The Clash is the debut studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Recorded and mixed over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.
Standard UK edition
The stairway where the Clash posed for the cover photo, in 2008
The Clash were an English rock band that formed in London in 1976 and were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they used elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly, and they contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed punk. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon.
Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon in concert with the Clash in 1980
The cover of London Calling, from a photo by Pennie Smith.
Paul Simonon of the Clash performs at the Palladium, 20 September 1979. (Photo: S. Sherman)
Graffiti in Rijeka, Croatia, commemorating Joe Strummer
