1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

clash theory 1
Author’s note
This booklet was written as pure research and should be treated as
such. It contains very short musical examples for educational purposes. They
are not designed, nor are they appropriate for, performance of complete songs.
The author of this booklet is responsible for its content.
clash theory 2
It had been built in the late Sixties, a neo-brutalist structure forcing its way through West London on compulsory purchased
land, an all-too concrete metaphor of the future for life in the
inner city.1
Having transcended a strictly punk mileu by 1979, the Clash of Combat
Rock (1982) bore little resemblance to the “Sound of the Westway”, the vague
moniker which nonetheless has been used ad nauseam to describe the Clash’s
original take on punk.
In attempting to plot the stylistic course from their eponymous debut
to “Rock the Casbah” and beyond, it becomes obvious that there exists no
simple, linear trajectory. Rather, the songwriting duo of Strummer and Jones
meandered their way backwards through rock ‘n roll styles, while often
stopping to admire the music of other cultures. This notion of the rock starturned-ethnomusicologist is now permanently etched in the psyche of pop fans
thanks to Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, etc. But what makes the
Clash’s forays into the realm of the “unrock” a bit more vital is that the band
were young, energetic and crucial in the eyes (and ears) of both the music press
and their increasingly North American fan base. By contrast, Simon, Gabriel
et al were all well into their post-prime solo careers, and had (understandably)
moved on to what may well be more sophisticated forms.
What makes the struggle to itemize the band’s eclectic backlog of rock,
reggae, dub, hip-hop, and rockabilly efforts quite ominous is the fact that the
Clash exhibited a lamentable inability to procure and maintain a sympathetic,
reliable producer. And while no two Clash albums can be grouped together
stylistically, the same can be said for mixing and overall production value.
In a nutshell, The Clash was not produced at all, (owing to CBS studios’
inexperience with punk), and represents an attempt by Mickey Foote, the
band’s live engineer to recreate their on-stage assault. Give ‘Em Enough Rope
was unabashedly overproduced (the nearly constant guitar leads become
overwhelming), London Calling was perfectly produced by the inspiring yet
alcoholic and unreliable Guy Stevens. Sandinista!, the self-produced, thirtysix song triple LP suffers from huge amounts of reverb and other electronic
effects, and Combat Rock appears to be two albums, with Glyn Johns working
separately with now Jones, now Strummer - as each member of the one-time
collaborative duo vied for control of the band.
clash theory 3
The Sex Pistols and Punk Theory 101
In a number of areas, The Clash succeeded where the Sex Pistols failed.
The Pistols’ most short sighted mistake was to replace bassist Glen Matlock,
the author of most of their music, with the ill-fated, incompetent Sid Vicious.
However, the influence of the Pistols on the Clash cannot be overestimated.
Their all-out aural blitz was, after all, powerful enough to pull Strummer away
from his moderately successful run with the R&B pub band The 101ers, and
divert Jones away from a decade of guitar-hero-worship. It was as a support
band for the Pistols that the Clash made a name for themselves - and while their
lyrics and musical styles developed individually, the Pistols clearly opened the
door for Strummer, Jones, Paul Simonon and Terry Chimes.
It has been well-documented that Malcolm McClaren formed the Sex
Pistols as the British answer to the American glam-rock group The New York
Dolls,2 whose musicality, like that of the Pistols, did not bear close scrutiny.
The Pistols themselves were greatly influenced by the Stooges and the Modern
Lovers, covering “No Fun” and “Road Runner” respectively. But dominating
the style of the Clash’s early efforts was Jones’s loyalty to Mott the Hoople,
the Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds. Jones’s various guitar and glam-rock
affinities, coupled with Strummer’s R&B-tinged vocal assault, make it hardly
surprising that the Clash’s legacy is the ease with which they jaunted from
one style to another. It is nevertheless crucial to this discussion that the
distinctiveness of the early punk sound be examined.
C min
E Flat Maj
B Flat Maj
C min
Author’s transcription of “Submission” by the Sex Pistols. For educational purposes only.
