Extra Scenes: "This is The Clash" (October 1985)

18 October 1985

The Clash - This is The Clash

Released: 18 October 1985

Recorded: January - March 1985

Producer: The Clash

Track listing[1]

Side A

Medicine Show

Cool Under Heat

E=MC²

The Bottom Line

Do It Now

Side B

This is England

Sudden Impact!

Three Card Trick

Electric Vandal

North and South

Life is Wild

MICK JONES: "Taking some time off and away from each other after we did Rat Patrol [from Fort Bragg] was a good thing for us when we got back to the studio in early 1985. Topper [Headon] had gotten into rehab for his heroin addiction, and during that break, I played with General Public, but I didn't stay with them for very long. I had to get back together with Joe [Strummer], Paul [Simonon] and Topper to see if we still gelled as a band." (2015)[2]

Freshly reinvigorated, the Clash went into Apple Studios in early 1985 to begin work on their first album since Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg. Joe Strummer wanted to encapsulate a back-to-basics approach to punk while Mick Jones wanted to add more dance elements into the music. This led to a few clashes between the pair, so to speak, but eventually, a compromise was found between them with a style that was closer to London Calling. Although still weary of Jones' use of synthesizers and sampling, Strummer admitted to still being proud of the work he and the others did with clear minds after nearly falling apart in 1982.

This is The Clash was released on 18 October 1985, being preceded by the first single "This is England"/"Sony" (#9 UK, #26) on 30 September. The follow-up single, "E=MC²"/"Sex Mad Roar" (#4 UK, #15 US), would be released 9 December. The album managed to reach #1 in the United Kingdom and #3 in the United States, with many calling it one of their greatest works to date, calling it a return to their roots while simultaneously maintaining a forward trajectory in their sound.

Although it looked as though the Clash would last longer having made a big comeback, it was sadly not to be, as the following year, they released their final album No. 10, Upping St.[3] before disbanding for good following one final tour in 1987. Mick Jones would go on to form Big Audio Dynamite, Paul Simonon with Havana 3am, and Joe Strummer with The Latino Rockabilly War. Fifteen years after the Clash's final show, Strummer would die of heart attack from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect at the age of fifty, putting an end to any chances of a Clash reunion.

Footnotes

1. Most tracks are sourced from Cut the Crap and This is Big Audio Dynamite. "Do It Now" is sourced from Singles Box and "Electric Vandal" from the 2010 Legacy Edition of This is Big Audio Dynamite.
2. In OTL, Topper Headon had been asked to leave the Clash prior to the release of Combat Rock as his heroin addiction was affecting his health and drumming. Terry Chimes, the band's original drummer in 1976 and 1977, was brought back as a replacement up until February 1983, when he was replaced by Pete Howard. As the Clash continued to tour, tension amongst the band grew, eventually culminating with Mick Jones being fired in September that same year, leading to him forming General Public, but he left during the recording of their first album. Nick Sheppard and Vince White were soon brought in as the Clash's new guitarists with Howard staying on as drummer. Most of this is avoided in TTL due to the band hearing of Ozzy Osbourne's death, although, as stated, Mick Jones still plays with General Public and leaves per OTL.
3. Joe Strummer co-produced Big Audio Dynamite's No. 10, Upping St. with Mick Jones, even co-writing five songs (plus two bonus tracks) together. Some could argue that it was indeed the true last album by the Clash, even if it was just half of its members playing on it.

Author's Comments

Well, here it is; the final Extra Scene for the first draft of Strawberry Peppers. Out of the albums for this story, This is The Clash is the only one that's beyond the July 1985 cut-off date, but only by three months, even if the album was recorded before then. In a way, you can consider this to be a post-credits scene for the story, giving the Clash a proper conclusion to their career.