Album
Combat Rock
Combat Rock is the fifth studio album by the Clash, released on 14 May 1982 through CBS. It follows the sprawl of Sandinista! with a tighter, more radio-friendly sound, though funk, reggae and dub still run through it. Lyrically it deals with the Vietnam War, postcolonialism, the decline of American society and authoritarianism. Glyn Johns was brought in to shape the final sound, and some longtime fans felt alienated by the result.
It is the band's best-seller, reaching number 2 in the UK and number 7 in the US, where it went double platinum. It holds two of their signature songs, "Rock the Casbah", a staple of the newly launched MTV, and "Should I Stay or Should I Go". It is also the last record by the classic line-up, made amid friction between Mick Jones and Joe Strummer and Topper Headon's worsening heroin addiction. Cut the Crap followed in 1985.
Combat Rock: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 46:00Tracklist
- 1Know Your RightsMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:42
- 2Car JammingJones, Simonon, Strummer4:01
- 3Should I Stay or Should I GoMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:10
- 4Rock the CasbahHeadon, Jones, Strummer3:44
- 5Red Angel DragnetPaul Simonon and Joe Strummer3:46
- 6Straight to HellHeadon, Jones, Simonon, Strummer5:33
- 7Overpowered by FunkHeadon, Jones, Strummer4:54
- 8Atom TanMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:31
- 9Sean FlynnHeadon, Jones, Simonon, Strummer4:33
- 10Ghetto DefendantJones, Simonon, Strummer4:45
- 11Inoculated CityMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:11
- 12Death Is a StarMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:10
- Produced by
- Guy Stevens, The Clash, Glyn Johns
- Recorded at
- Ear (London), Electric Lady (New York), Warnham (West Sussex, England)
- Mixed by
- Glyn Johns
- Engineered by
- Bob Clearmountain
- Labels
- CBS, Epic
- Length
- 46:00
Line-up
- Topper Headon · drums (drum set) · guest
- Mick Jones · guitar, vocals · guest
- Paul Simonon · bass guitar · guest
- Joe Strummer · guitar, vocals · guest
- Joe Ely · vocals · guest
- Kosmo Vinyl · spoken vocals · guest
- Tommy Mandel · keyboard · guest
- Futura 2000 · vocals · guest
- Gary Barnacle · saxophone · guest
- Allen Ginsberg · spoken vocals · guest
- Tymon Dogg · piano · guest
Singles
- “Know Your Rights” · 23 April 1982
- “Rock the Casbah” · 11 June 1982
- “Should I Stay or Should I Go / Straight to Hell” · 17 September 1982
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1982–1983 | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1982–1983 | 7 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1982–1983 | 5 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1982–1983 | 7 |
| Swedish Albums · 1982–1983 | 9 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1982–1983 | 12 |
| Scottish Albums · 2022 | 16 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1982–1983 | 22 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1982–1983 | 27 |
| Dutch Albums · 1982–1983 | 29 |
All 18 charts
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1982–1983 | 32 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2022 | 42 |
| German Albums · 2022 | 48 |
| Spanish Albums · 2022 | 56 |
| Swiss Albums · 2022 | 56 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2022 | 65 |
| Italian Albums · 2022 | 70 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2022 | 143 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1982 | Gold |
| France · 1983 | Gold |
| Italy · 2021 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2016 | Gold |
| United States · 1995 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
89.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
15k
ListenBrainz listeners
136k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
46k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 14 May
Every year →
More from The Clash
Full discography →
The Clash
1977
Give ’Em Enough Rope
1978
The Cost of Living E.P.
1979
London Calling
1979
Black Market Clash
1980
Sandinista!
1980
Cut the Crap
1985
The Story of The Clash, Volume 1
1988
1977 Revisited
1990
The Singles
1991
Clash on Broadway
1991
From Here to Eternity: Live
1999
The Essential Clash
2003
The Singles
2006
The Singles
2007
Live at Shea Stadium
2008
Sound System
2013
5 Studio Album CD Set
2013
Hits Back
2013
The best of 1982
All of 1982 →
The Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden · 1982
Coda
Led Zeppelin · 1982
Pornography
The Cure · 1982
Love Over Gold
Dire Straits · 1982
Mirage
Fleetwood Mac · 1982
Hot Space
Queen · 1982
Screaming for Vengeance
Judas Priest · 1982
Signals
Rush · 1982
Diver Down
Van Halen · 1982
Creatures of the Night
KISS · 1982
It’s Hard
The Who · 1982
The Rolling Stones Latest Greatest 1982
Latest Greatest
The Rolling Stones · 1982
More on CBS
The label →The Rolling Stones Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite) 1990
Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite)
The Rolling Stones · 1990
London Calling
The Clash · 1979
Facelift
Alice in Chains · 1990
British Steel
Judas Priest · 1980
Sandinista!
The Clash · 1980
No Rest for the Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne · 1988
Killing Machine
Judas Priest · 1978
Sin After Sin
Judas Priest · 1977
Ram It Down
Judas Priest · 1988
Tribute
Ozzy Osbourne · 1987
Three
U2 · 1979
Greatest Hits
Fleetwood Mac · 1971
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 May 1982 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 May 1982 | |
| Wikidata | 14 May 1982 | |
| US release | 1982 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 May 1982 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Epic | 074643768917 | other |
| — | XE | Columbia | 5099703278729 | other |
| — | ES | CBS/Sony | 5099703278729 | other |
| — | CA | Epic | 074646389621 | other |
| 1982 | XE | CBS | other | |
| 1982 | US | Epic | 074643768917 | other |
| 14 May 1982 | GB | CBS | original | |
| 14 May 1982 | GB | CBS | original | |
| 1988 | GB | CBS | 5099703278729 | other |
| 1 August 1988 | JP | Epic | 4988010222154 | other |
| 1990 | US | Epic | 074643768924 | other |
| 1990 | CA | Epic | 074643768924 | other |
| 1991 | AU | Epic | 9399746503229 | other |
| 21 March 1991 | JP | Epic | 4988010526528 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Columbia | 5099703278729 | other |
| 1999 | US | Epic | 074646389621 | other |
| 1999 | XE | Columbia | 5099749534926 | other |
| 1999 | CA | Epic | 074646389621 | other |
| 1 October 1999 | DE | Columbia | 5099749534926 | remaster |
| 20 November 1999 | JP | Epic | 4988010781422 | other |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Epic Records International | 4562109409499 | other |
| 2013 | XW | Sony Music UK | 886443520707 | other |
| 2013 | XE | Columbia | 887254469728 | other |
| 2013 | XW | Sony Music UK | 886443520707 | other |
| 25 May 2022 | JP | Sony Records International | 4547366554069 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×595 | upscaled |