THE CLASH : THE ESSENTIAL CLASH

 

Disc One

  1. White Riot
  2. 1977
  3. London's Burning
  4. Complete Control
  5. Clash City Rockers
  6. I'm So Bored With The U.S.A.
  7. Career Opportunities
  8. Hate & War
  9. Cheat
  10. Police & Thieves
  11. Janie Jones
  12. Garageland
  13. Capital Radio One
  14. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
  15. English Civil War
  16. Tommy Gun
  17. Safe European Home
  18. Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad
  19. Stay Free
  20. Groovy Times
  21. I Fought The Law

Disc Two

  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. Stop The World
  12. Somebody Got Murdered
  13. The Street Parade
  14. Broadway
  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

Label : Sony Music

Release Date : March 11, 2003

Review (AllMusic) : Some would argue that if you only wanted two Clash discs in your collection, you should skip this 40-track overview and pick up The Clash and London Calling instead. No matter how transcendent those two albums are - and they are among the very greatest popular music of the 20th century - that overlooks the fact that the group had many, many great songs not on either album, including "Safe European Home," "Stay Free," "Bankrobber," "Rock the Casbah," "Straight to Hell," "This Is Radio Clash," and "Should I Stay or Should I Go," to begin with. That's where this 2003 compilation comes in. It fills in many of the gaps between those two records, while summarizing The Clash and London Calling well, providing a first-rate overview of the greatest punk band. It's not quite perfect, however: some great singles and B-sides fall through the cracks (notably "Gates of the West," "Jail Guitar Doors," "The Call Up," "Armagedion Time," "The Prisoner," "Protex Blue") and the Sandinista! selections feel nearly as haphazard as the album itself. Nevertheless, this does provide the best, most extensive and logical overview of the band yet assembled, and it's worthwhile not just as an introduction, but as a terrific listen.