小简介
通向Buddy Holly安息地的公路位于美国德州卢伯克市阴郁的一角：那里有弃用铁道的残迹，货物仓库和外表陈旧的军用火药库。Holly简朴的坟墓就位于此处的城市公墓中，在普普通通的大理石石碑上，从不远处棉田飘来的花粉密密地铺了一层。
除了1979年在这里迎来了一批超乎热情的祭拜者之外，至今这块墓地未曾有些许变更。那次来的是4个身形瘦削的年轻人，他们身着黑色牛仔裤，黑色皮靴和皮茄克。他们在墓旁搭起了一座宛若坟墓状的帐篷。一开始他们还算神情庄重，仿佛恐怕Holly的灵魂不欢迎他们的到来，后来就演变成了一个狂欢派对。他们以其特有的方式纪念这位卢伯克的摇滚王子，而这4个年轻人就是著名的The Clash(冲撞)乐队。当喧哗声散尽后，4个人都从自己口袋中取出一片拨弦片，放在Holly的墓碑上。随后返回当晚邀请他们的德州乡村歌手Joe Ely家中。The Clash那次应邀访问德州就是为了见识一下Ely的乐器，并去Holly的墓上走一走。在Ely家中，他们继续狂欢，而其中颇具天赋的鼓手Topper Headon由于过量吸毒而神智不清。
富有传奇色彩的The Clash与Sex Pistols一起在1976年开创了朋克摇滚的高潮。他们极具感染力的舞台表演和对歌迷的热忱已成为了一种经典。当其他的乐队还沉溺于对汽车和女人的幻想时，他们已经把眼光瞄准了社会的热点：失业、都市喧嚣、种族歧视、恐怖主义、黑帮火并，帝国主义，吸毒和警察腐化。
The Clash是历史上第一支在歌中加入Rap的英国乐队，也是第一支进入牙买加音乐名人堂的白人乐队。当他们于1981年在纽约时代广场演出时，引发了全城混乱。他们的第三张专辑《London Calling》(伦敦呼声)被评为80年代美国最佳专辑；而他们的第四张专辑是三唱片，但由于乐队坚持以单唱片的价格出售，致使The Clash陷入了破产危机。 有一种说法认为，“不看The Clash，不算知道摇滚乐”。的确，The Clash在舞台上全情投入，一下台就倒在化妆间的地板上，连一句话都说不动了。 Mick Jones生于1955年，来自英国工人家庭。其父母早年离异，而Jones从小就迷上摇滚乐，他解释道，也许是为了逃避生活阴影的缘故吧。他对Mott The Hoople、The Stones、The Faces等乐队很着迷，但他真正的偶像是一支美国前卫摇滚乐队The New York Dolls，Mick认为Dolls无所顾忌的音乐态度深深感染了他。
到了1974年，他在一支名为The Delinquent(过失者)的乐队中弹吉他。后成为Generation X乐队成员的Tony James回忆The Delinquent时说，“他们清一色长发过肩，奇装异服。在伦敦各个表演场所出没。我和Mick很快结识，我们发现了彼此的共同点，即都崇拜The New York Dolls，我怀疑他是我在英国唯一的知音。” 随后加入The Clash的是Bernie Rhodes，在一家酒吧中，他与Mick相识了。Mick回忆道：“我乐于和看上去有意思的人相识。当时Bernie戴着一顶帽子，我便走上前去说，你是钢琴家吗?他说，不是，但你穿的T恤我也有一件。我们就这样认识了。” Tony James当时和Mick合组了London SS乐队，当他们问Bernie是否有意加入时，Bernie爽快地同意了，并想成为乐队的经理人。他的经营思想很有趣，正如他自己所说的那样：“你们需要我，因为你们一无所有，你们没有自己的创意，如果你们想成为The New York Dolls第二，那是在浪费我的时间，我们必须走自己的路。” 到了1978年春天，The London SS解散了。Mick、Paul Simonon和吉他手Keith Levene另组了新乐队。Paul是个有天赋的画家，和Mick一样，他也毕业于伦敦的艺术院校。然而在毕业后他想当一个严肃艺术家的理想却渐渐淡去了。
