Six incredibly fantastic debut albums from the 1970s

The Clash - The Clash

The self-titled debut album from one of the punk rock pioneers. The Sex Pistols may have grabbed many of the headlines of the time with their groundbreaking punk album Never Mind The Bo***cks, but The Clash did it better and for far longer. With this brilliant debut album leading the way.

The Clash was released in April 1977 in the UK and then a much reworked track list version came out in the US later, in July 1979, where it was The Clash’s second release. Their second UK album Give ‘em Enough Rope was released first in the US. However you look at it, and no matter where you are when you read this, The Clash was their debut album, the first they recorded and released, had it not been successful, “Give ‘em Enough Rope” may not have been made. 

The band adopted several musical styles over the years, this first album was them at their punk rock peak. Full of anger, pace, protest, and great songs. There was a touch of reggae in there too. Anthemic songs like “London’s Burning” and “White Riot” sat well amongst the other tracks. “White Man In Hammersmith Palais” and “I Fought The Law” were added to the US version, making the album even more powerful. 

The Clash achieved gold status in both the UK and the US. It peaked at number 12 in the UK charts but only reached 126 on the Billboard 200. Lower sales there perhaps related to the UK version being sold on import ahead of the US release a couple of years later. It still had remarkable success on mainstream charts for a punk band and set the scene for even more to follow from the band and others.