On the Pistols’ first and only LP, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the
Sex Pistols, still considered the prototypical punk album, there exist only two
types of chord structures - major triads and “power chords”, or a root plus its
perfect fifth. Power chords can be described as chords of implication, which
clash theory 4
exhibit a maneuverability and clarity that makes them particularly useful to highenergy punk and metal guitarists. In punk and hardcore, its mainly American
descendent, power chords are most often used to imply minor chords, which
in their barre forms require three or four fingers and are therefore impractical especially at fast tempos. More importantly, the less stable, inherently weaker
minor triad represents a sonic (if not moral) dilemma for the punk guitarist,
whose primary goal is to provide a fat, overdriven replica of the bass with
root-position chords. In “Submission”, a medium tempo, clearly minor-mode
Pistols’ tune, it is not surprising that all of the triads are implied by powerchord substitutes.3
One of the earliest Strummer-Jones collaborations is “London’s
Burning”, which unlike the pedestrian “Submission”, is an example of the Clash
at their fast and furious best. The chord progression is similar nonetheless, and
serves as a second solution to the minor mode dilemma:4
“London’s Burning”, 1st verse. Author’s trancription. For educational purposes only.
Here, the G major chord is a substitute for G minor, just as the power chords
of “Submission” implied the c minor triad. In each case, the minor mode of the
song is preserved without weakening the tonic chord structure. Our ears do not
question the modes of either tune because of the prominence of the bass.
While many of the Clash’s tunes from their earliest 1976 set-list
(“London’s Burning”, “What’s My Name?”, “Protex Blue”, “I’m So Bored With
the U.S.A.”, “1977” and “White Riot”) all exhibit this same simplification of
chord progressions, Jones (who at this point was almost exclusively in charge
of music) was unquestionably aware of the functionality of minor chords. We
clash theory 5
can hear this in the verses of “Deny”, the coda of “Janie Jones”, and in the
nostalgic “1-2 Crash On You”, which mirrors Mott the Hoople’s early rock-’nroll kitsch:5
In this excerpt from Clash 2nd Songbook, it’s clear that Jones understood (at
least by ear) the usefulness of the relative minor (at “I gotta cum clean...”)
in preparing the cadence on A. An argument could be made that many of the
Clash’s early tunes were “dumbed down” to suit the tastes of burgeoning British
punk rock fans, who, having been familiarized with the likes of MC5, the
Stooges, and the New York (CBGB’s) scene, expected bare-bones simplicity
a la the Sex Pistols as a rule of law. Did Jones deliberately impose technical
limits on his early songwriting? The charming ignorance of the “Remote
Control” progression, (C - C/B - F) with it’s awkward bass, the step-wise
major barre chords of “1977” and the cartoonish refrains of “White Riot”, “48
Hours” and “What’s My Name” make “1-2 Crush On You” seem progressive
by comparison. This is not to say that the Clash were not sophisticated in
their musical approach. On the contrary - the two guitarists, two vocalists
arrangement yielded thick textures that allowed room for Strummer’s phlegmy
vocal improvisations as well as Jones’s sporadically successful attempts at
guitar heroism.
Of course, it goes without saying that Strummer’s Orwellian lyrics
endeared the Clash to their working class, urban fans, whose poor quality of
life was the subject of most of Strummer’s earliest punk poetry. Tony Parsons
of the New Music Express turned in the following review of The Clash:
Jones and Strummer write with graphic perception about
contemporary Great British urban reality as though it’s suffocating
them... The songs don’t lie... They chronicle our lives and what
clash theory 6
it’s like to be young in the Stinking Seventies better than any other
band, and they do it with style, flash and excitement. The Clash
have got it all.6
The most important song on The Clash may be Junior Murvin’s
“Police and Thieves”, the band’s first reggae recording. A sure sign of things to
come, the Jones arrangement, while failing (if at all attempting) to reproduce
the authentic roots sound of the original, gained the band much needed street
credibility; and its critical success prompted Strummer and Jones to continue
to explore reggae and dub throughout the Clash’s five-year run. The marriage
of the two seventies subcultures (punk and the British reggae movement)
would ultimately inspire crossover bands like The Police and the second wave
of ska, led by the Specials, who supported the Clash on their “Out On Parole”
British Tour. While 1978’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope is without a reggae song,
the between-albums single “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais” (included
on the American release of The Clash) is an inspired early classic.
What Transition?
The Clash is a brilliant snapshot of London during the turbulent midseventies. London Calling, Rolling Stone’s “Album of the 1980’s”, is a tour
de force of production, scope and eclecticism. Why then, does 1978’s Give
‘Em Enough Rope fail to live up to its classification as the “transitional”
second album? The obvious answer is the Clash’s choice of producer - Sandy
Pearlman. The American Pearlman, whose most notable production credit is
Blue Oyster Cult, was clearly the wrong choice for the Clash, whose collective
naivety on the subject can be summarized by Jones’s statement that the
boys “weren’t concerned about who did it, because it was going to be great
whatever. Producers make a great contribution, but it wasn’t Number 1 on our
list of things to think about.”7 It’s very likely that, since The Clash remained
unreleased in the States, (CBS having deemed its raw production unfit for
American consumption) the second LP needed to be as slickly engineered as
possible. The result is an over-produced crossover sound, which is described
as “heavy metal” as often as “punk”.