Paul回忆道：“我当时思维混沌，只是想着不应该呆坐在画室里过完我的一生，我想要更刺激的生活。”Paul亦是自小父母离异，缺少关爱。Paul说：“我小时候去什么地方都没有人管，在铁轨上玩也好，小偷小摸也好。”后来，他在伦敦一些风气欠佳的学校中出没，又参加了光头党，但也初步接触了各类先锋音乐。 Paul第一次应征时，Mick花了一小时教他吉他E调和弦，但仍未奏效。于是Mick决定让他试试贝司。直到CBS公司签下乐队前，Paul的技术才练到了家。Mick回忆说：“Paul后来的贝司技术令人叫绝，但开始时的确很糟糕。” 即将诞生的The Clash现在还缺一个主唱。Bernie认为The 101 ers乐队的Joe是合适人选。在预先观看了他的演出后，Joe正式加入。Joe根源摇滚式的吉他技术正是乐队所要的。他的睿智、乐观的政治远见以后都成了乐队的标志。The Clash曾有一首歌叫作“I'm So Bored With You”(你真烦人)，Joe提议把标题改为“I'm So Bored With The USA”(美国真烦人)，歌曲的意境就大不一样了。歌中反映的是美国文化对英国的侵略。一方面Joe的才华得到了充分的认可，另一方面他在创新求变上也渐渐走向了极端。 在1976年时，记者Caroline Coon对The Clash进行了首次采访，这令她印象深刻。乐队指出，嬉皮士运动已经失败了。他们反吸毒，反流行，乐队的举止体现了两代人的思想冲撞。Coon回忆道：“我给他们照了张像，他们紧贴着墙，手臂上举，在Joe的衣服背面写着‘憎恨与战争’，这正是朋克的精神，即不要和平不要爱。The Clash政治主张强硬，充满愤怒，并向往无政府主义，这和传统摇滚不尽相同。当时成名的乐队纷纷逃避现实，而The Clash却勇于直面人生。” Mick表示，“我认为像Rod Stewart那样的歌手背弃了摇滚乐的理想。他们脱离了歌迷，对欣赏他们的乐迷来说，歌手的变节，意味着欺骗。”
1977年，The Clash以10万英镑的身价签入CBS唱片公司。在22年后的今天， 他们出版的唱片已成为朋克的经典，快速的节奏，都市化的表达，挫折感与愤怒的情绪无不被人效尤。而他们的经典歌曲也让听众念念不忘：“Janie Jones”、“I'm So Bored With The USA”、“Garageland”(工地)、“Career Opportunities”(就业机会)、“London's Burning”(伦敦火灾)，一曲曲都让歌迷听后热血沸腾。 在首张专辑热卖之后，Topper Headon加入The Clash担任鼓手，他的到来改变了乐队的音乐风格，他能自由游移于疯克、灵歌和雷鬼音乐之间。“有了他，我们不但有了鼓点，而且有了鲜活的生命力。”Paul如是说，Topper加入后的第一首歌名为“Complete Control”(完全控制)，歌名源自Bernie的一句口头禅：“我要得到完全控制。” Rhodes为The Clash的第二张专辑请来了Sandy Pearlman，而他与乐队合作不愉快。作为制作人，Sand想迎合美国大众口味，而The Clash却不以为然。有记者指出，“The Clash嘲笑每个人，得罪了不该得罪的人，如Sandy Pearlman，他们甚至当面取笑CBS的总裁。他们有时真可谓不知好歹。” 乐队前经理人Johnny Green评论说：“乐队与Pearlman的音乐理念完全不同。Pearlman的想法在Paul看来一文不值，这对The Clash来说是非常动荡的时期。” 但专辑最终还是完成了，与首张同名专辑相比较，内容更为深刻。碟中“Guns On The Roof”(屋顶上的枪)一曲反映了乐队的一段经历： 那年春天，Paul、Topper和另外一些人正在排练场地等Mike来练歌，忽然有人突发奇想带上枪去屋顶射鸽子。他们并没有意识到他们所射杀的是私人所有的名贵比赛用信鸽。警察冒了出来，说接到报警有一群流氓在屋顶用枪对准火车。那时正是爱尔兰共和军恐怖活动猖獗的时期，所以此举非同小可。Paul和Topper于是被囚禁了起来，而Bernie似乎认为这对他们有好处。这引起了广泛的反感，成员们和Bernie的关系从此恶化了。Mike和Bernie之间更是常常针锋相对。 乐队面临解散或是更换经理人的困境，此时Bernie接受了媒体采访，他表示，“The Clash擅长于表达青少年的想法，但他们却不这样做。我苦心经营，却不料得此结果。Joe太懦弱，Mick是个自大狂，Paul太孩子气，而Topper却是个乡巴佬。现在他们想蹬了我，是唱片公司幕后操纵的，他们受了贿。” 在首次美国巡演后，乐队开始为下一张专辑寻找素材。在Bernie离开后，大家重新齐心工作。Mick的乡村曲风，Paul的雷鬼，Topper的迪斯科都完美地融合在了一起。 乐队的下张专辑请到了一手造就The Who乐队的大牌制作人Gny Stevens，他工作极其投入，要求也很严格。但到了录音后期，他由于沉溺于酒精而常常误事，这令此次合作未能善始善终。