The Clash: Combat Rock [EPIC]

Why you'll love it

Combat Rock gave the Clash their biggest hits, "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go," and spent 61 weeks on the US chart.

This edition

• Remastered
• 180g vinyl
• Lyrics included
• Stereo mix

About the album

The Clash had already conquered punk, dub, rockabilly and funk by 1982, so naturally the next step was MTV. Combat Rock is the record that took them there, propelled by Topper Headon's "Rock the Casbah," which he composed, playing the drums, piano and bass himself.

Mick Jones' "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is one of rock's great two-chord stompers, "Know Your Rights" opens with Joe Strummer barking out a manifesto, "Straight to Hell" is a haunting, beautiful slow burn (later sampled by M.I.A.), and "Ghetto Defendant" brings in beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

It reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, and it still sounds like nobody else.

Also at Kops: more The Clash on vinyl · browse Punk

Tracklist

Listen

On Epic (cat# 88725446971), a reissue of the 1982 album.