Give Em Enough Rope [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Digitally remastered from the original production master tapes, this a reissue of the 1978 & second album by 'the only band that matters'. Features the original artwork and all 10 of the original tracks, including 'Safe European Home', 'English Civil War' and 'Tommy Gun'. 1999 release.

Tracks:

Safe European Home
English Civil War
Tommy Gun
Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad
Last Gang In Town
Guns On The Roof
Drug-Stabbing Time
Stay Free
Cheapskates
All The Young Punks (New Boots And Contracts)

Amazon.com

Despite the tepid production by metal guru Sandy Pearlman, the Clash's sophomore album, Give 'Em Enough Rope, manages to burn with white-hot intensity. Though not as amateurish or snarling as their debut album, Rope finds the boys flexing their songwriting muscles. The first three songs ("Safe European Home," "English Civil War," and "Tommy Gun") stand among their most powerful and leap from the record with brute force. Though they hit a few clunkers ("Cheapskates"), this album is a near classic and gives a hint of the band to come that would light up the world with London Calling. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary for its Prescience.......2007-04-19

As all the other reviews have noted - and as all Clash fans have known for years - Give 'Em Enough Rope is far from the band's best work. A shining example of the Sophomore Slump. But the passing of time - to where we stand in this time and place - has been favorable to the album. Granted, Sandy Perlman's hard rock production on The Clash's punk rock approach still feels disjointed, but Joe Strummer's lyrics and delivery - fueled by drummer Topper Headon's impeccable rhythms - feel more potent - more important - than they did when first released 30 years ago. Songs like "Safe European Home" addressing violence in Jamaica; "Tommy Gun," about soldiers of fortune with lyrics like "So let's agree / About the price / That's one jet airliner / For 10 prisoners"; and "Guns on the Roof" with "They tortured all the women and children / Then they put the men to the gun / 'Coz all across the human frontier / Freedom's always on the run," all resonate with an uneasy chill and truth.

Interesting it's this album that 3 decades on would prove that The Clash is STILL the only band that matters.

Sophomore Slump? Um, no...........2007-03-24

Okay. So it lacks the immediacy of the debut and the "anything-goes" attitude of London Calling. I could care less, I like Give 'em Enough Rope, at least up until the end. How anybody doesn't hear "classic" in a few of these songs is beyond me. May I remind you people this contains Safe European Home, a reggae-punk fusion that would alone make the album essential? And the snarling rocker English Civil War? And some tremendous drumming on Tommy Gun? Can't forget the funny-yet-serious Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad, either. I'm not a fan of Mick Jones' voice, but Stay Free is a nicely emotional ballad. I like Guns on the Roof too, even if it's a rip off of The Who's far better I Can't Explain, the second the group recorded (#1 was Clash City Rockers, another great song).
So basically, the only real bad songs are All Young Punks and Last Gang in Town. Both abuse their indulgent five-minute running times horrendously. This is good stuff, though, and I like the cover art too.

Righteous Anger.........2007-02-26

I was there in New York on this tour as The Clash bombastically took the stage and tore the house down as they always did..angry at corporate power, this album of longer playing sounds, sprinkling of keyboards,better cleaner production mainstream producer,Marxist Maoist allusions throughout made The Clash a band that were the defining statement of the day. Not a bunch of playful Mods, The Clash meant business and were out to prove it..one of the seminal albums of the movement, belongs in every collection.

The only band that matters Made for the USA.......2007-01-28

Everything the Clash ever recorded was important and this album is no different. The only problem with this album (just like the US release of the first album) was that corporate mororns tried to put the band into a box instead of letting them be who they were. That being said sit back enjoy, listen and learn. Stay Free

The Difference Between Powerful Music and Arena-Rock Production.......2006-09-15

What happens when a punk band with a smashing sound meets a producer with connections to Blue Oyster Cult? You got it, Give 'em Enough Rope.

It is a solid set of songs marred by the arena-rock production of Sandy Pearlman. The band was disgusted with the final product and it should be no surprise that live sets after the tour to support its release did not feature too many of the cuts.

Too bad, because the U.S. debut - the second album released - finds Joe Strummer and band getting punk'd while absorbing the sights and sounds of Jamiaca in Safe European Home and taking aim at the growing legion of wannabes in All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts).

The energy of Tommy Gun and the social commentary in Drug-Stabbing Time and Julie's Been Working with the Drug Squad shows a band getting tighter lyrically and musically.

Give 'em Enough Rope will probably remain the most overlooked studio release by the band. But it is a powerful set that propelled them to greater heights with the rock classic London Calling that was released about a year later.

Average customer rating:

Excellent, even not their best
Not one of their better works.
O.K. NOW LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
the clash fall just short of perfection
Clash's only disappointment, but still good

Give 'em Enough Rope
The Clash
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

British Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

The Clash
London Calling
Combat Rock
Super Black Market Clash
Cut the Crap

ASIN: B0000025DY
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Safe European Home
English Civil War
Tommy Gun
Julie's In The Drug Squad
Last Gang In Town
Guns On The Roof
Drug-Stabbing Time
Stay Free
Cheapskates
All The Young Punks (New Boots And Contracts)

Album Description

Digitally remastered from the original production master tapes, this a reissue of the 1978 & second album by 'the only band that matters'. Features the original artwork and all 10 of the original tracks, including 'Safe European Home', 'English Civil War' and 'Tommy Gun'. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, even not their best.......1999-10-27

Give 'em enough rope isn't Clash's best album, but it's very good, maybe even etter than first album! First I thought it wasn't so good, but then I listened it.. Totally awesome!

