Rudiecantfail’s Weblog

It is a shame that The Clash’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope is overlooked and almost forgotten about. Released in 1978, the album followed up the acclaimed and popular The Clash, and it preceded the world wide phenomenon London Calling. Knowing these two albums and the amount of recognition they got, one would think that Give ‘Em Enough Rope should be just as well known as those two. For whatever reason, though, it is not. Perhaps it is just overshadowed by the towering London Calling, or overlooked simply because it does not have the Clash staples of their self titled debut. Likely, it is one of those two things because the album is as good as anything the band has released and certainly deserves a listen.

Give ‘Em Enough Rope burns through ten quick songs, and rarely loses energy throughout. From “Safe European Home” to “All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts),” the album is filled with many of the same sounds and themes as the bands debut. Building off the foundation established in The Clash, many of the songs are filled with blazing guitars, fast paced drums, and politically charged, angst ridden lyrics. For the band, though, the foundation created with The Clash is just that: a foundation. In typical Clash style, the band takes what they have already established, builds upon it and adds to it. Imparting further touches of roots rock and reggae to their already dynamic sound, the band makes a constant effort to avoid being painted in a corner. Notable changes also include the bands addition of piano, saxophone, and organ to a few tracks. These additions in style and instrumentation do not seem superfluous, but rather become seamless to the music itself.

Starting with the opening track, we already notice something different about Give ‘Em Enough Rope. The audible difference is not in the quality of the music itself —that has always been strong— but the change, instead, is in the sound quality of the music. We can easily hear that the scratchy, low quality tracks from The Clash are gone, and in their place are lean, heavily produced ones courtesy of producer Sandy Pearlman. Although good sound quality should never be looked at negatively, this addition to the music was originally met with negative reviews from some long time fans and critics. The new polished sound, coupled with the fact that Pearlman had previously produced bands like Blue Oyster Cult, led many to think that band had “sold out.” However, although the band does sound somewhat tame and controlled in this type of production, the disk does let the music become somewhat more accessible than in earlier offerings. Truly, in the end, quality and production do little to detract from the music throughout the album, which still remains excellent.

Give ‘Em Enough Rope starts with a bang. The lead off track “Safe European Home” is built on fast paced guitars and drums, quick call and response vocals, and –in traditional Clash form– politically themed lyrics. With instant fury filled start, and the shouted opening lines “Well, I just got home and I hope I never leave now,” we are immediately awestruck, captivated, held for the entire song. Easily one of the strongest cuts The Clash ever released, “Safe European Home” is also among the strongest on the album. The bar is set high for the rest of the album and one would almost think it impossible to follow up. However, The Clash does. The rapid succession of “English Civil War” and “Tommy Gun” keep the energy moving nicely and find the band sounding as strong as ever. “Tommy Gun,” especially, is a standout on the album. Topper Headon’s rolls scattered throughout the track are reminiscent of Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” while his military like cadences add another reminder of the song’s war theme. While all the instrumentation is strong throughout the track, it is clearly the drums that define the song.

While The Clash has developed a certain rhythm and theme for the album with the first three tracks, we get something totally different with “Julie’s been working for the Drug Squad.” The beauty of the track is that we had no idea it was coming, or that The Clash could pull it off. The song is authentic, dance worthy, 50’s style rock & roll, and is easily inspired by anyone from Elvis to Jerry Lee Lewis. Featuring a grooving piano and some excellent “oh and ah” back up vocals from Mick Jones, the sound is completely new for the band. Truth be told, the Clash do not sound that much different from punk contemporaries The Ramones on this track. That group constructed a similar brand of 50’s inspired punk, and when Joe Strummer sings lines like, “It’s lucy in the sky and all kinds of apple pie/She giggles at the screen ‘cos it looks so green,” we cannot help but be reminded of them. Simply for its humor and originality –and authenticity– the track is certainly among the standouts on the album.

Following “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad,” “Last Gang in Town” and “Guns on the Roof” show the band returning to familiar territory. One should note, though, that while the songs do have a familiar sound, The Clash is still moving forward. The songs are a bit slower than anything on The Clash, and the music itself is also more complex. As evidenced by these tracks, the band has settled into their sound quite nicely and has grown even more confident with it. On “The Last Gang in Town” we can still hear the bands trademark roots rock, punk sound, and paired with lyrics about warring gangs —and ultimately the Clash itself— the song is uniquely theirs. The following track “Guns on the Roof” is not the strongest cut on the album, and it is here that the album loses some momentum. The song is good, but compared to what the band has already done on this album and others, the sound and lyrical theme are a little rehashed.

As we quickly get towards the end of the record, “Drug Stabbing Time” and “Stay Free” are our next tracks. “Drug Stabbing Time,” like “Guns on the Roof” is a good song, but makes the album feel somewhat redundant with similarities in sound. The saxophone throughout the song is a nice feature, though, and does help add some texture. “Stay Free” is the following track, and stands as one of the centerpieces of the album. Stylistically, it is unlike anything the Clash had done up until that point. They were finally confident enough in themselves to open up musically and lyrically, and the results turned out quite well. In the song Mick Jones sings about the pains of growing up and the desire to remember his youth: “An’ if you’re in the crown tonight/Have a drink on me/But go easy…step lightly…stay free.” The song is one of the slowest, most pop laden songs they have released, but the sound perfectly fits the introspective lyrics. This song shows –more than any other until this point– represents that the Clash are not afraid to release the music they want to release. Clearly, it is not a matter of “selling out,” but rather a matter of being true to themselves.

Finally, the songs “Cheapskates” and “All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)” close out the album. Both songs are slightly slower in tempo, but each has a decidedly different sound from one another. “Cheapskates” is more dissonant and negative sounding, and in the wake of “Stay Free,” the song sounds not quite as strong. The personally charged, indicting lyrics are about the band coming back to town after making it big and not being accepted for “selling out.” Strummer argues that despite his status, nothing has changed. Where “Cheapskates” was lacking just a bit, “All the Young Punks” is simply superb. The band is embracing the pop sound of “Stay Free” and the lyrics revisit the theme of youth and the fear of growing old. Strummer sings “All the young punks/ Laugh your life/ Cos there ain’t much to cry for” and continues later “Face front you got the future shining/ Like a piece of gold/ But I swear as we get closer/ It look more like a lump of coal.” The Clash reinforce that fact that they are not afraid to open up musically and emotionally, and here it makes for an excellent song and an even better album closer.

Ultimately, Give ‘Em Enough Rope serves as a transition between the fasted paced punk rock of The Clash, and the multi-genre masterpiece London Calling. While the songs here can stand alone as some of the strongest The Clash released, many were almost prototypes for songs on future records. “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad” and “Stay Free” may have sounded out of place on this record, but on London Calling, they would have fit right it. We get the sense, too, that The Clash were holding back just bit on the record. They tested the waters with some new sounds and instrumentation, but were not sure how far to take them. Regardless, The Clash proves that they are moving forward with Give ‘Em Enough Rope, and are refusing to remain stagnant and complacent with their sound.