Pearlman’s well-intentioned shortcomings aside, the songs from Give
‘Em Enough Rope fail to recreate any of the raw energy of The Clash. Gone
are the two-minute buzzsaw anthems like “Janie Jones” and “White Riot”,
having been replaced by three and four-minute medium tempo rockers like
“Safe European Home” and “Tommy Gun”, the LP’s best efforts.
Having established themselves as an important band with a ten-album
contract, the Clash seemed to have allowed themselves the luxury of being a
clash theory 7
rock band first, and a punk band second. Mick Jones’s self-imposed limitations
are no longer in evidence on Give ‘Em Enough Rope, which is in many respects
a celebration of strict diatonicism. The following example (from the endearing
Clash 2nd Songbook) shows the chorus of “Safe European Home”, which is
based on the supertonic chord, F# minor:8
It would seem that, having been released from punk’s aesthetic bond,
(the Pistols were already disbanded by late 1978) Jones turned to his pre-punk
roots for the ballads “Stay Free”, and “All the Young Punks (New Boots and
Contracts)”, both of which strongly suggest Mott the Hoople in style. Indeed,
the latter is clearly a nod to both “All the Young Dudes” and “The Ballad of
Mott”, a celebration of the events that led to the group’s formation. As a “Ballad
of the Clash”, “All the Young Punks” is typical of the self-congratulatory,
personal poetry of much of the album. Coupled with Strummer’s examination
of world affairs in “Tommy Gun”, “Julie’s Been Working For The Drug
Squad”, and “Guns On The Roof”, the shameless rip-off of the Who’s “I Can’t
Explain”, it’s not surprising that many Clash fans found the LP to be lacking
in the type of engagement that was expressed by Tony Parsons in his review
of The Clash. This time around, the duty of reviewing Give ‘Em Enough Rope
for the NME fell to Nick Kent, who was “never entirely sure just which side
Strummer and company are supposed to be taking... What it all adds up to, I
fear, is Stummer’s totally facile concept of shock-politics.”9 This is obviously
a reference to “Tommy Gun” which finds Strummer, who was quite proud of
his Red Army Faction t-shirt, undecided on the issue of repressive regimes and
the terrorists they produce.
clash theory 8
Oh, that transition.
Although Give ‘Em Enough Rope fails to bridge the Clash’s two best
albums, the period of late 1977-78 was indeed transitional for the band. Firstly,
Nicky “Topper” Headon was hired to replace outgoing drummer Terry Chimes,
(given the perjorative name Tory Crimes on the sleeve of The Clash), who
wished to attend medical school. Headon’s musicianship was crucial to the
Clash during their eclectic period of 1979-82, and as a competent jazz drummer,
was able to overcome the difficulties of reggae drumming to authentic effect.
Secondly, the between-albums singles and their strong B-sides capture the
essence of a confident
punk
band
which
Mott
refused to paint itself It is well-documented that the biggest influence on
into a musical corner. Mick Jones was the band Mott the Hoople, who released six LP’s
The formally interesting from 1969-1975. Clearly, the group represents a marked shift away
from the psychedelic, supergroup era and features backbeats remi“Clash City Rockers” niscent of early rock-‘n-roll, rhythmic piano a la Bill Haley, and
and
“Complete very bluesy sax arrangements.
Without resorting to referring to front man Ian Hunter
Control”, with their as a “poor man’s Bowie”, it should be mentioned that it is imposextended
codas, sible to describe Mott ’s sound without mentioning the much highfeature some of Mick er-profile glam rocker. Certainly, Mott’s biggest single and perhaps
enduring track was Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes” (1972)
Jones’s best Clapton- only
which the composer wrote and produced for the slumping band afesque guitar leads, an ter their near-breakup after only two studio albums. Subsequently,
aspect of his playing Mott was reformed and enjoyed their greatest success.
