Combat Rock

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Combat Rock is the fifth album by The Clash and was released in May 1982. After Sandinista!, Joe Strummer felt that the group was drifting creatively. Recording took place in London and at Electric Lady Studios in New York, and yielded eighteen songs. A quarrel arose between Strummer and Mick Jones over whether it should be a double album. Producer Glyn Johns cut the material down to a single record of twelve songs. Drummer Topper Headon was fired just before the release.

The music is post-punk and new wave, with influences of funk and reggae. The lyrics are about the Vietnam War, postcolonialism and the decay of American society. Straight to Hell tells of the children that American soldiers left behind in Vietnam. Rock the Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go became the best-known songs. The album became the group's best seller and its breakthrough in America, although some fans found the sound too radio-friendly.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Know Your Rights3:40Apple Music ↗
2. 2Car Jamming3:00Apple Music ↗
3. 3Should I Stay or Should I Go3:09Apple Music ↗
4. 4Rock the Casbah3:42Apple Music ↗
5. 5Red Angel Dragnet3:44Apple Music ↗
6. 6Straight to Hell5:30Apple Music ↗
7. 7Overpowered By Funk4:52Apple Music ↗
8. 8Atom Tan2:30Apple Music ↗
9. 9Sean Flynn4:31Apple Music ↗
10. 10Ghetto Defendant4:43Apple Music ↗
11. 11Inoculated City2:41Apple Music ↗
12. 12Death Is a Star3:15Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