Top 10 Clash Songs
Morning, I stumbled across this older post today that lists the writer’s top ten Clash songs. Lists are always a good read and of course totally subjective. My favourite Clash album changes from year to year and as for songs what I’d write down as a top 10 today would certainly be different a week from now. How to compare and rank songs from such a vast selection? Seeing his list fired up something I’m planning for the blog and running as a feature.
A good few years ago The Wedding Present on their old site ran a knock out tournament to have visitors determine the top 20 songs by the band. It was a
laugh to follow and threw up some controversy and fierce loyalty to certain tracks. If you’re in Europe (and for many elsewhere) you’re familiar with the FA Cup and the Champions League (sorry moved this over to football for a minute) and basically in the FA Cup any team (song) can play any other team (song). The danger in that is Complete Control might face London Calling in the early rounds.
So here’s my convuluted plan – incorporating the European Champions cup…up to 16 (perhaps 32) Clash songs are seeded and guaranteed to be in the late stages. You’ll help me determine those ‘seeded’ tracks by writing in or adding to comments a top 10 or (5) Clash songs – totally up to you. I’ll then get together all remaining Clash songs and generate a random tournament for the unseeded songs.
Each day I’ll offer up 2 tracks and allow probably 48-72 hours of votes. The winner continuing to the next round. When it gets to the group stages we’ll be able to determine the real (?) best Clash songs of all time.
So, until I sort this out – probably starting Aug 12 to coincide with the new season I’d welcome your top 5 or 10 songs to be considered for the latter stages. Please email me at Tim(at)theclashblog.com or add comments to this post (or others). I’ll announce the seeded songs by August 9th.
Hope that all makes sense.
Back to the list that started my frenzy – some real belters in there but perhaps an over-reliance on London Calling. I would give definite approval to how original his top 3 are, though again all from the aforementioned album.
Any questions? Let me know…I also need a good name for the tournament.
Cheers Tim
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As you say, the list changes from week to week, but this week I’d vote for:
Julie’s in the Drug Squad
Police and Thieves
Stay Free
The Right Profile
Revolution Rock
Train in Vain
Police on my Back
Charlie Don’t Surf
Hitsville UK
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Cheers – all added to my list/counts (you’re in a Mick mood!)
I’m always in a Mick mood!
This week for me…The sign of a great band would be the ability to be able to do this and not have any ‘quality control issues’…!
(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
Complete Control
Janie Jones
Clampdown
Safe European Home
London Calling
One More Time/Dub
Straight To Hell
Spanish Bombs
Garageland
This is an impossible task Tim and I’ve not considered any cover versions they did !
Pete.
London Calling
Complete Control
Police & Thieves
Bankrobber
One More Time
Ghetto Defendent
Straight To Hell
Armagideon Time
Rudie Can´t Fail
White Riot
Thanks for your comments and emails….after just 24 hours some songs are showing good support…I’ll post an update early next week. Loads of time to vote some songs to be seeded still.
OMG I can’t believe how hard this is! I would never want to be one of those list writers for a living. I’m too much of a procrastinator to put together a list. But here’s my off the cuff list, (but #s 1 and 2 never change:)
1- Complete Control
2- White man in Hammersmith Palais
3 through 10 (no particular order)
Rebel Waltz
Up in Heaven
Broadway
Car Jamming
Garageland
At this point, I just want to say all of London Calling and count that as one song, but I guess that’s against the rules – damn – I can’t pick one song from LC so I’m movin on
Rock the Casbah
Magnificent 7
Whew that was hard and I’m gonna be kickin myself the rest of the day for what I forgot. Oh well, I’ll be back…xxx
In no particular order
1. White Man
2. Something About England
3. Somebody Got Murdered
4. Rock the Casbah
5. Hate and War
6. Straight to Hell
7. Train in Vain
8. Lost in the Supermarket
9. Clampdown
10. Capital Radio
[...] don’t forget to vote for your top 10 Clash Songs to get them seeded for the fun to [...]
[...] 2009 Under: Clash Memories, Clash News, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon So yes I conceived of this huge formula to determine the best Clash Songs of all time a few days ago. It’s not as difficult as I made out, basically from now til Aug [...]
All votes from here, emails and forums included up to July 27 midnight…will update again on Aug 2nd or 3rd
Tim
white man
complete control
janie jones
straight to hell
death or glory
rudie cant fail
street parade
something about england
pressure drop
Somebody got murdered
White Man in Hammersmith Palais
Complete Control
Police and Thieves
Rudie Can’t Fail
Death or Glory
Armagideon Time
Washington Bullets
One More Time/Dub
Up in Heaven
The Call Up
Car Jamming
Straight to Hell
1. Safe European Home
2. Complete Control
3. WMiHP
4. Guns on the Roof
5. London’s Burning
6. Clampdown
7. One More Time/Dub
8. Broadway
9. Last Gang
10. Bankrober
Hopefully, that’ll be the hardest job i’ll have to do today. By the time I shut the PC down, I’ll have changed my mind at leastthree times.
