The Clash

Sound System

Legacy Records

Sound System is a comprehensive look at the unique stamp The Clash put on rock and roll in the seventies and eighties. It’s a massive twelve disc set that includes the albums as well as three discs worth of extras and rarities and a DVD chronicling all the band’s visual works.

As any self-respecting rock fan will know, the albums need not be included here. We know them all by heart and we know that with today’s technology they can only sound better, right? So, we aren’t gonna waste time talking about the albums. If you don’t have them, go buy them because they will change your life.

On to the rarities discs then. All three discs contain very early works from the band and the quality is shoddy at best. Disc one kicks off with the single version of “White Riot” and the B-side “1977,” to little fanfare and it’s pretty downhill with the gritty production and a batch of songs that just don’t live up to the band’s legacy (I’m looking at you “Bank Robber” and “1-2 Crush On You”). The Cost of Living EP appears on this disc as well so “I Fought the Law” saves the album a bit.

Disc Two fares a little better featuring both the single version and the 7” B-side (with different lyrics) of “This Is Radio Clash.” It also includes a forgettable Bob Clearmountain mix of “Rock the Casbah” and some outtakes of  both “Midnight to Stevens” and the album’s main bright spot “The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too.”

Disc Three focuses on the rarities by collecting the band’s first ever recording sessions (not a good thing as it turns out), the Guy Stevens produced Polydor demos (only a year after their original), and a live show from 1979 that took place at The Lyceum in London. The Polydor demos are largely a better version of the band’s original demos with the editions of “Janie Jones” and “Career Opportunities.”  “White Riot” is the most notably different as it’s much tighter and clearer. The live show is okay but the recording is pretty weak (typical of the time though, so just making it available is kinda cool for diehard fans). I was really excited to check these discs out and, to be honest, I was shocked at how terrible they are.

What redeems the extras in this set is the DVD. By the time I got to it I was questioning whether I actually still enjoyed The Clash but the DVD served as a strong reminder of how important this band actually was and still is. It features all the band’s videos, which in hindsight is an interesting revelation. The band changed so much from their early punk rock days to the questionable choices the early eighties brought, particularly with regards to fashion and bigger melodies. I don’t see this as a bad thing but they seemed so much less volatile by the early to mid-eighties. Super 8 Medley and the immortal Clash on Broadway appear here as well reminding us that The Clash were more than just a band. The Julien Temple archive appears here as does the White Riot Interview, both of which are interesting once through and show a much humbler band than you are expecting to see. A Sussex University show from 1977 is also included which is kinda fun as well but it makes it obvious that the band were still trying to find their place. They are awkward all the way through but the it was certainly resonating with the fans.

Overall, if you aren’t a diehard fan of The Clash then this is not for you. If you are a diehard fan then you’ll likely want to own this, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the cost of admission. There aren’t any real hidden gems here in my opinion.