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The Clash
The Essential Clash
[DVD]
(Epic/Legacy)
First Appeared at The Music Box, December 2003, Volume 10, #12
Written by John Metzger
For all the anti-establishment posturing of punk bands like The Sex Pistols
and The Clash, they all seemed to know a little something about surviving within
the music business. Simply put, it’s just not possible for one to stand outside
the system and hope to get ahead, and so they played the game as well as anyone.
Need proof? Then, spend some time with The Essential Clash, a DVD that
serves as a less vital, but no less intriguing companion to the double-disc
retrospective of the same title. The group’s savvy sales strategy is on display
right from the start when Mick Jones delivers with a knowing smirk his response
to a journalist who asked the band when it would sell-out.
Granted, there is a kernel of truth to be found within The Clash’s defiant
actions, lyrics, and music, but one can’t overlook the fact that it cleverly
exploited its outsider status as a means to market itself to rebellious teens
who completely bought into its non-commercial image. Nevertheless, it takes
nothing away from the fact that The Clash was a powerhouse band, one of the most
influential and important ensembles in the history of rock ’n‘ roll, and The
Essential Clash captures the group in all its glory. The collection begins
with a composite trailer that revolves around the group’s high-profile and
controversial gigs at Bonds in New York City before delving into 11 videos, all of which are standard fare for the time. Of course, the most
familiar of these is the clip for Rock the Casbah, though the frenetic White Riot and the concert cuts Should I Stay or Should I Go, Career Opportunities, and Train in Vain paint a better picture of the
band’s persona.
Also included on The Essential Clash is some rare promotional footage
shot in 1976 (from which the White Riot video was extracted), a live
performance of I Fought the Law, a short interview segment from a 1976
episode of London Weekend Show, and Joe Strummer’s strange, silent home
movie Hell W10, which weaves a tale drugs, porn, and corruption in
London’s underworld. Make no mistake, none of this quite earns the "essential"
label granted to the DVD by its title, but the set is a fascinating document,
nonetheless, that might have been made somewhat better had it all been placed
into context with the inclusion of a commentary or two. 
The Essential Clash [DVD] is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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