Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. White Riot Single Version
2. London's Burning
3. Complete Control
4. Clash City Rockers
5. I'm So Bored With The U.S.A.
6. Career Opportunities
7. Hate & War
8. Cheat
9. Police & Thieves
10. Janie Jones
11. Garageland
12. Capital Radio One
13. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
14. English Civil War
15. Tommy Gun
16. Safe European Home
17. Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad
18. Stay Free
19. Groovy Times
20. I Fought The Law

Disc 2:

1. London Calling
2. The Guns Of Brixton
3. Clampdown
4. Rudie Can't Fail
5. Lost In The Supermarket
6. Jimmy Jazz
7. Train In Vain
8. Bankrobber
9. The Magnificent Seven
10. Ivan Meets G.I. Joe
11. Police On My Back
12. Stop The World
13. Somebody Got Murdered
14. The Street Parade
15. This Is Radio Clash
16. Ghetto Defendant
17. Rock The Casbah
18. Straight To Hell
19. Should I Stay Or Should I Go
20. This Is England

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4190 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2003-03-11
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Album Description
Japanese Blu-Spec CD pressing of this classic album. The Blue Spec format takes Blu-ray disc technology to create CD's which are compatible with normal CD players but provides ultra high quality sound. Sony. 2009.

Amazon.com
The Essential Clash demonstrates once again how superior the Clash were to any of their punk peers. It's striking that, while the effects of the movement continue to resonate decades later, most '70s punk has dated badly. Even the great singles of the Sex Pistols, perhaps because they encapsulated the time so perfectly, do little more than remind one of 1977. But this fine 40-track double-disc collection demonstrates that the Clash's sound maintains its vitality, whether in the apocalyptic foreboding of "London Calling" or the sulking "I'm So Bored with the USA." When frontman Joe Strummer died in December 2002 at age 50, much was made of the political conscience he'd brandished throughout his career; it must be noted that appearing to be a great thinker in comparison to other rock singers is no great accomplishment. Appearing a great rock singer in comparison to other vocalists is a much more impressive achievement, and this retrospective provides irrefutable evidence of the genius of Strummer and the band he led. --Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews

They Fought the Law
Of course diehards will gripe about the song selection in any compilation such as this, as you can see here. All they have to do is listen to the original albums like they always have. But if you're looking for a sturdy, jam-packed introduction or summary of the best work of the Clash, this package is for you. I've never been much of a punk fan, finding it too amateurish and focused on attitude rather than talent. However, I do know that every genre has its groundbreakers and originators, who can easily rise above the imitators and followers. For punk that would be the Clash, who were brilliant songwriters, could really play their instruments, never cared about the confines of musical categories, and are deservedly influential. (And have you noticed how many Joe Strummer look-alikes there are these days?) This package adequately represents most of the original Clash albums, and while there are a few clunkers like "Groovy Times," we do get most of the band's bona-fide classics, and some surprising covers like the reggae "Police and Thieves" and the rockabilly "I Fought the Law," which really show off the band's range of abilities. An added bonus is a pretty informative history of the band in the CD booklet. This is a fitting summary for a band that all rock fans should get to know better. [~doomsdayer520~]

Essential for sure...
...as the title suggests. If you only listen to one punk band, the Clash should be it. I used to really dislike punk--then the Clash's box set, The Clash on Broadway, was released, and I got a chance to hear a bit more of what I'd been missing: "Clash City Rockers," "I Fought the Law," and of course, the radio tracks like "Train in Vain" and "Rock the Casbah." These guys were smarter, snider, and more talented than most of the punks who were out there at the same time or who came after them, and they gave rock 'n' roll the shot in the arm it so desperately needed in 1977.... I quite agree with the customer who said that today's crop of punk bands cannot possibly hold a candle to the Clash. This is the real deal.

The only album that matters
There have been other compilations by this band:"The Singles","The Story of the Clash Vol.1, and "Clash On Broadway". But there are a few factors that differentiate this from the others.For one thing, it's not an expensive box set with extra tracks the average listener does not need to have. Also, chart success wasn't what they were known for so there's more emphasis on tracks that weren't released as singles but are favorites to fans and music lovers alike. Most of the first disc is from their first album alone. Finally this double disc set puts their very best in chronological order ending with the track "This Is England" from their last studio album "Cut The Crap". This collection displays the pioneers of rebellious punk rock at their most vital. No rock fan should be without this one. Nothing here has been edited or remixed.