但Guy的确令《London Calling》专辑到达了新的高度。紧接着，乐队的第二次美国巡演大获成功，在42天时间内横扫美利坚。 自从《Combat Rock》(战斗摇滚)专辑后，Paul Joe和Mick的关系急剧恶化。而乐队内部的人事变动也十分频繁：由4人变为5人，吉他手一直进进出出。Bernie也被请回来重任经理人。The Clash的内部愈来愈动荡了。在巡演时，Paul说：“我不和Mick说话，我们的合作毫无乐趣。我和Joe谈起过此事，我们是成年人，没有必要再忍受Mick的独断专行、喜怒无常了。在排练时，Joe直截了当地说，‘我们想让你离队。’Mick简直不能相信。而我支持Joe的意见。当时，Mick一定十分难过。” 事实上，Mick的离队是一把双刃剑。他一走，The Clash也就不复成为一个完整的乐队了。 Joe和Paul又使The Clash继续维持了两年。新召进了吉他手Vince White和Nick Sheppard。在第6张专辑，也就是由Bernie制作的《Cut The Crap》(别胡扯)后，The Clash于1985年宣告解散了，因为Joe和Bernie在音乐上的分歧也大到了无可挽救的地步。
进入90年代，人们对The Clash怀念有增无减。外界盛传他们将复合，但Paul、Joe和Mick都否认了这种可能。毕竟，现在大家各自都有了自己的一片天地：Paul成了全职的画家；Mick仍唱歌，并兼制作人；Joe成立了新组合The Mescaleros。唯一的安慰是，The Clash最近又发行了一张现场专辑《From Here To Eternity》(从现在到永远)，以志纪念。有乐评说，有两种乐队：浪漫派和经典派。The Clash属于浪漫派，他们的着装、言谈都与众不同，他们的一切都是混乱的、无计划的。
The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where the Pistols were nihilistic, the Clash were fiery and idealistic, charged with righteousness and a leftist political ideology. From the outset, the band was more musically adventurous, expanding its hard rock & roll with reggae, dub, and rockabilly among other roots musics. Furthermore, they were blessed with two exceptional songwriters in Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, each with a distinctive voice and style. The Clash copped heavily from classic outlaw imagery, positioning themselves as rebels with a cause. As a result, they won a passionately devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. While they became rock & roll heroes in the U.K., second only to the Jam in terms of popularity, it took the Clash several years to break into the American market, and when they finally did in 1982, they imploded several months later. Though the Clash never became the superstars they always threatened to become, they restored passion and protest to rock & roll. For a while, they really did seem like "the only band that mattered."
