so, why are the Clash considered a "punk rock" band?

[King Crimson]

sure, there's the working class brit brixton punk/reggae thing....but 90% of their tunes aren't "punk" in the sense of Crass or even the early the Fall. London Calling is a pop record, not exactly Zen Arcade or 1983's Suicidal Tendencies LP.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

If you were around when London Calling broke, you'd know why The Clash are considered punk.



Do you consider Fats Domino "rock and roll", because he sure doesn't sound like the MC5.

[BSmack]

What I love about The Clash is their ability to confound those who would categorize them. You hear "White Riot" and they're a punk band. You listen to "Bankrobber" and they're a bunch of white kids playing around with dub music. "Wrong Em' Boyo"? Well now they're ska. And of course "Rock The Casbah" or "Train In Vain" sounds like a new wave pop band of the era.

Categorizing The Clash? Good luck.

[King Crimson]

i was around when LC "broke"...as you see above i've listed two LP's that were released in the early 80's about the same time as LC. i like the Clash, it ain't that, i just think the "punk" label has more to do with their working class identity than the actual tunes.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

...i just think the "punk" label has more to do with their working class identity than the actual tunes.

In Thatcher's Britain, working class identity was a punk rock stance of sorts.

I dunno...hard to explain.

[socal]

Not hard to explain. They were well positioned as a left leaning, antiestablishment band against Thatcher's England.

I think in part they're given a punk label given who they started playing with in the early days. The Sex Pistols and the Ramones don't get any more "conventional" in punk rock circles.

[King Crimson]

the last two posts are kind of what i was angling for, but didn't really phrase it as well.

right on, guys.

[Dr_Phibes]

Talking Heads are always thrown into the equation in any big television sum up. Never really got that either.

[socal]

Talking Heads are always thrown into the equation in any big television sum up. Never really got that either.

Stopped making sense?

[BSmack]

Talking Heads are always thrown into the equation in any big television sum up. Never really got that either.

Just about any band in the late 70s that didn't sound like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Stones or the Bee Gees and/or came from New York/London got lumped in as "punk".

[MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan]

Rancid sucks (and the Clash sucked too)