The Clash were the definitive British punk rockers, fiery, idealistic and charged with righteousness and a leftist political ideology. From the outset The Clash were more musically adventurous than the Pistols or The Jam, expanding its hard rock & roll with reggae dub and rockabilly among other roots musics. Furthermore, they were blessed with two exceptional songwriters in Joe Strummer and Mick Jones each with a distinctive voice and style. The Clash copped heavily from classic outlaw imagery, positioning themselves as rebels with a cause. As a result, they won a passionately devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. While they became rock & roll heroes in the UK, it took the Clash several years to break into the American. Though the Clash never became the superstars they always threatened to become, they restored passion and protest to rock & roll For a while, they really did seem like "the only band that mattered."