The group’s earliest producer was Guy Stevens, with
that
seems
forced whom the Clash would collaborate on their very earliest demos for
and unoriginal under Polydor records (these we re shunned by the band because of their
Pearlman’s
tutelage. “flatness”) and London Calling, the unquestionably best produced,
most critically acclaimed Clash album. Stevens is also the great
Produced by reggae mind behind Mott’s bizarre name. Mott the Hoople clearly belongs
legend Lee “Scratch” in the “glam-rock” category: “Marionette”, a six-minute operetta,
can be heard as a companion to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”,
Perry,
“Complete while “All the Way From Memphis” and “Honaloochie Boogie”
Control”s tumultuous strongly suggest Bowie’s contemporaneous “Suffragette City”, a
sax-heavy, Lennon-style rocker a la “Back in the USSR”.
second half shows
off the power of the
Strummer-Jones early
approach to arranging. Strummer’s belligerent R&B vocal improvisation
is buttressed by Jones’s repeated sung phrase “C-O-N, Control”, while his
simultaneously-played guitar solo borders on the psychotic. Rather than fading
out a la “Hey Jude”, the long coda finishes with four bars of staccato E major
chords presented in Strummer’s favorite form, the “Bo Diddley rhythm”. Toots
and the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop”, the band’s second (but far from last) reggae
cover, features a rocksteady/ska beat and, like “Police and Thieves”, thrives on
the contrasting vocal timbres of Strummer and Jones.
Finally, it should be restated here that the Clash practically define
clash theory 9
“transition”. Their ability to redefine themselves from song to song is a large
part of why they were able to survive this incredibly volatile era of rock history.
The punk bands would become marginalized by the early ‘80’s, launching a
true DIY movement that still exists. The notion of a multi-national like CBS
signing a band like the Clash in today’s pop music climate seems far off
indeed.
Hyper-Ionicism
The Clash wrote and recorded over sixty songs from 1979 through
1980, which would seem to provide me with ample material which to trace the
“Sound of the Westway”. To the contrary, of the give-or-take five-dozen songs
of this extraordinarily
The Hoople
productive period, very
While the “back-to basics” (‘50’s-’60s) and highly stylfew can be described as ized sound of Bowie can be related to John Lennon’s rediscovery
hard rock, and virtually of early rock-‘n-roll with the White Album, it can be theorized
none as “punk”, although that, having exhausted the psychedelic sounds of the late ‘60’s, the
period of the early and mid-seventies found artists like
it could be argued that transitional
Ian Hunter looking to the distant past for inspiration and musical
the usefulness of “punk” guidance. Mott’s influence on the Clash is a bit more difficult to
as a musical descriptor hear than on say, Def Leppard, who combined the group’s theatrical leanings and thick guitar arrangements with the androgynous
is highly questionable, screeching of Robert Plant. However, there are some obvious remgiven the difference nants of Hunter’s influence in many of the Clash’s early efforts.
in styles of the Clash, The nascent Clash’s set lists, by necessity, included many Mick
Jones originals which were written prior to Strummer’s recruitthe Sex Pistols, and the ment: These include “1-2 Crush on You”, and “Gates of the West”,
hardcore bands of the both of which feature a Jones vocal and some rather un-punk arrangement. “Gates of the West” has an old-school chord progreseighties.
sion (I-vi-IV-V) that certainly suggests the sort of “back-to-basics”
The following theme associated with Mott. The school-days subject matter of “1two difficulties with 2 Crush on You” also has the ‘50’s aura, with only the poodle-skirts
in absentia. Give ‘em Enough Rope’s side 2 can be described as
this period must also Jones’ Mott-era swansong, with the ballads “Stay Free” and “All
be considered: Firstly, the Young Punks” offering perhaps the last and greatest accounts
while Strummer would of Jones’s channeling of the spirit of Mott the Hoople through
his evolving song-writing. The latter is a pun on “All the Young
remain the primary poet Dudes”, and is an obvious attempt at a recreation of “The Ballad of
of the band, he would Mott” in subject matter if not musical style.
also wrestle much of the
music-writing duties away from Jones. This raises the inevitable question: who
wrote which tune? The easy answer is that, left to their own devices, Jones was
unquestionably the tunesmith of the duo, with the airy “Stay Free”, “Train In
Vain”, and “Spanish Bombs” as evidence, while Strummer’s vocal melodies
rarely gain independence from the contour of the bass, as with “Hateful”,
“London Calling” and the utterly boring “The Call Up”.
