The Clash, while weathering criticism (alongside plenty of praise, in all fairness) at every turn of their career, never truly veered from the involvement they swore from the outset. And while their music did some genre-leaping, it never sounded like a medley of chart-topping styles. In fact, from the opening chords of their self-entitled punk rock manifesto to the final minutes of the harshly judged Combat Rock, their music never failed to confront as it engaged. They were punk from start to finish, and rarely failed to live up to the decree of "greatest rock and roll band in the world."

The Path of Most Resistance

Less than a handful of bands formed the genesis of English punk rock, and the Clash were as ground zero as they came. London clothing boutique owner Malcolm McLaren had witnessed New York City's CBGB stirrings, where the Ramones, Television and Patti Smith were defining the new downtown underground. After failing to import Television's Richard Hell for a band of his own design, McLaren searched for local talent that would put a musical face to the fledgling scene he saw developing around his novelty shop.

As Malcolm was rounding out the lineup that would become the Sex Pistols, his associate Bernie Rhodes was watching closely (some would say it was he who clued in Malcolm) and helped construct the parallel birth of the similarly-fashioned Clash, who made their stage debut virtually alongside both the Pistols and the Damned. The Clash were committed to a positive, socially relevant message from day one, and a volatile, economically crippled London found its way into songs like "White Riot," and "Career Opportunities." Tales of boredom, alienation and musical expression rounded out the rapid-fire collection, The Clash, that would be heralded as one of rock's most visceral and relevant statements.

Firmly established as punk innovators, the Clash perhaps set out to reach a wider audience. The only compromise - if you can call it that - of their sophomore effort was seeking a bigger sound through the hand of an established producer. Hence, Sandy Pearlman, of Blue Oyster Cult fame, was hired to record Give 'Em Enough Rope. The record revealed one or two modest studio tricks, while otherwise keeping every kernel of punk rock integrity, both musically and lyrically. By the time London Calling hit the racks it was not uncommon to hear the Clash referred to as the "greatest rock and roll band in the world." The new double album won them a level of respect that was (and is) rarely achieved in any genre. They not only nailed their trademark sound with a newfound confidence and pop sensibility, but traveled seemingly effortlessly into reggae and R&B, while broadening their battlefield to include the personal and universal. Their next album, 1980's Sandinista, brought global politics and the sound of the New York streets. The sprawling three-record set's price tag - at the time slightly more than for a single record - marked the band's battle on behalf of their fans. While some critics would argue that the tiresome dub and funk treatments made for only one record's worth of good material, most would concur that when Sandinista is good, it's very good.

It's easy to forget that when Combat Rock was finally released in 1982 after much creative and personal struggle, it was critically well received. What most tend to remember is how the Clash made it explicit that they wanted to extend their message beyond their cult audience, thereby selling out. The pop appeal of singles "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," combined with heavy video rotation for the former and an opening slot on the Who reunion tour, did little to dispel such accusations. A little over a year after the release of Combat Rock the firing of Mick Jones ended the Clash for all practical purposes. The decision followed an exasperating period of business turmoil, and creative and ideological differences. Joe Strummer had taken a nostalgic leaning toward the raw sound of the original Clash, while Jones was increasingly interested in the new dance and hip-hop scene. Subsequent efforts under the banner of "the Clash" were barely worthy of mention.

Of Myths and Music

The Combat Rock era was not the only time in the band's history that seemed to represent a lapse in credibility. A reassessment of the personal histories of the band has been said to reveal some punk rock packaging of the facts as well as a spotty understanding of their own politics. Mick Jones has been cited for burying a past filled with rock and roll hero worship. To deconstructing journalists his shift from long-haired, bell-bottomed Mott the Hoople adoration to spike-topped, leftist scorn couldn't have been more abrupt. Joe Strummer was known to seriously downplay his privileged education, while bassist Paul Simonon seemed to inject a bit more heartbreak into his childhood than existed. In retrospect, the perceived makeovers have bruised their image more than their pre-Clash infractions against the punk rock cliché.

The band's politics themselves have also come under repeated fire. The origin of their stance as a political band has been attributed to forces outside themselves, and the nature of their ideology has been deemed ambiguous and often contradictory. While the band members always took an official stance against violence and oppression, it was often minimized as the fashionable one to take, their lyrics (mostly written by Strummer) being said to sensationalize potentially violent situations for emotional impact. But Strummer claims, "We never came to destroy," and the band's more serious, positive message helped keep punk viable in the eyes of the music press once the novelty of the Sex Pistols had worn off. Strummer also claimed that satirical anthems like "Guns on the Roof " were left deliberately ambiguous in order to avoid preaching. He seemed to save that for interviews, in which he seemed happy to straightforwardly discuss both his leanings ("I'm in Ghandi's and Luther King's army") and any inherent misconceptions ("We've got loads of contradictions for you"). And whether or not manager Bernie Rhodes initially set forth their agenda, one would never know it based on the commitment from which they never truly wavered throughout their career. Their words left many confused, and certainly towards the end they approached their subject matter with a more poetic detachment; but we must remember that these were young musicians rather than politicians, artists rather than scholars.

The Punk Paradox?

Ironically, bands that use positive and serious means to skewer the status quo are less easily forgiven when they falter. It was hardly worth the effort to pick apart the logic behind the antics of the Sex Pistols or the Damned, but when the Clash did anything in the name of making a living as a group of musicians, punk stalwarts joined industry cynics in painting them as sell-outs. The band caught flak for signing to CBS Records early on, for slickly tailoring Give 'Em Enough Rope to the American market, and most notably for lining their pockets with Combat Rock and the subsequent stadium tour. Toward the end they must have tired of preaching to the converted. "It's no use being priests. It's all very well getting heard by cult freaks, but I want to get through to the creep who's filling his head with 'Stuff 'er on the bed and shove it to her, yeah yeah yeah!'" claimed a besieged Joe Strummer.

The Clash left a legacy for scowling, manifesto-carrying outfits like the Exploited, Crass and MDC, but these bands would almost forsake the "rock" in punk rock in favor of a more confrontational onslaught. As for a legacy where politics and musical chops meet, later acts like Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine would continue the vein of the sonic agenda. The ass-shaking potential of primal rock and roll was never lost on the Clash, as they worked timeless influences into their own adrenaline cocktail. Politics and posturing aside, what's given the Clash such staying power is their music. There were plenty of hard-hitting punk bands with something to say, but few were as fun to listen to as the Clash.