since you're a big fan ronnie, let's get deeper into it.
I'm almost sure that my favorite album is their first one, that out of tune bomb! do you think I'm crazy? 'cause I absolutely love London Calling too.
My favorite is probably LONDON CALLING overall, though there is good work on all their albums (except for CUT THE CRAP, done after Headon and Mick Jones were fired...and wow it blows)
THE CLASH, especially the US version, was a kickass debut album, pretty damn among the best of that "punk" movement in UK in its peak. Yeah its not universally loved like LONDON CALLING, but its still a must-listen for rock fans.
GIVE'EM ENOUGH ROPE isn't as good, but its still better than most rock acts' "best" album. Yet its an example of what was wrong with Punk at that point in 1978, which was that bleak nilhistic anti-authoritative screaming and ranting with a limited # of guitar riffs was exhausting itself rather quickly. My favorite from this album, "Guns on The Roof."
So LONDON CALLING basically was Clash growing up, if that makes any sense, or at least trying to expand their abilities, and thus became I think one of the few punk acts...perhaps the only one...to actually shake,rattle, & roll that genre by 180 degrees, and an ultimatum: Mature with us, or be left Irrelevant.
They continued even further, too far perhaps, with the triple-disc SANDINISTA! To quote a friend of mine, "It's a great album unfortunately taped together with two inferior records: one decent, and the other pointless filler album." Still there is great tunes on it that you all should try to dig up on YouTube.
Examples from SANDINISTA! I would recommend include:
"Police On My Back" "Somebody Got Murdered" (KICK-ASS) "The Magnificent Seven" (Live version is superior to Album Cut) "The Street Parade" "The Leader" "Something About England" "One More Time" "Ivan Meets GI Joe" (A Disco Tune!) "The Call-Up" "Rebel Waltz" "Hitsville UK" "Charlie Don't Surf" "Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" (another rap-funk experiment) "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" "Midnight Log"
Hell, here is "Somebody Got Murdered"...and tell me that it doesn't rock:
Then their last album with the classical line-up, COMBAT ROCK...I think its pretty good. Maybe too conservative because the Clash wanted to go back to the center after people were baffled by SANDINISTA!, but still you get good shit from hits like "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and "Rock The Casbah."
"Straight To Hell" is terrific as well.
A single-release that never was placed on an album that also kicks ass is "This is Radio Clash":