Secondly, as Topper Headon’s musicality began to influence the
direction of the band, an enormous variety of musical styles became the
essence of the band’s post-punk sound. A London Calling listening is sure to
clash theory 10
prompt the question, “Is this a punk band?” A Sandinista! listening finds one
asking, “Is this a rock band?”
Although Jones continued to use major-mode, diatonic chord
progressions almost exclusively, nearly all of his chord progressions from this
period exhibit a reluctance to employ the dominant chord. This has prompted
me to invent the term “hyper-ionicism”, which is meant to: A), describe
Jones’s continued exploration of the functionality of minor chords (ii, iii and
vi) within major keys, B). confirm that Jones, by softening his progressions in
this way is blurring the line between “key” and “mode”, and C). sound cool
and technical.
In “Spanish Bombs” from London Calling (1979), Jones succeeds, by
melodic virtue, in defining A major without the use of either the dominant E,
or the naturally occurring subdominant chord.
“Spanish Bombs”, 1st verse. Author’s trancription. For educational purposes only.
The historical ballad, which features acoustic guitar, Hammond organ,
and Strummer and Jones singing in octaves, glimmers with Guy Stevens’
instinct and imaginativeness. The smart Strummer lyric coupled with Jones’
sensitivity makes this the quintessential middle-period Clash song.
The Clash knew from both reputation and experience that Guy
was great at creating a vibrant atmosphere. He offered a direct
connection to the musical roots the Clash desired to investigate:
he was not only steeped in U.S. blues, soul and rock ‘n roll, but on
first name tems with many of the great artists of those genres.10
clash theory 11
The instant classic “Train In Vain” also falls into the hyperionic
category, with its plagal “turnaround” closely resembling the “Spanish Bombs”
progression.
F# min
A Maj
B min
D Maj
“Train in Vain”, 1st verse. Author’s trancription. For educational purposes only.
Stylistically, the Motown-inflected “Train In Vain” belongs in a
group with the Phil Spector “Wall of Sound”-inspired “The Card Cheat”,
and “Hitsville U.K.”(from Sandinista! [1980]), which strongly suggests the
Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love”. Ultimately, Jones’s mid-period forays into
the vast backlog of stylized American rock-’n-roll (excepting “Train In Vain”,
of course) are heard as forceful and unsuccessful. The hyper-ionic strategy
of London Calling (see also “I’m Not Down”) carried over to Sandinista!,
(“Somebody Got Murdered”, “Up In Heaven (Not Only Here”) is behind most
of the catchier rock tunes, and may represent the only true continuum of the
“Sound of the Westway”.
Ionian Mode vs. Major Mode
While it’s certainly true that Ionian mode (named, like the other modes, for a region
of Greece), is identical to the major scale, its essence is not defined by triads, or harmonic
cadence. In referring to Mick Jones’ chord progressions as “hyperionic”, the connotation
is purely one of function. Without employing the dominant chord, the “major mode” label
becomes inappropriate.
Examples 1 and 2 show chord function in typical major mode authentic cadences. Example 3
is a typical Mick Jones cadence - in this case from either the chorus of “The Prisoner” (1978)
or the chorus of “Somebody Got Murdered” (1980). Example 4 shows chord functionality of
the “Train in Vain” progression.
clash theory 12
Joe Diddley?
Just as Give ‘Em Enough Rope saw Jones flexing his Hoople muscles,
London Calling finds Strummer living out some of his R&B and rockabilly
fantasies. Under Stevens’s watch, and with the ever-malleable Topper Headon
as support, the recordings of “Hateful” and “Rudie Can’t Fail”, each of which
Drin-kin’ brew
for
break - fast?
1. Simplest form of the “Bo Diddley Rhythm”, with New Orleans stlye hemiola
in the first half.
2. Kick and Snare reduction of “Hateful” (London Calling) - note that 3 of 4
snare hits match the Bo Diddley accents.
3.Vocal line (verse 1, line 3) of “Rudie Can’t Fail” (London Calling) - note that
all Bo Diddley accents are present.
