The Clash vs The Stranglers

Discuss any non-related Stranglers bands here

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StanInBlack
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by StanInBlack »

Part of me is convinced that had Strummer not sadly passed away that we may have seen a Clash reunion of sorts in the '00s. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon were both as visible as ever during that time, Mick Jones of course producing the first two Libertines albums and Paul Simonon working with Damon Albarn in The Good, the Bad & the Queen and with Gorillaz (alongside Jones too)
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by theraven1979 »

StanInBlack wrote:
Jon the Impaler wrote: 16 Mar 2022, 15:30 To me they sold out on punk with London Calling , ok you could say they progressed and reached out to a wider audience , fair enough , but we're they just riding the coat tails of punk all along ?
Many original wave punk bands progressed and developed from their debuts. Obviously the Sex Pistols didn't because they didn't make another record.
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

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StanInBlack wrote:Part of me is convinced that had Strummer not sadly passed away that we may have seen a Clash reunion of sorts in the '00s. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon were both as visible as ever during that time, Mick Jones of course producing the first two Libertines albums and Paul Simonon working with Damon Albarn in The Good, the Bad & the Queen and with Gorillaz (alongside Jones too)
Strummer also produced BAD's No 10 Upping Street. Theres photos of Mick and Joe all smiles from those recordings sessions. Pretty decent on Mick's behalf considering Strummer booted him out. There was a more recent time where Mick turned up at Joe's gig, got onstage and plugged in a guitar.

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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by Jon the Impaler »

theraven1979 wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 08:43
StanInBlack wrote:
Jon the Impaler wrote: 16 Mar 2022, 15:30 To me they sold out on punk with London Calling , ok you could say they progressed and reached out to a wider audience , fair enough , but we're they just riding the coat tails of punk all along ?
Many original wave punk bands progressed and developed from their debuts. Obviously the Sex Pistols didn't because they didn't make another record.
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Jim

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Not really , because it's basically correct .Most of the early punk bands moved on , changed or quit . A lot of later bands didn't change so radically as the originals , but at the start there wasn't a punk blueprint , it was new ( in UK anyway ) , and most embraced the do it yourself , anything goes ethos......that's why I can't understand early punks slating The Stranglers for keyboards . The later bands were more true to what they thought punk should sound like but at the same time were very samey......but I liked all types and eras of that punk between 76 and late 80's .......and there are exceptions to those things though in all eras of punk . Personally it was just that the south american type stuff or jazz or whatever in Sandanista just wasn't my taste .Simple as that , give me the rawness but far less original Anti Pasti any day .
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by theraven1979 »

I was referring to the fact that the Sex Pistols did actually release another album after Bollocks.


Jim


Jon the Impaler wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 10:46
theraven1979 wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 08:43
StanInBlack wrote:
Many original wave punk bands progressed and developed from their debuts. Obviously the Sex Pistols didn't because they didn't make another record.
No one falling into this trap? Image

Jim

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Not really , because it's basically correct .Most of the early punk bands moved on , changed or quit . A lot of later bands didn't change so radically as the originals , but at the start there wasn't a punk blueprint , it was new ( in UK anyway ) , and most embraced the do it yourself , anything goes ethos......that's why I can't understand early punks slating The Stranglers for keyboards . The later bands were more true to what they thought punk should sound like but at the same time were very samey......but I liked all types and eras of that punk between 76 and late 80's .......and there are exceptions to those things though in all eras of punk . Personally it was just that the south american type stuff or jazz or whatever in Sandanista just wasn't my taste .Simple as that , give me the rawness but far less original Anti Pasti any day .
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by Jon the Impaler »

Yanders wrote: 16 Mar 2022, 20:36 I can see why the clash were more popular in the US, but sold fewer recorded than the stranglers here. There's more than a bit of Springsteen in Strummer and the footage from their US tour still looks good today. They were selling rock and roll back to the USA.

The stranglers had a better range and quirkier songs that could sell here, but would need a lot of work to sell in the US. Who knows, if the stranglers spent the time over there, they may have imploded in the early 80s, too?

The clash have the advantage of being styled - they dressed well and coordinated and the three of them up front looked cool. And the London calling cover became iconic very quickly. I also think it helps their legacy that they didn't carry on, they are remembered as young with the 'what if', and not as well past their prime.

