The Clash UK/US

[Marky Dread]

No not another debate on who thinks which version is best. I think all sane people would agree that the tracks on the US edition that replaced those removed from the UK edition were better.

My question is this.

Should The Clash/CBS have only replaced those songs with ones that better fitted the time frame.

UK version:
Side one :
1. Janie Jones
2. Remote Control
3. I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.
4. White Riot
5. Hate and War
6. What's My Name
7. Deny
8. London's Burning

Side two :
1. Career Opportunities
2. Cheat
3. Protex Blue
4. Police & Thieves
5. 48 Hours
6. Garageland

US version:
Side one :
1. Clash City Rockers
2. I'm So Bored with the USA
3. Remote Control
4. Complete Control
5. White Riot
6. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
7. London's Burning
8. I Fought the Law

Side two :
1. Janie Jones
2. Career Opportunities
3. What's My Name
4. Hate & War
5. Police & Thieves
6. Jail Guitar Doors
7. Garageland

So instead of the US version containing ''(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais'' (1978), ''I Fought the Law'' (1979),

Should they have used ''1977'', ''Capital Radio'', ''City of the Dead''.

''Clash City Rockers/Jail Guitar Doors'' (1978) was recorded late 1977 so that would still work.

This would've made the US version feel a lot less disjointed and less like a compilation.

[Wolter]

I’m pretty amazed Sony never considered an expanded edition of at least the first two albums that included non-album bonus tracks.

[Flex]

I like your proposed tracklist Marky, because it makes for a song-for-song better album while removing the biggest complaint about the US s/t, which is that it's aesthetically inconsistent.

That said, I love those raw early punk numbers as that's my jam aesthetically, so I'd have always been one of those kids yearning for the import version.

And agreed with Wolt, it seems like it would have been an obvious move circa early aughts to release a "deluxe edition" of the s/t with both track configurations and attendant non-album singles and b-sides.

[matedog]

That makes a lot more sense, Marky. Eventhough the US version has better songs, I'm still a purist and the UK version feels "right." Even swapping out the more time-relevant songs still feels wrong in a way, but it would definitely be a more cohesive listen.

[Wolter]

That makes a lot more sense, Marky. Eventhough the US version has better songs, I'm still a purist and the UK version feels "right." Even swapping out the more time-relevant songs still feels wrong in a way, but it would definitely be a more cohesive listen.

In the days when the other tracks are readily available by other means, I tend to listen to the UK more as an album. But yeah the US is ojectively a better Clash experience on the whole for a listener who just wants good songs.

[Flex]

If you weren't a person who wanted a deep dive on the clash, but wanted a bit more that just a pure greatest hits, something like a collection consisting of the US S/T, London Calling and, like Story of, Vol. 1 would set you up pretty danged well.

[Wolter]

If you weren't a person who wanted a deep dive on the clash, but wanted a bit more that just a pure greatest hits, something like a collection consisting of the US S/T, London Calling and, like Story of, Vol. 1 would set you up pretty danged well.

If you tossed SBMC in there you’d have essentially the first 4 Clash albums I bought in high school.

[Flex]

If you tossed SBMC in there you’d have essentially the first 4 Clash albums I bought in high school.

yeah, that's actually exactly the first four clash albums I had (well, I had a dubbed cassette of combat rock I pilfered from my old man's collection first, I suppose).

I pulled out my old unremastered copy of Story Of recently (spurred on by the polls, no doubt) and it's GREAT. Such a good song selection and the old CD pressing has a great sound quality. Can really crank it up. And now that folks like Bowie have put out reverse-chronological career spanning comps the Clash just come off as forerunners of the style.

[Marky Dread]

If you tossed SBMC in there you’d have essentially the first 4 Clash albums I bought in high school.

yeah, that's actually exactly the first four clash albums I had (well, I had a dubbed cassette of combat rock I pilfered from my old man's collection first, I suppose).

I pulled out my old unremastered copy of Story Of recently (spurred on by the polls, no doubt) and it's GREAT. Such a good song selection and the old CD pressing has a great sound quality. Can really crank it up. And now that folks like Bowie have put out reverse-chronological career spanning comps the Clash just come off as forerunners of the style.

The early CD's sounds way better than the '99 remasters of course both supplanted by the SS box.

[Flex]

The early CD's sounds way better than the '99 remasters of course both supplanted by the SS box.

Much better bottom end on the Sound System remasters and more clarity in general, but more compression too. Generally, I much prefer Sound System when listening on headphones, but I actually prefer (some) of those old non-remastered CDs when I'm listening on the home stereo, since I can really crank the volume on those old CDs. The old unremastered album CDs are all pretty bad sounding, but the compilations were mostly pretty good. So my Clash CD collection actually all fits together pretty well.

Your versions, obviously, tend to surpass all the competition.

[Marky Dread]

The early CD's sounds way better than the '99 remasters of course both supplanted by the SS box.

Much better bottom end on the Sound System remasters and more clarity in general, but more compression too. Generally, I much prefer Sound System when listening on headphones, but I actually prefer (some) of those old non-remastered CDs when I'm listening on the home stereo, since I can really crank the volume on those old CDs. The old unremastered album CDs are all pretty bad sounding, but the compilations were mostly pretty good. So my Clash CD collection actually all fits together pretty well.

Your versions, obviously, tend to surpass all the competition.

I really like the sound on The Story of Vol.1 first version. Yeah the original bunch of CDs were not great.

[TeddyB Not Logged In]

I think anything released in the UK before the second album was pretty much fair game for the US release. It’s I Fought the Law that jumps out at me as being most inappropriate. It should have been on Black Market Clash if they weren’t going to release COL in the States.

[Marky Dread]

I think anything released in the UK before the second album was pretty much fair game for the US release. It’s I Fought the Law that jumps out at me as being most inappropriate. It should have been on Black Market Clash if they weren’t going to release COL in the States.

I agree.

[Marky Dread]

So I propose this as the running order.

US version:
Side one :
1. Clash City Rockers
2. I'm So Bored with the USA
3. Remote Control
4. Complete Control
5. White Riot
6. Capital Radio
7. London's Burning
8. City of the Dead

Side two :
1. Janie Jones
2. Career Opportunities
3. What's My Name
4. Hate & War
5. 1977
6. Police & Thieves
7. Jail Guitar Doors
8. Garageland

The only other discussion would be to go with the Beaconsfield ''White Riot'' or the single version as is on the US version. I actually think they chose the best option with the single version on the US version as it fits with the better produced later singles added.

My only thought is the first side is top heavy with 5 A-side singles. I wonder if they should spread over the two sides more evenly.

[dave202]

Swap Janie Jones with Clash City Rockers and you are not only partially addressing having 5 A sides on the first side, but returning Janie Jones as the opening track like the UK version. I also think CCR would be better later, so starting the second side with that would have made more sense to me.

I agree I Fought The Law was out of place, but the Canadian labum, with the Groovy Times/Gates Of The West helped it to fit in with that collection. Is that opening another can of worms?