4.Simple form of tom part from “Car Jamming” (Combat Rock). Similar to the
Bo Diddley rhythm in that one half (in this case measure 2) is highly syncopated in contrast to the other (measure 1).
are backed by the famous “Bo Diddley beat”, are two of the best examples of
middle-period Clash. (Strummer would insist on hiring Bo Diddley as support
for the 1979 “The Clash Take the Fifth” US Tour.) The 12/8 meters of both
“London Calling” and “Jimmy Jazz” are reminiscent of early American rock
clash theory 13
‘n roll, the title of the latter having been devised for alliterative effect only,
one would hope! Despite Strummer’s mostly reggae and dub contributions to
Sandinista!, the rockabilly “Midnight Log” and “The Leader” can certainly be
thought of as continuing the tradition of the increasingly American, increasingly
anachronistic style-trajectory. In his review of London Calling for Melody
Maker, James Truman rather nicely summarized the Clash’s eclectic period:
“the Clash have discovered America, and by the same process, themselves.”11
Urban Guerillas
As the title of Sandinista! suggests, Strummer’s preoccupation with
global politics, beginning with “Tommy Gun”, and culminating in “Washington
Bullets”, in which he hurls accusations of tyranny, imperialism and warmongering at both super and lesser powers alike, had reached a fever pitch
by 1980. His egomaniacal, self-styled vision of the Clash as guitar wielding,
sooth-saying “gutter poets” was strengthened by the band’s newer, more
authentic approach to reggae and dub, and Jones’s keen interest in rap music,
A.
Early 1980’s Funk/Hip-Hop Bass
B.
A. and B. - the bass lines for Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and “This Is a Radio
Clash” respectively. Note the “set-up measures” - my unofficial term for the straight-ahead
first halves, whose incessant quarter-note rhythms provide a foundation for the busier, more
syncopated second measures. Also note that the consequential phrases contain the same
“masculine” ending.
C.
D.
C. and D. - the bass lines for Chic’s “These are the Good Times” aka The Sugarhill Gang’s
“Rapper’s Delight”, and “Magnificent Seven” respectively. Note that while the Clash
bass is a two measure affair, it’s similar to “Rapper’s Delight” in that its quarter-notes
set up more complex noodling. More importantly, both lines modulate to their respective
subdominants in their second halves.
Author’s transcriptions. For educational purposes only.
clash theory 14
which was still in its infancy.
Although the hip-hop of “The Magnificent Seven”, “Lightning Strikes
(Not Once But Twice)” and the between-albums single “Radio Clash” seems
pretty amusing by today’s standards, the nascent form allowed Jones to escape
the trappings of his largely unsuccessful retro-rock experiments. Strummer, for
his part, was no doubt delighted to have discovered the “next big” black music
in its infancy, and the cosmopolitan imagery with which he painted the rhymes
of “The Magnificent Seven” and “Lightning Strikes” reminds us that he did,
indeed, have a sense of humor. A close inspection of “Washington Bullets”
reveals that it too is influenced by rap. It’s syllabic, speech-rhythmic third
verse, (“If you can find an Afghan rebel that the Moscow bullets missed, ask
him what he thinks of voting Communist”...) seems strangely un-Strummerlike, whose vocal style becomes increasingly melismatic during this period of
renewed R&B interest and “authentic” reggae. (Try “Armagideon Times” and
“One More Time” for evidence of this).
The Missing Link
Is there one Clash song that captures the punk energy of 1977-78 while
fitting into the “eclectic Americana” category of 1979-80? The answer is no. I
mean yes. Actually, it was written by Sonny Curtis and recorded by the Bobby
Fuller Four in 1966. “I Fought The Law”, with its rockabilly feel, rebellious
lyric, and infectious melody, may be the quintessential Clash song. Actually,
“infectious” may be too weak a term. A careful listening to the melodies
of “Rudie Can’t Fail”, “The Card Cheat”, “Clampdown”, “Bankrobber”,
and “Washington Bullets” exposes an uncanny ability on the part of both
songwriters to rewrite the Crickets’ classic melody.
Creative Combattants
Whereas Sandinista!’s variety and scope leave us reeling, Combat
Rock’s twelve songs (that’s it?!) have us wondering from what planet the
pod people masquerading as the Clash came. Like Sandinista!, no two songs
from Combat Rock (1982) can be grouped together stylistically, and it seems
that, excepting “Rock The Casbah”, the Headon-Strummer chart buster, no
two Clash members could be grouped together for the sake of collaboration.