For a band that constantly sang about revolution and the working class, the Clash had surprisingly traditional roots. Joe Strummer (born John Graham Mellor, August 21, 1952) had spent most of his childhood in boarding school. By the time he was in his early twenties, he had busked on the streets of London and had formed a pub rock band called the 101'ers. Around the same time, Mick Jones (born June 26, 1955) was leading a hard rock group called the London SS. Unlike Strummer, Jones came from a working-class background in Brixton. Throughout his teens, he was fascinated with rock & roll, and he had formed the London SS with the intent of replicating the hard-driving sound of Mott the Hoople and Faces. Jones' childhood friend Paul Simonon (born December 15, 1956) joined the group as a bassist in 1976 after hearing the Sex Pistols; he replaced Tony James, who would later join Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik. At the time, the band also featured drummer Tory Crimes (born Terry Chimes), who had recently replaced Topper Headon (born Nicky Headon, May 30, 1955). After witnessing the Sex Pistols in concert, Joe Strummer decided to break up the 101'ers in early 1976 in order to pursue a new, harder-edged musical direction. He left the band just before their first single, "Keys to Your Heart," was released. Along with fellow 101'er guitarist Keith Levene, Strummer joined the revamped London SS, now renamed the Clash.
The Clash performed its first concert in the summer of 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols in London. Levene left the band shortly afterward. Hiring as their manager Bernard Rhodes, a former business associate of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, the Clash set out on the Pistols' notorious Anarchy Tour late in 1976. Though only three concerts were performed on the tour, it nevertheless raised the Clash's profile and the band secured a record contract in February of 1977 with British CBS. Over the course of three weekends, the group recorded their debut album. Once the sessions were completed, Terry Chimes left the group, and Headon came aboard as the band's drummer. In the spring, the Clash's first single, "White Riot," and eponymous debut album were released to great critical acclaim and sales in the U.K., peaking at number 12 on the charts. The American division of CBS decided The Clash wasn't fit for radio play, so it decided to not release the album. The import of the record became the largest-selling import of all time. Shortly after the U.K. release of The Clash, the band set out on the whirlwind White Riot tour supported by the Jam and the Buzzcocks; the tour was highlighted by a date at London's Rainbow Theatre, when the audience tore the seats out of the venue. During the White Riot tour, CBS pulled "Remote Control" off the album as a single, and as a response, the Clash recorded "Complete Control" with reggae icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Throughout 1977, Strummer and Jones were in and out of jail for a myriad of minor indiscretions, ranging from vandalism to stealing a pillowcase, while Simonon and Headon were arrested for shooting racing pigeons with an air gun. The Clash's outlaw image was bolstered considerably by such events, but the band also began to branch out into social activism, such as headlining a Rock Against Racism concert. Released in the summer of 1978, the single "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" demonstrated the band's growing social consciousness. Shortly after the single peaked at number 32, the Clash began working on their second album with producer Sandy Pearlman, a former member of Blue Öyster Cult. Pearlman gave Give 'Em Enough Rope a clean but powerful sound designed to break the American market. While that didn't happen — the album peaked at 128 on the U.S. charts in the spring of 1979 — the record became an enormous hit in Britain, debuting at number two on the charts.
Early in 1979, the Clash began their first American tour, entitled "Pearl Harbor '79." That summer, the band released the U.K.-only EP The Cost of Living, which featured a cover of the Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law." Following the later summer release of The Clash in America, the group set out on its second U.S. tour, hiring Mickey Gallagher of Ian Dury's Blockheads as a keyboardist. On both of their U.S. tours, the Clash had R&B acts like Bo Diddley, Sam & Dave, Lee Dorsey, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins support them, as well as neo-traditionalist country-rocker Joe Ely and the punk rockabilly band the Cramps. The choice of supporting acts indicated that the Clash were becoming fascinated with older rock & roll and all of its legends. That fascination became the driving force behind their breakthrough double album, London Calling. Produced by Guy Stevens, who formerly worked with Mott the Hoople, London Calling boasted an array of styles, ranging from rockabilly and New Orleans R&B to anthemic hard rock and reggae. Retailing at the price of a single album, the record debuted at number nine on the U.K. charts in late 1979 and climbed to number 27 on the U.S. charts in the spring of 1980.
