The Clash
The Clash's self-titled debut came out on 8 April 1977. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones wrote the songs and shared guitar and vocals, with Paul Simonon on bass and Terry Chimes on drums, credited on the sleeve as "Tory Crimes". It was his only studio appearance with the band. The one cover is "Police and Thieves", a reggae number, and "What's My Name" carries a co-credit for Keith Levene, who left the group in September 1976.
The whole thing was recorded and mixed in three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, yet it climbed to No. 12 in the UK. "Janie Jones", "White Riot" and "London's Burning" became punk staples, and they were among the first punk songs to make a real mark on the singles charts. Americans had to wait until 1979 for a release, and that version reshuffled the running order and swapped in non-album tracks. It remains the starting point for the band's run of studio albums.
The Clash: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 34:50Tracklist
- 1Janie JonesMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:05
- 2Remote ControlMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:00
- 3I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.Mick Jones and Joe Strummer2:24
- 4White RiotMick Jones and Joe Strummer1:55
- 5Hate & WarMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:04
- 6What’s My NameJones, Levene, Strummer1:40
- 7DenyMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:03
- 8London’s BurningMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:10
- 9Career OpportunitiesHeadon, Jones, Simonon, Strummer1:51
- 10CheatMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:06
- 11Protex BlueMick Jones and Joe Strummer1:45
- 12Police & ThievesJunior Murvin and Lee “Scratch” Perry6:00
- 1348 HoursMick Jones and Joe Strummer1:34
- 14GaragelandMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:13
- Produced by
- Mickey Foote, The Clash, Lee "Scratch" Perry
- Recorded at
- CBS, London, National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, England
- Recorded
- 10–27 February 1977
- Labels
- Epic/Sony, CBS
- Length
- 34:50
Line-up
- Topper Headon · drums (drum set)
- Mick Jones · guitar, vocals
- Paul Simonon · bass guitar
- Joe Strummer · guitar, vocals
Singles
- “White Riot” · 18 March 1977
- “Remote Control” · 13 May 1977
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1977 | 12 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1979 | 126 |
| Swedish Albums · 1977 | 42 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1977 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2016 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Silver |
| United States · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 8 April
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More from The Clash
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The best of 1977
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More on Epic/Sony
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 8 April 1977 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 April 1977 | |
| Wikidata | 8 April 1977 | |
| UK / Europe release | 8 April 1977 | earliest UK or European date |
28 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | CBS | 5099703223224 | other |
| — | GB | Sony Music UK | 886443520738 | remaster |
| — | CA | Epic | 074643606028 | other |
| — | US | Epic | 0746436060102 | other |
| — | XE | Columbia | 5099749534421 | other |
| 1977 | JP | Epic/Sony | other | |
| 8 April 1977 | GB | CBS | original | |
| 1979 | US | Epic | other | |
| 1979 | US | Epic | 074643606011 | other |
| July 1979 | US | Epic | other | |
| 1 August 1988 | JP | Epic | 4988010221751 | other |
| 1990 | US | Epic | 074643606028 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Columbia | 5099746878320 | other |
| 21 October 1996 | JP | Epic | 4988010761622 | other |
| 1999 | US | Epic | 074646388228 | other |
| 1999 | CA | Epic | 074646388327 | other |
| 1999 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 10 April 1999 | US | Epic | 074646388327 | other |
| 1 October 1999 | DE | Epic | 5099749534520 | other |
| 1 October 1999 | DE | Columbia | 5099749534421 | other |
| 2002 | GB | Columbia | 5099751058021 | other |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Epic Records International | 4562109409468 | other |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Epic Records International | 4562109409444 | other |
| 2013 | XW | Sony Music UK | 0886443520738 | other |
| 2013 | GB | Columbia | 887254470120 | other |
| 2013 | XE | Epic | 887254470113 | other |
| 10 February 2026 | — | Rough Trade | other | |
| — | — | — | 074646388228 | other |
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 | 600×600 | upscaled |