Producers include: The Clash, Guy Stevens, Mikey Dread, Lee Perry, Sandy Perlman.
Includes liner notes by Albert Transom.
Digitally remastered by Ray Staff & Bob Whitney (Whitfield Street Studios, London, England).
Though not the definitive anthology that the CLASH ON BROADWAY box is, THE STORY OF THE CLASH is an appealing, if confusing, two-disc compilation of the second World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band. Any collection that draws on the early-to-mid-period recordings of the Clash (as this one does) is bound to be worthwhile, and THE STORY OF THE CLASH sweetens the pot by throwing in some relative obscurities, like “Armagideon Time” and “Spanish Bombs” along with classics like “London Calling” and “Career Opportunities.” The mildly disconcerting aspect of this set is the lack of chronological or thematic order; songs from all phases of the band's career are thrown together in seemingly random fashion, so this doesn't really function as a history of the band. It does, however, put a whole lot of great Clash songs in one place, and you can't go wrong with that.
What the critics say…
Q (12/99, pp.152–3) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…tells its tale well, if not comprehensively…”