The Clash - Combat Rock
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Free Music Notes for Combat Rock
Free Music Review: Good but not great Clash
Hit: 4 Stars
This has flashes of Clash greatness, but it is nowhere near as great as, for instance, "London Calling" or as audacious as "Sandinista." Nonetheless, it is still a CD well worth listening to, as we see the Clash winding down as a creative force.
Given comments by some reviewers, I am almost embarrassed to say that two songs really do stand out--a softer song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and the funky "Rock the Casbah." The first was a hit, and seems like a bookend for the wonderful "Train in Vain." The latter had an infectious beat and some amusing lines.
Still, there are also other songs worth some note. "Overpowered by Funk" is an interesting change of pace; "Straight to Hell" is another good piece.
This marked the decline of the Clash, as Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were going their separate ways, with differing visions of the direction the Clash should take. But it was not a bad album. No, it was not "London Calling," but very few CDs are at that level.
Free Music Review: At least they tried to do something different
Hit: 3 Stars
unfortunatley the entire B-side of this album was an unlistenable waste. The A side is good. In this digital age I suppose that means the first half of the CD is good. Songs like "Rock the Casbah" etc. "Death is a Star" and "Ghetto Defendant" are real boring. I kept at it though when I first got this album way back when, figuring that it just might take some time to grow on me like "London Calling" did. Too bad it never did. but hey! The Clash always strove to be different, and sometimes you're on, and sometimes you're not. The Clash were more often hit the target. Free Music Review: Bloody Aweful (well most of it anyway)
Hit: 3 Stars
This album marked the downfall of the Clash. Topper was kicked out shortly after its release and Mick Jones left a year later leaving only Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer. Anyway there are only a handful of good songs here: "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay or Should I Go", "Rock the Casbah", and even "Car Jamming" and "Red Angel Dragnet". The rest is bloody aweful. The only Clash album that's worse is Cut the Crap (notice the word "Crap").Free Music Review: A tragic album, because they're should have been much more...
Hit: 4 Stars
This is actually a very good, consistent record, and it ended up being The Clash's swansong. It's really a shame, because The Clash were becoming one of the biggest bands of the 80's at this point, and it's sad that they never made another album after this (Cut the Crap doesn't count). I've always really liked this one. I love the song Car Jamming, Rock the Casbah, and I love Ghetto Defendant, with lyrics and vocals by none other than Allen Ginsburg, one of my favorite poets. And the 2 hits, Rock the Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go? are really great tunes. Straight to Hell is creepy and eerie too. By the time this album came out, Jones and Strummer hated each other, and Topper was totally strung out on heroin (Topper was kicked out of the band because of this, the story of "political differences" was BS). It's a bloody shame, and there will never be a reunion now, since Joe has passed on. So enjoy the last album by the original Clash. Free Music Review: Combat Rock
Hit: 4 Stars
The Clash-Combat Rock ***1/2
Combat Rock plays out like a condenced version of Sandinista! The only difference is that instead of focusing on the third world countries it features on America. Joe Strummer conveys some of his gretest poetry and lyrics on Combat Rock as well as some of his most creative. Mick Jones is also incredibly creative on this album, his guitar doesnt seem as occurant as normal but almost every sound on the album is from his guitar as at this time he was experimenting highly with effects pedals. The band as a whole sounds great together which is amazing when concedering all of the inner termoul that was occuring at the time.
'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' bacame the bands biggest radio hit and really their only radio hit. 'Rock The Casbah' was a cult hit when first released but over time has become a monsterous sucess, and is also one of the best songs the band ever recorded honestly.The album opens with 'Know Your Rights' which begins "This is a public service announcement, with guitars!" It is just ashame the the best song on the album came as the album started which left it nowhere to go from there. The slow jams on the album are better sometimes then others, and the overuse of spoken word can get dull for the regular listener, but for those who are really taking in what strummer is saying it comes across as almost a poerty slam thru your speakers. The dub on this album is several steps above that of the dub used on Sandinista!
As a whole the energy and message that The Clash bring to Combat Rock is something that all fans can enjoy. Now while this is not one of the bands better acheivements this is a solid album full of great songs in which everyone will find something to enjoy. After Combat Rock Strummer made the biggest mistake of his career and maybe of his life and fired Mick Jones from The Clash. After this Strummer followed this up with Cut The Crap which was basicaly a solo Strummer album with the Clash name on it. I dont mention the other members of the group on this album because the two of them had very little to do with the music at this point, Strummer was basicaly controling everything but Jones which is why he was later fired, and besides the other two were strung out on herion and just basicaly lost motive for the music at this point. Combat Rock is the last great Clash album and really one of the more important and better rock albums from the 1980's. So add it to your collection.