[ Sony Music / LP ]
Release Date: Friday 7 April 2017
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On the surface of things, Combat Rock appears to be a retreat from the sprawling stylistic explorations of London Calling and Sandinista! The pounding arena rock of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" makes the Clash sound like an arena rock band, and much of the album boasts a muscular, heavy sound courtesy of producer Glyn Johns. But things aren't quite that simple. Combat Rock contains heavy flirtations with rap, funk, and reggae, and it even has a cameo by poet Allen Ginsberg -- if this album is, as it has often been claimed, the Clash's sellout effort, it's a very strange way to sell out. Even with the infectious, dance-inflected new wave pop of "Rock the Casbah" leading the way, there aren't many overt attempts at crossover success, mainly because the group is tearing in two separate directions. The result is an album that is nearly as inconsistent as Sandinista!, even though its finest moments -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Rock the Casbah," "Straight to Hell" -- illustrate why the Clash were able to reach a larger audience than ever before with the record. - AllMusic
A1 Know Your Rights
A2 Car Jamming
A3 Should I Stay Or Should I Go
A4 Rock The Casbah
A5 Red Angel Dragnet
A6 Straight To Hell
B1 Overpowered By Funk
B2 Atom Tan
B3 Sean Flynn
B4 Ghetto Defendant
B5 Inoculated City
B6 Death Is A Star