Tracks:
1. The Magnificent Seven: 9/10 The Clash's first rap song is occasionally unfocussed but with another terrific baseline and the mixture of biting humour and compelling storytelling in its lyrics, it's a brilliant opening. .
2. Hitsville U.K.: 9/10 a brilliantly sung and superbly played celebration of the British indie music scene.
3. Junco Partner: 8/10 confusing at times, but mostly a very interesting cover song.
4. Ivan Meets G.I. Joe: 8/10 the Cold War reimagined as a dance contest=Genius.
5. The Leader: 8/10 although under 2 minutes, this manages to pack plenty of entertaining material in and manages not to feel pointless.
6. Something About England: 9/10 a wonderful exploration of the Music Hall genre, this may be far away from the brilliant punk rock The Clash started with but this unique, clever and genuinely moving song still represents The Clash at their best.
7. Rebel Waltz: 8/10 a little weird, but oddly touching despite that and the music itself shows more boundary breaking experimentation.
8. Look Here: 7/10 the experimentation with different musical styles continues to be interesting, although this time the song itself isn't massively compelling.
9. The Crooked Beat: 6/10 not massively entertaining, but rather interesting and unique. A risk that just about pays off.
10. Somebody Got Murdered: 9/10 despite the grim title it's a reassuring song since it shows The Clash we all know and love with their heavy rock awesomeness in a very effective song which is more meaningful than it looks.
11. One More Time: 8/10 not to be confused with the Daft Punk song, this boasts more bleak, angry poetry from The Clash with another interesting baseline.
12. One More Dub: 8/10 a very good dub version, this does actually remind one of the Daft Punk song.
13. Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice): 6/10 a bunch of overdone beats and shouty lyrics blended together with the subtlety of a hurricane, this sees The Clash phoning it in somewhat. It's still quite entertaining in some ways though.
14. Up in Heaven (Not Only Here): 8/10 a creative and compelling indictment of capitalism.
15. Corner Soul: 8/10 a bit confusing, although it's still a darn good song.
16. Let's Go Crazy: 8/10 with an intense beat, punchy lyrics and a seamless blend of instruments this one hits with force.
17. If Music Could Talk: 6/10 this is a good song. Unfortunately to realize that you'll need a lyrics sheet since it's impossible to understand. Even then, occasionally the lyrics are too vague so you still might not get it.
18. The Sound of Sinners: 9/10 although it repeats itself quite a lot, it's still a complete blast and has an infectious energy.
19. Police On My Back: 8/10 that amazing intro alone would overshadow any flaws, of which there aren't too many.
20. Midnight Log: 8/10 not one of the most eye-catching ones on the album, but it's got enough clever imagery and catchy moments to make an impression.
21. The Equaliser: 9/10 it may not be particularly loud or different, but it's just a really gripping, entertaining and clever song with a terrific beat. It's quite a bit better than the Denzel Washington thriller of the same name from a couple of years ago.
22. The Call Up: 6/10 a perfectly OK one that's better the second time, although some will find it a bit too quiet.
23. Washington Bullets: 9/10 the weird animal noises at the end aside, this mature, poetic and genuinely powerful meditation on imperialism is a total knockout even though it's one of the quieter songs on the album.
24. Broadway: 4/10 the title of the far superior Led Zeppelin song Ramble On would be appropriate, since that's all this song does until an admittedly interesting throwback to The Guns of Brixton.
25. Lose This Skin: 8/10 if David Lynch did a Clash song, this would be it. It's mad, but mostly in a good way.
26. Charlie Don't Surf: 8/10 more typical Clash material than much of the album, but its clever metaphors and Apocalypse Now reference elevate it.
27. Mensforth Hill: 8/10 Something About England played backwards with overdubs. It's considerably better than it sounds and is a pretty mad track, even if it perhaps functions better as art rather than entertainment.
28. Junkie Slip: 6/10 quite interesting to listen to, although the vocals are a bit too muted and it's not the most enjoyable song on the album.
29. Kingston Advice: 7/10 again, interesting without being one of their more rousing tracks.
30. The Street Parade: 8/10 a refreshingly simple track with plenty of good moments.
31. Version City: 8/10 while the song is essentially just one extended metaphor, it's one that works very well.
32. Living in Fame: 7/10 more art than entertaininment, but this dub remix of If Music Could Talk is better than the actual song.
33. Silicone on Sapphires: 8/10 a self-indulgent but excellent dub remix.
34. Version Pardner: 8/10 ditto.
35. Career Opportunities: 5/10 another audacious experiment, but this re-release of Career Opportunities with children singing it just feels a bit pointless and to be honest a bit annoying too.
36. Shepherd's Delight: 6/10 a decent enough remix of Police and Thieves, nothing special.
Best song: Washington Bullets
Worst song: The Call Up
Summary: A hugely underrated album. This sees The Clash tackle seemingly every musical genre and turn out nearly 2 and a half hours worth of music, so naturally there are some dull moments. On the whole, however, the record is remarkably consistent and endlessly fascinating. Arguably The Clash's Kid A, this is a hugely experimental album, but it's a testament to the band's ability that it's also so ludicrously enjoyable and compelling on every front. Something of a masterpiece which needs to get more attention.
Final rating: 10/10
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