Give 'em Enough Rope

This album defines the Pure Punk sound with Explosive sound and thoughts!

Classic punk rock album with apocalyptic lyrics and short English accented lyrics. A classic !

This album, their second, sounds much better and delves into more than the two-three minute tunes on The Clash. Sandy Pearlman, a seasoned producer (most notably for Blue Oyster Cult), took the reins and got more musically from the band. It's a great album with Strummer belting out the vocals for the political stuff and Mick Jones singing on the more personal songs (as it seems to be on all three of the first Clash albums.) If you've never heard it you're missing out. I recommend anyone who is listening to The Clash for the first time to do it in order: The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling, Black Market Clash, Sandinista!, and Combat Rock. Do not bother with even listening to Cut The Crap because that album does exactly the opposite of what its title suggests. The Only Band That Matters, The Clash, they are one of the greatest bands ever.

This was the last album I needed for my Clash collection. Overall, it's a really strong record, with strong production and a very hard sound. It's not as good as the US version of their first album (which is almost entirely Clash favorites), but it's a damn fine one. That said, it is a bit front loaded. The best tracks (Safe European Home, English Civil War, Tommy Gun, Julie's Been Working For the Drug Squad,) make up the first half of the album, with only Stay Free balancing the second half, That doesn't mean the lesser tracks are bad, but it's annoying the best tracks are over so fast. Still, this is a classic, and well worth your cash.

Sandwiched between their two classic albums, their self-titled debut and London Calling respectively, The Clash's second album, Give `Em Enough Rope, often doesn't receive the credit it deserves. This is unfortunate as Give `Em Enough Rope contains many of their best songs. Musically, the album is closer to hard rock than punk in spirit as the guitars are louder and the songs are longer. Their lyrics are still razor sharp, particularly attacking drugs and terrorism. The opening "Safe European Home" is one of their best and features a great fade out and fade in (similar to Kiss' "I Love It Loud") that is very cool. "Tommy Gun" is even better and the band gives a spirited performance driven by the song's loud riffs and Topper Headon's furious drumming. The anthem "Drug Stabbing Time" and the slower tunes, "Last Gang in Town" and "All the Young Punks" are great tracks as well. Other strong tunes include the melodic "Stay Free", the sarcastic shuffle of "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad", and the angry "English Civil War." The remaining tracks, "Guns on the Roof" and "Cheapskates" are decent but don't touch the rest of the album even though the lyrics on the former are very good. All told, while not quite a classic, Give `Em Enough Rope is pretty darn close and should be a part of your Clash collection.

I know that their 1977 debut and London Calling seem to get all of the ink but Give 'em Enough Rope is a masterpiece in it's own right. The album may not boast too many radio friendly songs but doin't let that dissuade you. In this album the trademark chainsaw guitars of early Clash are subtly blended with hints of the world influences that would play out so prominently on London Calling and Sandinista.Strummer and co. even skewer many of their own fans in the album's final song. "All the Young Punks" was the best send-up of an artist's own fan base until Nirvana released "In Bloom". If you are even a casual fan of the Clash or 70's punk get this album.

Wow, is this album powerful! The Clash's second offering depicts a post-punk sound with abundant guitars and more rockish beats. I will say that this album is grossly underrated, though it gets its due from critics. Fans somehow gobble up the first album and London Calling, and not pay enough attention to this classic. All of the tracks are stellar, but I particularly like SAFE EUROPEAN HOME, TOMMY GUN, ALL THE YOUNG PUNKS, and STAY FREE, the latter being my favorite. In typical Clash fashion, the songs explore politics and societal problems. Do yourself a favor and get this superlative offering by The Clash.

Loved the album an I believe anyone who loves punk rock will love this particular class's album