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Ghetto deffendant, streight to hell, should i stay, rock the casbah... how the hell someone can say this is not one of the best rock albums ever? I like how they explore the sound of the guitar, different rithms but in a different, maturer way than in Sandinista... great record, with flaws, but listen without prejudice and you'll fall into it more and more (i started decades ago)
October 26, 2008 | | Their least focused record but it's still decent (3.5 stars) | |
While Combat Rock would give the Clash the band its greatest success, it is also the most inconsistent release that the original lineup recorded. Having said that, it's still a decent album. It is best known for their two most popular songs, "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go." These songs were all over the radio in 1982-1983 and you still hear them quite often. Those tunes are the heart of the album's first side where everything works. The excellent "Know Your Rights" finds the band recalling the focused anger of their debut while "Car Jamming" is just as strong both lyrically and musically with its tribal beat. "Red Angel Dragnet" is another great tune sung by bassist Paul Simonon and led by his funky bass line. "Straight to Hell" finds Joe Strummer perhaps at his most politically aware as he addresses racism, abandonment, and the possibility of an unrealized American dream over its reggae beat. From here, the album is very hit and miss with the best tunes being the jazzy and somber "Sean Flynn" and one of their best reggae tunes, "Ghetto Defendant". The track "Inoculated City" is also pretty catchy. The remaining tracks aren't up to par as "Overpowered by Funk" is too simple and too long while "Atom Tan" and "Death is a Star" just don't work with the latter sounding like an attempt to replicate the Specials' moodier work. All told, while Combat Rock is their least satisfying album, it's still worth hearing and this is the only place where you'll find the songs "Car Jamming" and "Sean Flynn".
August 24, 2008| | | Actually a pretty strong album despite the turmoil engulfing the band | |
I approach this album from a different perspective than some other reviewers. There are two great ponderous Joe Strummer numbers (Straight to Hell, Ghetto Defendant - featuring poetry from Allen Ginsberg) two instant hits, one by Mick Jones, the instantly catchy Should I Stay or Should I Go, and the darker, more powerful Joe Strummer number, Rock the Casbah (or as we used to sing in the 80s, 'fk the taskforce'). Car Jamming is another rockability number.
'Know your rights' is full of attitude and anger. Songs like 'Overpowered by funk' are still solid, even if they show disco influence. The last song "Death is a Star" has an almost cabaret feel to it, and is fittingly the endpoint for a great band.
This album was much criticised as being soulless. I think it is simply diverse. It has elements of Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, and some experimentation. This should have been the end point. Do not buy Cut the Crap but get a compilation which has 'This is England' on it.
July 20, 2008This has flashes of Clash greatness, but it is nowhere near as great as, for instance, "London Calling" or as audacious as "Sandinista." Nonetheless, it is still a CD well worth listening to, as we see the Clash winding down as a creative force.
Given comments by some reviewers, I am almost embarrassed to say that two songs really do stand out--a softer song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and the funky "Rock the Casbah." The first was a hit, and seems like a bookend for the wonderful "Train in Vain." The latter had an infectious beat and some amusing lines.
Still, there are also other songs worth some note. "Overpowered by Funk" is an interesting change of pace; "Straight to Hell" is another good piece.
This marked the decline of the Clash, as Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were going their separate ways, with differing visions of the direction the Clash should take. But it was not a bad album. No, it was not "London Calling," but very few CDs are at that level.
May 24, 2008| | | At least they tried to do something different | |
unfortunatley the entire B-side of this album was an unlistenable waste. The A side is good. In this digital age I suppose that means the first half of the CD is good. Songs like "Rock the Casbah" etc. "Death is a Star" and "Ghetto Defendant" are real boring. I kept at it though when I first got this album way back when, figuring that it just might take some time to grow on me like "London Calling" did. Too bad it never did. but hey! The Clash always strove to be different, and sometimes you're on, and sometimes you're not. The Clash were more often hit the target.
April 7, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(118 reviews)