The Clash were one of Britain's greatest ever punk-rock bands. While the Sex Pistols may have initiated the punk revolution with their anarchic attitude and sound, The Clash conveyed constructive political ideas in their lyrics. Their sound was tighter than the Pistols', and incorporated dub, reggae, ska, funk and rockabilly too.

Their self-titled debut album, released in 1977, was one of the greatest punk debuts, featuring "White Riot" and a version of the Junior Murvin protest song "Police and Thieves". Give 'em Enough Rope (1978) was less of a blockbuster, but the Clash's pinnacle came with their 1979 double-album London Calling. Expertly combining different styles into their own unique sound, London Calling became one of the most acclaimed rock albums of the 20th Century, and is consistently voted as one of the greatest albums of its era. It was followed by the even more ambitious triple-album Sandinista! (1980), which was praised by many, but criticised by some for being over-indulgent. Combat Rock (1982) featured the hits "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and "Rock the Casbah", but was less of a consistent album overall.

When drummer Topper Headon was sacked due to his over-reliance on heroin, friction within the band started to become a real problem. Lead guitarist Mick Jones quit the band in 1983, and the final Clash album Cut the Crap (1985) was a critical flop. Many Clash fans actually disregard Cut the Crap from the band's discography because it mostly featured session musicians and was publicly disowned by singer Joe Strummer. By 1986, each member of The Clash was focussing on other projects, and the band never reconvened.