History Trivia / TheClash

** Upon hearing their debut self-titled album, the suits at their American record label decided that some of the songs would inspire people to rebel, and decided to remove 5 songs and replace them with some of the band's British singles like "Complete Control" and "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais". Some critics think this is better, but they are completely missing the point as you could easily make another album of all the singles and B-Sides from this period.

* ChartDisplacement: The band's only top 40 hits in the U.S. were "Train in Vain" and "Rock the Casbah". Both songs are classics, but not as iconic as "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (only #43) and "London Calling" (didn't chart).

* TwoHitWonder: From a single standpoint, they've only managed to get two songs into the American Top 40, which is two more than most punk bands can hope for. Specifically, their two Top 40 hits are "Train in Vain" which peaked at #23 in 1980, and "Rock the Casbah" which hit #8 two years later. Both songs are classics (especially "Casbah"), [[ChartDisplacement but neither is among their two signatures]]. Those would be "London Calling" (which didn't chart) or "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (which fell short at #45).

* CreatorKiller: ''Music/CutTheCrap'' not only killed the band but marked the last death rattle of the first wave of PunkRock, at least as a mainstream force in popular music. The band was in turmoil by this point: drummer Topper Headon left due to drug problems and more importantly, lead guitarist and co-vocalist Mick Jones was fired due to both his attitude and his more eclectic musical influences clashing with the rest of the band, particularly their manager Bernie Rhodes and lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer. They were replaced with a trio of unknown musicians who contributed little, such that fans refer to this lineup as "The Clash Mk. II". The resulting album was more or less entirely the product of Rhodes (who produced it under the name "Jose Unidos" and co-wrote it with Strummer), and it sounded like a half-baked, poorly-produced ripoff of Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood, Music/{{Genesis|Band}}, or any number of other synth-driven rock bands playing on MTV around that time. Even Strummer regarded it as an OldShame, saying that he should never have left Rhodes fire Jones and that he stopped caring partway through recording the album. The Clash broke up for good shortly after, and while Strummer and Jones eventually reconciled, the band never reunited.

* NamesTheSame:
** There's another Mick Jones who was also a guitarist, but with Music/{{Foreigner|Band}}.
** Clash (without "The") is a Thai rock band that was popular in the 2000's.

** Upon hearing their debut self-titled album, the suits at their American record label decided that some of the songs would inspire people to rebel, and decided to remove 5 songs and replace them with some of the band's British singles like "Complete Control" and "White Man in Hammersmith Palais". Some critics think this is better, but they are completely missing the point as you could easily make another album of all the singles and B-Sides from this period.

* NoHitWonder: They were famous for a time as the band to have released the most UK singles without ever hitting the singles Top Ten, until the [[BlackSheepHit uncharacteristic]] "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" hit number one after being [[RepurposedPopSong used in an advert]].

** This is why a watch alarm can be heard in the second verse of "Rock The Casbah". Topper Headon's ''[[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Dukes of Hazzard]]'' watch had accidentally went off, but the digitized version of the General Lee's horn matched the beat nicely, so they kept it in.

** ''Combat Rock'' came after the band were slammed by CBS for the poor commercial performance of ''Sandinista!'' After spending 2 albums managing themselves, Joe Strummer decided to re-hire Bernie Rhodes. A polarizing figure, Rhodes' return was met with both praise and disdain from band members (Mick Jones in particular was not fond of him). Jones' antics polluted this album, with him getting into raging arguments with Strummer (one person who worked on the album noted that they left the band to work on the mixing for "Rock The Casbah" at 2 AM and returned in the morning to them still having the same argument). Around this time, Topper Headon's drug addiction became even worse than it ever had been. Upon returning to London after a successful show, he was stopped by customs who found heroin in his possession. This created even more tension between members and was considered and embarrassment for the band that refused to promote the use of hard drugs. Topper would soon be dismissed from the band due to his drug habits. Simonon also came down with a nasty stomach bug that almost claimed his life. When deciding on mixing, the band chose the legendary Glyn Johns. On Johns' first day, he had finished mixing 3 songs when Jones arrived late despite Johns' clear directions. Jones whined about disliking the mixes for all 3 of them, to which the usual mild tempered Johns flipped, attempting to put Jones in his place. After the album was released, Rhodes came up with the moronic idea of having Strummer stage a disappearance to give the album more publicity. Strummer went against Rhodes' original plan and disappeared in Paris, leading to many to think Strummer had legitimately disappeared. While he thankfully returned in one piece, the album was the band's most financially successful album, being their first and only top 10 album in the United States.
** ''Cut The Crap'' was made after a troubled tour which resulted in the sacking of both Topper Headon for drug problems and Mick Jones for his prima donna attitude. With 2 major slots replaced, the band's sound drastically changed and the album was made with very little direction. It was actually Bernie Rhoades who bizarrely took over the musical direction, with the sound being more electronic than previous albums. The new members [[HostilityOnTheSet bumped heads with Rhoades' antics and band politics were so frail]] that by the end of production, The Clash was no more. It's often regarded as the worst in the band's discography, even if it's looked at as ahead of it's time in some circles.