I like the clash, but prefer the stranglers. I think the clash are a touch overrated because their image was so strong and are bigged up by music journalist who don't know their music as much as they think.
The Clash also had a look that sold them to America , the designer clothes they always wore . In the early days right up to probably Feline , The Stranglers looked rough and scruffy......and real mean fuckers too, The Clash were dressing up as cowboys .
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by Jon the Impaler »

theraven1979 wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 10:58 I was referring to the fact that the Sex Pistols did actually release another album after Bollocks.


Jim


Jon the Impaler wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 10:46
theraven1979 wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 08:43 No one falling into this trap? Image

Jim

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
Not really , because it's basically correct .Most of the early punk bands moved on , changed or quit . A lot of later bands didn't change so radically as the originals , but at the start there wasn't a punk blueprint , it was new ( in UK anyway ) , and most embraced the do it yourself , anything goes ethos......that's why I can't understand early punks slating The Stranglers for keyboards . The later bands were more true to what they thought punk should sound like but at the same time were very samey......but I liked all types and eras of that punk between 76 and late 80's .......and there are exceptions to those things though in all eras of punk . Personally it was just that the south american type stuff or jazz or whatever in Sandanista just wasn't my taste .Simple as that , give me the rawness but far less original Anti Pasti any day .
Again though Stan is right , Swindle was a McLaren album without Rotten using the Pistols to front it , it was just that , McLaren swindling punks , the public and The Pistols . He and Bernie Rhodes were clever buggers , glad The Stranglers didn't have management like that personally .
All quiet ..........
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by Jon the Impaler »

Yanders wrote: 16 Mar 2022, 20:36 I can see why the clash were more popular in the US, but sold fewer recorded than the stranglers here. There's more than a bit of Springsteen in Strummer and the footage from their US tour still looks good today. They were selling rock and roll back to the USA.

The stranglers had a better range and quirkier songs that could sell here, but would need a lot of work to sell in the US. Who knows, if the stranglers spent the time over there, they may have imploded in the early 80s, too?

The clash have the advantage of being styled - they dressed well and coordinated and the three of them up front looked cool. And the London calling cover became iconic very quickly. I also think it helps their legacy that they didn't carry on, they are remembered as young with the 'what if', and not as well past their prime.

I like the clash, but prefer the stranglers. I think the clash are a touch overrated because their image was so strong and are bigged up by music journalist who don't know their music as much as they think.
You could go on a Clash forum , if there are any , and you'd get the very same arguement in reverse about the bands in general 😁 .Stranglers win here as it's a Stranglers forum, I am 100% certain The Stranglers are far superior .
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

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Jon the Impaler wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 11:02 He and Bernie Rhodes were clever buggers , glad The Stranglers didn't have management like that personally .
I'm pretty sure The Stranglers wouldn't have put up with management like that, they didn't seem to be the type of people that suffered fools back in the day and I think if anyone had tried to manage The Stranglers like a Rhodes or McLaren type then they wouldn't have lasted very long. I couldn't imagine Jet with all of his business sense tolerating it and possibly they would have ended up getting chinned by at least one band member.
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by Yanders »

You say business sense, but who are richer now? I'm not sure it all went down exactly how Rhodes or McLaren planned, but they certainly developed commercial brands.

That said, I think everyone who side stepped either of them are better for it.
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

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Yanders wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 13:58 You say business sense, but who are richer now?
I suppose that's one way of looking at it. The other is that The Stranglers never allowed themselves to be ran into the ground by their management. I suspect if not for Rhodes and McLaren both The Clash and Sex Pistols may possibly have went on for longer, and crap like Cut the Crap and The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle may not have happened.
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Re: The Clash vs The Stranglers

Post by jetblacksdad »

Yanders wrote: 17 Mar 2022, 13:58 You say business sense, but who are richer now? I'm not sure it all went down exactly how Rhodes or McLaren planned, but they certainly developed commercial brands.

That said, I think everyone who side stepped either of them are better for it.
Look at the length of the career. Great business sense to have kept the B(r)and alive.
Lots of money isn't the only measure of success.
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