Not one of their better works........1999-10-17

I consider the Clash to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time. I put them right up there with my other favorties: the Beatles, Creedence Clearwatrer Revival, the Pretenders, and Elvis Costello.

The two best Clash albums, "London Calling," and the 1979 American release of "The Clash," prove this band to be one of the most intelligent, angry, expressive, articulate, and politically sophisticated bands in the history of rock.

But "Give 'Em Enough Rope" does not hold up to those stanards. Maybe it was the lower quality writing, and maybe it was the lower insensity performance. Or perhaps it was the way that the album was grossly overporduced to make it sound overly glossy and tampered with. But whatever the reason, this disc simply does not hold up to their better stuff.

Besides the 2 albums that I mentioned above, I would also reccomend that you get "Combat Rock" and "Super Balck Market Clash," which are both worth owning.

But I do not reccomend "Give 'Em Enough Rope." In my opinion, it lacks the things that made the Clash a great band.

O.K. NOW LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1.......1999-10-05

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION,"GIVE 'EM ENOUGH ROPE" IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER RECORDED..............PERIOD. AND, OF COURSE, THE CLASH IS *THE* MOST IMPORTANT BAND OF THE LAST 20 YEARS!!! .......hmmmmmmm, i geuss you figured out that i like them.

the clash fall just short of perfection.......1999-09-09

Many of the tracks on "Give 'Em Enough Rope" are true punk classics. Tommy Gun, Drug-Stabbing Time, English Civil War, and Safe European Homes are all powerful commentary on 1970s politics, not to mention powerful, intelligent songs. Julie's in the Drug Squad is an entertaining change of pace and Stay Free, despite how close it gets to being poppy (if it had a chorus, I think it could have been a hit), is possibly my favorite Clash song. However, I must say that the rest of the album, while still good, is not as explosive as the songs previously mentioned. Those remaining songs lack that special something that makes me sit up and take notice of most Clash songs. But, in a time when record companies were molding "punk" to be the next big moneymaking deal, the Clash showed how strong and rebellious punk could be.

Clash's only disappointment, but still good.......1999-08-20

When all the other major British punk bands died in 1978 and were replaced by tepid New Wave, CBS (the Clash's label) tried to push the band into the US market whether they liked it or not. They shipped the band to New York and set them up with Sandy Pearlman, a metal producer w/ a commercial track record.

The result is not nearly as good as it could have been. First of all, Pearlman hated Strummer's voice and buried it disastrously low in the mix. Secondly, he packed the sound with distortion, booming drums, and overdubbing, making all the songs sound similar and muddying the impact of the Clash's considerable guitar fury. Thirdly, the lyrics Strummer wrote are histrionic, cranky and soaked in melodrama: it looks unkindly on British punk, their own career and certainly the world at large.

The situation the Clash were in was not a pleasant one -- they were being accused of selling out and of being phonies, and being pushed into a clean sound they loathed. The music falls apart under the war between producer and band.

That said, some of the songs are fantastic, and would have been truly world-class with better production: "Safe European Home" is a great mixed paean to Kingston, "Tommy Gun" is a chilling take on terrorism, "Drug Stabbing Time" has an undeniable rock groove and "Stay Free" is a world-class romantic history of the band by Jones along the lines of "I'm Not Down" on London Calling.

Tracks:

Safe European Home
English Civil War
Tommy Gun
Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad
Last Gang in Town
Guns on the Roof
Drug-Stabbing Time
Stay Free
Cheapskates
All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)

Album Description

Japanese remastered reissue packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. Details TBA. CBS. 2004.

Album Details

Special Japanese Limited Edition in an LP Sleeve Replica with the Original Artwork.

Customer Reviews:

Clash's Best Album Just Got Even Better!, .......2007-07-15

This Japanese mini-lp replica version of Clash's best album is simply a work of art! Very beautifully designed with all the lyrics included and with a sound quality remastered to perfection.
This is by far the best version of this album that is out there; great sound quality, great packaging, great songs! A must have in any CD collector's library.

Average customer rating:

Excellent, even not their best
Not one of their better works.
O.K. NOW LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
the clash fall just short of perfection
Clash's only disappointment, but still good

Give 'em Enough Rope
The Clash
Manufacturer: Sony/Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

British Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Clash
London Calling
Combat Rock
Super Black Market Clash
Cut the Crap

ASIN: B00002MVQM

Tracks:

Safe European Home
English Civil War
Tommy Gun
Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad
Last Gang in Town
Guns on the Roof
Drug-Stabbing Time
Stay Free
Cheapskates
All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, even not their best.......1999-10-27

Give 'em enough rope isn't Clash's best album, but it's very good, maybe even etter than first album! First I thought it wasn't so good, but then I listened it.. Totally awesome!

Not one of their better works........1999-10-17

Besides the 2 albums that I mentioned above, I would also reccomend that you get "Combat Rock" and "Super Balck Market Clash," which are both worth owning.

But I do not reccomend "Give 'Em Enough Rope." In my opinion, it lacks the things that made the Clash a great band.

O.K. NOW LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1.......1999-10-05

the clash fall just short of perfection.......1999-09-09

Clash's only disappointment, but still good.......1999-08-20

All in all, worth a listen (especially at only $9.50) but it's a bit of a letdown.

Music: