I agree with Phasecorrect - much as I love a lot of The Clash's early stuff, they were never entirely convincing as a "punk" band, and IMO were in fact overrated as such. When I want to hear first-wave English punk, I put on something like The Damned, The Pistols, or maybe a comp of one-off 45's by some of those "safety-pin" flash-in-the-pan bands. The Clash were a Rock & Roll band in the classic sense, and really showed what they were capable of when they began shedding the "punk" straightjacket. They sounded infinitely more comfortable melding rockabilly, reggae, dub, ska, folk, jazz, hard rock, rhythm & blues, soul, funk, disco, rap, pop, and punk into their own potent brew. Strummer/Jones was one of those providential rock partnerships that only comes along once in a very great while, a Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards for my generation. Joe's gargling voice was in the best tradition of Jagger or Dylan, an ugly-duckling instrument of desperate emotiveness, entirely unique and more soulful than a 1,000 pretty-sounding run-of-the-mill singers. I always thought that The Clash hung it up too soon - after three great albums (London Calling, Sandinista!, Combat Rock) they seemed to have a world of possibilities still in front of them, were still the best band going. Up 'til yesterday, I have to admit that I always held out some small hope that the original band would eventually work together again one day (today we'll agree to forever forgive Joe his terribly ill-advised last "Clash" record 'Cut The Crap' made without Jones, something I believe even he later acknowledged amounted to little more than a bad joke). Few guys I've ever witnessed on a stage have possessed as much essential energy without descending to the merely signifying/posing/strutting; as much heartfelt blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention spit, piss, and spunk!) - it's hard to think of such a fierce life force snuffed out, but his spirit will live on a long, long time.
