By Roman Soto
Have you ever pressed shuffle on your playlist, only to have the repetitive nature of the unchanging musical genre play continuously on your listening device? Well, my fellow music lovers, you’ve just stumbled upon a place to expand your music taste. Welcome to Roman’s Empire, your new favorite music column. My job here is to persuade you to add the suggested artist to your playlist. Here, we delve into some of music’s most captivating artists from all over the world. It’s simple: find a comfortable chair and prepare to expand your musical knowledge. Today, we dive into the brilliant elements that frame The Clash’s dazzling portrait.
If you’ve never heard the diversely structured music of The Clash, you’re missing out. The band, despite its punk roots, captures minute aspects of various genres across the musical spectrum, distinguishing its colorful songs. Listeners experience early ska influences, reggae rhythms, alternative-punk vocals, and westernized rock riffs across the masterfully written songs on each album. Throughout the decades, the band’s influence on contemporary music trends persisted up until the early 1990s. Newer trends in the late 80s, like new wave and post-punk, and older trends in the 70s, like British punk rock, have all been influenced by The Clash’s brilliance.
Surprisingly, The Clash’s genius stemmed from witnessing another iconic punk band: the Sex Pistols. Amazed by the passion behind the Pistols’ performance, Mick Jones strove to unite a band that would rival the Sex Pistols’ success. Ironically, The Clash launched their first show as the openers for…you guessed it, Sex Pistols. Many considered both bands’ performances as the beginning of London’s punk rock scene, which popularized infamous nonconformist rock bands such as The Damned, Ramones, and (the earlier sounds of) Siouxie and the Banshees (who were considered a punk band before reverting to a gothic sound). However, determined to authenticate a new, unheard style in punk, Strummer, unlike other lyricists at the time, wrote a majority of his songs on socio-political issues with a heavy emphasis on advocacy for human rights, anti-racism, and anti-fascism.
With Keith Levene’s dastardly riffs, Paul Simonon’s glaringly complex basslines, Terry Chimes’ intuitive drums, and Joe Strummer’s rebellious vocals, The Clash quickly established themselves as one of the most renowned bands of the punk scene. Below are some of the band’s best works:
- “Charlie Don’t Surf”
- “Rock The Casbah”
- “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
- “The Magnificent Seven”