THE STORIES BEHIND EVERY STUDIO TRACK FROM THE ONLY BAND THAT MATTERS.
Established in 1976 at the fore London’s punk rock insurgence, The Clash would outlast their peers while creating some of the most influential albums in rock ’n’ roll history. Author Martin Popoff dissects each of the Clash’s ninety-one studio tracks, examining the circumstances that led to their creation, the recording processes, the historical contexts and more. In addition, introductory essays set the scene for the band’s six studio releases (including the double LP London Calling and the triple Sandinista!) and feature sidebars detailing studios, release dates, personnel, and more. Illustrated with rare performance and offstage photography, along with images of 7-inch singles sleeves and gig posters, the resulting volume is a fitting tribute to the foursome whose staunch political stance and groundbreaking amalgam of punk, rockabilly, reggae, and hip-hop earned the title “The Only Band That Matters.”
Praise
“While Popoff’s not afraid to share his bias—something that may bristle a few of the punk rockers who have strong opinions about what Clash albums are above reproach—there is no denying that he knows his Clash history. An obvious must-own for Clash fans, but a great read for overall music fans as well.” New Noise
“It is clear that Popoff is a fan, and he is passionate about his topic. The Clash: All The Albums, All The Songs is a brilliant book. Although Popoff is a writer who is more associated with ‘Heavy Metal,’ and not punk, he handles the subject admirably. And it is great, to see in print, someone else state that London Calling did not have any punk music on it (it doesn’t). Popoff has a beautiful style of writing and it makes reading the book more enjoyable. This is an essential read for any Clash fan as they will love the stories that go along with each album.” Spill Magazine
“Popoff has taken it upon himself the Herculean task of listening to every single song by the Clash from every studio album and penning pithy, insightful, and interesting mini-reviews of every tune in the Clash canon. Popoff’s critical appraisals of each Clash album are spot-on, rightfully lauding London Calling as the landmark album that it is while putting the critical confusion of Sandinista! into proper context. Popoff isn’t afraid to ‘call a dog a dog’ with his keen critical eye, either, dismissing the band’s final effort, the miserable Cut the Crap, as the glorified cash-grabbing demo tape that it is, or correctly surmising that the 36 songs on the three-disc Sandinista! could have easily been culled back to a couple dozen to create a more cohesive artistic statement. His deep dive into the Clash’s first two albums, which aren’t nearly as well-known stateside as the band’s post-London Calling efforts, provides the reader with a fascinating look ‘behind the scenes’ into their creation, as well as a bit of historical discussion of the social and economic state of the U.K. that helped inspire songs on both.” That Devil Music
“...an obvious must-own for Clash fans, but a great read for overall music fans as well.” NeuFutur
“...the book’s real strength is the amazing cache of band photos—many of them live and not familiar—as well as shots of Clash record and single covers, memorabilia, ticket stubs, and show flyers. Overall, a good-looking primer on “‘The Only Band That Matters.’” Houston Press
“Anyone just now discovering The Clash will find Popoff’s book a great introduction—and good reason to start exploring the group’s recordings.” Honolulu Star-Advertiser
“Popoff’s well-illustrated volume gets the job done with incisive, insightful, and information-packed essays on every album and individual song” No Depression
“The thing that truly sets Popoff’s books apart from just a mere writing machine, is the quality of the total package … the visuals, photography, graphics and bits of Clash history make this book an outstanding collectible for both the Clash fan and the music lover alike.” My Big Honkin’ Blog
“It’s great to have a resource examining the band’s music in such depth." Goldmine Magazine
About the Author
At approximately 7,900 (with over 7,000 appearing in his books), Martin Popoff has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 108 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com, and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.