Next year marks the 50th anniversary of a legendary punk rock band’s debut album.
Rock and roll fans who witnessed the ’70s can tell you all about how special 1977 was for album releases. Among them: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Pink Floyd’s Animals, Queen’s News of the World, the Ramones’ Rocket to Russia, David Bowie’s Heroes and Kiss’s Love Gun.
Of course, those groups and singers had already become household names. But for a young English rock band, 1977 was also the year of their breakthrough.
One year after forming in 1976, the Clash recorded and released their self-titled debut album in the United Kingdom. The American version was released two years later and featured 15 tracks.
The U.S. version of The Clash was headlined by three hit songs: “Clash City Rockers,” “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais” and “Complete Control.”
In their list of “The 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time“, Rolling Stone ranked The Clash at No. 4, behind only the Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime, X-Ray Spex’s Germfree Adolescents and the Ramones’ self-titled debut album.
“Joe Strummer and his co-writer, guitarist Mick Jones, were not born debaters; manager-Svengali Bernie Rhodes pressed them to go topical,” Rolling Stone wrote. “But the effect — propelled by bassist Paul Simonon and original drummer Terry Chimes, produced by the band’s live-sound man Mickey Foote — was a pivotal British fury.
“CBS in America refused to issue the album, citing fidelity issues; a 1979 edition had later singles added. The original remains the sound of a riot being born: a new London calling without fear or compromise.”
‘The Clash’ Reached the UK Albums Chart and ‘Billboard’ 200
(Photo by Julian Yewdall/Getty Images)
Two weeks after its release, The Clash peaked at No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart. It spent three consecutive weeks in the top 20 and 16 weeks on the chart.
The Clash also reached the Billboard 200 in the United States, peaking at No. 126.
Related: ’70s Rock Band Announces 50th Anniversary Release for Classic Album