Strummer’s best effort is the up-tempo “Know Your Rights”, which combines
a straight-ahead gospel beat, staccato bass and guitar chords, and a facetious
lyric in the guise of an addendum to the Miranda Act. Jones’s guitar interlude
serves as a sixteen-bar, pre-written “bridge”, which never rises above the cozy
confines of the A string - evidence that a newfound eighties pop-star attitude
has finally killed his inner guitar-hero. Strummer’s “Car Jamming”, a final nod
clash theory 15
in the direction of Bo Diddley, celebrates the somewhat delusional singer’s
status as beat “gutter poet” (having recently befriended Alan Ginsberg) in
describing an inner city traffic jam. Strummer’s obsession with Vietnam War
imagery produced “Scan Flynn” and “Straight To Hell”, the stylized drumming
of which no doubt challenged Headon, whose once flawless drumming now
suffered due to heroin addiction. He would be fired, and Terry Chimes rehired, before the release of Combat Rock. Ironically, Headon wrote all of the
music for “Rock The Casbah”, and provided the piano, bass and drums for the
recording.
Strummer, now a rock star-turned-Josef Stalin, had succeeded in
taking control of the Clash, and would “fire” Mick Jones in 1983 - a year
after the lead guitarist, who had spent the previous five years experimenting
with Pistolsesque punk, an individualized diatonicism, Motown, disco and rap,
penned “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, a twelve bar blues in the style of the
Rolling Stones. Obviously, it’s become the band’s most popular song.
The Hall of Fame
Topper wasn’t there. Some guy from Audioslave and U2’s The Edge
inducted the Clash into the Hall of Fame. In defending his statement that the
Clash are the best rock ‘n roll band of all time after the Rolling Stones, The
Edge called the Police “white reggae”, which was awkward, considering the
induction of the Police later in the ceremony. (And considering that if anyone
is white reggae, it’s the Clash!) Backstage, Paul Simonon comforted Joe’s
wife, who ultimately accepted the honor on behalf of her late husband. Mick
Jones called Strummer the band’s “inspiration” and the “real thing”. Simonon
was drunk and who can blame him? Terry Chimes spent most of his speech
extolling the virtues of Topper’s playing. Where was he? Did an outstanding
arrest warrant keep him out of the States, like Roman Polanski? All in all, it
was a huge let-down. Joe had wanted to perform a few songs at the ceremony.
Mick, Paul and Terry could have easily pulled off “Should I Stay Or Should I
Go”. Even the Righteous Brothers performed for Pete’s sake, and they’re like
eighty!
If Joe had been there, he would have dedicated the award to Bo
Diddley, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, and Sid Vicious. He would have taken
advantage of the alliterativeness of words like “Bush”, “Blair”, “bomb” and
“bollocks” while improvising a new verse for “Tommy Gun”. And he would
have showered the front row with spit. Payback time. I guess we’ll always
wonder how such a great rhythm guitarist had such bad timing.
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References
Clash, The. 1979. Clash 2nd Songbook. Riva Music Ltd.
Egan, Sean. London’s Burning. Uncut (February 2003), 40-57.
Gilbert, Pat. Break Down. Mojo (March 2003), 80-91.
Gray, Marcus. 2001. The Clash: The Return of the Last Gang In Town. London: Helter Skelter.
Green, Johnny with Garry Barker. 1999. A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day With the Clash. New York: Faber and Faber.
Quantick, David. 2000. The Clash. New York. Thunder’s Mouth Press.
Schalit, Joel. Joe Strummer: Clash of the Titan. Punk Planet. (January/
February 2000),32-39.
Recordings Cited
Chic, Risque. Atlantic B000002IHI.
Clash, The, Black Market Clash. Epic 38540.
_____, The Clash.(UK version) CBS 82000.
_____, The Clash. (US version) Epic 36060.
_____, Combat Rock. Epic 38777.
_____, Give ‘Em Enough Rope. Epic 35543.
_____, London Calling. Epic 36328.
_____, Sandinista!. Epic 37037.
Queen, The Game. Hollywood B000000OA.
Sex Pistols, The, Never Mind the Bollocks. Here’s the Sex Pistols.
Warner Brothers B000002KIE.
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clash theory 18
Notes
1. Marcus Gray, The Clash: Return of the Last Gang In Town. Helter Skelter, 2001. As a child, Jones lived for a time in one of Brixton’s tower blocks
overlooking the Westway (a highway). My guess is that the Clash tried to
use this to their advantage by chalking it up as street cred. (Strummer was, in
contrast, the son of a diplomat with MBE status.) The “sound of the Westway” can be thought of as a white, British, 1970’s version of “straight outta
Compton”.
2. McClaren would briefly manage the Dolls in 1976-77. McClaren’s “henchman”, Bernard Rhodes, is credited with “assembling” the Clash in 1976.
Rhodes would return to manage the Clash towards the end of their run. Interestingly, Rhodes is also credited with “co-writing” the Cut the Crap material.
