The Clash

United Kingdom, 1976–1986

London punk band of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, formed in 1976. They took in reggae, dub, rockabilly and funk, most fully on the double album London Calling.

MusicRoots documents 4 artists who influenced The Clash and 11 artists The Clash influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced The Clash?

• The 101ers — Strummer learned his trade in the 101ers and carried its rock'n'roll and R&B foundation into the Clash — the rockabilly and reggae appetite that separated them from their peers.
• The Stooges — The Clash's attack was built on the Stooges' proto-punk — Strummer and Jones cited Iggy's assault as core to what punk could be.
• Ramones — The Ramones' July 1976 London shows lit the fuse of British punk — the Clash formed and accelerated in their immediate wake.
• Sex Pistols — The Sex Pistols were the immediate spark — Joe Strummer quit the 101ers to form the Clash after seeing the Pistols in April 1976, and the two bands drove British punk together.

Which artists did The Clash influence?

• The Specials — The Specials fused ska with punk's energy and politics — Jerry Dammers linked the two, saying bands like the Specials and the Clash could be political.
• The Libertines — The Clash were central to The Libertines' sound and myth — Mick Jones produced their first two albums and taught them to embrace mistakes as long as a recording captures its spirit.
• Arctic Monkeys — Their sense of song structure and taut punk drive traces back through The Strokes and The Libertines to The Clash and The Jam.
• U2 — The Clash's October 1977 Dublin show is U2's founding legend — the Edge has called it 'the night that changed everything'.
• Rage Against the Machine — De la Rocha and Morello have named the Clash the model of a band where politics and music are one weapon.
• Green Day — The Clash's melodic, ambitious punk was part of the first-wave punk lineage feeding Green Day.
• Vampire Weekend — Punk economy and the genre-blending of the Clash sit alongside the afropop in Vampire Weekend's brisk, sharp songwriting.
• Manic Street Preachers — The Clash's politically charged punk is foundational to the Manics — sloganeering fury married to rock ambition.
• Kaiser Chiefs — The Clash's driving punk urgency underpins the raw, riotous energy of Kaiser Chiefs' guitar attack.
• The Slits — Joe Strummer taught Ari Up to play guitar, and the Slits' first tour was supporting the Clash.
• Beastie Boys — Sampled on 'Rhymin & Stealin', with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.