The Clash successfully toured the U.S., the U.K., and Europe in early 1980, during which time the pseudo-documentary Rude Boy was released in England. During the summer, the band released the Dutch-only, dub-inflected single "Bankrobber," which they recorded with DJ Mikey Dread; by the fall, the British branch of CBS was forced to release the single due to popular demand. Shortly afterward, the band went to New York to begin the tension-filled, self-produced sessions for their follow-up to London Calling. In November, a U.S.-only EP of odds and ends entitled Black Market Clash was released. The following month, the triple-record set Sandinista! appeared in the U.K. and the U.S. The critical reaction to the album was decidedly mixed, with American critics reacting more favorably than their British counterparts. Furthermore, the band's audience in the U.K. was shrinking slightly — Sandinista! was the first record the group released that sold more copies in the U.S. than the U.K.
After spending much of 1981 touring and resting, the Clash reconvened late in the year to record their fifth album, with producer Glyn Johns, a former engineer/producer for the Rolling Stones, Who, and Led Zeppelin. Headon left the band shortly after the sessions finished; the press statement said he parted with the group due to political differences, but it was later revealed that the split was due to his heavy drug use. The band replaced Headon with their old drummer, Terry Chimes, around the spring release of Combat Rock. The album was the Clash's most commercially successful effort, entering the U.K. charts at number two and climbing into the American Top Ten in early 1983, thanks to the Top Ten hit single "Rock the Casbah." During the fall of 1982, the Clash opened for the Who on their farewell tour. Though the tour helped Combat Rock scale the U.S. charts, the Clash were routinely booed off the stage on every date of the tour.
Although the Clash were at the height of their commercial powers in 1983, the band was beginning fall apart. Chimes was fired in the spring and was replaced by Pete Howard, formerly of Cold Fish. During the summer, the band headlined the U.S. Festival in California; it would be their last major appearance. In September, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon fired Mick Jones because he "drifted apart from the original idea of the Clash." Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite the following year, while the Clash hired guitarists Vince White and Nick Sheppard to fill his vacancy. Throughout 1984, the band toured America and Europe, testing the new lineup. The revamped Clash finally released their first album, Cut the Crap, in November. The album was greeted with overwhelmingly poor reviews and sales; it would later be disowned by Strummer and Simonon.
Early in 1986, Strummer and Simonon decided to permanently disband the Clash. Several years later, Simonon formed the roots rock band Havana 3 A.M., which released only one album, in 1991; following the record's release, he concentrated on painting. After reuniting with Jones to write songs for Big Audio Dynamite's second album, 1986's No. 10 Upping Street, Strummer drifted between a musical and film career, appearing in Alex Cox's Straight to Hell (1986) and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train (1989). He also scored Permanent Record (1988) and Cox's Walker (1987). Strummer released a solo album, Earthquake Weather, in 1989. Shortly afterward, he joined the Pogues as a touring rhythm guitarist and vocalist. By 1991, he had quietly drifted away from the spotlight. For the remainder of the decade, Strummer was quiet, appearing on only one other recording — Black Grape's 1996 Top Ten hit "England's Irie."
Though Strummer and Simonon were both quiet, and Jones was busy with various incarnations of Big Audio Dynamite, rumors of a Clash reunion continued to circulate throughout the '90s. When "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" appeared in a Levi's television commercial in 1992, the song was re-released in the U.K. by CBS, and it shot to number one, fueling reunion speculation. The rumors appeared again in 1995 and 1996, when the Sex Pistols decided to reunite, but the Clash remained quiet. Live: From Here to Eternity, assembling material recorded between 1978 and 1982, was released in 1999, shortly followed by the documentary film Westway to the World.