This is laughable, but goes a long way in explaining the poor quality of said
material, if indeed true!!
3. The Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks. Here’s the Sex Pistols. 1977.
Credits for “Submission” are given to Cook, Jones, Matlock, Rotten. The
minor chord is referred to as “inherently weaker” because of the prominence
of the major triad in the overtone series.
4. In my transcriptions of Clash songs, I have simplified the guitar chords to
show their most likely barre voicings. It’s pretty clear from both audio and
video that Jones often preferred the more “ringing” barre forms of chords
while Strummer was more apt to stay in “first position” in order to employ
open-string voicings.
5. Clash, The, Clash 2nd Songbook. Riva Music, 1979, 47.The layout of the
songbook is quite odd, the songs having been printed “2-up” in five-inch
vertical columns.
6. Tony Parsons, New Music Express. 1977. Quoted in Marcus Gray, 232.
Gray does not use reference notes, or cite month of publication.
7. Mick Jones, interview by Pat Gilbert. Break Down. Mojo. March 2003, 83. Yes, according to wikipedia.org, Sandy Pearlman was the producer
of “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, and was therefore the “I gotta have more cowbell” producer of Saturday Night Live fame. (As portrayed by Christopher
clash theory 19
Walken) He must be proud.
8. Clash 2nd Songbook. 52. The F# and C# chords are indeed minor. The accuracy of the transcriptions from this collection are questionable at best - note
the absence of a key signature. I have included them out of nostalgic pride,
however, since in my youth this book served me well; far more for its lyrical
representation than its shabby scores.
9. Nick Kent, New Music Express. 1978. Quoted in Marcus Gray, 277.
10. Marcus Gray, 297.
11. James Truman, Melody Maker 1979. Quoted in Marcus Gray, 310.
There’s indeed a note of snootiness in this. In a way, the Clash of 1976-77
represented the great hope of critics like Truman, given the band’s originality
and intelligent punk. The Clash lost a lot of punk fans during their Americana
period. At the same time, the Clash became the darlings of the American
music press and could not have been thought of as more “punk” or “British” in mainstream circles. If London Calling, released in 1979, was truly the
“album of the 1980s”, it’s because Jones’ thin voice and neo-Motown stylings
foresaw the “New Romantics” of 1980s British pop.
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Glossary of Musical Terms
authentic cadence
A common formula used for the end of a phrase, in which the dominant chord
proceeds to the tonic chord. (V-I)
diatonic
Literally, “around the tonic” (see “tonic” below). A general term to describe
the most basic harmonic structure available to a given key -- to be considered
distict from “chromatic”.
dominant
The note of the fifth scale-degree in major and minor keys. Also, the harmony
based on the fifth scale degree.
hemiola
Rhythmically, the feeling of 3 beats against 2 beats.
hyper-ionicism
A harmonic descriptor of Mick Jones’ middle-period Clash writing in which
he deliberately eschews major mode functionality while retaining an ionian
modality.
ionian mode
A collection of pitches arranged in a scale that is identical in sound (but not
function) to the major scale.
melismatic
A type of singing in which a syllable carries two or more pitches.
mode
A collection of pitches arranged in a scale; compare with “key”.
plagal
A descriptor of harmony that favors movement to and from the subdominant
chord - as in a plagal cadence. (IV-I)
power chord
An implied major or minor triad with its third omitted.
clash theory 21
relative minor
Harmonically, the minor triad built on the sixth scale degree of the major scale.
Also, the minor key that shares the same key signature with a given major key.
(Such as A Major and f# minor.)
subdominant
The note of the fourth scale-degree in major and minor keys. Also, the harmony based on the fourth scale degree.
supertonic chord
The triad built on the second degree of a scale in any given key.
(Such as the d minor chord in C Major.)
syncopation
A rhythmic phenomenon in which one or more “off-beats” are accented.
tonic
The note around which a scale or key is based. C is the tonic of C major. The
C major triad is the tonic triad of the key of C major.
triad
A three-note chord built in thirds. The basis of harmonic writing.
clash theory 22
About the Author
Born in 1972, P. Merriam Clark was 3 years old when the Clash
formed in 1976. He was, however, lucky enough to attend a Clash concert in
1983, (post-Mick Jones, unfortunately), at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY.
PMC attended the State University of New York at New Paltz where he earned
a degree in music theory and composition in 1995. He earned a Master of Music degree in composition at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2000.
PMC has played guitar, bass and drums in many bands since 1988.
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