8th, 1977, in the UK. Considered one of the best punk albums ever as well as one of the greatest of any genre, The Clash’s debut went to #12 in the UK and, upon its release in the US in ’79, hit #126 on the Billboard album chart. The UK and US versions differ significantly: the tracks “Deny,” “Cheat,” “Protex Blue” and “48 Hours” do not appear on the US release and the cover is also altered. British singles traditionally are not included on LP’s so while “Clash City Rockers,” “Complete Control,” “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais,” and “I Fought the Law” do appear on the US version, they aren’t on this UK album. The exception to that rule is “White Riot,” which was The Clash’s first single (’77, #38 UK). From Last Gang in Town The Story and Myth of the Clash by Marcus Gray: “One of punk’s great concerns was the principle of Value for Money (VFM), a reaction to the inflated ticket prices charged by the rock’n’roll stars of the day. Just as entrance to gigs should be affordable, so singles should not have throwaway B-sides and albums should not contain tracks previously issued as singles. In keeping with this philosophy, the Clash had earmarked two of their most memorable rabble-rousers for their first single. Unfortunately, this threatened to diminish the impact of the album somewhat. They sidestepped this problem by deciding to include a different version of ‘White Riot’ on The Clash” (it is a remastered version of the 8-track remastered demo from the mid-January ‘77 Beaconsfield recordings).

I love this record so much and every song is tops but if I have to choose, my picks are “I’m So Bored with the USA,” “London’s Burning,” “Career Opportunities” and, of course, “White Riot.” One of my favorite moments ever was in 2019 when Joe and I went to London on a musical pilgrimage and recreated The Clash album cover at Camden Market.