All the best,
Karl
This is almost cruel!
And for me, it’s an over-reliance on Sandinista. I’ll be curious to see your list as well, Tim. Safe travels.
Here’s my crack at this (not in any order by any means):
White Riot
Pressure Drop
Kingston Advice
Brand New Cadillac
Magnificent Seven
Street Parade
Atom Tan
One More Time
Hateful
Guns of Brixton
straight to hell
death or glory
rudi cant fail
police and thieves
this is england
safe euro home
london calling
washington bullets
groovy times
pressure drop
Top 5:
Career Opportunities
Complete Control
Tommy Gun
Groovy Times
Capital Radio 2
London Calling
All the Young Punks
Stay Free
Last Gang
White man
Police and Thieves
I fought the law
Spanish Bombs
48 Hours
Revolution Rock
Death or Glory
Im shocked no ones mentioned Revolution Rock and Stay Free before i did.
1. Bankrobber
2. Complete Control
3. Garageland
4. Janie Jones.
5. Clampdown
6. 1977
7. Rudie Can’t Fail
8. Safe European Home
9. Straight To Hell
10. Palais.
It’s changed over the years, although Complete Control, Guns of Brixton and I’m Not Down have always been there.
Complete control
Armagiddeon time
Police & thieves
Something about england
Up in heaven
The equaliser
Midnight to stevens
Spanish bombs
Guns of brixton
I’m not down
First post Zach, up at the top…
Below is the setlist from Brixton Fairdeal on 30th July 1982 the last time I saw them playing with Mick Jones. Exactly 27 years ago tonight. Probably THE most exciting gig I’ve EVER been to in my entire life….Terry Chimes had replaced Topper, but when Ennio Morricone’s intro music faded, Joe says “Good evening, welcome !”, Mick screamed “1-2-3-4″ and they hurtled into headlong into ‘White Riot’ the place went absolutely ballistic !!!
Hell, they didn’t even play ‘(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais’. I was right in the centre of it all, crushed against the stage in front of Joe and my souvenir from the night was a cut up piece of old orange towelling…Joe’s ‘Strumguard’ which fell off during ‘Garageland’. You could pick ANY ten songs from this list and not be disappointed.
White Riot
London Calling
This Is Radio Clash
The Leader
Career Opportunities
Guns of Brixton
Somebody Got Murdered
Bankrobber
Magnificent Seven
Know Your Rights
Train in Vain
Charlie Don’t Surf
Janie Jones
Rock the Casbah
Police on My back
Safe European Home
Clampdown
Ghetto Defendant
Armagideon Time
Brand New Cadillac
Stay Free
English Civil War
Straight To Hell
Should I Stay Or Should I Go ?
Police and Thieves
I Fought The Law
Garageland
Tim, were you there too ?
Pete,
Acton
oh my bad.. love the pics by the way pete
Thanks, very kind of you. Where are you located Zach ?
the state of Pennsylvania in the USA
*This list is subject to change without reason*
but with that said
1. Rudie Can’t Fail
2. White Man in Hammersmith Palais
3. White Riot
4. Clampdown
5. Inoculated City
6. Washington Bullets
7. Safe European Home
8. Stay Free
9. The Card Cheat
10. Career Opportunities
[...] Covers, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon Just a quick top up – all relevant/voting information is here but we’ve still got 6 days remaining to get 32 Clash songs seeded in The Clash Cup. Top [...]
All votes as of August 2nd are tallied – no hanging chads reported – details on the front page!
Top 10:
1. White Man In Hammersmith Palais
2. London Calling
3. Bankrobber
4. The Magnificent Seven
5. I Fought The Law
6. Armagideon Time
7. Train in Vain
8. Rock the Casbah
9. Rudie Cant Fail
10. Police And Thieves
in no particular order…
Drug Stabbing Time
Stay Free
…Palais
Tommy Gun
Complete Control
Cheapskates
Safe European Home
The Prisoner
Gates of the West
Jail Guitar Doors
This Is Radio Clash
Up In Heaven
Something About England
Kingston Advice
Corner Soul
If Music Could Talk
The Leader
Inoculated City
Car Jamming
The Card Cheat
The Right Profile
Rudie Can’t Fail
[...] have The Clash Cup information compiled today and an updated post later on, if that makes no sense just read here for further information. To coincide with the football season we’re hosting a knock out tournament to determine the [...]
[...] the build up and explanation for this Top Clash Songs / Clash Cup appeared back on July 24 – but taking part is still very much in your hands. Every Clash song not seeded (in the top 16) will [...]
[...] with a definitive list of the best 32 then 16 and ultimately the best ever eight Clash songs ever. Here is the original idea and since then we’ve conducted 3 weeks of voting to get 16 songs seeded (protected from) the [...]