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The Clash - Give 'em Enough Rope Audio CD

A fair review of the The Clash "Give 'em Enough Rope" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Clash reviews here, or go back to the The Clash tabs.

The Clash Band: The Clash
Title: Give 'em Enough Rope
Rating:
Release Date: 2000-01-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Safe European Home 2: English Civil War 3: Tommy Gun 4: Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad 5: Last Gang in Town 6: Guns on the Roof 7: Drug-Stabbing Time 8: Stay Free 9: Cheapskates 10: All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)

Give 'Em Enough Punk!
"Give 'Em Enough Rope" was the Clash's second album and already they were beginning to try new things. The Clash may have been inspired by The Ramones and literally copied their sound for their debut album, but they didn't continue with the trend for long. It is important for artists to do this if they want to evolve. The reason the Ramones didn't evolve musically is because they invented a sound they stuck with. They had the right to do that. If The Clash hadn't, they would've become a copy cat joke. "Give 'Em Enough Rope" didn't generate any hit singles, but there were some great songs nonetheless.

Other albums I bought that sound like this are: Sloopjohnd , The Clash (U. K. Version) and London Calling.


On top of their game
The album may not boast too many radio friendly songs but doin't let that dissuade you. I know that their 1977 debut and London Calling seem to get all of the ink but Give 'em Enough Rope is a masterpiece in it's own right. In this album the trademark chainsaw guitars of early Clash are subtly blended with hints of the world influences that would play out so prominently on London Calling and Sandinista.
Strummer and co. even skewer many of their own fans in the album's final song. "All the Young Punks" was the best send-up of an artist's own fan base until Nirvana released "In Bloom". If you are even a casual fan of the Clash or 70's punk get this album. .


Still Underwhelming After All These Years
After all these years I'm still monumentally underwhelmed. After hearing all the hype about the Clash I bought this when it came out. I'm glad I persisted and before long picked up their first album, but once you get past the first song here, the powerful "Safe European Home", the remainder ranges from adequate to unremarkable. The best of the rest might be "Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad" which was catchy enough and helped to break the redundancy of the band's sound.

A complete Clash library could be assembled from some combination of the first album "The Clash", the CD "Super Black Market Clash", and one of the best of's that cherry picks the highlights from the rest of the band's career. You know, those 80s years when they pandered their sound in pursuit of gaining the favor of the mainstream American teenager. If you're downloading tracks, just grab "Safe European Home"; that one number blasts out of the box like a prize horse leaving the gate. The rest of this album is as moribund as the dead cowboy on the cover.
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The unsung hero of the Clash catalog
This is unfortunate as Give `Em Enough Rope contains many of their best songs. Sandwiched between their two classic albums, their self-titled debut and London Calling respectively, The Clash's second album, Give `Em Enough Rope, often doesn't receive the credit it deserves. Musically, the album is closer to hard rock than punk in spirit as the guitars are louder and the songs are longer. Their lyrics are still razor sharp, particularly attacking drugs and terrorism. The opening "Safe European Home" is one of their best and features a great fade out and fade in (similar to Kiss' "I Love It Loud") that is very cool. "Tommy Gun" is even better and the band gives a spirited performance driven by the song's loud riffs and Topper Headon's furious drumming. The anthem "Drug Stabbing Time" and the slower tunes, "Last Gang in Town" and "All the Young Punks" are great tracks as well. Other strong tunes include the melodic "Stay Free", the sarcastic shuffle of "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad", and the angry "English Civil War. " The remaining tracks, "Guns on the Roof" and "Cheapskates" are decent but don't touch the rest of the album even though the lyrics on the former are very good. All told, while not quite a classic, Give `Em Enough Rope is pretty darn close and should be a part of your Clash collection. .


the best clash ...
yes, the production is a bit heavy metal, but the les pauls rule ! and the songs ! and strummer and jones . i have never understood why this album gets flack, and london calling, filler full, doesn/t. . . well, if you want to hear the clash as a punk band, here is where you go. (old man. was there, did that. . . )

new question - do you own a les paul and a marshall amp ? if not, i wonder if you know what you are talking about.


You can see a complete list of all The Clash discography, or go back to the The Clash tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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