Every album by the Clash ranked from least to greatest

The best two albums of the Clash

No. 2 - The Clash (1977)

1977 was a magical year for punk. This album was released, of course, as was the Sex Pistols' only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Both records were excellent and there is no need to compare them here. Recorded over three weekends in February 1977, the band's songs were tight and much more simple-sounding than their later albums would be. All eras of the Clash are great, but any band releasing a debut record that is so confident and exhilarating is rare.

There are zero bad songs on The Clash, but there are a number that would be on any other band's best-of list. "Janie Jones," "Remote Control," "I'm So Bored with the USA," and "White Riot" begin the album and there might not be a better start to any record in the history of music. But this LP has so much more to offer as well.

No. 1 - London Calling (1979)

This is, simply, put on the best albums ever made. With their third LP, the group proved it was in full control of all of its immense abilities and showed it could pull off nearly any kind of sound and make it excellent. There are punk tracks on London Calling, of course, but there are clear influences from many other types of genres and the Clash perfected every one.

The title track opens the double LP and puts the hammer down with force declaring, "phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust." The album ends with the brilliant "Train in Vain" which was almost left off as the track was set to be made into a flexi disk for NME readers. Those two songs alone could make an album exceptional, but they are simply bookends for everything else.

"Brand New Cadillac" is garage rock. "Jimmy Jazz" is dance hall. "Wrong 'Em Boyo" is full-force ska. There is something everyone can love on this album.

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