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British punk icons The Clash enjoyed a ten-year career that ended in implosion, but have since gone on to influence generations of aspiring musicians. They formed in 1976 in the tough west London neighborhood of Ladbroke Grove. Rhythm guitarist and songwriter Joe Strummer was gigging in a moderately successful pub rock band, while lead guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon had become friends playing in a short-lived punk combo of their own. They were impressed with Strummer's energy and talent, and convinced him to join them and start a new band. The difference between The Clash and their first wave of snotty 70's punk contemporaries like The Sex Pistols or even CBGB's poster boys The Ramones is that The Clash deliberately eschewed punk's political nihilism and anarchic reputation for drug and alcohol abuse in favor of energetic solidarity with contemporary native liberation movements. Perhaps owing to their working class British roots, The Clash were always ready to speak out against oppressive monarchy and aristocratic repression. On early singles like "White Riot" and "Career Opportunities" they call for the underpaid and underemployed to take action. Their debut album was full of explosive leftist songs and got them attention around the local scene. Their tremendous live energy and reputation for performing in fascist uniforms behind hand-painted political banners continued to attract the curious and the politically active to their shows. In 1979 they released their classic double-album London Calling, a blistering indictment of capitalist oppression and military brutality. Widely considered their finest recording, standout tracks included "London Calling," "Train In Vain" and "Clampdown." It also saw The Clash experimenting with reggae beats and rockabilly riffs, helping the band achieve crossover appeal. Though they were suffering internal strife at the time, The Clash had their biggest commercial success with 1982's Combat Rock, which featured the pop singles "Rock and Casbah" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."

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