The Clash
The Singles
(Sony BMG)
Some box sets are made for the casual listener. And some are made for the dedicated fan. The mammoth limited-edition Clash box The Singles clearly exists for the latter.
After all, who else but a Clash fanatic would have the patience, to say nothing of the desire, to wade through a 19-disc box of CD singles and EPs? But for those who do take the time, this meticulously assembled 66-song box is rich in rewards.
It contains every single the band released between 1977 and 1985, from early punk blasts like White Riot and Remote Control to latter-day cuts like Should I Stay or Should I Go? and the last gasp This is England.
One of the rarest offerings is the Capital Radio EP, single-and-interview disc given away in NME. Each disc has between two and eight tracks, including all the various B-sides issued on different 7" and 12" singles.
Some of the tunes -- notably cuts from This is Radio Clash, The Magnificent Seven and This is England -- have never appeared on CD before. And if that's not enough, each black 45-style disc comes in its own sleeve with the original artwork, and a little paper inner sleeve just like an old U.K. single. Plus there's a 44-page colour booklet with track info, pictures and mini-essays by friends and fans like Mike D, Irvine Welsh, Shane McGowan, Nick Hornby, Steve Jones, Damon Albarn, Pete Townshend and more.
The whole shooting match comes in a two-piece camo-covered box that fits snugly into a numbered red-and-yellow sleeve. And you can get all that for the measly sum of $75, depending on where you shop.
Maybe you don't have to be a Clash fanatic to buy it -- but if listening to it doesn't make you one, nothing will.
Track Listing:
Disc 1:
1. White Riot
2. 1977
Disc 2:
1. Listen
2. Interview With The Clash On The Circle Line
3. Interview With The Clash On The Circle Line
4. Capital Radio One
Disc 3:
1. Remote Control
2. London's Burning
3. London's Burning
Disc 4:
1. Complete Control
2. The City Of The Dead
Disc 5:
1. Clash City Rockers
2. Jail Guitar Doors
Disc 6:
1. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
2. The Prisoner
Disc 7:
1. Tommy Gun
2. 1-2 Crush On You
Disc 8:
1. English Civil War
2. Pressure Drop
Disc 9:
1. I Fought The Law
2. Groovy Times
3. Gates Of The West
4. Capital Radio Two
Disc 10:
1. London Calling
2. Armagideon Time
3. Justice Tonight
4. Kick It Over
5. Clampdown
6. The Card Cheat
7. Lost In The Supermarket
Disc 11:
1. Bankrobber
2. Rockers Galore...UK Tour
3. Rudie Can't Fail
4. Train In Vain
Disc 12:
1. The Call Up
2. Stop The World
Disc 13:
1. Hitsville U.K.
2. Radio One
3. Police On My Back
4. Somebody Got Murdered
Disc 14:
1. The Magnificent Seven (Edit)
2. The Magnificent Dance (Edit)
3. Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)
4. One More Time
5. One More Dub
6. The Cool Out
7. The Magnificent Seven
8. The Magnificent Dance
Disc 15:
1. This Is Radio Clash
2. Radio Clash
3. Outside Broadcast
4. Radio 5
Disc 16:
1. Know Your Rights
2. First Night Back In London
Disc 17:
1. Rock The Casbah
2. Long Time Jerk
3. Mustapha Dance
4. Red Angel Dragnet
5. Overpowered By Funk
Disc 18:
1. Should I Stay Or Should I Go
2. Straight To Hell
3. Inoculated City
4. Cool Confusion
Disc 19:
1. This Is England
2. Do It Now
3. Sex Mad Roar